How to Dress Like Your Hero......

The latest issue of VMAN hits newsstands tomorrow and stylist Nicola Formichetti lets his imagination do the directing for his latest editorial with Hedi Slimane. Styling Major’s River Viiperi and Colter Johnson, Formichetti relies on practical pieces for makeshift ensembles that resemble heroes and rock idols alike.

RUNWAY REPORT: PARIS DAY 1

Since the time of Louis XIV, artists of every genre, from every corner of the earth, whether big, small, established, or emerging, have come to Paris to make it their stage. The first day of men’s collections here drew on that very energy that makes the city so perennially exciting.
At Louis Vuitton construction was king. Menswear director Paul Helbers inserted black leather panels into the shoulders and torsos of his sharply tailored suits. A pea coat got the same treatment. Textures and colors were mixed (like the tweed shoulders on a black blazer) and matched (like the Donegal duffle over a Donegal suit). High top clog boots added a bit of whimsy to the precision and luxury on display.

Korean designer Juun J’s runway show took the season’s black and grey trend but applied it to coats, suits, and shoes that had been doubled-up by joining the layers with chunky gold and silver zippers. The suits’ double lapels were piped with zippers, as were the expandable cargo pockets. Juun J has always played with proportion but with this latest offering the wearer gets to alter the shape on the fly. Outerwear was a stand out, particularly a turquoise snorkel parka, which took a second turn as the show ender when every model came out wearing a golden version for the finale.
The mix master of the day was Dries Van Noten, whose collection was evidently inspired by private schools, both military and preparatory. In a silent room the models sported private school stripes and military-grade Melton wool while carrying little hand speakers from which the show’s soundtrack played. It was kind of like those prep school punks who tear up their expensive blazers and blare music from their cell phones on the subway. On the train it’s annoying, but here it was wonderful.
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How to Read.....

I applaud VMAN and Bruce Weber for encouraging "literacy" with the editorial ‘How to Read’ in the upcoming 17th issue. Bruce Weber remains true to his penchant for nude male photography, capturing Benedict Tufnell, Joey Slomowitz, Bart Grivvy, Matt Raimo and Josh Truesdell in sunny south Florida. The cheeky editorial was styled by Deborah Watson and uncovers the the most unlikeliest places to read, ranging from the beach to the shower ;)

RUNWAY REPORT: MILAN DAY 3......

Pringle’s first ever runway show was prefaced by an animated short produced for the Scottish house by artist David Shrigley. All about “jumpers,” “cardies,” goats, and Scotland’s rainy weather, the film was worth a good laugh. The show, more dark than comical, was equally captivating. It was nearly impossible to figure out exactly how many knitting techniques were used on the various monochrome textural layers. There were gauzy knits, big looped knits, cable knits. There was leather that turned out to be laminated knits. The woven suiting was draped in knits. And the felted outerwear (like one particularly amazing iridescent Donegal) featured ribbed knit panels. Pringle’s long time creative director Clare Waight Keller harnessed all the capabilities of the house to showcase just how avant a century-old craft (and company) can be.

There were no laminates at Versace; Donatella worked in nothing but the real animal stuff. In fact, she covered nearly every inch of her young, slicked-hair models with various leathers. Boots were patent and platform, or of the riding variety. Some employed six to nine monk straps. Jackets and tops were of animal skin, sometimes with cut outs, other times with embedded spikes just barely piercing-through the surface. The look was monochrome black and grey, motocross meets biker meets Sprockets meets Mad Max. There was even a hint of disco, like the sequin chainmail tanks and matching scarves. The energy and vitality were a welcome return to the Versace runway.
Speaking of chainmail, Alexander McQueen employed it as one of the dazzling prints in his show. Alongside the faux armor, kaleidoscopically imaged cable knits, skulls, and dripping water were laser printed onto suits, macs, vests, shirts, and ties. The layers were meant to feel constricting (some guys wore satin ski masks, or even gas masks). The final effect, amplified by Sting’s original soundtrack, was melancholy, enchanting, and staccato.
Thom Browne’s show for Moncler Gamme Bleu was perhaps the last few days’ most creative. As guests walked into the venue, all thirty or so models were fast asleep in matching nightcaps under matching blankets on matching cots. Suddenly, puffy-suited drill sergeants arrived and began blowing their bugles. The long john-clad models then awoke, made their beds, and put on their outfits. Every garment that could be down filled—chord bombers, bubble blazers, padded shirts, utility vests, cargo pants, puffer shorts, moon boots—was so filled. The drill sergeants checked the models before sending them with their runway marching orders. The individual pieces will be surefire hits, and had there been a Golden Globe for fashion show direction, Thom Browne would have won it.
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RUNWAY REPORT: MILAN DAY 2

Designers on the second day here in Milan found inspiration in various aspects of modern youth culture. At Bottega Veneta, creative director Thomas Maier gave the models a rockabilly makeover with bolo ties, hybrid patent leather creepers, and pompadour hairdos. He transformed lowly sweatpants into richly colored sartorial masterworks, and double-strap combat boots into gentlemanly footwear wrought of only the supplest calfskin. The structured sport jacket, always a signature of Maier’s collections, had its silhouette adjusted. The shoulders grew more natural, creating a boxier shape around the body—sure to be a hit among the core buyers.
Anyone who has spent time in the East Village can tell you that “gutter punk” is not usually synonymous with sexy. But Roberto Cavalli’s runway show brought the look to a place of sensuality. His secret weapon: leather. He wove strips of hide into cropped riding pants, and laser cut intricate paisley patterns into motorcycle jackets. From afar, it was generic punk, but up close, it was a true triumph of manufacture.

One collection that took just the right amount of artistic license was Prada, an apt description for which might be dweeb chic. The models sported bowl cuts, the shoes had exaggerated kilties, the sweaters were shortened so the button fronts pants worn underneath poked out at the waist, and the close-cropped suits were cut from stiff fabrics that accentuated the endearingly awkward walk of the models. The boys were flanked by similarly dressed but more overtly confident girls—it reminded me of The Big Bang Theory, a CBS sitcom which recently had billboards all over New York. A rumor went around that the 1970 film Love Story informed Miuccia’s inspiration. But she wasn’t saying. Regardless, a love story between those clothes and the audience was irrefutable.
Bucking the trends of the day, the Salvatore Ferragamo show went lux for lux’s sake. The outerwear, especially the duffle coats—some of the best I’ve ever seen from the house—featured details both subtle (like the two horizontal charcoal stripes on the white one) and bold (like the shaggy night watch plaid of another). Clean lines and chunky knits were the order of the day, and some scarves were so big they threatened to swallow the models whole. In the end though, no models were harmed.

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Outsiders sure looks stylish.....

In this new editorial from the upcoming VMAN17, out in February 2010 being an outsider sure looks stylish. VMAN looks even better with models AJ Abualrub, Paolo Anchisi, Giorgos Tsetis, Vladimir Ivanov, Jerome Wyvekens, and Steffen Weng. The spread was photographed Collier Schorr with styling by Pierre-Henri Mattout.

Most Valuable Players......

Uncle Karl must have been in a very good mood, when he loaned out his boy muse Baptiste for VMAN’s editorial chronicling in their opinion, the “most valuable players” in the modeling world. Never the less the editorial styled by Clare Richardson and photographed by Chad Pitman features several of my favorites including Vladimir Ivanov, Dennis Johnson, Garrett Neff, Gen Huismans, Reid Prebenda, Ryan Kennedy and Will Defiel. VMAN’s latest issue, which includes this editorial and more comes out this Tuesday, September 15, 2009.




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