Alexander McQueen Fall/Winter 2017 Menswear Review

     There is no doubt about the constant, constant, constant changes within politics, fashion, and culture as a whole. However, there are moments that remind me that artistic substance still exists despite constant change. Sarah Burton's fall menswear collection for Alexander McQueen was an expedition that proved pomp and circumstance can still exist in this age of technology and leisure. Throughout these men's fashion weeks, I have seen collection after collection trying too hard to push banal, thoughtless ideas about masculinity and the future of fashion. Sportswear and ease have taken over. Perhaps that is the spirit of our times, which I respect and understand. However, Alexander McQueen is an educational and rich brand. Rather than trying too hard to please the buyers and the media, Sarah Burton and the entire Alexander McQueen team have decided to create something that defines modern opulence for menswear. Oscar Wilde, where the collection draws most of its inspiration, was a writer who opted to live his life in search of the most romantic and beautiful things he could get his hands on. No doubt an aesthete, Wilde cloaked himself in Victorian fur capes, gem incrusted tie pins, and lush embroidery on any surface he found applicable. His philosophy obviously came through in his writing, when he often described the beauty of floral gardens, velvety interior design, and intricate oil paintings. This lushness translates into this McQueen collection with mohair, velvet, and brocade suiting, fur trimmed overcoats, and cashmere sweaters. To make the silhouettes modern and not straight out of Henry Keen's illustrations for "The Picture of Dorian Gray", the McQueen team added elements of punk within. Bondage straps, torn sweaters, safety pin piercings, and heavy, steel-toed combat boots hardened the collection and made it more desirable. In terms of color choice, canary yellow made a surprising appearance for suiting not seen at all on other menswear collections. Of course there was classic suiting colors in black, dark grays, and camel, but they were usually decorated with baroque prints and William Morris-eque details. With all of this regality and ornamentation, esteemed fashion reporter Tim Blanks questioned the wearability of these clothes, calling out their "innate costumeyness". Blanks found too much separation between these clothes and what is happening in the real world. However I believe we need esapism in fashion. Especially when the real world hits us in the head every time we go on Twitter or Facebook. Escapism in these physical clothes are what makes this collection valid. 

LOVERBOY Charles Jeffrey (MAN) Fall/Winter 2017 Menswear Review

     Charles Jeffrey is an up-and-coming London menswear designer who is "bringing the club back to the catwalk", according to DazedDigital.com. In Leigh Bowery-esque flourishes, Jeffrey takes his brand "LOVERBOY" to create fabulous, gender bending, and new silhouettes for the man. The clothes he concocts are both sensually inviting and seductive.  In terms of aesthetics, Jeffrey often references important historical figures like King Henry VIII, Oscar Wilde, and William Shakespeare. New Romanticism definitely exists in the made-up, flowy, and inky ensembles. These clothes can be seen both in London's heavily documented club scene, as well as to formal events, if spliced correctly. That's perhaps the magic of LOVERBOY; the strong, passionate blending of high and low culture into a modern concoction of fashion. Maybe that's why LOVERBOY reminds me so much of early 1990's Alexander McQueen catwalk shows in a way. The performance art audacity and the blending of history and future is something McQueen managed in the early days of the brand. Performance art always seems to be integrated within the presentation of the clothes for Charles Jeffrey's LOVERBOY. The body paint, massive wearable sculptures, and dancers in nude underwear created a theatrical presence that doesn't exist at most fashion shows, especially at a menswear show. LOVERBOY by Charles Jeffery is really pushing the boundaries of masculinity with beautiful clothes that create a future for vivacious  menswear.

Balenciaga Spring/Summer 2017 Menswear Review

     Demna Gvasalia was digging through the Balenciaga archives when he found the thing that first inspired this first menswear runway presentation for the brand. It was an unfinished jacket made by Cristbál Balenciaga himself, missing a sleeve. The finished jacket was seen on the first look, a new chapter for the house of Balenciaga. It dwarfed the model, and was such a massive square proportion you instantly knew that it was both dated, but also something very forward for fashion overall. Massive boxy jackets matched with fitted shorts and knee high leather heeled boots. This was the general silhouette until the suits suddenly shrunk and caved in to the torso and the shorts became shrunken trousers. The contrasting oversized jackets and shrunken suits translated into much more casual military jackets, with "BALENCIAGA" baseball caps and giant yellow and blue leather bags, like those used at IKEA. How people actually wear clothes in the streets. Ecclesiastical lace then began to peak out from under coats like aprons, and began a theme of priesthood in all black and swirling embroidery on scarfs like priest stoles and buttoned up black jackets like uniforms. Ministerial purple embroidery on a vest so shrunken it appeared like a corset on one model and a red variant hit the ecclesiastical theme home. Demna Gvasalia has truly changed Balenciaga already with this first menswear runway in the brand's history, and challenged menswear and what men actually wear in a luxury way.

Comme Des Garçons Homme Plus Spring/Summer 2017 Menswear Review

     "The King Is Naked" was sketched onto the back of a latex like clear cape in the closing look of the Comme Des Garçons Homme Plus collection by Rei Kawakubo, legendary designer known for her anonymity and avant garde creations for the Comme Des Garcons brand. The motif, for this collection, was mysteriously too easy to dissect. Usually Comme collections are an enigma, nearly impossible to understand and always make the viewer question what they are seeing. This collection, however, was all about Han's Christian Anderson's "The Emperor's New Clothes", a nearly 200 year old fairytale describing human nature in regards to power, influence, vanity, and the power of the swindler. The fable is short, nearly 1500 words when translated into English, telling of a vain king who lived for clothes, and poured his power, influence, and money into his garments. A few swindlers who falsely portrayed themselves as incredible weavers, who's clothes were so fine and fantastic that they were light as air, and only the noble and truthful people could see the full beauty. These swindlers managed to gain the king's ransom to produce attire for him to walk in for a parade, and they pretended to weave and sew garments that weren't actually there at all, all the while the noblemen were too afraid to say anything, because they themselves thought that perhaps they weren't noble enough to see the clothes. The king couldn't see the clothes either, but refused to expose his inner thoughts for a fear that his subjects would see him as unfit for the position as king. He dresses in nothing, and shows off in a parade where every single member of his ruling couldn't see the clothes, but pretended to see it, in fear. It takes one innocent child to say the truth: "But he isn't wearing anything!" Instantly he is dismissed, but the townspeople begin to realize the truth, and the king does as well, but carries on with the parade in spite. All of this may seem like a silly story, but there is a much deeper meaning about ignorance, fear, and fashion. Rei Kawakubo with her men's collection must be making a statement about the current state of the fashion industry. Currently luxury houses have found it interesting to make clothes that cost thousands of dollars look disheveled, with rips and tears for the sake of fashion. It is shallow, and fashion should be taken to deeper and more thought provoking extremes, in my opinion. The PVC clothes were all nearly invisible, with floating buttons and stitches. This motif paired with the brand's signature black created an edginess I live for in fashion. There was also a lot of collaboration in this collection, with Nike shoes and art company Forasetti's signature prints worked into suits, like the gazing eyes of the townspeople looking at the king in the fairytale. This aspect of the fairytale brings up a very interesting point: powerful people are vulnerable because they are exposed to the public eye. There was venerability in the story, with the king, the perfect example of poshness and control to the townspeople being taken a fool and exposing himself, just as the models in the fashion show had their boxer briefs exposed underneath the transparent clothes. Another aspect of the physical clothes, were the slogans, "The King is Naked", " Beauty is in the eye" "It's my fashion", just to name some. Never have I ever seen a Comme Des Garcons Homme Plus shown with these explicit slogans. These slogans almost make it too east to interpret this fashion show, which raises suspicion. Is there more to this collection behind the easy interpretation?

Wales Bonner Spring/Summer 2017 Menswear Review

     Rising star Grace Wales Bonner has crafted yet another collection that brings to mind African men's culture and history, as well as masculine sexuality and identity. Cut from mostly pure whites and uniform blacks with little added color for effect, these clothes shape around the male body in a different way that I think has ever been seen in tailoring. The shapes of the clothes themselves spark interest because they are rather gender defying. The pants are not straight legged pants, but could be interpreted as a skirts, if one doesn't look too closely. Twists in shirting across the chest like sashes intrigues, with a sense of regalness to simple men's shirting, particularly Western men's shirting. Embroideries like African crochet techniques bring a personal touch and meaning to Bonner's styling.  It is interesting to see African culture inspiring a grand fashion collection that is honest and from the heart, rather than something superficial and exploitative. This is because Grace Wales Bonner herself was born of a Jamaican father and English mother. Her paternal grandfather  was a tailor, someone who would be making the traditional African celebratory garments that were always custom to what the customer wanted. There was no fast fashion in those days and certainly not in that culture, as we see increasingly today. Therefore, everything was made to last, and to fit perfectly to the specifications of the buyer. This must've had an influence on Grace, who's unique yet highly dignified menswear offerings stand out from the highly manufactured and ill-fitted clothes the world is currently becoming covered in. Grace is a fantastic new designer who's emerging talents should be heard around the world, and is potentially a game changing designer for offering clothes that are so incredibly authentic. 

Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 2017 Menswear Review

     Alexander McQueen opted out of a runway show for the house's men’s Spring/Summer 2017 collection. Instead of the problem of having too strong of a theme and simple references like the last Spring/Summer collection the year before, this collection showed multiple different motifs. There was an element of India exoticism in embroidery and structure of some of the fantastic overcoats. Images and prints of the safari like zebra and leopard pelts and cave drawings on entire suits and soft jackets display a theme of humid climates and the ecosystem of Africa throughout. An interesting interpretation of leopard print which covered suits layered onto models who were standing on top of a leopard pelt in the set gave a twisted sense of animal hunters of the past, those rich aristocrats who boasted about their killings in the safari. The more exotic, the better, as they saw. Separate, but still relevant in theme, Darwinism was a key word used to describe last fall’s menswear collection, and I think of it this time around too, interestingly enough. Perhaps it’s the leopard, or the note-like diagrams of tigers with handwriting and postage stamps. It sort of ties everything together, this sort of talismans collected by Englishmen of the past from the East and Africa. The word "talisman" was used in describing the jewelry of the fall men's collection as well. The large crystal earrings and mouth piercings adorned by almost every model are menacing and mesmerizing, to say the least. It is fantastic that the jewelry is beautiful and delicate, but also hard with sinister undertones. But then again that’s always been the spirit of McQueen. Delicacy and darkness, but strong. McQueen menswear itself offers modernity, not just stuff old suits that look tired and too historic. The footwear, interestingly, contrasts with the embroidered frock coats and celebration suiting because they are classically shaped sneakers. These sneakers add an pleasing sense of ease to the collection, something that wakes up a collection that some may consider too formal. I liked that this collection was a softer and lighter version of the last menswear collection, because that particular collection was a turning point for McQueen menswear. In this collection, there is the similar contradicting historical yet modern tailoring, but in breathable materials with leg room and some of the arms cut off. McQueen menswear is stating its codes during a time in fashion where everything seems to be changing and the idea of luxury fashion seems to be uncertain to many of its critics and commentators. In fact, McQueen menswear seems stronger than the  overtly commercial and almost superficial womenswear. Hopefully, we see as much care and creativity in womenswear in the future of McQueen as in menswear, but we shall see. McQueen menswear this season inspires and creates a moody world partially separate from the boring reality of today.

J.W. Anderson Fall/Winter 2016 Menswear Review

     What a strangely fantastical world that J.W. Anderson has created for next fall. It's a bit of a change of old routine to look at this collection, because I feel as though I have never really analyzed a J. W. Anderson collection before. I think that Anderson's techniques and creation of new ideas is one to be regarded. I think that he has the potential to be one of the great uprisings of this decade, if he organizes and captivates in the right way every season. This is perhaps much more of a difficulty than ever before because of the sheer speed of fashion. Increased public interest because of things like Instagram and Twitter have all put more demand on high-end designers for a market that is constantly demanding more and grows tired of something a lot quicker. I personally think that it is because of the constant intake of information through social media that makes something new so tired instantly. It is a dangerous slope, because it increases the already large amounts of pressure on designers to create something new and likable. As I have already seen, a lot of journalists are noting the snail motif in this collection as a statement written on the garments that J.W. Anderson wants to slow down and not go wight the fast paced environment that fashion has submerged itself into. It's healthy to slow down, I think. Redirecting back to this collection specifically, eclecticism and futurism were the two main ideas within. There was strange uses of fur, scuba knit materials, and plexiglass looking chokers that created something original. While menswear can get really stuffy and boring, J.W. Anderson's collection showed something fun and original with lots of energy. Sure, I could write about the fact that this show was broadcasted on Grindr, the gay online dating app that used mostly for one night stands and hookups. Perhaps I'm reading too much into this collection, as I sometimes accuse myself of doing, but there is a relationship between this broadcast and the actual things within the collection. At the neck, the chokers that were placed on every model and the reciprocating o-ring bracelets and oversized piercing ring necklaces could be an innuendo to the comprehension of piercings and how it can relation to the attractiveness to the human body. Also, the little carrot underneath almost every model's left eye could be about the same thing, but with the idea of tattoos. Whatever it may be, this collection has surely stood out for its new ideas and bold mix of garments.

Alexander McQueen Fall/Winter 2016 Menswear Review

     Alexander McQueen menswear has officially risen to a new level. Everything about this collection was supreme to me. Everything. The ambience, the choice in models, the styling. The jewelry! All exceptional. There's always references to history with McQueen, no doubt, and this collection isn't an exception.  Gorgeous amounts of tailoring and beautiful silhouettes built the framework. The talisman-like ornaments that pierced skin and lapels were a particularly fantastic display. I loved the antique and exquisite dangling earrings, massive rings, and thick and heavy body chains that were lain across the torsos of two models. The direct references to the punk aesthetic mixed with Victorian like colors and shapes created the best tension. The overall story, as told by Sarah Burton backstage after the show, was Charles Darwin's obsession with collecting and understanding specimens. If you look closely at the shirts peeking out of the large coats and blazers, you will see handwritten script mixed with the ongoing moth motif. Which brings us to the first major motif of this collection. Moths were laid out displayed across suit jackets and trousers, silk shirts, and coats. One must make the connection that moths are extremely important for the fashion industry, because they are the upmost creator of fine silks. You could see this fine material in oversized shirts and edges of flowing coats in this collection as well as tuxedo stripes along pants that separated at the hem line to create a new shape. I suppose the moth has  to do with the idea of collecting, and that refined, elegant approach to science in history.  Back in Darwin's day, you listened to classical music, walked over granite floors, and dressed to the nines with your talismans from foreign lands to show that you had stature. I believe that there is something mesmerizing about that idea. Along with the moth, there were blooms of  dark flowers printed on that emanated dark and moody beauty that you will always get at a McQueen show. I have noticed that this goes with the McQueen brand's history with morbid florals of the Victoriana. I believe this collection pushed Alexander McQueen menswear to new heights, without being overtly cutting edge or stuffy. It was the perfect blend of contemporary and historical, which was what caught Isabella Blow's eye at Lee McQueen's graduate show almost 25 years ago and what created his career. 

Fashion Needs

      Currently, I am really into the idea of mixing distressed, unraveling, and deconstructed pieces of clothes mixed with classics and immaculate made things in exquisite fabrics. Unevenly cut t-shirts, unhemmed sweatshirts and unraveling sweaters mixed with soft velvet and suede companions creates an interesting mix, in my opinion. Stores like Zara, H&M, and Topman and online stores like ASOS are places I've been digging into to look for quality pieces that are interesting and not like anything anyone else has.

 Zara Man Black Sliced Seam Sweatshirt

$49.90

 Zara Man Blue Velvet Blazer

$149.00

H&M Divided Fine Knit Distressed Sweater 

$34.99

 H&M Hole T-Shirt

$24.99

 H&M Printed T-Shirt With Uneven Hem

$17.99

 H&M Divided Knit Cardigan

$49.99

 ASOS Leather Chelsea Boots

$71.66

ASOS Skinny Red Velvet Blazer

$143.32

ASOS Skinny Jeans With Biker Styling

$68.08

ASOS Extreme Super Skinny Jeans in Red Acid Wash

$53.75

ASOS Super Skinny Jeans with Extreme Rips

$62.70

 Forever 21 Men Shearling Moto Jacket

$59.90

 Zara Man Paint Splatter T-Shirt

$29.90

Zara Man Painted T-Shirt

$29.90

What I Wore

Top: Vintage

Sweater: Vintage

Plaid Pants: Forever 21 Men

Shoes: T.U.K 8503

Brooch: Etsy Find

Bracelet: Ragstock
Sunglasses: Ragstock

What I Wore

Shirt: Express

Jeans: DIY Forever 21

Boots: Dr. Martens 1914

Hat: Forever 21
Bag: Rue 21

What I Wore

Vest: Forever 21

Shirt: Forever 21

Jeans: Topman

Shoes: T.U.K. A8503

Sunglasses: Oscar De La Renta

Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 2016 Menswear Review

     Last season, Alexander McQueen presented a collection of regiment members of the Great War boasting "honour", "valour", and "truth" on the chests of the models. This season moved to the sea and the Navy. This was evident in the nautical motifs such as star compasses and anchors in navy blue printed on off-white suits. The first two looks in fact, were sharply tailored and stark white with navy embroidery printed on the chest of jackets and down the legs of trousers like tattoos. The second look specifically had faux epaulettes and badges on a double-breasted jacket. The overall color palette of the collection was a mixture of navies, cobalt blues, blacks, and whites, with a few total denim blue looks that were distressed at points.  The last three looks were covered in a collage type print made of 18th century maps and their coinciding sea monsters. There were kaleidoscopic prints covering entire suits like patchwork pieces of a striped flag. Another, rather curious, print was of what looked like sumo wrestling positions or some other type of fighting. The nautical theme was exampled in one jacket in particular that had large metal eyelets like portholes along a long navy hull of a ship. During the presentation, I couldn't help but notice that the strongest pieces in the collection were on top. The massive double-breasted jackets and asymmetrical sweaters are always a focal point on each look that displayed them.  The overall cuts of the clothes, including the trousers, were looser and more flowing then past seasons. Cropped white trousers flowed freely and suit trousers were hemmed just above the ankle. There was a mixture of shoes that morphed from polished derbies to high top sneakers and hybrids in between. Overall, it was  a strong collection with nautical inspiration to push the Alexander McQueen menswear front further. 

What I Wore

Glitter Tee: Topman

Shiny Scarf: Kenneth Cole

Black Colarless Shirt: H&M

Jeans: RUDE Jeans

Boots: Steve Madden

Studded Bracelet: Vintage Hot Topic

What I Wore

Prom Look

Green Plaid Suit: Forever 21 MEN

Shirt: Calvin Klein

Tie: TheTieBar

Shoes: Aldo

What I Wore

White Shirt: Calvin Klein
Tie: The Tie Bar
Sweater: Vintage
Jeans: Levi's 511 DIY
Boots: Dr. Martens 1460

What I Wore

Jacket: Vintage BCBG for Nordstrom

Shirt: Topman

Jeans: Levi's 510

Boots: Dr Martens 1460

Collar Chain: Topman

What I Wore

Denim Vest: RUDE
Scarf Shirt: Zara
Jeans: Forever 21
Boots: Dr. Martens 1460
Brooch: Etsy Find

My Fall/Winter 2015 Menswear Looks List

      I am very excited about all of these Fall/Winter 2015 Menswear collections, for obvious reasons. So, I've gone through every record of my favorite looks since the 9th of January. Below is a filing of the looks from different menswear presentations during January that I find aesthetically pleasing, forward thinking, or simply beautiful and great-looking. You can click on the pictures to enlarge them and see the details of each look.

MAN

Christopher Shannon

Lee Roach

Agi & Sam

Joseph

J.W. Anderson

James Long

Pringle of Scotland

KTZ

Dunhill

Casely-Hayford

E. Tautz

Craig Green

Burberry Porsum

Tom Ford

Marni

Dsquared2

Ermenegildo Zenga

Costume National

John Varvatos

Neil Barrett

Versace

Bottega Veneta

Marc Jacobs

No. 21

Salvatore Ferragamo

Calvin Klein Collection

Vivienne Westwood

Prada

Diesel Black Gold

Emporio Armani

Etro

McQ Alexander McQueen

MSGM

Kilgour

Antonio Marras

Fendi

Brioni

Corneliani

Giorgio Armani

Roberto Cavalli

Balenciaga

Lemaire

Walter Van Beirendonck

Haider Ackermann

Raf Simmons

3.1 Phillip Lim

Issey Miyake

Rick Owens

Louis Vuitton

Damir Doma

Yohji Yamamoto

Junya Wantanabe

Marcelo Burlon County of Milan

Maison Margiela

Ann Demeulemeester

Kris Van Assche

Cerruti 1881 Paris

Chalayan

Givenchy

Comme des Garçons

Berluti

Sacai

Dior Homme

Wooyoungmi

Miharayasuhiro

Ami

Lanvin

Paul Smith

Y-3

Thom Browne 

Saint Laurent

Sandro

Comme Des Garcons Shirt

Engineered Garments

Michael Kors

Officine Gernerale

Rag & Bone

Marc by Marc Jacobs

Steven Alan

Les Hommes

Boris Bidgan Saberi

Duckie Brown

Bespoken

Todd Snyder

N.Hoolywood

Photo Credits: Style.com