Louis Vuitton Resort 2018 Review

     Louis Vuitton's collaboration with David Bowie costume designer Kansi Yamamoto was a triumphant success and soaring representation of modern Japan without being insulting or too gimmicky. Vuitton under Nicolas Ghesquière is all about far-flung collections easy for travel. In fact, that is what Vuitton has always been about since its inception in 1854 as a luggage brand for the adventure seeking wealthy classes of Europe. In today's age, the wealthy class still loves to travel, but the world as a whole is so much more aware of itself and different cultures. The last thing Vuitton would want to do is offend any demographic they are trying to sell to. Thankfully, this Resort collection explored Japan in a non-appropriative way. Kabuki style makeup, sharp tailoring, and fabric blends that signifying the world's cultures all coming together showed Ghesquières respect and coherence while still speaking the Vuitton language. It's easy to go on and on about the otherworldly location on which this collection was placed, as well. Kyoto's Miho Museum and bridge lifted hearts and syncopated the fantastic blend of nature and hyper-modern steel. Though this is not Ghesquière's first big outing for Vuitton, this is certainly the best so far. Unfortunately, Vuitton can tend to look repetitive when presented down a runway. There's little drapery, and usually only two silhouettes: tailored tops with skin tight trousers, or a knee length dress, also skin tight. However, this Resort collection expanded on those two silhouettes, and allowed for more flow to gowns and embellishments that people crave. Most identifiable to the theme of Japan and Yamamoto's work were the beaded gowns shaped into traditional art inserted and sheer ruffles. This is a way forward for Louis Vuitton under Nicolas Ghesquière and it should be able to expand itself technically in order to create more inspirational clothes. 

Prada Resort 2018 Review

     This quintessential Prada collection can be summed up as a curated blend of all the original ideas that Miuccia Prada has been coming up with within the last decade. Japanese-esque folds and tailoring, Art-deco knee high socks, technical black nylon (which made Prada famous), corporate branded belts, and intimidating high heels together repeated throughout the collection. Gray tailored coat-dresses and feathered trims on sheer dresses created modern glamor. The entire feel for the collection was about mixing technicality in synthetic fabrics and glitz by way of embroideries, piette sequins, and strands of beads and chains. Medieval sensibilities came though as well with chain mail inserts and neck pieces. The sneakers, oversized sunglasses, and bulked clutch handbags will be big sellers for Prada's modern clientele.  Though Miuccia Prada denies the fact that this is anything different than her regular runway shows, there was an adjusted flow to this collection. More commodity driven, as most Resort and Pre-fall collections are, allowed Prada to explain exactly what will be in store after the Fall 2017 Ready-to-Wear pieces make their cycle and what their customers should be buying for their summer vacations next year. And speaking of next year, it will be interesting to see what Spring/Summer 2018 will look like from Miuccia Prada's point of view, after the Fall/Winter 2017 bohemian collection and this resort collection were both successful in terms of presentation. 

Balenciaga Pre-Fall 2017 Review

     In less than a year, Demna Gvsalia has been able to redefine the Balenciaga trademarks for this age. This Pre-Fall collection solidifies those trademarks by making them last more than one season in this display of mismatching. Rather than throwing out all previous ideas every season and starting from scratch, Balenciaga is now building off of what items are best noticed and what is selling. The glove-like pointy heeled boots, the shapely suiting, ecclesiastical fabrics, bold, two-tone color combinations, and oversized and repurposed leather bags in strange shapes have been seen before and are being seen here. The fetishistic and skin tight-ness of everything tagged with billowing pants that look too long and fall over the twisted kitten heels. Fetish, modernity, architecture, and coldness are all building blocks of understanding the Balenciaga woman. It will be interesting going forward in Balenciaga's ready-to-wear collections, to see whether these themes will continue. Will Gvsalia choose to change everything for Spring/Summer 2018? Or, has he established the codes for the time being and just choose to continue with the things that sell for the rest of his tenure at the house? 

Balenciaga Fall/Winter 2017 Ready-to-Wear Review

     Demna Gvasalia's been at Balenciaga for more than a year now, and this latest collection for Fall/Winter 2017 combined codes of the house and modern twists into something relevant.  Because fashion is certainly a reflection of our times, rather than something that is just decorative, it must be understood that this Balenciaga show in context provides us with a way at looking at fashion and dressing that is relevant to today and next season, integrated with the world. Luxury and glamour must serve a purpose in the world we live in. Today, that world is technology obsessed, thus the fashion should integrate technological advancements to benefit the wearer. Gvasalia took that idea and made it more abstract: warping technical fabrics with couture fabrics for the modern woman. There were motifs of the automobile industry, with car interior mats as skirts and belts, broken rear-view mirrors as clutches, and flags wrapped around the "knife" heels models strutted down in. High fashion today is definitely made the same way cars are manufactured. Mass production and lack of laboratory experimentation dominate both industries.  Tweed, high shoulder skirt suits, and men's shirting played the major role. Then came the brilliant twisting of coat fastenings, skirt constructions, and thick belting. Suiting gave into hyper floral fabric dresses in velvet, and variations of street-ready pieces mixed with couture like fabrics and embroideries. In fact, back when Cristóbal Balenciaga was designing, he was celebrated for creating haute couture that wasn't stuffy, but absolutely incredible and modern, using the highest quality fabrics he could get his hands on. For this show, Gvasalia put his viewers in a massive industrial space, several times larger than needed for a runway. For the last nine looks, actual haute couture pieces reinterpreted by the current team paired with modern bags, sunglasses, and nylon boots paid tribute to the brand's 100 year anniversary. Those "Bazar Shopper" bags came in coordination with the evening wear in an ironic and modern twist. The idea was that because the Balenciaga woman is so busy being modern, she has to carry her life in a bag that weighs twice as she does around with her to galas and ceremonies. Though it would be fabulous to see these bags on the red carpet, the daring combination of gown and tote may only present itself in the editorial pages of a fashion magazine.

Comme Des Garçons Fall/Winter 2017 Ready-to-Wear Review

     Rei Kawakubo's iconic work for her line, Comme Des Garçons, is going to have the highest honor a fashion designer can have: an entire exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. In fact, it is so important that Kawakubo is only the second living designer to have this happen to. The first was Yves Saint Laurent back in 1983, when Diana Vreeland was the one making the decisions at the Costume Institute at the Met. If you have followed any of Kawakubo's hard work over the last forty years, you would understand why the Met made such a statement with this forthcoming showcase. It is because Comme Des Garçons itself continues to create statements with every breathtaking collection. Every garment is soaked with art and history references, and abstract exploration of physics, the human body, and the human will. This fashion show collection in particular looked back at the evolution of Comme Des Garçons as well as what the brand means today. Starting off with a retelling of "Body Meets Dress, Dress Meets Body", the memorable collection of Spring/Summer 1997 in stark white, rather than the brand's usual black, shows the boldness right off the bat. Evolving from pristine, sculptural shapes, the materials began to develop and whirl around the body into the essence of a floating mannequin form made from industrial fabrics. The mannequin form took off on its own to evolve into hard faux leather, paper, metal, and blood collages that engulfed the body. This is clothing as armor, as insulation, and as a part of human DNA. In fact, it was the blend of the natural world, the industrialized world, and the world within our human bodies that Kawakubo was playing with, mostly. Rather than looking back and self-referencing through a vast archive to celebrate this milestone,  Comme Des Garçons instead chose to keep pushing new ideas as if nothing has really changed. This collection thus solidifies Kawakubo as a powerhouse and one of the greatest designers of our time. Which is reason enough to put her work into the sphere of a Met exhibit, opening this May.

Undercover Fall/Winter 2017 Ready-to-Wear Review

     Undercover by Jun Takahashi was the best fashion show of the Fall 2017 season, hands down. Viewers cried, cheered, and raved at this spectacular display of fashion theatricality. It transcended all other shows this time around based solely on its ability to create a fantastical world in reaction to the world that is currently crumbling around us. Takahashi envisioned a "Utopie", a future where society developes into 10 archetypes, living in harmony, like bees in a colony. There were the aristocrats, the wardens, the soldiers, the young rebels, the nomads, the clergy, the agitators, the choir, a "new species", and the monarchy. Each division, or "acts", as they should be referred to as, were statements of silhouette, fabric mixture, draping, and color theory. Oversized ruffs, cornettes, horns, billowing military jackets and puffers, knee high stomping boots, fabricated wings, and headgear galore blended the collection's reoccurring themes of history, futurism, and nature together in perfect synchronization. And that just what Takahashi wants in the future. In this world of uncertainty and increasing nationalism, perfect synchronization of the world should be a concern for all national leaders. This Undercover performance should remind everyone that we are all human; though we differ in life goals, strengths, and weaknesses, we all can live in harmony and put our differences to good use, where equality reigns as the monarch, rather than a system of government based on fame, wealth, backstabbing, and fear. Takahashi certainly saw inspiration from insects, which all live and depend on each other for survival. Bee and ant colonies cannot thrive without organized equality. A queen mother bee is just as important as the worker bees going out to pollinate. 

Gareth Pugh Fall/Winter 2017 Ready-to-Wear Review

     Gareth Pugh's latest demonstration was the best kind of fashion show: one that reflects on the world it inhabits, results in strong critiques, and provides a strong, undeniably opinionated cohesive message. This truly terrifying show began to unfold on social media, weeks before the basement setting and the mind-melting track started playing. Pugh released a few images on the brand's Instagram in protest of the election of President Donald Trump, with the hashtag #fucktrump and #pussygrabsback. This opposition to the Trump agenda in the United States was an unavoidable theme for Pugh as this show. Hosted under five flights of stairs, in an unfinished basement devoid of light, journalists and other guests sat in narrow spaces in total darkness until a soft, classical voice challenged the listener to "stay awake, keep your eyes open". Then a thunderous crash of sound and light interrupted. The soft, caring voice was replaced with a screaming drill sergeant, spliced with Trump hollering "Build that wall! Build that wall!", spliced with pop music from the past forty years, and other themes in a wild and unsettling cacophony. Pugh was smashing these recorded media together, with terrifying results. The listener simply couldn't follow, and it was impossible to calculate the beat in the soundtrack. Perhaps Pugh was referring to the clamor of information so readily available on the internet and on social media platforms. Perhaps he thinks the internet is what got us in this mess and what is going to make the future only worse. The first warrior of Pugh's terrifying vision of the future was clad in big, black leather boots and a pointed collar leather coat with black vinyl covering her eyes. This freakish makeup continued, as some of Pugh's greatest friends strutted around in all black military-esque jackets and faux fur. At first glance they may seem like just your average London club kids and dominatrices, but they are the average people of the brutal future in Pugh's eye. The clothes in and of themselves were nothing revolutionary, as Pugh played with and used many of his previous silhouettes and techniques in his trademark black. However, it was the setting and the stomping of which they were subjected to that made the clothes feel new and modern. Trash bag-like material billowed around in the storm as sculptural constructions stayed put on the model's forms. It can be denounced then that the purpose of this fashion show was to state a strong, political viewpoint by Pugh, rather than offer frivolous and trendy ideas that Pugh has never been a fan of anyway. Gareth Pugh has an undeniable opinion this season. This only pushes him further as a designer, with more than a decade of experience, into a realm of superiority over designers who choose not to have a well-rounded opinion on the turbulent political climates of the world. The world which we all inhabit, in fact. 

Maison Margiela Spring/Summer 2017 Couture Review

     Every season John Galliano for Maison Margiela just gets better and better as a collaboration. Galliano is a sheer genius no doubt, and the Marigela house codes of anonymity, deconstruction, and storytelling fit perfectly. This season, Galliano and the Margiela team explored the way a garment is constructed for their "Artisianal" collection, as well as the filters we put on clothes today. It all started with fabric manipulation; how the garments were pulled apart to create something new. These new creations were strapped together, warped, and buttoned in a modern way. The multiple types of fabrics were all jumbled together, dissarranged like patchwork with high contrasts. Strips of silk and wool were draped everywhere on the body and into the model's hair. As the collection progressed, intricate crystal detailing came woven in and red fabric was introduced. A few of these red looks seem to reference Galliano's first collection for Marigela only two years ago, the "Artisianal" Spring 2015 collection. These looks were mostly in tulle, with a reoccurring face motif. However these faces were morphed and edited in the same way Snapchat filters do. It is interesting to see a highly-regarded designer like Galliano to directly reference something that seems so silly, but it is surely a sign of our times and a token of our culture. The faces became more abstract, as fabric began to billow around the models like fog, until a beautiful face made of tulle by artist Benjamin Shine came out on a clinically white coat. For the finale, the doors at the end of the catwalk flew open, to reveal a massive black sphere of floating fabric, like a storm cloud, that cascaded over the audience when spun around. A cohesive and extraordinary collection done by an extraordinary collaboration. 

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.

Comme Des Garçons Spring/Summer 2017 Ready-to-Wear Review

     The elusive designer Rei Kawakubo is bored with showing clothes on the runway. Instead, she is creating magnificent sculptures onto the human body. They speak as art would about the current world we are living in. Absolutely rich in craftsmanship, these billowing works of art are sewn, embroidered, and draped into romantic silhouettes. In fact, this was the most beautiful collection ever done at Comme Des Garçons. This collection references everything that has come before it within the house and really summarizes the brand as a whole. It is incredibly remarkable that a brand like Comme Des Garçons has managed to transcend decades and not follow the frivolous trends that exist in the fashion world. Comme Des Garçons is its own bubble that transcends fads and creates works at every price point that are beautiful and people still have an immense desire to purchase. This collection in particular was gothic, counter-cultural, and breathtaking. Flat and structured black wool and velvet with white ruffles and bows emulated a girly yet twisted style. Lederhosen with pleats flying off the body in black acid wash fabric was just one example of creating surrealism with clothes. There were countless other examples of surrealism with extremely deep references woven in. Sinister beauty oozed from the surface with the extremely dark color palette and use of latex. Plastic also covered the models faces in a perverse way. Perhaps they're suffocating under the weight of consumerist culture. Perhaps they're committing suicide. Perhaps Kawakubo is explaining her distaste for a world that only cares about the 2-D synthetic image that only appears real. Maybe she's speaking about this Instagram culture, where everyone is taking pictures of the events that they go to, rather than enjoying the experience and creating a screen of separation between the individual and the outside world. Whatever the intention may be, every aspect of this collection has more to do with the real world and all of it's problems, rather than the superficial trends of the fashion industry. 

Maison Margiela Spring/Summer 2017 Ready-to-Wear Review

     Space-age strangeness and soft materials graced this Maison Marigela by John Galliano collection. This time around individual pieces and sets stood out, giving it a wearability and digestibility that didn't happen when the clothes were piled on and on like previous collections under Galliano. Rather, Galliano was much more about the street, pushing forward clothes that people can actually throw on and instantly look incredible in, with insanely amazing makeup and accessories, of course. These looks are ever more enticing, without being too boring. It's much more inviting to put these specific pieces together, rather than totally destroying them and wrapping them around your body in a fabulous way. There is of course the regular intense mixing of garments that shouldn't belong together, yet they do. New inventions in color combinations made everything cutting-edge and fresh, making it unlike any other show in Paris. A delicate black lace dress with detailed embroidery paired with glove-like space boots was one example of the post-modern mix that created something new. Also, an ensemble of a near-black plaid trench coat dress belted with a patent leather waist belt, black leather platform pilgrim boots, plastic bracelets over the jacket, and a brown leather messenger bag was a personal favorite look. Perhaps the story behind the look is that she's a futuristic business woman with a bit of a kooky side but is still professional and intimidating when she needs to be. Whatever the case may be, it was exceptional. The incredible technique of Galliano for Marigela has been posted on this website more than once, but there is little to complain about. Galliano is a mastermind of fashion and always has been. This was certainly justifying that point. So sorry, haters of Galliano for Maison Margiela (if there is still any of you left) but this is Fashion with a capital F!

Marc Jacobs Spring/Summer 2017 Ready-to-Wear Review

     In uncertain times within the fashion world, Marc Jacobs has concocted a business strategy that combines his old diffusion line, Marc by Marc Jacobs, into his main brand to make the vision available to more customers. The brand has been going through with this plan for two years now, and can be seen on the runway with the mix of $200 denim jackets paired over $2,000 embroidered dresses and nearly everything in between. For example, in the Fall 2016 collection, there was layering of cheaper denim jackets over sequined bell-shaped skirts that were more than triple the price of the jacket. This time around for Spring, Marc Jacobs built up a massive rave filled with thousands of soft lights. When it comes to raves, an individual goes to forget something, escape reality, and enjoy the surreal, by usual use of hallucinogenic drugs. It makes sense then, to have vibrant colors smeared into Marie Antoinette-esque fabricated gowns that were slashed short to reveal sky-high platform boots. There was also 1990s inspired shimmery prints on tailored pants and jackets in powder blue, lilac, and soft pinks. A celebration of youth sub-cultures of today as well as yesterday. Blitz Kids, Lolita, grunge, and glam rock all danced around as inspirations for the anti-subtle looks that stopped through the wide and ethereal set. Once dissected into individual garments, the clothes themselves carry on the theme of showy Americana that Marc Jacobs has been playing with in these past few years. In fact, some of the pieces are actual repeats of pieces that came a season or even a year before it, just in different fabric or color to match with the current collection. This is something new in fashion. Rather than chucking out everything that was done before in a previous collection and completely restarting, some staple pieces are constantly available but made new again with the new runway collection, making them appear fresh and have a longer shelf life at the same time. Psychedelic and fun twists and turns finished off a New York Fashion Week that is otherwise tragically boring and commercial without Marc Jacobs.

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. 

Balenciaga Pre-Fall 2016 Review

      Lurking in coat check rooms, this recently released Balenciaga collection was something edgy, fantastic, and new with original color palates and classic silhouettes on new technical materials. At first within this look book, you see a neon yellow dress and knit hat mixed with black leather stiletto boots and a black and white lettered stole in the likeliness of the "Balenciaga" label sewn into the clothes. It is status draped right around the shoulders. Fantastic hybrids of space aged fashion of the 1960s mixed with modern eclecticism and rounded "cocoon" silhouettes Cristobal Balenciaga was made famous for made up this collection. Designed in between the departure of old creative director Alexander Wang and the arrival of new creative director Demna Gvasalia from Vetements, according to the press release. For a house full of history, Balenciaga manages to create interesting and modern imagery for a culture submerged in instant stimulation and increased public interest in fashion thanks to the internet. I believe that Demna Gvasalia did have something to do with this collection, in fact, rather than it just being the overall House of Balenciaga creating something in between creative directors. Hints at Gvasalia's handiwork can be seen the styling and shapes of the hoodies, suiting, and floral dresses that were similar in production of what was shown in the Fall 2016 show, the first in which Gvasalia has been in direct control of. The actual photography of this look book was artful and raw. Slightly blurry and some images having cut off images underneath them, as if it was all a film reel that's being cut and chosen haphazardly. The looks themselves, are not at all haphazard. They are perfectly stylized, and even though Demna Gvasalia's participation is subject to speculation and question, a good look towards the future of Balenciaga.

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.

Maison Margiela Fall/Winter 2016 Ready-To-Wear Review

     John Galliano is absolutely striding with his creative direction of Maison Margiela. This collection was fantastic in the sense that it combined new color palettes, like safari khaki mixed with royal violet and Prussian blue. There was something incredible with this collection, where you could assume that most of the pieces shouldn't go together, but Galliano did put them together, and did it beautifully. In a world where everyone claims that fashion today is not at all original, and that "everything's been done before", there exists the spectacular shows of Maison Margiela by John Galliano. Pure elegance filled the air with mixed militaristic styles and baroque dresses and perspex jewelry that styled every look. It is interesting to see the dynamic of everything that could be seen as "thrown together" like the powder blue collar on top of a distressed white jacket, white lace, green accents, pearls, and an olive green skirt with a black bag. Once dissected, you see that the collection is soaked in sophistication. So much, in fact, that every single piece, on their own, could be worn by every type of women interested in fashion. You may not think this looking at how the clothes are styled, but you must be able to see the pieces on their own. It is not random decoration, like countless other designers that are frustrating and sabotaging their own fashion industry, but a focus on new silhouette. Which is what fashion is supposed to be anyway!

Gareth Pugh Fall/Winter 2016 Ready-to-Wear Review

     This season, Gareth Pugh has shown that he can be an excellent tailor. He understands the craft and isn't just interested in creating shock. This is evident in sharp-shouldered jackets, nipped matching skirts, and new shaped jackets that draped over the shoulders, which show that Gareth Pugh is a innovative force in fashion. The creamy brown leathers of gloves, shoes, briefcases, and garments mixed with camel colors that looked soft as butter seemed extremely traditional for a designer like Pugh, but he was still making a statement. Hannibal Lecter-esque masks with earthy leather dresses created a hard edge to the clothes. It is quite a comparison to the way of dressing for a workwoman in a workman's world, as it was in the 1980s. In fact, simply Googling "1980's power dressing" and you see the same fabric, traditionally used in men's suiting, used in women's power suits with the same sharp shoulders. Those extreme angled shoulders may seem like a caricature of the 1980s, and perhaps that's exactly what Pugh was thinking about. An element of ideas gone by that women have to dress like a man to seem powerful. Or, perhaps, he is stating that there is nothing wrong with androgyny and that there is in fact, a power in thick, structured clothes as the ones seen in the show. Whatever the true idea may be, Gareth Pugh cultivated yet another fantastic collection paired with interesting ideas, shapes, and accessories with roaring theatricality.