coutorture --

Five Key Fall Trends: Boy's Club

coutorture — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 06:46:28 -0700

Androgyny is nothing new in fashion but that doesn't mean each season doesn't bring about new manifestations of this permanent trend. After fashion beat us over the head with the concept of women wearing jazz shoes or men wearing skinny jeans (again), we're sure by now that even the most conservative among us can get down with the boy/girl paradox. Of the menswear we saw on the Fall 08 catwalks, our favorites were the cropped trouser suits by Dolce and Gabbana, the sharp shoulders by Jens Laugesen, and the rough rocker vests and trousers from Alexander Wang. The long blazer, the drop-crotch trouser, and the oxford shoe are all big pieces we'll see this fall, and between the shows and individual items, we think androgyny is a trend that won't be hard to spot.

For our photo shoot we layered structured pieces as if they were three piece suits--a little forearm was all that was left uncovered, showing that the key to pulling off an androgynous look is too keep it covered. We ended up being big fans of the oxford heel from Opening Ceremony when our brilliant stylist, Liz Baca, paired them with her own plaid socks. The vintage version of this look was also rather inspired, especially when that Versace jacket was given the heave-ho in the sleeve department.

Below, check out a spread of our current favorite menswear staples and, below that, a trend gallery with androgynous looks from the fall shows.

Transparency Trends For Spring 09

coutorture — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:27:24 -0700

We've been trying to imagine the Spring 09 trends the way a seven year old shakes their presents under the christmas tree. Transparency is one we've been thinking about. Transparency, the break-out trend for Spring 08, has pushed on strongly enough. We predict the numbers will be high come Spring 09. The trend-forecasting seminars always tell you that the trends for next season are the same as they were two seasons previous. No miraculous discoveries--just summaries of what, because of various websites, we've seen plenty of already. So our thoughts on transparency aren't unsupported. Just in case a little evidence is needed, however, here's some of what we've seen since Spring 08.

Fall is a season that calls for heavier layers and so transparency is necessarily peripheral because of its impracticality. We did, however, see plenty of it crop up on evening frocks and on blouses that could be easily layered. Ashleigh Verrier used it on feminine frocks that were made season-appropriate by way of fur stoles and thick hosiery. On the darker side of things Alexander Wang used it on shell tanks and leggings in many of his Fall looks and Preen (shown left) used transparency despite every other aspect of the collection being wintery perfection.

Then came Resort and with warmer weather; more freer usage of the textile. Christian Dior used generous portions of transparency for his cruise ship-worthy evening gowns. Chanel, on the other hand, stuck to mini-frocks that were prefect for the Miami-staged runway show. Calvin Klein (shown right), our favorite by far, showed a few examples of transparency in the colorless, structured collection.

Finally menswear came along and gave us the duds that will sit on the other side of the boutique and closet and dresser drawer to ours, come Spring 09. Transparency--check. We saw it unabashed and blazing from Givenchy, we saw it in lace from Yohji Yamamoto, and from Costume National (shown left) masquerading as a normal work shirt--complete with blazer and tie.

We think it's time to stop shaking the present now. We're pretty sure we know what we're getting when it's time to open the gifts. You never know though, like when you're a kid, there's always one that surprises you...

Conference Of Birds At Pier 92

coutorture — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:45:57 -0700

Sometimes being half-dressed is just as attractive as wearing the perfectly put together ensemble. That said, the Conference Of Birds Spring 09 show conjured the dressed-up business man who had just gotten himself into a little bit of after-hours mischief. Untied neckties and bow ties, sweats and pajama bottoms mixed with blazers and trouser shorts, gave this collection a cool perspective on the modern state of dress. This is a style we see in New York quite often. Many fashion forward young men in New York who buy clothing at a contemporary price point are in creative professions or are otherwise self-employed. For this particular group of men (and it is a large group), there is no uniform for them to adhere to and though they enjoy suiting just as much as the next gentleman, they don't part with their sneakers and t-shirts and jeans. So we see a lot of this, style-wise in New York (and we'd venture to say, America) but it's especially neat to see designers playing off those trends. Conference of Birds is designed by Andrew Holden who is known for mixing American workwear with British tailoring. This is his second collection and, we have to say, it seems he's onto something.

Obakki Spring 09 Fashion Show

coutorture — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:27:04 -0700

Everything was light and easy at the Obakki Spring 09 Fashion Show. The show was part of the contemporary community's attempt at reviving men's fashion week in New York. No matter who sponsors this, if it all works out, we hope that men's fashion week will be known just as 'Pier 92'--it just sounds so cool.

Anywho, the Canadian brand Obakki, headed by designer Treana Peake, is all about super refined pieces that are clean and easy. Everything from Spring 09 looked light as air and mix and matchable. The palate was diverse but most of the shades were toned down to their most muted versions (punctuated by the occasional jolt of color). Our favorite looks were, for women, a pair of smart grey trousers and lab-like overcoat, and for men, a classic blue shirt, buttoned up all the way, paired with dusty blue trousers, rolled up at the bottom. It's the kind of smart, type-A clothing that makes you want to gut your wardrobe and give your desk a Muji makeover. A welcomed aesthetic, if you ask us.

A Dilemma In Showing Menswear

coutorture — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:46:35 -0700

A very interesting article landed on our desk this morning (teehee). Portfolio's Lisa Marsh wrote an article on the discord between the menswear shows and buying season. She used this week's 'abbreviated schedule' of men's shows that took place in accordance with the trade shows happening in New York right now, Capsule, Collective, and Project, as a talking point for whether a men's fashion week would ever pick up in New York. Basically, about a decade ago, there was such a thing and it came after Milan and Paris in July. American designers, felt their collections weren't given enough attention because of this (no one wants to be the third in line and right before women's kicks off) so they started moving their showings to Milan instead. And the rest is recent history. New York's men's fashion week kind of faded away and now, we're left with the remnants. Yesterday we were meant to attend the Obakki show but had a really intense (but fun) shoot that ran late. Normally a show and a shoot wouldn't have even been scheduled on the same day to avoid that exact problem but we figured we would already have covered Capsule and wouldn't need to see some random runway presentation--if worse came to worse. What we found out today, in the article, was that the Obakki show was part of a handful of shows happening this week that are trying to revive a menswear week in New York. It was, to our surprise, kind of an organized 'let's revive men's fashion week' thing. Well, brand reps, you could have fooled us! We certainly appreciate the invitation but wish we'd know that the show had a context. In the end it's really not anyone's fault. The point is that menswear is experiencing some tricky booking conflicts and will (we hope) sort itself out in the coming years. Everyone says menswear is back in New York (meaning that men are dressing better than ever and the collections from contemporary to high price points are more interesting) and we just hope that means a proper fashion week is in the works.

The Alt-Preppy Man's New Favorite

coutorture — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:30:20 -0700

Certain cities become cultural touchstones for an era, channeling the emotions of a given moment. Brooklyn, Seattle and Berlin are the zeitgeist triumvirate of the moment, but we would like to add Gothenburg Sweden to the list of potential candidates.

We were introduced to Per Andersson's Velour at Capsule yesterday. This impressive designer line is a credit to Sweden's burgeoning design community outside of Stockholm.

We were informed that the label came out of Andersson's Nostalgi which carries dead-stock vintage merchandise. Launched in 2001, the line came out of the inspirations from the never-worn vintage living in his grandparents tailor shop in Mariestad.

The vintage feel comes across not so much in the design but in the quality and caliber of the textiles. Chunky knits, deliciously waffled seersucker suits, tailored cotton shirting basics and the softest khaki known to man make this a sure fire hit with the alt-preppy set.

Kenzo Makes A Sick Pair Of Shades

coutorture — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:19:09 -0700

"Hey man, I know we're just at the deli but I feel like I'm driving through the middle of the desert in a gypsy taxi cab!". Oh, that's because you're wearing the sickest (yes, sickest) sunglasses we've seen all season. These Spring 09 Kenzo shades we declare much, much cooler than any glow in the dark Ksubi incarnation. It's an accessory that has accessories! Enough said. Otherwise, Kenzo showed a few beautiful satin headbands that downtown New York girls will be ripping off in no time. Fashion knows no bounds, especially when Kenzo's in charge of the accessories closet.

Honey, Which Suit Is More...Pink?

coutorture — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:51:32 -0700

Givenchy decided to up the anti with their version of the pink suit for Spring 09. Both Louis Vuitton and Calvin Klein tried their hands at the suiting game and, we think, lost. Sure the Calvin Klein version is a nearly-blinding orange-pink (Is that what color it is? We've been staring at it too long and we're starting to see white spots.) and the Louis Vuitton version, a mellowed but decisive attempt, but Givenchy, well, it doesn't get much more pink than that. There's something irresistible about this look. Perhaps it's the creamy skin and blank stare of the model who wore the suit, perhaps it's just that the color is just so damn vibrant that we're stunned into submission. Either way, you could say we're being beat over the head with two major Spring 09 trends. Namely, monochome outfits, and, well, pink. This decisiveness in menswear has us really excited...to see the womenswear shows. Below, men in pink. Get ready for it.

Menswear Model Castings...The Saga Continues

coutorture — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:04:04 -0700

The Spring 09 menswear shows are really stirring up some trouble. Queue the Yohji Yamamoto castings. Adding to the list of unlikely candidates to walk the catwalk, were this guy and this guy . Do we endorse this? Yes, we do. Do we think it will make a major difference in how the Spring womenswear shows are cast? No, we don't. Today, Fashionista's talking about the diversity we're seeing in the men's shows and we'd like to extend the sentiment and point out that every superficial aspect of masculinity is being challenged on the catwalks. Namely, weight, age, ethnicity, build, and facial hair preferences! It may not drastically effect the women's castings but we're guessing it will help things a little bit. After all, and like we've said before, we're talking about the same designers, are we not? We've put together a little gallery to demonstrate the point. Let the shows go on.

Pink For Spring!

coutorture — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 09:40:06 -0700

Even though it feels like women's collections are frequently being slated as menswear inspired, sometimes it's the other way around. This men's collections for Spring 09, so far, have shown quite a lot of pink. From Calvin Klein to Louis Vuitton to Moschino, it seems the boys just aren't afraid of the color most commonly associated with, well, princesses.

In the Moschino show, the models were proper gentlemen in red checked suiting sometimes accented with a pink prints or blocks of color. As for Calvin Klein, the statement was more sharp, when pink came down the runway in neon suiting. Among a signature black and white palate, one pink suit (there were other neons as well) made a statement about the possibility that a slick, serious Klein customer doesn't worry too much about the gender of color. Louis Vuitton effortlessly included pink as well, in the show it was used confidently from head to toe on more than just one look. So it seems a strong trend for menswear in Spring 09 and one that just maybe isn't that big of a deal. Typically, when we talk about androgyny, we're talking about women dressing like men, and in this case, it's just the other way around. No big thing.

I Enjoy Being A Girl

coutorture — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 08:38:50 -0700

We might be on a bit of an estrogen overdrive thanks the menswear being shown in Milan this week. This is making us exceptional prone to cooing over the silliest of girly accoutrements. Community member Fashionation has an entire post about bows that set us over the edge of feminine sanity. She has an entire collection of bows for her hair that just made us squeal like schoolgirls. But its not all giggles and tea time, serious fashion designers like Diane Von Furstenberg have been showing bows in their resort collections. Thus in the spirit of being a girl we have picked a few bow accessories for your enjoyment and a little video ditty to express just how pleased we are to be the fairer sex!

Professor Specs: A Trend Emerges

coutorture — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 09:21:56 -0700

We might be covering men's wear now but that doesn't mean we'll keep from saying that things look 'hot' and mean it in a 'we want to date them' way. Queue professor specs. These glasses just cropped up styled into the D&G men's wear show and we saw it yesterday from Romeo Gigli. Shall we call it an eyewear trend in the making? Let's hope so. Aside from liking them because they look so sharp, we're pretty sure we have some trend evidence to back this up. First Persol 714's replaced Wayfarers as the retro sunglasses of choice this Summer and we have to say the shape it curiously similar. Second, as we know, men and women alike are going high water these days (from Spring and now, well, Spring) and so a nod to nerd in the trouser arena might have made way for professor specs as a full on trend. It can't just be that gents look good in them, could it? No, we know better than that. We going to take it from Milan and make it our own. Let's just hope it looks half as good on us.

Alexander McQueen Spring 09 Menswear

coutorture — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:08:06 -0700

McQueen gave Milan something for the ladies this Spring 09. Included in his menswear collection, which showed in Milan yesterday, were fourteen women's looks. The collection gave a nod to the scuba sport look we've begun seeing by everyone from Miu Miu to Opening Ceremony, his versions included neon bodysuits for the ladies. Another reference which appeared was the Jonathan Saunders method of color blocking where panels went from head to toe, creating a curvaceous silhouette when applied to body skimming frocks. In McQueen's version the colors were 'smoked' by way of a labor intensive technique McQueen created for the occasion. In reference to the silhouettes and aesthetic McQueen was going for with the ladies looks, he said, "There's lot of exposed leg, but it's all very understated luxe and non-p.c. in a healthy way". Amen to that, we say it's high time women wore the kind of clothing that made their bodies look anything but shapeless, and if 'understated luxe' translates as neon scuba jumpsuits, we are so totally supportive.

Roberto Cavalli Spring 09 Menswear

meganzanke — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:08:14 -0700

Where would a Cavalli gent be without an ultra-tan, chiffon clad lady by his side? Well, he'd be with a lot of other boys and they'd be in their underwear. This Spring 09 in Milan Cavalli made sure to include women's looks as part of his menswear collection. We're wondering if there isn't something to be said about the importance of women's clothing in a menswear context. That is, perhaps there are some designers whose aesthetic pivots on heterosexual couples (whether or not they sleep together is another matter entirely) so much so that no gender-specific collection is without the opposite partner's perfectly merchandised outfits. It's like barbie and ken all over again, is it not? Fashion companies have always known to incorporate the notion of lifestyle into their branding and designing efforts. In this day and age, when everything from ceramic vases to dog collars is retailed to fulfill this purpose, perhaps it goes without saying that the ladies looks are a necessary part of showing a menswear design effort. After all, no one's going to sit at home alone if they're wearing Cavalli's animal print trousers. A man's going to get up and go find himself the appropriate context for those pants. In this case a gal wearing a jewel adorned maxi frock, a glamyacht, and a big bucket of alcohol.

Fashion in 50 Seconds 5/14

coutorture — Wed, 14 May 2008 06:36:40 -0700

Barney's CEO Howard Socol has parted ways with the beloved retailer. The industry veteran was rumored to be unhappy with the direction that the Dubai state investment fund Istithmar was taking Barneys after its August acquisition of the company from Jones Apparel Group.

Brooks Brothers is hitting the greens as clothing sponsor of the PGA's Stanford St. Jude Championship in Memphis next month, including the presentation of a championship jacket - part of its first effort to market the 190-year-old brand in national sports settings.

Liz Claiborne had a first quarter loss.

Buyers beware indeed! Specialty stores' open-to-buys might be holding steady, but at this month's Moda Manhattan and FAME trade shows, buyers reported they are looking more before making decisions.

Short people ain't got no reason to live? Well apparently Big and Tall stores are now making way for short and petite stores for men like Jimmy Au's For Men 5'8". Call it the hipster influence.