Milano Moda Uomo Spring 2009: Looking for a Hero
@ 11:17 am May 21, 2008Filed under: Milan, Op-Ed
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DALLAS, May 21, 2008 / FW/ — With Milano Moda Uomo Spring 2009 in the horizon, but everyone going gaga over the upcoming ‘Sex & The City’ movie, the usual interest for menswear had been eclipsed with the high profile coverage of women’s fashion, albeit it is for a movie.
Which brings us the question – does menswear need a new hero? And, I don’t mean a designer, but a new icon, be it fictional characters like what Carrie Bradshaw and friends did for womenswear or real life heroes like David Beckham, the de facto poster boy of metrosexuals.
Still, metrosexuality did not really sit well among men. Except for the urban male who had embraced metrosexuality without question, the regular American male who drives a truck, an SUV even a sports car did not see themselves as metrosexuals. They just saw themselves as men.
Their heroes remain to be sports stars from Kobe Bryant to Andre Agassi, yet though the appeal of sports heroes are universal, they are not really worshipped because they are fashion plates. They are admired because of their game play.
Perhaps, that is the key to men’s fashion. Unlike women who admire great dressers like Nicole Kidman and Angelina Jolie, men in general could not be bothered with what Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise are wearing because they are expected to look good.
Yet, the likes of Kobe Bryant, though they are always dressed well are not expected to be fashion plates. They are expected to be great at their games, which brings us to another world, open to everyone but mostly populated by men – video gaming.
The video game world has a lot of heroes and there are too many of them to mention here. Quite frankly, it will be hard to name all of them because the video game genres are as varied as the movies. Still, it will not behoove us to mention the 14-year Final Fantasy series by Square Enix (formerly Square Soft) wherein their heroes and heroines have captured the imagination of both teens and adult gamers.
On its latest installment Final Fantasy XII (the 13th installment is due in North America late this year), one of the main characters Balthier had captured the heart of both male and female gamers, albeit the female gamers make up only a very small percentage of the gaming industry.
I won’t go into a review of the game (here is a link for a fashion review of Final Fantasy XII), but needless to say, Balthier’s total look, which of course includes his outfit, had gotten everyone’s attention. (See photo above, courtesy of Square Enix, copyright Square Enix)
Maybe, that’s what menswear need, a fictional hero that will not grow old. The same way that Marvel comics gave us Superman and Batman, our childhood heroes that have actually inspired real clothes worn by real men, perhaps, Balthier is something that the internet generation needs. After all, they have been born and raised in the digital world.
(For those of you who have not played Final Fantasy XII, here’s a video clip)
Alessandro Dell’Acqua: Smart is the New Sexy
@ 9:23 pm June 24, 2008Filed under: Milan, Runway Shows
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MILAN, Jun 24, 2008 / FW/ — The high school social class called ‘nerd’ disappeared with the advent of the internet. The once ‘socially unacceptable’ interest in computers has become a must-have if one has to be ‘cool’ and in turn be ‘in.’ In short, smart is the new sexy.
And this is who Alessandro Dell’Acqua is focusing on for Spring / Summer 2009. The silhouette is slim, the fit ‘just right’ – neither snug nor loose. It’s not varsity; it’s not street either; it’s neutral dressing in the sense that it is acceptable by the opposite extremes of the dressing spectrum.
But, don’t think that by being ‘neutral’ it is boring. Dell’Acqua made sure that the stripes and the prints catch your attention. As for the solids, the combinations of electric blue and black, salmon and dark green made it very dramatic.
For the fashion risk takers, this collection might be too tame; for the more traditional dressers, this collection might be too avant-garde. But, for those who want to be different, yet blend in the crowd without losing their individuality, this collection is perfect.
Alexander McQueen: The Quintessential McQueen
@ 6:24 pm June 23, 2008Filed under: Milan, Runway Shows
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MILAN, Jun 23, 2008 / FW/ — When a designer can actually outdo himself or herself, it is a sign that he or she is peerless; that comparisons with others will be futile because it will be like comparing apples and oranges. That’s where Alexander McQueen belongs, in a league of his own, untouchable by mere mortals and out of reach even by the fashion demi gods.
With ‘feminine influences in men’s clothes’ as one of the strong trends this season, Alexander McQueen broke from the mold and presented women’s clothes on the men’s runway; and it’s not just for eye candy either. Every male exit and every female exit were thoroughly thought of and skillfully executed. Every ‘pair’ contrast each other, wherein the male remained masculine and the female remained femme.
Sci-fi books and movies had taught us that the future is about being androgynous, wherein we don’t recognize sexes anymore in manners of dressing. Yet, that is just the imagination of sci-fi writers. Some of their predictions have come true, like putting man on the moon. Some sci-fi gadgetry even found itself in today’s world like the cell phone, which was actually inspired by Captain Kirk’s communicator.
Still, if we look at the animal kingdom, the male of the species is always ‘better looking’ than the female – brighter colors as in the peacocks, shinier hair like the mane of the male lion. Man, who is actually on top of the food chain is the exact opposite wherein the females are the ones who wear the bright colors and try to catch your attention. Men are relegated to the ‘good looking accessory’ holding a woman’s hand.
Alexander McQueen threw that out of the window also. What he did was make males and females equal in the attractiveness of their dressing. Same colors were used, but cut differently; same concept with a different execution.
Alexander McQueen is genius, that’s an accepted fact. That he can change the way we dress is something that we are actually looking forward to especially in this decade of change.
Biagiotti: Born to Web
@ 8:19 am June 24, 2008Filed under: Milan, Runway Shows
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MILAN, Jun 24, 2008 / FW/ — The fashion world would have not noticed, but, Bill Gates is actually retiring from IT this month, as the Microsoft co-founder steps down from his job at the software giant. So, it is interesting to note that Laura Biagiotti’s theme this season is the man in the network, as in high tech network.
Smart is the new sexy, with the line between nerds and the rest of the world was erased with the advent of the internet and the proliferation of computers and high tech devices. Laura Biagiotti is not alone among high profile designers to see this trend; what is amazing is that she is older than most of them but she is the savviest when it comes to understanding the effects of technology and incorporating them in her designs.
Her Spring / Summer 2009 menswear collection is a great example. With a ‘net’ as backdrop, Biagiotti played on the idea of a ‘conceptual web’ and sent double-breasted trench coats, shawl collared vests and bomber jackets with front zips on the runway, focusing on the high tech male.
Then, without missing a beat, she sent out knits, again playing on the ‘web’ concept but this time in something tangible as clothing.
Sorbet shades of blue that turned to gray and indigo, ocean tones if you really think about it; again a play on the word ‘web’ and ‘net’ because fishermen using ‘nets’ to catch fish.
Are the high tech workers the new working class hero? Or, are they as Laura Biagiotti sees them, the new fashion plates?
Brioni: Giving The Gift of Knowledge
@ 4:55 am June 25, 2008Filed under: News
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MILAN, June 25, 2008/ FW/ — The art of tailoring is as important today as it was in it’s prime, when selling a suit had a lot more to do with fit then the name on the label. Brioni, a brand known for its mastery in tailoring and in fact was started by a master tailor, Nazareno Fonticoli, is making sure that the art and techniques of the trade, aren’t lost to the future generations.
Giving back to the fashion world, Brioni, has mad a three-year partnership with the Royal College of Art and will be passing on the teachings and their secrets of satirical techniques. With this exclusive agreement Brioni will support the Menswear Fashion Design course for the next three years at the Royal College of Art.
Students will have a chance to work with Brioni’s own master tailors and will also get the experience of spending a week of intensive tailoring practice at the “Brioni Tailoring Academy” in Penne, Italy. Brioni has always had a high standard of hand-made excellence and created the academy in 1985 to preserve the company’s sartorial heritage. Now Brioni is helping the Royal Academy of art to reach their level and have graduate students who live up to the highest standards in tailoring.
The collaboration has already proved successful after just one year and the proof of it is in the students work. The year ended with a competition for the best interpretation of a menswear classic: the dinner jacket. The student’s work spoke for itself and Brioni even thought it worthy of a presentation during Milan Fashion Week, during which the winners were awarded. The presentation showed the work of thirteen future designers and their interpretations of the dinner jacket. The creativity and the combination of the technical skills, is something few schools can attribute to their credit.
Sir Christopher Frayling - Rector of the RCA - said: “The partnership with Brioni is just right for the RCA’s mission - mixing individual creativity and the global design context. Brioni will provide our students with the highest standards of technique and craft in tailoring, which will certainly enhance our students’ creativity and contribute towards their career development. This could have a big influence on the future of British menswear.”
Not only could it have a big influence on the future of British menswear but it will as the Royal College of Art will most definitely bring up the par of what it means to be a menswear designer.
The winners of the competition, and in fact the students in general will be future designers to keep an eye on.
The first prize or the “Brioni Award” was awarded to Simon Travers-Spencer for the piece that best represents Brioni Excellence.
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The other awards were for creativity, tailoring and a special award giving by Neiman Marcus.
The Creativity award for the most creative and innovative piece and was awarded to Jasper Sinchai Chadprajong.
The Tailoring award for the piece that best adapts the principles of fine tailoring to contemporary fashion needs went to Jae Wan Park.
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The Special award given by Neiman Marcus was awarded to Louise Loubatieres.
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Below are the winners at the award ceremony and other submissions from the contest.
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