Fashion
The Best of Spring/Summer 2014 Menswear
19:14The menswear collections have come and gone and as per usual it is time for me to share which collections I thought were the best. The Great Gatsby is the main inspiration of most collections and so are past trends safari and military. As a whole I don't think this was the strongest season for menswear. Past trends are being repeated and most collections look the same as past spring/summer collections. There are many collections that don't made the cut as best of spring/summer menswear. Many collections this year were a repeat of what we saw last year or an adaptation of the autumn/winter collections which don't make them extraordinary.
Paris Fashion Week
One can't help but that think that the inpsiration of this collection comes from street style and male style stars. As soon as this collection is duplicated by retail stores all men will look like they come from an exotic island.
This Ami collection is very Pharrell Williams and Theophilus London however there are hints of a 90s Brad Pitt and today's stylish man. Set in an airport, this collection is made for the travelling man.
There is an item of clothing for every type of travelling man. There are outfits for the man going to visit a tropical resort with his friends, the one going to work on a design project in America or Europe and the one travelling with his band on a world tour.
As a whole, the collection borders on casual and smart casual. It is definitely not formal and does not cater for the fashionable insecure. This collection is for a man who is not afraid to introduce a trend to his group of friends, colleagues or society in general.
Certain looks in the collection do belong to various subcultures but they are all adaptable to suit any personality.
The collection was a bit of a risk as it kept more in line with trends than start new trends. With menswear it is very difficult to start a brand new trend and designers such as Alexandre Mattiussi of Ami prefer to either exaggerate a trend, or make it better. Camouflage, prints and layering are the obvious trends here but they have been reworked very nicely.
While remaining true to current Balmain form, Olivier Rousteing redefined the nautical look. The collection pays tribute to sailors, rock stars and painters depending on how you look at some of the garments.
Balmain has become known for it's monochramtic graphics and patterns and even though they have not been used extensively in this collection, you can still tell that they have influenced the structure of the chosen fabric. Rousteing's monochromatic is obviously usually black and white but with this collection it is mainly navy and white.
Navy has become the most used colour over the past two seasons and it seems as if it's popularity does not know how to pause.
There is a hint of a tailored look which feeds the current tailored trend.
The collection as a whole represents various types of men but the type of man that stands out the most is the sailor. I love the adaptation of the nautical look and I definitely think it will become a major trend after the current military and safari trend.
London Fashion Week
Over the past two seasons some designers have forgotten that spring is a time when flowers bloom. Burberry has reminded all of us of this fact and their flower is definitely the most beautiful.
I can't remember when last I saw this much colour on the runway. This much colour actually looks very strange because I am not used to seeing it on runway, only in Pixar films.
Besides the colour, this Burberry show is very Burberry. There is no way you could mistake it for another fashion house.
I'm really glad to see colour on the runway just as I was glad to see black on the runway last season. Most if not all spring shows last year were made up of dark garments which was different for spring and summer and that got me excited because fashion was evolving. But then it got too dark and we forgot about colour, we forgot that spring and summer was a happy time. Now that Burberry is re-introducing colour to the happiest season of the year, we will once again remember that flowers bloom in spring.
The skinny ties and shirts are a favourite of mine and I love the bags as well. The bags definitely redefine the man bag but there is no need for men to carry much so this is a suitable size.
The bold dots are absolutely amazing. They look better on the summer scarf than they do on the shirt and they will make any man's outfit go from normal to fabulous.
I love the inclusion of pastel. Men usually wear pastel shirts but having a pastel jacket or coat creates a different kind of formal.
With this much colour one would think this collection is revisiting colour blocking, but this is so much more than colour blocking. Male colour-blockers always wanted to make a statement and be seen but this collection is very classy and very preppy.
I definitely urge men to take notes from this collection but be sure not to overdo it. Maybe work in a few colour pieces at a time so you don't shock yourself and those around you.
Milan Fashion Week
Jesus, Zeus and an Italian Jay Gatsby; the possibility of all these personalities being in the same space at the same time is near non-existent. However Dolce and Gabbana have managed to put them in one collection.
The first source of inspiration I noticed was Jesus. A couple of years ago, dressing according to Biblical fashion was on trend and it seems as if Dolce and Gabbana want that trend to return. The Jesus sandals and sweaters that look that they made from woven mats.
As religious as the collection appears, when you take a second look you realise that it is inspired more by Greek Gods than Jesus and his disciples.
Temples have been used as a print and there are various images of Zeus on sweaters, tshirts and shorts. I prefer the use of temple print on the shorts because it is different. The image of Zeus on the tshirts is something we've seen before, namely from Givenchy.
Read The D&G Autumn/Winter Milan Fashion Week Blog Post
The third source of inspiration is Jay Gatsby. This is not the most prominent inspiration but one cannot help but think of Jay Gatsby when you see the all white suit. Because it has a hint of shine it is suited for the Italian Jay Gatsby.
There aren't that many suits and tuxedos in this collection which makes it a lot more casual. Slowly but surely menswear is moving away from formal dressing and going back to casual.
Paris Fashion Week
When Scott Disick became famous for his formal dress sense men all over the world were amazed and decided to emulate his style. This season and seasons to come, dressing like Scott Disick is out and dressing like a 70s hippie is in.
Obviously today's 70s trend is a lot more tame and can be seen through prints more than the clothing's silhouette.
Like Dolce & Gabbana, Dries Van Noten is reminding us that flowers bloom in spring. All the flowers and prints in this collection, it reminds me of Dries Van Noten's womenswear Spring/Summer collection for 2013.
Dries Van Noten mixed dark florals with stripes and geometric patterns in his spring 2013 womenswear show and the same was done here. Silhouettes are also similar but there is a more tailored feel with the menswear.
I think the amount of floral that has been used in this show is a bit extravagant but maybe it is time for fashion to move away from a minimalistic canvas and back to a more chaotic one. It is very difficult to revolutionise mens fashion every season but adding something different like dark florals really does help recreate an interest in menswear. Florals will definitely make it to retail stores and Dries Van Noten will be one of the reasons it does.
Milan Fashion Week
Missoni proves that casual is the only way to dress this season. Missoni is a lot more smart than Dries Van Noten and Dolce & Gabbana's definition of casual which means all the formal dresses can use this collection as a transition collection.
This collection does not introduce to any new trends or revive old trends but it does teach men how to dress. The collection features every type of outfit that can be worn at any kind of event.
In order to recreate this collection you only need a few of the patterned garments.
It is a very strong collection and all the clothes look different but the same. Not all outfits look like they belong to the same collection but they still all compliment each other.
Navy is still prominent in this collection and the new colours to look out for this season according to Missoni are slate grey, colbat blue, beige and various shades of green.
1 comments
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