Louis Vuitton Menswear Fall 2016

As the majority of you know, I am more of a womenswear blogger than a menswear one. However, today, I thought I would please my male readers by reviewing the Louis Vuitton Menswear show.

It’s been five whole years since Kim Jones became creative director for Louis Vuitton Men’s. Over the lustrum, we have seen a dramatic change in both aesthetics and commerce. We’ve witnessed the re-modelling of the brand’s historical link with travel, including the focus on the iconic leather luggage goods and accessories. We have also seen a rapid increase in sales and popularity due to the sheer practicality and grandeur of the clothing produced.

For this season’s menswear collection Kim Jones explored deeper into the house’s French DNA. We saw, as always, an interpretation on the theme of travel. From the navy silk pyjamas imprinted with ‘volez voyagez voguez’ (fly sail travel) mirroring Jones’ own adoration for travelling, to the wide array of luggage - vanity cases, duffel bags, satchels and oversized totes plastered with the monochrome monogram print, playing with the idea of somewhat paired back luxe.

 

Vanity cases and totes in a subdued palette

The show started out with a flurry of very sharp, controlled yet impeccably tailored formalwear pieces- fur overcoats with narrow legged tapered trousers and cashmere jackets infused with silk which served up a new textural dimension consisting of softer, cleaner lines.

As the show gradually progressed we hit an undoubtedly utilitarian selection of looks: stamp motifs slapped solidly onto the backs of sartorial suede outerwear and shearling lined taupe cashmere-coated bomber jackets and parkas brought the word ‘dandy’ back into our fashion vocabularies for the better.  

 

The colour palette was predominantly made up of neutrals such as: black, grey and ivory, however nuances of olive, navy and taupe also featured. As well as that, Jones used a geometric print to smother the lighter jersey outerwear pieces, perhaps suggesting romanticism, classicism or modernism? You decide.

Parisian influences were also out in full glory. Militarized berets accompanied by silk scarves worn as chokers and encrusted LV brooches with jangly earrings provided a hint of youth amongst this profoundly sophisticated collection.
My favourite pieces included the cross-patterned wool collarless coat with a fur belt and also the white silk shirt with ribbon-like wisps of black Art-Deco print which spoke amplitudes of luxury and fluidity.

I have to say that this was the only menswear collection this season where I wanted to buy everything!


Please note: I do not own any of these images, courtesy of Vogue.com
 

Chanel Spring/Summer 2016

I used to be the biggest fan of Chanel. I think it is fair to say that I much prefer Chanel show spectacles like the Supermarket from the Fall 2014 collection rather than the actual pieces in the shows.

My general feeling about Lagerfeld at Chanel is that he's lost his touch, completely. Don't get me wrong: we still have a reference to Coco - sharp structured tweed suits in now a multitude of newly developed sporty neoprene fabrics and garish marbled colour palettes; somewhat ruining her pioneering, signature looks, however.
 
Saying all this, Karl seems to have a tendency to push everything out of proportion. In a typical prêt-a-porter show, we normally see a strong 40-50 looks that fit perfectly into a set theme or incentive. However at Chanel, we see a frankly lack-lustre 90 or more looks, most of which are the exact copies of the ensembles we have seen prior to that specific collection. 

 

 

 

To buyers and editors, enthralled would be an understatement; they feed off the giant branding sets which today took the shape of a Chanel Airport. A set which we have seen in the past, to be exact Spring/Summer 2012 Couture- Cara Delevingne's runway debut, was the collection which allegedly showed the future for Chanel's Haute Couture. 

However, I digress. This season's Chanel was all about the jet-setting life of the super-rich (hence the presence of Kendall Jenner who closed the show).

photo 1-1

photo 1-2

The clothes simply did not radiate quintessential Coco or even the basic essence of Chanel for that matter; they emitted a futuristic angle which was more tacky than anything: giant orange mirrored aviators covered the faces of the models paired with flat-formed plastic drawstring boots and bubble-gum PVC coats.

 

 

 

 

In contrast to my rather pessimistic point of view, there were some undoubtedly beautiful pieces- the sour-toned checked tweed jumpsuit which opened and the layering of kick flares underneath full chiffon or leather skirts, dabbled with the ideas of classicism meets the digital era. The branded wheelie luggage bags and petite airplane brooches will definitely get the global e-commerce soaring.

 

 

 Kick flares which sat loosely under full-skirts

 

There was a definite sense of diversity, albeit eclectic, in relation to the overall execution of the show; diversity was shown through the model casting and the new, fluid silhouettes sent down the runway.
At this point in time, it seems that futurism is the only theme that Lagerfeld can bring to the Chanel check-in desk. For example, those trainers he put in one of his Couture shows, or those crushed Camellia flowers which emblazoned a tweed overcoat. I'm sorry to say this, but I do believe it is time for a change. The brand is in need of a new lease of life, Karl has led an incredible legacy, but he's coming to the end of his time.

 

Please note: I do not own any of these images, courtesy of Vogue.com & edwardlewisstyle.com,

Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 2016

This season Sarah Burton drew from the archive at McQueen, re-imagining some fundamental ideas that Lee himself used through his
unfortunately cut-short career. Focuses: romanticism, naturalism, alongside a seemingly integral historicism - which we have been seeing a lot of all through this fashion month.

It was a rather surprising collection, there was nothing dark or grotesque, no harsh latex masks encapsulating the model's faces and, remarkably, no unique fabrics like synthetic hairs or impala horns.
 

Instead, we were presented with an array of simply beautiful, classic clothes. Fluid, floral printed gowns draped in cascading blush pink ruffles and Lee's signature 16th-century red military tailored jackets which sat over a sheer tiered skirt, asserted a gentle regalia mood over the engrossed spectators. 

 

Alongside that we saw Bohemia inspired by English Folklore. From the slashed blue jeans paired with a heavily embellished top of roses, to a delicate French laced top with a ruffled trail stratified over a pair of white slouchy trousers and white trainers (a look similar to the Givenchy Heroine).

 

 

Despite these pieces containing so much fragility and ethereality, there was an underlying fetishistic tone- corsets and chained harnesses mixed an unlikely combination of Bohemia and Victoriana, featured in the evening gowns.

 

 

 

 

There was also an idea of age and decay. Let's take the silk faille floral jacquards and the frays on the hem-lines- they felt to me like they were unfinished works of art, like a wilted rose subjected to years of abandonment. However nothing was actually incomplete with this collection, it was all done within the McQueen aesthetic and perhaps that's what made it feel so cleverly distinguishable.



silk faille floral jacquards

 

 

Please note: I do not own any of these images, courtesy of Vogue.com

Céline Spring/Summer 2016

As expected with a Céline collection, it never fails to let us down. This season was a retrospective of everything we love about Phoebe Philo (creative director for the house). She is able to create clothes that women actually want to wear and could wear (despite the price tag). Asserting the idea that clothes can be easily adaptable to the way women want to live their lives, instead of feeling victimised by fashion.
However today, Philo played more with the ideas of femininity, gently moving away from minimalism with the introduction to prints and a wider array of fabrics.
Femininity through the more accentuated silhouettes and voluminous dimensions- crepe trousers and puffed up shoulders; cinched in waists and severely sartorial structures.

We saw pieces that we would have never of dreamt of seeing at a Céline show. Take the silk slip dresses that have deemed rather popular this season,(seen at Givenchy, Burberry and Calvin Klein)which had lace details that carefully drew attention to the female form. Or perhaps that deconstructed moss green overcoat which Philo re-worked, offering us a confliction between the cinched-in elasticated waist and the boxy, masculinised shoulders.

 

 

Lace silk slip dresses

 



 

Morphed shapes in moss green

 



My favourite looks were the leather tunics that sat over asymmetrical jersey dresses, they just screamed aggression yet downplayed by the fluidity of delicate fabrics. Almost resembling a suit of armour.

 

Leather tunics implied powerful futurism

Also Céline is generally well known for its rather grandiose array of accessories, in particular bags. From the phantom tote to the trapeze, these bags are pure dreams. This season exhibited a brand new selection: pillow bags, the box clutch and those auburn bucket bags.(literally to die for)

 Pillow bag

 

Violet Crocodile box-clutch

Amidst this perfectly conveyed notion of masculine vs feminine, we also had this portrayal of almost quite a pertinent futuristic 'urbanista' as one now calls it. A woman of the utmost class and dignity, who believes only in a non-mainstream and alternative way of dressing. Someone who can easily adapt their style to their surroundings, as it were. Definitely open for interpretation.

For me, Phoebe Philo remains one of my favourite designers. Her visions are simple, raw and dynamic. Season after season she brings us more than just clothing collections, they are art installations.

Please Note: I do not own any of these images, courtesy of Vogue.com

Christian Dior Fall 2015 Couture

The 16th century pilgrims meet the impressionist art movement is how I would summarise Raf Simmons' latest collection for Dior.

Last season Simmons explored the concept of 'the future as seen by the past', with the use of David Bowie being his main inspiration. I felt we had been introduced to a much more harsh, almost fetishistic version of the Dior Woman. 

However, this season we still had that futurism yet it was mitigated by Simmons' historical aesthetics- the journey back to the archives which brought us a more innocent, (I hate to use this word) sexy yet sinister vision. Perhaps those 40s ('New Look') coats which clinched in at the waist to open up into a full-skirt briefly dabbled in the darker side with heavy metal chains. 

        

We also saw quotations from previous collections: the scarf neck-line, the tulip skirts which embraced more of a classic 50s silouhette in contrast to the distinctively audacious spirit captured by Simmons last season and lastly, the deconstruction of the defining coat. By deconstruction I mean Simmons took the basic structure of the overcoat and added a flare from his imagination- the bell sleeves (which deemed popular this couture season, especially at Atelier Versace), the glimpse of a fur stole, as one would call it, that appeared through a sleeveless caban and those jacquard chain-mail nets which sat over an ethereal gown.

        

         

        

The opening look comprised of a white organza flowing gown of tissue-thin transparency setting this look of purity within a demure silouhette.

It was evident to me that Simmons was playing with perhaps the imbalance of lightness vs darkness, for example the design of the tulip skirts, which presented a rigid structure was downplayed by the pastel kaleidoscope which splashed its surface, to create perhaps a false vision of softness.

For me it was about the contrast between old and new. With this historical aesthetic that Simmons releases every season, he attracts a much more youthful audience, even aesthetic.

                         Fur stoles 

 

                  

                     Picture courtesy of Style.com

Balmain Fall 2015 PFW

I have always admired Olivier Rousteing's work for Balmain. He knows how to dress women and make them look young, edgy yet totally glamorous. Glamour was the main theme at Balmain today, a long side the hype which surrounded Queen Kim Kardashian and her new platinum locks.

It is safe to say that every piece in the collection, Kim would wear or has already worn in some incarnation. From the billowing pleated skirts to the tight-fitting bandeau tops submerged under a sheer chiffon day dress. She was the muse for the entire collection and we all knew that.

We had a sense of opulence; perhaps the vintage-toned riche colour palette, consisting of the most luxurious colours- metallic mustard, a bronzey orange, forest green and fiery fuchsia.
The iridescent fabrics were a marvel, especially in pleats. We had the most volumizing balloon trousers which sat below a tailored blazer.

It was out with the 80s (last season) and in with the 70s- well,  as much as possible. Flares were still a big feature throughout: saw in lace, pleats and with 10x added volume.  In the last half of the collection, lighter than light chiffon jumpsuits in all manner of prints (florals in particular) graced the scene- contrasting to the fierce, strong and seductive woman as seen in the first segment.

The casting for the show screamed sass. Victoria Secret Angels left right and centre: Alessandra Ambrosio, Adriana Lima, Karlie Kloss; combined with the model greats of the moment, Jourdan Dunn, Lily Donaldson, Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid. It was evident why he chose these girls to convey his sexy, glamorous Balmain goddess.

We had less of the skin and more of the cover up. Less sex appeal but more business.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Picture courtesy of Style.com