Highlights: Paris Menswear Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2012 - 2013

Size does matter apparently, at least according to 3.1 Phillip Lim. Belts,shoes and block prints are all exaggerated in full blown proportions. A lot ofblack and white, some reds, purples and greens across slim fitting and looserfitted clothes. Quite the innovative collection, if I must say so myself.

 I love that fashion allows for an exploration of ideas, identity andingenuity. And a lot of what is creative genius is initially mind boggling andthis collection might probably be one of the many that fall under suchdescription. I personally am still trying to understand how women's wear can beadapted for men; I applaud the inspiration because there are no rules after all.Carry on, Agnès B. Now, more my speed would be the burgundy suit with the double breastedcheck or the electrifying SLASH exciting SLASH intense red suit! R’eow!

Lovely how Ann Demeulemeester makes all thebrighter blues and reds pop against the black palette for a little excitement.The darker more gundge direction chosen for this collection was quite abrilliant idea. I think I rather love it, actually.

Dior comes swimming against the current with looser fitting. This militaryand sportswear influenced collection is composed of oversized pieces and thesuiting that takes the centre stage was presented more casual. Actuallyinteresting. 

The theatrics of the Dries Van Noten clothes wasvery pleasing with all of the prints and classic looks and craftsmanship. Yes,border lining flamboyant but never that. As always, impeccable constructionthrough and through.

Fashions favourite rouge Givenchy, is at it again.Stars and stripes are all through this collection. The inspiration is also muchmore heavy, a dark pop perhaps? Peep the skirts/kilts and love the red suits asmuch as I do.

Classic,contemporary and chic designs from Hermès, much too good to be denied best collection ofall the shows in Paris. Impeccable tailoring in black, browns, touches of blue,burgundy and white. Also were leather shirts, leather jackets and leather suits.This is the way black-on-black is meant to be styled; against different fabricsand textures. This is one collection of all gentlemen’s dreams.

Issey Miyake carry on their journey of comfort and loose fits for the fall/winter. Awhole lot of colour, knitwear, parkas and blazers for you.

Greatemphasis on outerwear in sheen trenches, fur jackets and large chequeredpattern from the house of John Galliano. Think 1950s gangsterwith all the expected but unpredictable theatrics for the man of the future.

Junya Watanabe presents a collection for the quintessential lumberjack: plaid pieces,flannel pieces, braces on trousers, thick knitwear and boots. Great jackets andsuits are in tow for a great winter. Tim-ber!

Colourblocking, bold prints and sportswear from Kenzo for a very fun-filled winter.Excellent craftsmanship on the jackets and suits. All of the clothes areready-to-wear and versatile. What a charismatic collection and very nicelydone.

There was a time when I planned a “Revenge ofthe Nerds” party that fell threw -- I digress. Kris Van Assche breathesnew life into the geeks closet with a punk inspiration of large checks, doublebelting and light, long knits for the maverick working class man.

Thank you very much, Lanvin! This collectionwas good, thoroughly enjoyable filled with trenches suits and jackets. Theflared trousers were crafted fancifully. A lot of heavier colours in thiscollection but strips and brought out a little excitement. Three thumbs!

A little bit of everything from MaisonMartin Margiela. Forget that fashion is evolving at an insatiable rateand fall back in love with fur lined jackets, motocross pants, trenches andsuiting in assorted beiges. Alrighty then. What do you think?

With a lot of nautical influence in the past fewseasons, we see Paul Smith make it much more literal with jelly printedtrousers and the actual sea-like colour of neons layered beneath dark knitwear.Also, the return of the once most beloved two-tone trousers, Peter Pan collarsand chucky knitwear. Nicely done.

Raf Simons presents a fall/winter collection that is not typical of what would beexpected for the extremes of the cold weather. There were hardly any fulllength trousers but the compensation came as perfect construction and overallgreat clothes. Find colour blocking with neutral bottoms, green suits, furrycanary sweaters and burgundy knitted hats.

One of the things I enjoy the most in this worldis to be entertained and I really felt that’s exactly what Thom Browne did with thiscollection that had American football-buff zombies for models. When carefullyconsidered, each look is actually much more casual. The line features knittedhats, scarves, nautical trousers and amazing shoes.

 YSL gives another example on how to style black-on-black clothing. Thecollection was mainly of slim fitting pieces mostly of leather -- from jackets,suits and shirts. Anything from little bits of leather or from head to toe, thiscollection’s got that. I thoroughly enjoyed this collection, I found itpleasantly surprising.

Images Courtesy: Source

Highlights: Milan Menswear Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2012 - 2013 Pt. 2

Rock chic. And it actually makes sense here aspresented by John Varvatos with precisely tailored yet edgy suits, bulkyknitwear and windowpane check. I thoroughly enjoy the pale shade of grey andthe ample layering in this collection and I think it speaks a modern maturity.

Witha line inspired by the race car driver Ayrton Senna, the house of MonclerGamme Bleu bring us a vibrant, brightly coloured modest collection. Notice theheavy and full scarves paired with the bomber jackets, trousers and long coats.You can tell there was a lot of fun with this collection in the white gloves,in parts there were padded shoulders and some plaid pattern in varying grayscale shades and blue. So good, it’s almost edible!

“1970” was the resounding echo from Trussardi’s Fall/Wintercollection punctuated with impeccable details, tailoring and style further emphasisingthis necessary journey back in time. There was a delicious array of semi-flairsuits and big lapels, leather waistcoats and turtlenecks in mustard and auburn colours.I only ask however, that slim-fit trousers stay with us forever and not flairlike this line is be pleasantly suggesting!

Prada had a very unique line and I think what Ienjoyed the most was the colours -- greys and burgundy. Good call on the 1920sinfluence and making it as contemporary as could be with defined tailoring inthe suiting.

Roberto Cavalli sets us in the mood for the winter
with leather touches on tuxedo lapels in shades of blue, purple, yellow and a salmon finished with impeccable details. The great thing about this collection is the variety it had for every kind of man from the up-town to the biker boys.

The icicle caught in the beard of the models was 
pleasantly baffling but that's genius as interpreted by
Vivienne Westwood. Three piece suits, jackets and 1970s
influence with vibrant and eccentric influence is 
nothing short
of inspired although some of the pieces would be 
better enjoyed separately. I do sometimes fail to follow 
Vivienne Westwood designs but this time around, I am pleased 
to say I get it!

Neil Barrett presents a collection that is very much
for the more traditional man with all of its simplicity and 
classic looks. The more prominent pieces are coats as the 
outerwear is the focal point for their season. Some fun is 
shown in the mustard heavy hoodies and fuller and thick shoes paired with slim fit trousers.

Salvatore Ferragamo gives a perfect epitome of an 
uncomplicated winter: great colours of deep blues and rich 
plums of suits and trenches. The gloves and shoes come in an appropriate variation of browns. No compromise either on the tailoring as it too is perfect and in tune with the traditional office wear.

When I first saw the cruise collection for H&M, I was 
pleasantly surprised at the wonder that was such beautiful 
designs of clothing and so now I am led to think I remain 
biased as this line Versace presented in Milan did not move me. There are however, some great pieces with that 1990s influence such as studded denim and hyper fluorescent compositions. Standout pieces had to include the edgy striped suiting.

DSquared2 bring us a great collection filled with preppy 
clothing after taking us camping, to fight clubs and to 
festivals in previous seasons. This is one urban collection 
that is actually practical enough for most men that enjoy comfortable and trendy style. This said, the designing duo's identity is however still intact in these clothes. Expect everyday yet exceptional clothing for the everyday young man on the go.

Moschino reached me this season, definitely one of the 
best collections of all the collections shown for the 
Fall/Winter in Milan and it is evident in the contrast 
jackets, bowler hats and coloured soles inspired by the 
graffiti stained areas of a downtown. The decorative 
stitched blazers were the only shortcoming here but 
otherwise, great job!

Images Courtesy: Source

Highlights: Milan Menswear Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2012 - 2013 Pt. 1

I never thought I would have ever anticipated acollection such as this from Burberry Prorsum! Of course, it is complete withimpeccably tailored suits and trench coats but it’s the colour and the foxes thatpleasantly took me by surprise. There is some modest humour in these pieces andenough versatility for every kind of modern man. Some of the designs includepolka dot -- which I am a proud owner of the exact polka dot shirt shown  -- heritage cotton gabardine andscoop-neck pullovers. Bravo, for the house of Burberry. 

Colour blocking for Calvin Klein in their new season along with croc-skin enrich and accentuate the cool, calm and casual collection. The colour palette is  very bold and masculine as well as the silhouette of the clothing. Their signature camel was in full force, staying true to their trademark. References for this collection could include futuristic, sartorial and rebel.  

An all black styling is a very difficultchallenge to tackle; this is a well known fact. However, I think taking apartsome of these pieces and mix-and-matching them with some colour -- as the showlater presented -- would make for some fantastic outfits. This was Costume National's take on the new season, thoughts? 

Dolce & Gabbana delve deeper into theirexploration of the paper boy look with sleepwear for the new season. I regretto say that I was disappointed and that rarely, if ever, happens with one of myfavourite fashion houses. The suits are always sleek, suave and sophisticatedbut we already know that and yes, the Victorian inspired embroidered detaildoes look good but it was not enough for me this time around.

This winter, Ermenegildo Zegna is making surethe cold does not penetrate in any way! Of course, the cool look will not betraded in on account of the weather. With plaid patterns, houndstooth andleather the idea is still to make the modern man look stylish. You’llappreciate the versatility in this collection from the week through to the weekend;all of the items in this collection are practical.

Enter Etro, decked out in paisley from wall to wall. The tailcoat tuxedo had to be the stand out look of the entire collection. The colour palette evolved all through from classic black and white to a fruit-like red to full and bottle green never forgetting the velvet enriched fabric. a collection truly intended for the urban, finer and more stylish man.  

I could pretend to sit here up on my podium andtalk about how outstanding I thought the Frankie Morello show was but the truthis I really did not get it. Colour-blocking and Indian influence, that’s greatbut spikes and sewn on buttons did not quite gel for me. Perhaps the directionwas to tame the infamous rock star and bring him back down to size, calm himand make him more relatable. Care to share your thoughts?

Interesting how Giorgio Armani decides to loosen up their look in the era of slim-fit trousers, shirts and blazers. As would be expected, this collection was full of classic and stylish designs for the masculine demeanour. this is very noticable in the double-breasted jackets, bolder waists and baggy pleated trousers. A fulfilling collection through and through.   

Gucci give us give us retro glamour in all its modern entirety. Taking floral pattern suits and colouring them in dark shades of emerald green, dark brown and navy not only made them prominent pieces but also masculine. The slim-fitting trousers, shirts and blazsers are in full effect as seen in their last few seasons. This collection represents the man that knows himself and what he wants.   

What a wholesome collection we have here fromIceberg. I like the pairing of the more loose trousers with the fitted coatsand blazers. And just to think, the range of this line -- heavy knitwear,suiting and jackets to layer -- really quite limitless this time around. Evenwith the more grunge, punk aesthetic, the clothes remain very wearable andpractical for everyday. Impressive, hey?

Images Courtesy: Source

Street Style: London Fashion Week 2011

What a spectacle it must be to watch all the stylish come out to play whenever the newest fashion-week is in town! Like-minded people of impeccable taste all in the same venue, gotta love it. My personal experiences with fashion-week have been limited to the South African borders but I remain curious to the mysteries of the wider-world. 

Here are some images of what was scene-on-the-scene when London Fashion Week was in full swing! My review on some of the highlights will be posted shortly, worry not! However, the hell do some of these men shop?! I swear, if I had my very own ginery somewhere in the backyard... 

Images courtesy: Miscellaneous