Comme des Garçons Homme Plus Spring 2021 Menswear

Rei Kawakubo envisaged protecting men with a layer of silver as she was devising her Homme Plus spring collection: “It is my wish that the strength of metal, the strength that wouldn’t yield to any pressure or force, and the strength that will give birth to hope to overcome the various hardships we face, will all overlap in this collection.”

“Metal Outlaw” was the title she came up with. And yes, the silver was a smart choice, reading luminously onscreen in what must have been one of the first seasons in decades that Comme des Garçons has not flown to Paris to show. Over the past couple of years, the imagery of Kawakubo’s shows has often communicated the sense of impending dystopia at the door, the designs manifesting the human reaction to it, flip-flopping between fear and the frantic impulse to dance, seize the day. This wasn’t like that: now that a completely unforeseen enemy has arrived to assail the whole of humanity, Kawakubo chose to resist the darkness and opt for communicating the quest for inner resilience. The clothes didn’t look like armor, retro space suits, or science-lab uniforms—the stock readings that silver will usually trigger. Instead, it was as if Kawakubo wanted to show a spiritual aura being generated from within, radiating from the silvery crinkles and wrinkles embedded in the surfaces of her rakish tailoring.

Surmounting and adapting to the problems of working during isolation, Kawakubo had made a conceptual projection from an interior landscape onto clothes (NB: the incorporation of furniture, kitchen, and other indoor materials into 2020’s lockdown collections will make a Ph.D. study one day). Kawakubo said that it was contemplating the metallic materials she often uses in interiors that started her off. “Said,” that is, in show notes that arrived at the inboxes of members of the international press. The mini show was put on at Comme de Garçons’ Tokyo headquarters in front of 43 members of staff and a handful of local journalists.

Projections of work by the Brazilian artist and photojournalist Alberto Bitar flowed across the white space. Emerging from a cylindrical structure—a dressing room, maybe—the Metal Outlaws were wearing two variations of Comme tailoring themes: skinny-leg suits or baggy-short suits. What were the silver materials? Hard to be definitive, but some were crushed, some apparently foiled and printed, some with the appearance of leather (though Comme is a house that is firmly wedded to synthetics).

Whatever, this compressed collection fully consolidated Homme Plus characteristics as a house that has distinctive, tradition-bending cuts—alternative but not out to place men in the realms of conceptual clothing. If a full silver suit doesn’t appeal, Kawakubo proceeded to break it down into patchworks of suiting, cycling from traditional menswear lightweight wool to a sparky, for-the-kids section of lime, cornflower blue and yellow, and then wrapping up with a couple of dark tuxedos, with the silver reserved to lining the lapels. As a vote for optimism against the odds, it raised a smile.

Source: Vogue

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Libertine Spring 2021 Ready-To-Wear

The connections between new and old, past and present, are the main themes of every Libertine collection, but as the brand turns 20, it seems fair to say that “this time, it’s personal”—or more accurately, more personal than ever.

For spring 2021 Johnson Hartig used silkscreens from Libertine’s infant days; he also revisited the whale and skull-and-crossbones pattern developed for the brand’s 2007 collaboration with Target. This time around it was rendered in crystals, rather than embroidery, and used to “glow up” khakis. What was not visible, but important in terms of process and ideology, is that the designer sewed many pieces on his mother’s 1950s Singer, as he did even before the brand assumed its current name.

“I had always made clothes for myself from vintage things that I found at thrift shops [that] I would take apart and put back together,” says Hartig, “and I wanted to learn to silkscreen on clothing.” At a Christmas party he had at home in Los Angeles, he met Cindy Greene, who was working as a graphic designer for DKNY and performing with the electro-pop band Fischerspooner. She saw what Hartig was doing and proposed a collaboration. In 2001 the Californian headed to New York for a weekend to work with Greene in her DKNY studio where he recalls having to hide in the closet every time one of her colleagues entered. And that’s how the yet-to-be-named project set sail. In 2004 the pair made their New York Fashion Week debut with a collection of silkscreened vintage pieces and participated in the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund. Greene amicably left the label in 2008.

Over time, the percentage of vintage in the collection shrunk and from scratch grew, but the past is ever a playground for Hartig, an avid collector. For spring 2021 he’s created a Libertine toile print from 18th-century textile fragments, adding surprise elements like a Libertine stamp and skeletons that haunt pastoral landscapes and crumbling edifices. Old stamps are similarly collaged into a print, which in one case was worked up into a lovely bias-cut dress with streamers based on a 1920s frock. Surrealism and trompe l’oeil are also part of the brand DNA. A suit with scissors and pattern-cutting lines is the most direct example. The pieces made up in a print developed from 1920s and 1930s button cards were over embroidered with vintage buttons.

Ghosts From Our Past is the title of the collection, but it is haunted not only by ghosts of the long, distant past. “I also have been thinking about this particular time [and] the nearly 1 million people who’ve died from this virus, about all of these spirits all at once,” the designer states. Hartig’s attention to how we are living now had practical applications: He shifted his attention from dressy evening to more casual everydaywear, like embellished white button-downs and the aforementioned crystallized khakis. Silkscreened cutoff shorts were very now at the same time that they were very “original Libertine,” meaning that they spoke to what Hartig describes as “the tension between preppy and street punk,” which is at the core of the brand.

In place of a show this season, Libertine is presenting a “fantastical” film made by a design associate named Xiaohan Zhao. It’s a trippy tribute to the collection and to the brand ethos. The video, like the collection, is deserving of a best-in-show award ribbon like those that cover a spring 2021 Beale-meets-Bouvier deb dress. In true Libertine fashion, both are “subversive, but also hopeful.” 

Source: Vogue

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Saint Laurent SS 2021 Menswear

Breaking free of the fashion week calendar, Saint Laurent has opted to showcase its Spring/Summer 2021 Men’s collection independent of the industry. As such, “NO MATTER HOW LONG THE NIGHT IS” stands free of the fashion week churn, encouraging viewers to get lost in its inviting textures and timeless tailoring.

Intended to live as both a “virtual and physical experience,” art director Anthony Vaccarello has overseen the rollout of videos, AR clips, 3D lenticular images, curated playlists, flags, posters and more alongside the seasonal garment design, delivering a well-rounded presentation. At its core, however, the Spring/Summer 2021 range is all about quiet opulence, shrouding bomber jackets, coats, blazers and ankle-length shirts in lush patterns and rich fabrication.

Plush faux fur invites a playful touch while short-sleeved Western shirts are emblazoned with rocky patterns that could easily blend into the landscape of the American West. Saint Laurent’s signature skinny ties and silhouette-shrinking jeans are offered in classic black varients, but there are also new styles ideal for a louche look; deeply pleated pants, sleeveless tunic shirts and strappy gladiator-style sandals yield a new twist on warm weather effervescence.

Source: Hypebeast

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New York Fashion Week Is Going Home...With Lowe's

At a time when home has become the new epicenter of personal style, Lowe's and New York Fashion Week: The Shows have come together to reimagine one of fashion's most iconic moments, transporting high fashion from the runway to the home.

Lowe's will bring New York Fashion Week home with sophisticated décor "edits" curated through the design lenses of Jason Wu, Rebecca Minkoff and Christian Siriano. Set to be revealed at midnight on Tuesday, Sept. 8, items handpicked by each designer will serve as the backdrop to their breathtaking runway shows later that month, all shoppable from Lowes.com and streamable on Lowe's Twitter.

Inspired by each designer's definition of home, these straight-off-the-runway curations – from lighting to patio furniture, flooring and building materials – have been available at Lowe's all along, demonstrating that beautiful and thoughtfully designed spaces can be both accessible and affordable.

"The intersection between home and style has never been more prevalent than it has this year, and partnering with some of the world's most modern and visionary leaders of fashion to demonstrate how everyone can bring fashion "home" is very exciting to us," said Marisa Thalberg, Lowe's Chief Brand and Marketing Officer. "Our homes can be our greatest form of self-expression, in fact. We hope that seeing how these designers express themselves and bring their ultimate runway visions to life through the world of products we sell every day at Lowe's will be inspiring to people everywhere to feel they can do the same, and more easily and affordably than they might have ever imagined."

Lowe's will style and livestream each of the designers' outdoor runway shows to give the world a coveted view of fashion's biggest stage, with details to be announced in the coming weeks. Following the shows, Lowe's will join each designer in giving fashion greater purpose by participating in a community project that makes high-style design accessible to people and communities impacted by the pandemic.

"I have always loved interior design. I am very proud to partner with Lowe's to curate a series of interior decor ideas that will inspire great spaces." said Jason Wu. "My home has always been a great source of inspiration for me, especially now that it's not just a place I live, but where I've worked to bring my Spring 2021 collection to life. I have always believed that beautifully considered design should be accessible, and I'm excited to debut a curated collection with Lowe's that offer a glimpse into what home means to me." 

To reserve a front-row seat from your own home and be sure you don't miss a minute of the action, check out Lowe's Instagram and Twitter beginning today. For more on the partnership, visit Lowes.com/NYFW.

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Acne Studios FW 2020

Acne Studios teamed up with British artist Lydia Blakeley to showcase its upcoming Fall/Winter 2020 collection in a lookbook featuring members of the Swedish label’s staff and their pet dogs.

Shot by Anders Edström, this unique lookbook showcases staff members alongside their dogs, wearing pup-focused garments and oversized suiting pieces from the collection at the brand’s Stockholm HQ.

With the 70s brutalist-style building as a backdrop, the portrait captures Pontus Björkman, Global Wholesale Director and his Yorkshire Terrier Kenzo; Edouard Schneider, Global Communications Director and his Miniature Dachshund Pumba; Ioana Ciocan, Technical Designer and her French Bulldog Jasper, among others.

Comprising cotton staples, chequered patterns and classic denim pieces, this FW20 collection features reimagined vintage workwear pieces for both men and women. Stand-outs include an array of sturdy lumberjack-inspired shirts, all of which arrive in a healthy mix of bold and neutral hues.

Source: Hypebeast

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Sacai Spring 2021 Menswear

One of the delights of a Sacai show is discovering which historical figure or fictional character or vaunted institution Chitose Abe chooses to quote. In January, it was Albert Einstein (“I believe in intuition”) and a year ago it was Jeff “the Dude” Lebowski (“the rug really tied the room together”); even The New York Times got the Sacai treatment several seasons back. The pandemic made Abe’s July trip from Tokyo to Paris to present her men’s spring and women’s resort collections an impossibility, but the lockdown didn’t prevent a new collaboration. 

This season, she partnered with the American artist Hank Willis Thomas, who gave Abe permission to use the phrase “Love Over Rules”; it features in his neon light installations and in a gothic font on Sacai’s new T-shirts and parkas. Thomas dedicated the San Francisco installation of Love Over Rules to his cousin, who died suddenly in 2000; apparently the words were lifted from his last voice message to the artist. Over Zoom, Abe explained that “even before the coronavirus situation, I believed in this idea. No matter your race, culture, or sexuality, love overrules.”

Due to Japan’s COVID-19 lockdown, Abe worked on this collection from home. “It allowed me to think about the things I loved about past collections,” she said. This new one features many of her favorite archival fabrics mashed-up to create tank tops, pajama shirts, wrap skirts, and long, loose shirt dresses. The linings of the “Love Over Rules” jackets are lively patchworks of the different prints. Abe is one of the few designers with a distinctive enough point of view to make this sort of nostalgizing a viable formula. 

The lookbook has a “Sacai for real life” vibe; Abe wanted to portray how she actually wears her clothes: not in “full looks,” but rather with her Nike leggings or her APC jeans. That jibes nicely with our more circumscribed daily routines. Still, she’s hoping she’ll be back in Paris with her next collection. “Even if it’s just 10 minutes long, being able to create that experience and environment is really important to me,” she says. “I’m preparing so that I can if the opportunity arises.”

Source: VogueRunway

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Rick Owens Spring 2021 Menswear

Titled “Phlegethon,” after the river of molten fire that Dante said swept the agonized damned through the seventh circle, this collection was previewed by Rick Owens from his place at the Venice Lido. Down the Zoom he appeared moist and was topless: “I just got out of the water. It is beautiful. Delicious.”

Both in Italy and France, the Big Picture has been shifting in a more positive direction of late—working upstream, not drifting down—and this was, Owens said, one of the contributing factors to a sudden change of direction the day before this video presentation. Shortly after he was released from “le confinement” Owens traveled to Italy where he made not one but two collection videos. The first was for “Performa,” the fall 2020 collection he showed in January but whose distribution had since been shut down. The second, a little later, was for this collection, already mostly planned. Owens’s original scheme was to offer “Performa” once more at this digital Fashion Week.

He explained: “At the time it seemed like the smart and kind and rational and logical thing to do. I thought, ‘I can kind of press reset and start doing this from now on.’ So that was my plan. And then yesterday morning I changed my mind…because for better or for worse, the world has become accustomed to being able to see everything at the same time—the preview of what’s coming and imagery of what is available right now. My plan would have been to only be providing what was available right now, and not having what was coming. And after a while that was going to start feeling old. We’re used to seeing something that is fresh out of the oven. And I don’t think we can go back. The genie’s out of the bottle…it might seem logical, but emotionally it just doesn’t make sense.”

Owens’s team worked all last night—“I gave my people a heart attack”—to edit the video you see here of Owens fitting and styling Tyrone Dylan Susman in this new (but auto-Owens referential) collection. The format, especially when compared to the epic sweep of an Owens runway show, is, Owens agreed, intimate. He said: “Doing something spectacular and confrontational and transgressive would not have been the right thing to do now…so I showed the real action of us working on the collection, which I thought was the most genuine expression that I could come up with.”

Owens added that while mostly ensconced in his lagoon cocoon, he has been peeking out of it: “I keep talking about what Balmain did. The show on the boat. I thought that was just the loveliest thing. It was not wasteful. It was poetic. It was charming. It was fun. And what I also realized when I saw it is that a company like Balmain, or any of us, it’s almost that we have a duty to present the best of the best of what we can do…We represent excellence.”

Watching Owens and Susman parlay over “Wish I Woz a Dog” by Alien Sex Fiend, you could see both excellence and provenance in this collection. “It’s one of my favorites ever,” says Owens as they arrange what becomes look 19, an unlined jacket with quilted shoulder details inspired by his research into Larry LeGaspi. Owens said the double-layer loose leather mesh tank tops were echoes of a collection in 2012, and added that knits and swimwear were fresh expressions of the membrane T-shirt first developed for 2017’s collection “Dirt.” Said Owens: “I didn’t really do it that deliberately, but that’s how it came out. I did look back and use my own archives. Because I was in that mindset that we’re not going to throw things away.” Through their dialogue, Susman helped shape the presentation of this collection, a development of which Owens offered: “I’ve let people in a little more than I used to. I have more people that I’ll ask and listen to, whose opinion interests me…But at the same time, I am only going to be interested in a creative voice that is personal, not a committee decision. My selfishness is intact.”

Source: VogueRunway

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