men’s collections SS2011: Ann D, Boris Bidjan Saberi, Damir Doma

Ann Demeulemeester

The military motif is omnipresent in Demeulemeester’s collection season after season and SS 2011 is no exception. This time she really let the garments and silhouettes speak for themselves. Without the intrusion of her usual use of accessories, (no feathers, necklaces, et al), simplicity reigned supreme. This season, there was more of a focus on the structure. The garments were cut close to the body, emphasizing a sleekness and creating sharp lines. The collection also rang a chivalrous bell with her what appeared to be fencing jackets. 

Boris Bidjan Saberi

Boris Bidjan Saberi presented a collection fit for an incursion. A warrior, take-no-prisoners theme played a heavy hand in many of looks. It was a collection executed with severity and fervor, projecting a strong attitude. Perfectly disheveled looks, were layered unsystematically, placing more emphasis on the rugged demeanor of the collection. What is worrisome, however, is the fact that perhaps the styling of the show maybe outshone the individual pieces. Let’s hope not.

Damir Doma

Like a tribe of nomadic herdsman, Damir Doma’s men came down the runway in heavily layered garbs in a range of (mostly full) silhouettes. The layering in Damir Doma’s collections is an integral part of his design aesthetic, building upon and manipulating shapes like legos. In that respect,  Doma’s  approach to fashion veers slightly on architectural, but with a special attention to movement and mobility.



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men’s collections SS2011: Julius, YSL, CDG Homme Plus, Givenchy

Julius

Tatsuro Horikawa of Julius, presented yet another rough and tough collection, working with his signature leather jackets and cargo pants. Though Horikawa tends to incorporate details that may have spilled over from a previous collection, the garments are not stale, at least not yet. It’s almost as if Horikawa approached his collection like a recipe adding a pinch of cayenne for flavoring in his soup of neutral tones.

YSL

Stefano Pilati alluded to the times where Monsieur Saint Laurent would vacation in Marrakesh with close friends, smoke hashish and take a break from the work load that the world of Parisian couture and pret-a-porter demanded. This was Pilati’s way of staying true to the essence of Saint Laurent himself, by infusing the North African culture that was very much a part of him (as he was born in Algeria and frequently vacationed in Morocco). Fez-like hats were coupled with single and double breasted jackets, nipped at the waist, in an array of desert tones and neutrals. The short-shorts seemed like another nod to YSL’s personal life, as he loved to wear them in his younger days. As much as this was a collection that reflected a bit of North African culture, it also served as an homage to Monsieur Saint Laurent. Pilati managed to intertwine his own vision with facets of YSL’s personal history whilst providing a brief cultural survey.

Comme Des Garcons Homme Plus

Just when we thought the plethora of man-skirts weren’t enough to drive the androgyny factor further, Rei Kawakubo one-upped everyone and did a full on man-dress. While we’ve seen men in dresses before from Rick Owens, Rei eliminated any traces of a man/woman barrier and is dressing her men in man-sized baby-doll dresses— flare, pleats and all. What fell flat in the collection, was Kawakubo’s use of disturbingly cliché prints, such as skulls and black and white-checkerboards, which resulted in a corny portrayal of punk-rock. However, in the middle the collection, simple, crisp looks (white dress-shirts and black, tapered, cropped trousers) came down and provided a small sigh of relief.

Givenchy

After being at the helm of the Givenchy house for 5 years now, Riccardo Tisci has really come into his own. There was an air of confidence that shone through his SS2011 collection, as he unapologetically sent out looks that were not for the bashful. Centered around leopard print, Tisci’s collection may have mirrored his fearlessness and new-found ferocity when it comes to fashion. The animal print against the impeccable tailoring plays on the idea of the duality between tame and wild, or classical and atypical. These kinds of paradoxes illustrate for Tisci, this is not just about clothing or aesthetics; he is opening up a discourse on the ethics of dressing.  



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men’s collections SS2011: Dries Van Noten & Balenciaga

Dries Van Noten

Dries Van Noten, the master of prints, showed a beautifully edited and a well executed collection. Mixing sharp, streamlined, traditional suiting, with relaxed fits and casual fabrics, Van Noten gave his men options that could easily be worn interchangeably. He created a collection that will be well suited (no pun intended) for any man on the sartorial spectrum. The paint-splatter print on a white dress shirt seemed to Van Noten encouraging men to allow some breathing room within tradition suiting. There is and should be some leeway for individuality and personality. The acid wash effect was a great counterbalance to the more sophisticated looks. Aside from prints, and the mixing and matching of them, Van Noten is also very well versed in color. Peachy and sandy hues worked well with the heather grays and dusty blues. Mustards and light browns threaded them all together, curating a perfectly, un-cliché spring palette.

Balenciaga

Apparently, Nicholas Ghesquiére is still holding onto this futuristic theme that has been more pronounced in his women’s wear. He’s transplanted a bit of bit of that in his menswear, but it came through mostly in the materials used. The perforated cummerbunds, nylon jackets, shiny pants just did not bode well because for such a small collection, it was a bit overkill. Perhaps Ghesquiére should loosen his grip on the space age thing.



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men’s collections SS2011: Rick Owens

With white as the anchoring color, black and brown only served as instruments to form a defined palette; notably, this is probably the tightest palette from Owens in a while. But alarmingly, in the middle of all the subtle tones, a Gareth Pugh-esque, optical illusion print disturbs the peace. Perhaps this is more of Owens’ experimentation with prints. Uhh…

The collection began with some of Owens’ staples that followers of his are all too familiar with, such as the long, one-button coats. Along with his signatures, he showed variations of them, with minor tweaks; a long-sleeved coat conveniently turned into short sleeve, for instance.  As the collection progresses it begins to resemble a montage of past seasons of both men’s and women’s collections infused together.  It is no secret that Rick Owens likes to recycle the same silhouettes and ideas, with small changes here and there for a pinch of revitalization. For some RO aficionados, this is what draws them to him. However, the repeat button was pressed too many times and the collection ran the risk of becoming platitudinous. Sometimes what works one season, doesn’t always work the next or if it worked well for the women’s collection, doesn’t neccesarily mean it will work well for the men (i.e. the one shoulder tanks, note women’s SS2010). The androgyny aspect did not really work. Not this time.

Many of the garments are not even able to provide a sense of nostalgia because the silhouettes, from which these pieces are borrowed from, are still fresh in our minds; really they are no more than two seasons old. The mystique is gone and we are bored. 



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