Genderless and Conceptual - Alessandro Trincone Spring 2019 Collection

Making his official NYFW Men’s runway debut, Alessandro Trincone presented his SS’19 collection, Avvolgimi – a collection that embodies the power within us. Avvolgimi celebrates life and the people who find the courage to be themselves at any cost, breaching the tedious sexual standards and gender roles. It is a personal journey which begins by discovering ourselves and ends with the free and resolute choice of self-expression.

About Alessandro Trincone:

Alessandro Trincone is an Italian fashion designer and owner of the brand that bears his name. After graduating in 2012 in Costume and Fashion Studies at the University of La Sapienza in Rome, he moved to Florence where successfully achieved a master’s degree at the European Institute of Design (IED) and later his second graduation at the Polimoda in Fashion design. He eventually received a scholarship at the Osaka Bunka Fashion College in Japan where he found his authentic inspiration. Growing up in the outskirts of Naples where people around him look at his creativity with strong skepticism was not easy but that hostility only made his artistic impulse stronger. Indeed all the prejudices towards him and his creations endured during his teenage years are dragged into his art and beautifully transformed. That process becomes vital and it is where the concept of “genderless” come from. Using typically feminine fabrics like chiffon, silk and tulle on men becomes his eccentric and recognizable sign. In 2016 he won the Vfiles Runway 7 contest in New York displaying his first official collection Annodami. On that occasion, he caught the eye of the Atlanta rapper Young Thug who chose a particular piece of that collection for the cover of his album “No my name is Jeffery”.  Annodami is followed by Abbracciami and Agendermi collections in 2017 and Aroundmi in 2018.

Return to the Heritage - Carlos Campos Spring Summer 2019

Carlos Campos debuted his spring / summer 2019 collectionas part of the CFDA’s New York Fashion Week: Men’s on Monday, July 9 at Industria Studios.  The 25 look menswear collection is a return the brand’s early heritage of a clean, architectural silhouette, crisp tailoring in bold color palette.  

 
“I continue return to the heritage and DNA of my brand: expert hand tailoring with the clean, architectural lines and silhouettes that have been the benchmarks of the Carlos Campos collection.” 

For SS19 Campos partnered with emerging menswear jewelry designer, Felipe Sena ofSena New York.  Sena New York’s sterling silver, 18k vermeil “industrial chic” rings, bracelet and necklaces were featured on several of the models.  Reebok sponsored the sneakers.

WILLY CHAVARRIA SS19 Collection

July 10th, 2018 - Willy Chavarria debuted his SS19 Menswear Collection on Monday, July 9th in New York City.

This will be the 5th season the WILLY CHAVARRIA label is offered at wholesale and the 4th public preview of the collection.

The season denoted a new point of view from the designer, embracing the beauty and inspiration offered to American Culture by way of immigration.

This season also included a collaboration with Danish soccer brand Hummel which will focus around the influential positivity of the sport and its value by the many immigrants both legal and undocumented playing soccer as a game of unity and aggression.

Willy also included a collaboration with Jewelry Artist Chris Habana and Photographer Carlos Jaramillo as part of his collection.

"Who is your other half?" - Feng Chen Wang Spring 2019 Menswear

Who is your other half? Is it a person? Is it your career? Or is it something else? These are the questions which are at the forefront of Feng Chen Wang’s mind for Spring/Summer 2019.

This season, the designer continues her exploration of human connection, though this time she looks inwards, not outwards, focusing on the things that ‘complete’ us.

‘Half’ is the word of the season, appearing in text on baseball caps, but in less literal ways too– throughout the collection, two items of clothing merge to become one. Shirts are draped on top of one another, while jackets, created as part of Wang’s ongoing collaboration with Levi’s, are layered too. Jeans have additional legs melded to them and the shoes (an iteration of Converse’s iconic Chuck Taylor All Star) see two pairs cut up and spliced together.

These designs are accompanied by some new additions to Wang’s oeuvre, such as suits and shirts, in addition to new outerwear styles, such as trench coats and t-­‐shirts with panel details. Bags and jewelry take the form of hands, some holding hands – a universal signifier of connection – while a sculpture constructed from multiple hands stands erect in the center of the show space. Spring/Summer 2019 also sees the introduction of the Feng Chen Wang women – the female counterpart to her male character.

This season, Wang was particularly inspired by diagrams mapping the increase and decrease in temperature throughout the human body as we experience different emotions. While love warms us all over, depression cools us, and anger ignites our head, upper chest and arms. Wang explores this phenomenon through PVC body pieces that refer to different emotions and the area they heat, and in hypercolor-­‐style coats that also serve to illustrate this effect.

Alongside neutral tones, black, white and grey, crystal-­‐inspired shades of hot pink and cool blue flow throughout the collection, symbolizing love and hate, happiness and sadness, day and night, summer and winter – it’s the Feng Chen Wang yin and yang.

“Who is your other half?” Wang asks. Maybe it’s within you.

 

Comfort, Freedom and Chic - Issey Miyake Spring 2019 Menswear

Designer Yusuke Takahashi presented his Spring 2019 Menswear collection during Paris Fashion Week: Men's in a way of comfort, freedom, lightness and chic. “The boundaries between work, leisure and privacy have become blurred,” the show notes said. Shirts can be worn like jackets and t-shirts can be worn like shirts.

The key word of the collection was the sun. So the sun has the meaning of the axis, and it reminds us of the brilliant future. Yusuke expresses the sunlight or prism with pop colors and shadow, with the skills of the craftsmen to make the contrast between the traditional dying technique and pop colors. The idea of light is translated through new techniques on knitwear composed of washable threads and different colors which create a 3D effect after the first wash. 

"Due to sudden weather change" - HENRIK VIBSKOV SS19 Menswear

Henrik Vibskov presented his Spring/Summer 19 show during Parisian Menswear fashion week. 

Wind. This meteorological and metaphorical phenomenon inspired the SS 2019 collection. How we as mankind are depending of and using the wind as a tool for transport, energy and play. Wind can be our helpful friend but has a factor of quickly turning to be our enemy and create unexpected situations.

One can’t see the wind but how it shapes and changes things on its way forward. We measure the force of wind by visual clues from land and the sea. Wind can shape landforms and things, like dust, can travel thousands of miles. Wind powers the voyages of sailing ships across the oceans and provides a power source for mechanical work, electricity and recreation. The collection reflects the theme in various ways; the silhouettes are inspired by the movement of garments that are caught by the wind.

The Best Beauty and Hair Trends at Milan Men's Fashion Week ss19 Backstage

Naivety, Confusion and Madness of First Love - Blindness Unveils Spring Summer 2019 Collection

South Korean design duo Kyu Shin and Ji Park showed their SS19 Collection at London Fashion Week. The collection sees Blindness dissect the subject of ‘First Love’ and the incomparable vulnerability of those who experience it. Shin & Park encapsulate these conflicting emotions of love through the juxtaposition of untraditional fabrics, jumping from firm to soft, with a mix of atypical layering. The designs were theatrical, romantic. Feminine, transparent, tulle-like material, used on pants, body suits, coats, capes, tunics, and dresses. Romantic sensibilities are seen through exaggerated and amphorous silhouettes, flowing tulle and hints of opulent costume. The dream-like and fantastical influence of first love is realised through decadent patterns, castle-like ruffles and their signature use of pearls in accessories; in masks, shoulder and corset embellishments. Above all, the collection has a clear and precise message in its defiance of sociological binary norms and aims to be gender-fluid, cross-cultural and unafraid of self-expression.

Viktor & Rolf Mariage Spring Summer 2019

Viktor & Rolf Mariage Spring Summer 2019 is an intricate offering of bold and striking silhouettes. Sculptural creations are embellished with delicate embroideries and signature elements such as classic tulle, iconic bows, patchwork volumes and feminine flower motifs - a mingling which, when paired with the graphic nature of the Mariage collection, results into a typically Viktor & Rolf statement on luxury bridalwear. 

[Photo Credit: Courtesy of Viktor & Rolf]

This season, an abundance of flowers add an ethereal touch, juxtaposing the stark nature of the collection. Lily of the valley, couture flowers inspired by the "Surreal Satin" Haute Couture show, and flower applique motifs mingle throughout the designs and evoke a play on opposites, complementing the outspoken designs with soft embellishments. Tulle, a staple of the Mariage collections is highlighted throughout the offering. 

Eat, Drink, Dress, and Lela Rose - Lela Rose Spring 2019 Bridal Collection

It is known that the fashion designer Lela Rose is not only designing pretty ladylike wares, but also being recognized as a hostess-extraordinaire, who is specialized at throwing exquisite soirees. Like the slogan says on its Instagram page - "Eat, Drink, Dress, Lela", every fashion presentation she hosts is served with delicate food and specialty cocktails with well-curated beautiful match decor.

For Spring 2019 Bridal Collection, the lovely and charming Little Owl The Townhouse at West Village was picked as the event venue with Jazz music played a band near the entrance. White, pink roses along with lemon leaf garlands set the stage. Editors and buyers were assembled, ready to be indulged in strawberry lemonade champagnes punch topped with flowers and bite-size cute cupcakes. The atmosphere was so right and everything was perfect. Lela Rose brides all smiled with refined yet simple and pretty gowns to fit the bodies. Elegant but unfussy, simple but sophisticated, the dresses perfectly echoed the show's setting. It's like a fantasy party, dream to daydream. 

The collection brings southern charm to the modern age. Lela creates a collection designed for today's modern brides featuring delicate feminine details of floral matelassé and embroideries, lace and a hint of vintage flare. The highlights such as a traditional double-breasted suit, a modern fringe flapper dress, Watteau backs and dramatic bows, the collection offers the perfect assortment of distinguished details for the chicest brides. Great ideas for good times, once again Lela brings a lovely and fun spring gathering.

PHOTO CREDIT: TAYLOR JEWELL

Freiknock Debutes Its First Runway Show at Tokyo Fashion Week

On March 19th, Freiknock finished its first runway show at amazon fashion week Tokyo (aka Tokyo fashion week). This runway show has brought a lot of attention from fashion industry individuals and celebrities (such as Hyomin (t-ara), Jisoo (actor), Lee donghwi (actor). The brand is from Korea and was brought to Tokyo by GQ Japan. 

The brand was created in 2016 by You Joohyung and it’s known as a contemporary unisex causal brand based in Seoul, Korea. The brand name was inspired by the word “Frei” - which means free in German, and it was mixed together with “knock” in English, creating a meaning of “knock for freedom”, which makes it more attractive to teenagers in Korea. 

On the runway, the stunning light created a timeless atmosphere, like bridging a route from the past to the future. The collection was created with many different varieties and has very contracted design with eye-attracting prints. Low saturation of color formed a line of street chic silhouette and oversized jackets infused subversive and cool spirit.

FAITH CONNEXION x KAPPA HOST BRAND COLLABORATION EVENT AT SPIN NEW YORK

On Tuesday March 20th, fashion brands, Faith Connexion and Kappa, hosted a special evening at SPiN New York to celebrate their most recent brand collaboration. The evening began with an intimate dinner catered by Cipriani, followed by a series of activations including a ping pong showdown with SPiN's in-house pros and ambassadors. Guests enjoyed a live DJ set by Jinx while sipping on cocktails provided by 1800 Tequila. 

VIP Guests Included: Vic Mensa, Kitty Cash, Young Paris, Ian Mellencamp, Ruth Gruca, Maria Buccellati, Lorenzo Boglione, Emily Oberg, Coco Robert.

ABOUT FAITH CONNEXION x KAPPA

In March 2017, Faith Connexion launched its "faces" down the runway, raw and authentic attitude on full display. In the midst of this creative maelstrom, spectacular sequined track pants shared the spotlight with chic officer trousers, all adorned with full-length Kappa logo tape.

When the collective decided to delve into the world of sportswear for its Winter 2017/18 runway show, Kappa was the obvious choice. The Italian brand's tracksuits, with their now-iconic logo, were appropriated in the 90s by Europe's fringe youth cultures, pulling them off the football fields and into the street. Just as today's urban, diverse and anti-conformist youth culture is at the heart of the collective's creative process.

The famous Kappa logo, launched in '69, consists of two nearly identical back-to-back silhouettes of a man and a woman, a fitting echo of the brand's gender-fluid identity. For this first collaboration, the logo was blown up large, matching the proportions of the revisited oversized sweatpant imagined by the collective. A rainbow of Omini strips from the archives of the Italian brand adorned Prince of Wales and officer trousers in a tuxedo-style band.

For the summer of 2018, the collective pushes the sportswear theme to the limit. In an ironic subversion of Faith Connexion's no-logo identity, the collective playfully manipulates the Kappa logo to extremes. The omnipresent Omini bands get supersized, embellishing oversized trackpants or a long sequined sport skirt. The Kappa brand name gets blown up in equal measure, emblazoned in bold on an overlong scarf, a long jersey streetwear-inspired dress, or a baggy sweatpant.

Kappa's DNA extends beyond the athlete, as the passion of sport is truly ignited by the collective which surrounds him. As such, Faith Connexion, with its ethos of collective creation, has found an authentic alter ego in the athletic wear supplier.

To celebrate the arrival of the latest Faith Connexion x Kappa pieces, the collective called on Vic Mensa, already a familiar "face" to the brand.  The Chicago rapper, who already incarnated the brand in its Spring/Summer 2017 lookbook, retains close ties to Faith Connexion as well as being a fan of the Kappa logo. This time, Vic is taking the creative lead to direct a video in which he seeks to "pay homage to great artists' relationships with their muse in the early 80s. A time when Soho had a completely different meaning. We want to express that energy and electric liveliness." The video will feature an original, unreleased song performed in French by model-turned-singer Adonis Bosso. 

ABOUT SPIN

SPiN is a network of ping pong social clubs, where everyone is welcome, that combines a unique mixture of sport, design and entertainment meant to inspire connections and shared experiences. Offering experiences from both day to night, the clubs feature engaging atmospheres such as ping pong courts, a full bar, restaurant and private VIP room. Take part in the nightly events, tournaments, leagues, corporate functions, private ping pong instruction with professional players, and casual socializing and play. Venues are currently located in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, Seattle, Toronto and Austin. For more information, please visit: www.wearespin.com #wearespin.

Paris Fashion Week Fall Winter 2018 : Chanel

Lagerfeld approaches his themes with literal elan, but lately - as in this show - he’s been foregoing the humour he’s often used to turn these ideas on their head. His last haute couture show for Chanel imagined a palatial French fountain setting, the ready-to-wear show before that a luxuriant French waterfall. It seems that Lagerfeld, now bearded like the wiseman he is, finds a need for a more serious and elegant approach to life in the troubled time we live in. He may be flexing his political muscle in the press but on the massive platform that is his Chanel runway, Lagerfeld is cutting through the noise of the news machine, gifting the world with quiet moments of reflection and appreciation for the things we take for granted. “You know, I’ve always loved autumn. This is a kind of Indian summer with all the leaves. It’s a beautiful mood,” he noted. “Autumn was always my favourite season.”

And so, he staged an 80-exit appreciation march of looks that could only be described as autumnal. It opened with terrific greatcoats, then ankle-length skirt suits whose tweeds lent themselves quite naturally to the surroundings. Quilting and padding were Lagerfeld’s proposals for an outdoorsy Chanel uniform, backed up by furry jackets and capes. Those autumnal colours were reflected in burnt metallics (good patina gold boots and gloves) and in leaf prints on airy ruffle dresses. His new ambassador Kaia Gerber joined the walk in the forest but it was another girl close to Lagerfeld’s heart, who had the honour of closing the show.

Paris Fashion Week Fall Winter 2018 : Sacai

Different families of garments melded into one. Hand knit jumpers burst with exuberant capes of chiffon frills, denim jackets met tuxedos and parkas blended with tailored macs. Abe talked of using garment families like Lego blocks, mixing them all up and putting them together to create something new. It made for some interesting asymmetries particularly on the outerwear, with coats swelling with quilted volumes on one side but cut close to the body on the other - the whole look cinched with a skate-inspired shoelace belt. Some outfits even came with mis-matched shoes. This was outfit gymnastics taken to Olympian heights as Abe, layered, contorted and blended with increasing audacity. She also took the opportunity to broaden Sacai’s denim offer with oversize jackets worn inside-out so the blanket lining was on show. The boy-cut, dark denim jeans slit at the knees were the most straightforward pieces on the runway. Despite the multi-layered, multi-dimensional, hybrid constructions, Abe, who began her career at Comme des Garçons said her aim was to create “clothes with an ‘undone’ attitude.”

Paris Fashion Week Fall Winter 2018 : Stella McCartney

Bustiers and negligees were embellished onto done-up lace and velvet tops, quite literally pushing the old underwear-as-outerwear chestnut. And with great results. “Anything forced at Stella McCartney feels wrong, which is why everything here has an appeal to you as a human,” the designer noted, never one for self-efficacy. The show marked the debut of her excellent menswear on the runway, a corner of fashion that comes natural to McCartney, who trained on Savile Row and has always imbued her womenswear with heritage menswear codes.

Those men’s looks - an opulent herringbone coat, a roomy check blazer - established a clear line to the women’s tailoring in the collection. But it also ignited thoughts of the times we live in, and that contrast between the sexes, which suddenly feels more novel than ever. “It is really interesting times - and it’s fascinating - but we’re trying to do it in a way that still feels effortless and comfortable. We want to celebrate the relationship between men and women and embrace it,” McCartney said. Rather than playing down the debate of our gender-related differences she put it in neon lights, devoting half of her collection to deshabillé dressing - the undone lingerie elements, the J.H. Lynch paintings of scantily clad voluptuous women transferred to garments and overlaid with tulle - and the other half to the values of menswear.

Paris Fashion Week Fall Winter 2018 : Balenciaga

Staged around a fake hill of snow tagged in graffiti with the humanitarian slogans he loves, there was a clarity and confidence to the collection, which outshone the need for the new. Because contrary to expectations, Gvasalia hasn’t made his time at Balenciaga about seasonal reinvention. Now a teetotal fresh lemon tea drinker, who goes jogging around Swiss lakes and Parisian parks, the 37-year-old cult designer is concerned with longevity and sustainability over back-breaking hype and desperation. He is creating a signature at Balenciaga, and with that a legacy. Trademark Demna-for-Balenciaga elements now include: second-skin boots, oversized hoodies, enormous bags, magnified parkas, and heritage tailoring. 

Paris Fashion Week Fall Winter 2018 : Givenchy

Clare Waight Keller looked to early 1980s cinema like The Hunger and the cult film Lust & Sound in West-Berlin, taking in the brutalist cityscape of the city around 1980 for that sensibility, picturing its roguish nightlife through the atmospheric lens of film noir. You could see her long-line tailoring, sharp leather coats and slithering lingerie dresses roaming the arid metallic streets of Berlin by night, like something out of the black-and-white filtered minds of Helmut Newton or Robert Mapplethorpe, Bowie and Iggy scoring that fantasy. “Sass,” was her second revelation, a characteristic native to the early 1990s club scene in New York. There, Waight Keller said, she observed a similar sense of strength (and likely mischief) to the glamazons of fashion a decade before, in quirky character girls like Chloé Sevigny and Winona Ryder, who had their clubbing cliques and moody sense of glamour.The reference lent itself perfectly to filtering in the Hubert de Givenchy elements Waight Keller reverently observes: little party dresses structured rigidly with stiff cascading ruffles, sexy fringes and big bows inspired by the archives. She added to them voluminous sculptural faux fur coats, contrasting the sleek lines of her tailoring with the exuberance reflected in her couture debut. Waight Keller’s idea of the codes the now 100-year-old couturier, who she spent time with last year, was a lot raunchier than the polite Audrey Hepburn tradition. 

Paris Fashion Week Fall Winter 2018 : Sonia Rykiel

Designer, Julie de Libran had looked back to her own formative fashion years for inspiration and her obsession with post-punk, new wave and eighties pop music and the clothes that came with them. Describing herself as a shy young woman, she said, “this is how I found my voice and spoke: through fashion.” 
De Libran had a reason for her wholehearted embrace of nostalgia. This was an anniversary collection. Fifty years ago, Sonia Rykiel opened her first boutique in Saint-Germain-de-Prés and her brand will forever be associated with an emancipated version of flirty French coquettishness. At times her laughing, joyful groups of models, in striped knit maxi dresses or little modish sequin shifts looked like they were in the girl group version of The Monkees but in fact the models were only the warm up act.

As the last one took to the runway, stage hands placed three microphones onto the catwalk. Then Bananarama walked on and began belting out their greatest hits. Add some epic confetti cannons into the mix and the atmosphere quickly turned into a concert and after party. 

AlexaChung Launches the Virginia Collection

This March, ALEXACHUNG releases the fourth collection titled Virginia. Inspired by the Bloomsbury Group, the collection features 100 Spring appropriate pieces across ready-to-wear, jewellery and shoes, all channelling the playful effervescence synonymous with the brand.

“This season’s inspiration came from writers, painters and sculptors whose lives are filled with created works of beauty. Our muse works in her worn jeans, old t-shirts, borrowed shorts; painting, creating, travelling, loving. Pay close attention to the piping, frills, embroidery and all of the Charleston inspired prints that make up this collection”

Alexa Chung, Creative Director

Virginia is a celebration of art, craftsmanship, and self-expression. Drawing inspiration from the works of British painters Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell, the sister of Virginia Woolf, the collection evokes a modernist intellectual tone. Both Bell and Grant were pivotal players in 20th Century painting and members of the infamous ‘Bloomsbury Group’, a group of artists, poets, philosophers and writers. Throughout, Chung explores Charleston, the country haven and getaway for the group.

The collection is a play between unadulterated comfort and the austere mood of the early 1900’s. True to the lifestyle of the artistic set, oversized ruffle collars, leisurely luxe jacquard pyjamas and sumptuous paisley contrast the loose smock dresses, dungarees and paint splattered denim.

Outerwear and jackets in Virginia all feel in context of the era and are pragmatic in use. Laminated cotton Raincoats in bottle green and cream for typical British days in the garden, sailor jackets in both paisley and navy wool, and the Boxy Military jacket shape harks back to a time gone by. Suits range from a Brideshead Revisited inspired relaxed cream linen two piece, to a delicate flower embroidered check – a bespoke fabric made from an original in-house design.

Dresses this season are an exploration into different silhouettes, trims and necklines. Mid-length dresses of a conservative shape are pulled into the contemporary day with the addition of a bodice with keyhole detail. A key piece is the Ruffle Collar Peasant Dress available in navy and white printed georgette and a white seersucker; these can be worn as loose and lofty or cinched in with a belt. The

Jersey tees and sweatshirts feature prints in the vein of book covers with slogans such as ‘Work of Art’, ‘Tawdry Details’, and ‘Put a Spell on You’, inspired by literature of the time.

Shoes carry the mood of formal and relaxed through cross stitch and perforated clogs, suede espadrille wedges, and comfortable ballerinas with either a flower embroidery detail or a crystal strap.

Jewellery follows the home-grown crafty feeling to echo the works of Vanessa Bell. There are playful wavy hairpins and beaded necklaces with a starfish icon in bashed metal. Brooches in two size op-tions can be pinned to lapels of the cream linen suit or used to elevate simpler looks; these are hand-made silk brooches from Italy, all individually plissée.

Virginia is an ode to the unsung heroes; writers, painters, sculptors, whose lives were and are still filled with wonder.