D&G NO MORE?

Rumours have been flying around during Milan Fashion week that Domenico Dolce & Stefano Gabbana have decided to merge D&G with their high-end signature line Dolce & Gabbana.

The line which generally appeals to their younger clientele is a pivotal part for the Dolce & Gabbana brand as it brings in almost £330 milion per year but has also infiltrated the commercial market in such a big way with its expansion in accessories, fragrances and other brand extension products.

There is no official statement yet from the Italian fashion house but we certainly do hope that this is not true!

By Andreas Menelaou Features Assistant

JANE CARR launches menswear scarf collection

JANE CARR, the scarf designer adored by the likes of Cheryl Cole, Olivia Palermo and Diane Kruger has launched her debut men's scarf collection entitled "REBEL REBEL" this January at Pitti Uomo.

The collection follows the same aesthetic of the womenswear collection and is aimed at the fashion conscious man who enoys style and wants to have fun with it.Carr who has previously worked as a textile designer for Versace, said that introducing a menswear collection felt like the right next step after the success of the women's line.

“We’ve always been asked by both press and stockists about launching a menswear line. It was a natural progression for us to produce this collection and what better a way to start than to debut in Italy...” the lovely creative director Jane Carr commented.

Staying true to form in creating distinctive prints “REBEL REBEL” looks to the legacy of original bad boy James Dean for inspiration. For the menswear line Carr included designs of the brake pads in his 1954 Porsche tearing down Route 66 to the entangled bike chains of his motorbike, even a digital print of the icon himself against a variety of lightweight hand made fabric bases including silk blends and pure cashmere.The masculine effect of Carr's work can only be unveiled in its full effect when the pocket squares and neckerchiefs are unfolded!

The collection will be launched exclusively at selective influential men’s boutiques and major department stores internationally, in addition to the JANE CARR online boutique at www.jane-carr.com.  

By Andreas Menelaou Features Assistant

NICOLE FARHI reworks the classics for A/W 2011-12

NICOLE FARHI's Menswear Autumn Winter 2011 Collection paid homage to the brand's long-standing heritage, reinterpreting the House’s signature trademarks into a new contemporary luxury for men.

Inspired by the figurative painter Egon Schiele, the grey,charcoal and black colour palette was  punched with the necessary dose of indigo and cassis & olive and tobacco this way accentuating the design and craftmanship, the soft construction & natural fabrics and the ever-iconic outerwear of a very well-thought of and cohesive collection.

The show opened with melton wool coats, over-laid with detachable parkas in soft stone leather and waxed charcoal linen, setting the mood for the NICOLE FARHI man this coming Autumn Winter 2011-12 .The mood of a man who is contemporary yet edgy and understands and appreciates understated modern luxury.

 

Taking inspiration from the sartorial traditions of Saville Row ,the autumn/winter offerings are sharp in silhouette and designed with attention to detail, managing to incorporate traditional British textures such as the Donegal tweed, Houndstooth and Herringbone but also leather, wool and linene into outerwear and tailoring.

By Andreas Menelaou Features Assistant

Boys of Milan & Paris F/W 2011

Boys of Milan & Paris FW2011 from Justin Wu on Vimeo.

Jason Wu managed to get together all the boys from the menswear shows in Milan & Paris and created this fantastic behind-the-scenes video exclusive for street fashion photography blog Jak&Jil!

Enjoy!
By Andreas Menelaou Features Assistant

Christopher Bailey sends out his weather boys for A/W 2011-12

We did save the best for last!

Burberry showed its Burberry Prorsum Menswear Autumn Winter 2011 collection in Milan, after which the collection was made available for instant purchase using new innovative technology on Burberry.com.

Guests at the show in Milan included Burberry Chief Executive Angela Ahrendts, British model Cara Delevingne (who features in the brand’s Spring Summer 2011 ad campaign), Burberry Acoustic musicians George Craig (One Night Only), Johnny Borrell (Razorlight) and Johnny Flynn, actor Douglas Booth and Isaac Ferry all of whom wore Burberry.

The show was streamed on Burberry.com live from the show space using new technology to enhance the viewing and instant purchase experience, as well as on over 180 online sites globally. An on-demand version of the live stream is available on burberry.com

The Burberry Weather boys shashayed down the runway sporting oversize sculptural outerwear,blanket wool coats in buffalo check,quilted blousons, cashmere and cable knitwear and pleated trousers with elasticised waist.The collection was very British with heritage and rock influences blending perfectly whilst colours moved into more primal shades black and dark charcoal but there was also the necessary hint of vibrancy ,as anyone would expect from Christopher Bailey's designs,that resulted in combinations of bright royal blue,honey and red.

Immediately after the show, visitors to the site were able to order outerwear and bags from the collection using instant messaging functionality to receive immediate product information and place an order ('Click to Chat') or by clicking for an instant call back by a Burberry salesperson to place an order ('Click to Call').  

By Andreas Menelaou Features Assistant

Diesel Black Gold A/W 2011-12

We all know that Diesel Black Gold likes to dig deep into their rock heritage but this year they managed to accompany their rock legacy with soft elegant references of Italian tailoring and vintage military wear.

The clothes are irresistibly masculine yet fluid and comfortable and even though they are strong in presence they have something very whimsical about them,like they were designed for dreamers, idealists, people who doesn't want to conform to the usual.

Diesel's Black Gold men are now soldiers of time, love and freedom. There are hints of Tolstoy’sWar and Peace in leather cavalry boots and fur-lined Russian hats. But there are also flying jackets and greatcoats, long scarves and collarless undershirts whereas resilient outerwear – often trimmed with fur – are effortlessly combined with tapered yet roomy cargo trousers.

Diesel Black Gold ,for yet another season, eloquently blended the old with the new, vintage with contemporary, muted colours and effective prints and created a collection that evokes emotions of nostalgia, triggering memories that subconsciously makes any person identify with the clothes and the brand.

Marni is hitting all the right notes with their A/W '11-12 collection

The Marni Man collection for Fall/Winter 11/12 puts work elements out of context creating a new balance. As ever, the tone is graphic, dry as opposed to romantic: contrasting fabrics and a boldly subtle use of prints define a precise study in function and proportion. The idiosyncratic contraposition of forms, lengths and materials is quintessentially Marni.

A sense of ease and exactitude runs through the collection, from the sport pieces to the more formal items. Trousers are slouchy at the waist and slim down at the ankle whereas suits draw the same silhouette with soft jackets. Boxy sweaters with contrasting details and lightweight crewnecks with monochromatic stripes are graphic in tone and precise in execution.

De-contextualization is the sartorial keyword for  this season with key pieces being broken down and put back together again.Compact ¾ length wool coats with leather sleeves,zip-up cotton shirt-jackets with wool sleeves whereas woolen work jackets sport a nylon duvet front. Shirts, either buttoned or zipped-up, are meant to be worn as a base layer or as outerwear. Moreover jumpsuits look like blouson ‘n trousers combos, but only in the front and bold intarsia creates a two tone contrast on corduroy trousers worn with matching jackets.  

Not anymore confined to shirts or internal garments, prints get to the front, adding another layer of movement and dots,flowers and hearts predominantly take over on shirts and shirt-jackets.

It wouldn't be true Marni if the palette was not rich and muted yet surprising us with sudden pop of colour .Camel, beige, inky blue, military green, rust, black are united with shots of flame red and screaming orange to add the Marni touch. Fabrics have a dry, sturdy hand: wool cotton gabardine; cotton corduroy; denim; heavy cotton jersey; crispy wool; crisp technical nylon.

 Accessories include brushed leather work shoes secured with spat-like straps, round-toe lace-up derbies, felt and leather super-flat totes and cotton canvas bags. Luxury hat maker Borsalino collaborated with the Italian brand to create trilbies and bowlers with contrasting brims and a ribbed wool band in place of the trim to conclude the look that Marni wanted to achieve for the Marni Man this season.

By Andreas Menelaou Features Assistant

 

More lookbook images after the jump

 

Emporio Armani A/W 2011-12

In the setting of a great metropolis, perfectly attuned to the open spaces of any big city, the Emporio Armani is a collection that brings freedom of movement and a contemporary edge to couture.

Never so fluid and lightweight as today, with not a trace of an imaginary life among trees and meadows, this season the Italian house is plunging into an intensely realistic urban townscape. There we find beautifully tailored yet wearable overcoats, sometimes combined with waistcoats, to provide protection and warmth, while projecting a completely new image of a modern man who understands style and can adjust his own personal taste to what is current.

This year shoulders are understated but lengths are still impressive, the cut is fitted and pared down, with special attention paid to the construction of the collar – asymmetric, double, stand-up with flap fastening against the cold – all contributing to a deconstructed silhouette.

Armani waves goodbye to nylon and quilting, as this is the year for wool in a range of treatments, nubuck style sheepskin and leather for a reassuring sense of solidity, maintained through a range of jackets in streaked wool with needle punch effects that seem scratched into the pile.

The collection was very cohesive as the same treatment also recurs throughout the accessories, shoulder bags, bags and shoes, which as ever reference and emphasise the key themes of the collection.

Among the most innovative designs of this season are trousers that unite the casual and sporty with the elegant aplomb of the tailored darts at the waist, absolutely typical of the Armani style.

Staying true to his own colour aesthetic,Emporio Armani's palette is precisely defined with hints of camel; grey marl in a range from medium to dark and a scent of black for long overcoats and formal wear.

 By Andreas Menelaou Features Assistant

More images after the jump

More exclusive images from Milan A/W '11-12 Fashion Week

Emporio Armani

Gianfranco Ferre  

John Varvatos

Ermenegildo Zegna

Costume National

Bottega Veneta

The Milan shows for Autumn/Winter 2011-12 are well on their way and anyone who religiously watches the shows can already spot the trends for next Fall and Winter.

From Emporio Armani's luxury sportswear grey offerings, John Varvatos leather-lead world rock traveller to Gianfranco Ferre's heritage well tailored silhouettes and Bottega Veneta's structured bold coloured playful suiting, the trends are starting to shine.

Double-breasted jackets/coats and vibrant knits in orange,green and mustard  seem to be making an appearance in everyone's shows from Costume National to Jil Sander and the Italians are really showing what they are made of, as tailoring silhouettes and suits have been spotted in every proportion, colour, shade, structure and even the fabrics are more luxurious than ever.

This is looking out to becoming one very lavish season!

See more looks from the shows after the jump!

By Andreas Menelaou Features Assistant

Jil Sander A/W 2011-12

With the A/W 2011-12 collection, Raf Simons is revisiting the origin of Jil Sander menswear - a reduced language of shape and a comforting expression of tailoring.

The new collection is an interpretation of Jil Sander but with a modernistic approach that is rich in texture, bold in color and even more so ,simplified in form.Substantial surfaces define the outline of most of the garments and emphasize their robust yet minimalistic appearance.

Simons proposed, the way he only can, square cut-suits in vibrant monochromatic tones,chunky parkas, quilted pants and tops and double layered turtlenecks creatively adjusting volume,proportions,design and colour in such a magnificently subtle way bringing together his excellent craftmanship with the simplistic structural composition of what made Jil Sander the powerhouse it is today.

by Andreas Menelaou , Features Assistant

Dolce & Gabbana "Sartoria Eccentrica" A/W 2011-12

The good thing about Dolce&Gabbana; they never dissappoint!

If any designer knows how to celebrate and interpret glamour of the seventies into a sleek and contemporary show, that's  Stefano and Domenico.

The show was oozing polished testosterone with half naked models sashaying down the runway, Bryan Ferry playing in the background, plastered all over the classic "Icon"t-shirt and new proportions were introduced re-tailoring prototypical silhouettes.

Referencing Bryan Ferry's own unique London style, the boys were sporting shrunken coats and low-rise multi pocketed pants, suspenders and shiny chunky brushed shoes.The  colour palette of red,bordeaux, purple,grey and black was very cinematic dangerous,dark and mysterious and the luxurious fabrics velvet velour, faux fur and painted leather contributed considerably to the heavily rock influenced atmosphere of Sartoria Eccentrica.

By Andreas Menelaou Features Assistant

Gianfranco Ferre absent from Milan's fashion week

Iconic fashion house Gianfranco Ferre, announced through a statement today, that they will not be hosting a menswear fashion show at this year's Milan Fashion Week that is set to begin this coming Friday 15th of January.

Although Gianfranco Ferre will not be part of the festivities surrounding Milan Fashion week,the Italian powerhouse will showcase their Autumn/Winter 2011/12 collection at a very private presentation that will take place at the Headquarters of the empire on Sunday the 23rd.

This comes after a lot of speculation and rumours,that the brand is looking for a new industrial partner since their partner Samsung has decided to pull out of a massive deal, this was reported on WWD.

Let's hope that the house founded by the "architect of fashion" will be back on the Milan schedule next season.

By Andreas Menelaou Features Assistant

A solution to many a sartorial equation.

A pair of shoes can destruct an impeccably put together outfit simply by not being offered enough consideration by the wearer - loafers with jeans, sandals with suit trousers and the tragic list continues.

This risk will be lessened considerably come January 15 - 18 2011 [not long now!] when Jimmy Choo are set to re-launch their men's collection in conjunction with Milan fashion week, this will be the first time in 9 years that the prestigious footwear company has dabbled in the men's market - so a significant honour to young, elegant men all over the world.

According to the LA Times blog the collection will feature, dress shoes, biker boots, moccasins and sneakers - a pair for each occasion perfectly solving the common conundrum of what shoes go with what.

And look, not a moccasin in sight.

"Richard Hambleton - New York" in Milan

Richard Hambleton rose to fame in the early 1980's when like his contemporaries, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, had great success coming out of the New York City art scene. He used the streets of NY as his canvas for visually arresting public art, most notably his "Shadowman" & "Crime Scene" series. Hambleton has been labelled "The Godfather of Street Art".

The last surviving member of the East Village Art Movement, Hambleton saw what fame and drugs use did to his close friends, and for the last 20 years has led a relatively reclusive life in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. During those years, Hambleton has continued to create and his works can be found in the permanent collections of the MoMA, the Brooklyn Museum, the Zellermeyer in Berlin, the Andy Warhol museum, the New Museum of Contemporary Art and even at Harvard University. In 1984 he was chosen for the Venice Biennale.

Following the highly successful New York exhibition in September 2009, Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld & Andy Valmorbida in collaboration with Giorgio Armani will present "Richard Hambleton - New York" an exhibition of 45 works by Hambleton, during Milan Fashion Week.

Vladimir & Andy say: "Richard Hambleton's brush stroke as an artist is genius and is in a league of his own. Most significantly, he is the most important and influential living street artist in the world today, with a story and career that is unparalleled. It is also a privilege for us to collaborate with Giorgio Armani and we are pleased to present it in such a prestigious space."

The Richard Hambleton exhibition will be open to the public on March 1st to the 12th 2010, following the opening night reception on February 25th 2010. All at the Armani/Teatro in Milan, which will be open from 10am-7pm.

It will feature 45 pieces, 30 works-15 never before seen, will be for sale.

Contributing Editor - NJD

Richard Hambleton's images by: Hank O'Neal

For all you Galliano groupies.

“It’s not just the girl’s that want to party, and be able to pepper their wardrobe with urban essentials, the boys want this option too.” Immortal words spoken by the original wild child of fashion - John Galliano has added another line to extensive portfolio: Galliano Groupie, a brand, spanking, new menswear line from the infamous Galliano and Itteriere SpA.

The collection is inspired by the designers younger days as a fashion junkie void of any disposable income, it bridges the gap between high fashion and high street, putting cutting edge looks together in a haphazard style and with more maestro friendly prices, as opposed to the American Express platinum card that is usually needed.

The debut collection christened 'Picnic at Hanging Rock' , displays an erratic fusion of classic menswear staples such as parkas, blazers and grand dad shirts but worn in a tousled negligence. Ensembles put on to impress peers rather than parents: baggy trousers are distressed to the point of destruction, with bleach scarring the original fabric and turn ups indicating that these trousers could easily drown your feet if left to their original cut.

A classic autumnal palette is displayed with deep ochres, dreery greys, fern greens, and dramatic burgundy's contrasting beautifullyl together to create a harmonious winter look. The altogether silhouette is something remeniscent of the 90's London party scene but with multiple layers and a prominent hint of Galliano's own distinct style, perfect for all who admire his quirky look.

Not so much conformity as controversy, the perfect anecdote to an austere economy.

Galliano Groupie will be available from Fall 2010.

David Shrigley's film for Pringle

The shows keep going on in Milan. The lights, the music, the people, all exciting yet all the same. One has to look for the little things that make a difference. So, when Pringle of Scotland's Autumn/Winter 2010 menswear show started with this clever video made by artist David Shrigley, it was a no brainer to be a favorite among the industry. This is Shrigley's first Milan debut, who also designed a t-shirt line last year for the brand.

7thMan is looking forward to see what will come next.

Contributing Editor - NJD