The Givenchy A/W'11 Backpacks are sick!

Is it just me or did Riccardo Tisci up his game for this season ?Did he have a premonition that John Galliano would go AWOL and subconsciously designed his best collection yet ?

The Givenchy a/w'11 collections for both menswear and womenswear were probably the most stunning and seducing-ly innovate yet wearable collections from all the offerings that we've seen on the catwalk this show season!

The sexy ,up-tight, arrogant aesthetic transferred brilliantly through to the accessories with the chav-tastic all-over dog print taking center-stage and a fur covered backpack in both brown and black can lure anyone to the dark side!

Now the only question left to ask is' Will he take the reigns at DIOR ?'

By Andreas Menelaou Features Assistant

More Fashion Drama,this time for Balmain!

 Is this the end of fashion as we know it? What is going on? Following news that D&G might be closing down and John Galliano going to trial,WWD reported that creative director of Balmain Christophe Decarnin was recently hospitalised for depression but did have a say in the latest collection.

Fashion editors and bloggers were left waiting for the designer to take his bow after the Balmain a/w'11 show in Paris but the lights went off immediately when the last model walked off the runway. That very same minute speculations of the designer being in a mental hospital surfaced but not only that,several blogs and websites reported that the creative director no longer works for Balmain and hasn't since January.

Super-chic stylist Melanie Ward with Decarnin's team apparently whipped up the latest collection but everything was kept on the down-low so business wouldn't be affected.Could there be any truth in all of this?

Surely someone must have put a curse on our beloved designers!

By Andreas Menelaou Features Assistant

Soulland "Civilized" by Ironflag

Soulland Autumn/Winter 2011, Civilized from Soulland on Vimeo.

Following our recent Copenhagen Fashion Week expose we fell head over heels with Danish brand Soulland due to its simplistic yet intricate approach to menswear tailoring and aesthetic.

The team behind Soulland have released a short film by Ironflag featuring pieces from the A/W'11 collection entitled "Civilized".

The film premiered alongside their Paris Fashion Week conceptual presentation and translates the emotion and feel of the collection through a series of purposely manipulated video shots.

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

QASIMI HOMME A/W 2011 -12

It's not easy for a fairly new brand to attract as much attention but Qasimi Homme is not just any brand.Khalid Al Qasimi managed to penetrate the menswear market very easily due to his amazing craftmanship and adoration for fantasy and luxurious fabrics.

Qasimi Homme's fourth menswear collection, for Autumn/Winter 2011-2012 was shown in Paris last weekend and once again the designer made heads turn by drawing inspiration from whimsical concepts of future tribalism.

In contrast to his boy-ish and wearable Spring/Summer '11 collection, the offerings were mature,fashion forward, sleek and sturdy and whilst crafted in a muted palette of browns and black the injections of aubergine and silver enhanced the diamorphosis of the collection and added a futuristic edge.

Fabrics including lambs wool,leather,rabbit fur and cashmere were as luxurious as Qasimi's own heritage but manipulated in such a dexterous way that the end result looked high-strung & contemporary.

Playing with proportions and imbued with impeccable detailing; this modern take on Qasimi's signature tailoring will hold universal appeal.

By Andreas Menelaou Features Assistant

EROTOKRITOS HOMME F/W 2011-12

Erotokritos presented his Autumn/Winter 2011-12 collection, yesterday 23rd of January in Paris and Modern Man couldn't resist the invitation or the opportunity to be at such an amazing event. 

I speak very highly of Erotokritos as he is a designer who I admire both for his technique & talent but also for his dexterity and commercial awareness.He never disappoints!

For A/W '11-12 Erotokritos instead of following the fashion pack,the innovative designer put on a playfull special presentation  where models would walk in and out of the set putting on and sporting but also taking off the latest offerings from EROTOKRITOS HOMME.

The theme and aesthetic of the designer still reflects his Parisian street attitude provoking the fashion scenery with bright colours on well-crafted knitwear,in his usual signature style,athletic jersey tops and tracksuit trousers even tie-dye shirts with vintage plaid essence and of course knit accessories & suit-style trousers made with excelent attention to detail.

Overall the F/W'11-12 collection masters the art of pop culture translated within wearable and chic separates that can easily become part of every modern man's closet.Erotokritos once again proved that less is indeed more if you give yourself a chance to step away from the ordinary and let the fun reign in your wardrobe!

See more pictures after the jump!

 By Modern Man - http://Modernmanemancipation.blogspot.com

Kris Van Assche is the new king of cool!

You probably figured it out by now that Kris Van Assche is one of our favourite designers from the amount of posts we tend to write about him.But c'mon,honestly he is like one of the few designers who understands the essence of being a man. He comprehents that a man likes to dress comfortably yet luxuriously,sensible yet stylish but always irresistibly masculine and sexy.Enough said!

With his Autumn/Winter 2011-12 collection, "THE MAN" as I would like to call him moved towards a new silhouette where the suit,took on a very unique direction, a direction that can actually finally appeal to a younger market.

No more same old boxy suits,Van Assche played with proportions, fabrics and design granting the suit an air of cool,transforming all the buttons into zippers his seamless technique made the neck longer & the suit voluminous while keeping the palette dark and the quality superlative! 

By Andreas Menelaou Features Assistant

Nicola Formichetti x UNDERGROUND for Mugler Footwear A/W'11-12

Did you fall in love with Nicola Formichetti's Mugler show?We did as well but being shoe fanatics here at 7thMan we were eager to find out more about the shoes of the show.We did a little snooping around and found out that the shoes were actually designed by British brand UNDERGROUND in collaboration with Formichetti.

UNDERGROUND who are best known for their heritage rock'n'roll footwear have been around for over 20 years and have designed landmark shoes including the creepers, winklepickers and steel capped boots. The brand were hand picked by Mugler’s newly appointed Creative Director, Nicola Formichetti to create the shoes for the AW12 Menswear show that took place last week in Paris as the idea of the collection was an immaculate fit to UNDERGROUND.

The shoes combine trademark UNDERGROUND touches such as the infamous creeper sole with a Thierry Mugler aesthetic focusing on buckles and eyelets for an edgier appeal. UNDERGROUND shoes are available to buy at TOPSHOP,Office and Urban Outfitters but also on the UNDERGROUND website!

By Andreas Menelaou Features Assistant

The New Generation of Issey Miyake F/W 2011-12

While at Paris Fashion week, we are so busy with shows and parties that we kind of forgot the real purpose we are here,to bring you guys the latest gossip and fashion straight off the runway.

Issey Miyake has been the designer who managed to bridge technological design with fashion but for the past few years, opinions split regarding the appeal & aesthetics of the grand master.Lead by Dai Fujiwara since 2006,the fashion pack have not been as supportive but boy those who didn't attend(editors, you know who you are) have missed a magnificent,to say the least, show!

With the main focus of fashion week this season being young intellectuals, Fujiwara managed to connect his heritage with our world putting out on the runway a collection that when looked in separates can appeal and be worn by anyone.

A very contemporary sartorial approach that included multicoloured large check jackets,mega knits,printed tees and oversized outerwear that had military and vintage utilitarian influences written all over it.Dai Fujiwara designed a collection that was all about possibility and new challenges and even though the Miyake touch was not there in its entirety,we can definitely see the new Issey Miyake,the more fresh,current,who likes to move on in search of a new lease of life.

By Andreas Menelaou Features Assistant

Kris Van Assche x EASTPAK at Paris Fashion Week

Raf Simons did it first,Christopher Shannon put his special touch on it and Rick Owens definitely rocked it but yesterday Kris Van Assche gave EASTPAK bags his own interpretation of strong urban spirit engrained with cool elegance.

Incorporating the bags and rucksacks into his 13th collection for Fall/Winter 2011-12, Van Assche created 7 designs of the iconic bag in various combinations, blending his own sophisticated design aesthetic with the sportswear influences of EASTPAK.

The result was a selection of immaculately clean-lined stylish bagpacks & shoulder bags made from parachute cloth,leather and rough cotton that will be available to buy at selected EASTPAK and Kris Van Assche stores and concessions around Europe coming July 2011.

Images by Sybille Walter

By Andreas Menelaou Features Assistant