VERSACE x H&M COLLABORATION

For the average fashionable man (or woman,) the month of November means more than craving your mom's baked turkey and buttered mashed potatoes; it's the month of the annual H&M x Designer collaboration. Now, in my last sentence the operative word is average, and that's because of how affordable these pieces are. The most expensive piece in the collaboration will be priced at $300. Quite frankly, I don't think the Versace brand sells anything for that price (unless they are sunglasses), which is why this collaboration is so grand.
Hopefully a men's lookbook is released soon so that I can decide whether or not I will be camping out for this one.

GIVENCHY SPRING/SUMMER 2012





Although this "unconventional silhouette" is similar to last season's collection with pieces cut similarly, I thought the show was great overall. Tisci's color palette and choice of fabrics are spot on here. I also enjoyed seeing new faces for Givenchy. This past year we have been seeing the same models brought down the runway.

ALEXANDER WANG ASPIRES TO BE THE NEXT R. LAUREN

On a daily basis I am inundated by a mixture of answers to twitter's "What's happening?" Most are personal tweets of friends/classmates that often go unread while the other half are of fashion bloggers and "stakeholders" who I only wish followed me back. Today, while scrolling through my timeline, I came across a tweet from Fashionologie saying: "Alexander Wang Wants To Be the Next Ralph Lauren." After reading the title of the article, I was baffled. In fact I am still baffled. Creating a brand like Ralph Lauren takes tons of marketing research and, of course, branding. Unless Alexander Wang totally reconstructs his aesthetic, which I do not see happening anytime soon, this is not achievable. Ralph Lauren is brilliant; his brand is appreciated across the globe and in almost every social class. My father wears Ralph Lauren, my grand father wears Ralph Lauren, and even I wear Ralph Lauren- that alone speaks volumes about his garments, no? Maybe I'll be proven wrong and will see more lines and development from AW. He's still young and everything is so premature.
Click here to read Fashionologie's article

GIVENCHY HAUTE COUTURE FALL 2012

MARNI MENS S/S 2012




The color scheme is perfect and I love Castiglioni's take on Summer. Yes, believe it or not, you actually can still wear knitted sweaters and coats throughout summer. It just has to be done correctly on right day and in the right temperature of course. Using the same material for the socks and the sweater was a nice touch, too.
DRIES VAN NOTEN MENS S/S 2012




Something about Dries Van Noten's eerie vibe throughout shows makes his clothes 10x more cooler than what they actually are. I must say, the outerwear is perfect, though. Nothing is better than leather detail, like the leather trimmed edges of the coats, and that jacket with collars turned up paired with burnt orange trousers? Nicely done, Noten. Oh, and the first two shoes aren't bad either.
YVES SAINT LAURENT MENS S/S 2012




The tailoring and shape here is impeccable! The jacket in the first look is beyond amazing. I see it as a modern riding jacket; it's cropped, it's fitted, and the lapels have some curvature to them. Lapels of any jacket or blazer can easily alter the entire dynamic of an outfit.
I also enjoyed the all white look. One thing I noticed from this season was that designers really tried unconventonal cuts and shapes in efforts of creating some new trend that will eventually catch on. The baggy pants, THE SKIRTS--which will catch on no time soon (keep trying Tisci)-- and more loose fitting clothing. It makes sense, for the past four years everything has been so pinpoint tailored.
BALENCIAGA MENS S/S 2012




Balenciaga always executes the "futuristic minimalist" aesthetic without being too simple and boring. I thought not having an actual show was so clever. This way the details are much more visible.
LOUIS VUITTON MENS S/S 2012





One of the first thoughts I had after watching this show was how I can actually see myself wearing pieces from this look. And most importantly, it probably looking great on me, too. I didn't see any garments that stood out to me, but there were details that I have got to mention. For every jacket, the zipper slider had a leather piece on the part that you pull on. I liked that; it reminded me of their bags. The jacket also had some belt/buckle detail coming from the shoulders.
PS whoever built that LV weddingcakelookingboxtype thing is a lucky person.