Author Archives: Nicholas Lord

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Converse Releases Jack Purcell S Series Boot

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Converse Jack Purcell S Series BootImage: Converse.

A brand known for constant reinvention and iconic designs, Converse introduces a new series of the classic Jack Purcell shoe, the S Series boot. Having re-imagined the Jack Purcell earlier this season, the new style features an Alpine leather upper, available in caramel-brown and black. With a neoprene inner sleeve and plush Nike Lunarlon cushioning, the boot provides superior comfort, and the durable leather offers climate protection to keep your feet warm and dry. The Herringbone pattern assists traction while maintaining its lightweight design, and the shoe features the signature Jack Purcell “smile” over the toe, an homage to Jack Purcell’s and Converse’s creative roots. The design provides a casual, versatile, and durable boot, perfect for as the colder season rolls in.

The Converse Jack Purcell S Series Boot is available online now.

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adidas Opens New York City Flagship

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adidas fifth avenueImage: adidas.

Sportswear titan adidas physicalizes the brand’s essence in the opening of its largest store worldwide, the new flagship on 5th Avenue, New York City. Inspired by American high school stadiums and covering more than four floors and 45,000 square feet, the store is a beacon not only of adidas but of New York itself. With its factory-meets-gymnasium aesthetic, the flagship is definitive, featuring a ceiling network of fluorescent lights, pipes, and cages. A tunnel entrance leads to themed areas such as the Track and the Turf, where shoppers can sample products and experience the adidas lifestyle, explored through such categories as running, training, originals, and basketball.

adidas fifth avenueImage: adidas.

Driving the gymnasium theme home, the store includes bleacher-style seating for live game viewing, dressing rooms re-imagined as locker rooms, and a guest kiosk with healthy juices and snacks available. A large range of apparel and sportswear is available across all four floors, including the brand’s latest Autumn/Winter 2016 collection. With personal fitness consultations, concierge services onsite for same-day hotel delivery, and a print shop downstairs, the store enables customers to become part of the experience. With a formidable position in sportswear and this impressive new flagship, adidas has once again stepped up its game.

The adidas flagship is open now at 565 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10017.

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3×1 Launches Back Channel Black Collection

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3x1 Back Channel BlackImage: 3×1.

Known for combining Japanese aesthetics with American heritage, luxury denim atelier 3×1 releases a new capsule collection, entitled Back Channel Black. Inspired by the theme of “blackout,” the collection features a button-up shirt, a range of jeans, and satin jackets, all designed to re-imagine 3×1’s style with darker shades, renewing the loyal brand’s extensive denim wardrobe. The jackets, one in indigo camouflage and one in embroidered black, both feature two front pockets and stretch knit banding at the collar, sleeve, and waistband. The jeans, available in blue and black, boast a selection of Japanese selvedge denim, over-dyed cropped jeans, and light or medium vintage washes. The black button-up shirt is made from Japanese woven cotton and features a patch pocket at the chest and Troca shell buttons. Each style is limited-edition, with ten garments or fewer made for each item. The collection honors the credos of dark, unsullied jeans as the best denim investment for wearability and longevity while, continuing popular styles.

The 3×1 Back Channel Black collection is available online now.

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oki-ni x ETQ Release Sneaker Collection

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oki-ni x ETQImage: oki-ni x ETQ.

Inspired by dichotomies and the contrast between light and dark, Dutch sneaker label ETQ collaborates with luxury online retailer oki-ni to release the new collection, Polarity. The range includes two black and white sneakers, both the same style, though with inverted colors: the black-centric “Negative” and the white-based “Positive.” Each pair is constructed from rubberized leather with a matte finish, featuring thin strips of reflective 3M piping across the profile of the sneaker, the edge of the tongue, and the heel. The style reflects ETQ’s characteristic design with minimalist, grayscale features, complete with generous soles. “We translated [oki-ni’s simplistic aesthetic] into two opposing styles,” said Hugo Castermans, sales director at ETQ. “Two identical silhouettes that share the same design but are very different in feel.” The perfect option for a man looking to reinvent his traditional black or white kicks this season.

The ETQ x oki-ni Polarity collection is available online now.

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Banana Republic and CFDA Launch Greg Lauren Collection

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Image: Banana Republic x CFDA.

Joining forces to foster a rising fashion star, Banana Republic and the Council of Fashion Designers of America launch a limited-edition collection with artist and designer Greg Lauren. The 16-piece range unifies Lauren’s bohemian-meets-utilitarian style with Banana Republic’s classic, understated sensibility. Made from an array of materials including knit, wool, and cashmere, the collection showcases Lauren’s torn, oversized, and luxurious aesthetic, and attests his compatibility with the heavyweight retailer. Flight and tweed jackets pair with minimalist sweatshirts, long-sleeve shirts, and knit pants, all featured in warm tones contrasted with inky blacks. Blurring the lines between formal and casual wear, the range includes a wool tuxedo jacket and vest, offering a casual slant on a classic look, similar to the linen shirt and cashmere top coat. “Greg is a true artist who puts his heart and soul into every piece he creates,” says Michael Anderson, president of design at Banana Republic. “We share a passion for the details and had a great time playing with ways to marry our signature styles through his artistic approach.” A bourgeoning name in the industry, following in the fashion footsteps of his legendary Uncle Ralph, Greg offers masculine, alternative styles in dark and earthy tones, as seen in his Autumn/Winter 2016 collection.

The Greg Lauren for Banana Republic collection will be available at select Banana Republic locations from December 6, 2016.

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Barneys Unveils Holiday Windows

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Barneys New YorkImage: Barneys New York.

Few traditions capture the New York holiday spirit quite like department store window displays. This year, Barneys New York decorates its windows to the theme of Peace, Love, and Joy at both of its flagships, Madison Avenue and in Chelsea. The windows were uniquely interpreted and designed by six illustrious artists, including Nick Cave, Rob Pruitt, Studio Job, Ebony G. Patterson, and Trey Parker and Matt Stone of “South Park.”

Barneys New YorkImage: Barneys New York.

Barneys New YorkImage: Barneys New York.

Barneys New YorkImage: Barneys New York.

Barneys New YorkImage: Barneys New York.

While Parker and Stone’s attraction features a store within a store design, depicting the cast of “South Park” gazing longingly into a toy store, other displays look more like gallery installations than holiday windows—abstract sculptures, prints, and mannequins placed precariously among dense fake foliage and explosive interpretations of love to create a look of dramatic ethos. Keeping true to the theme, Barneys New York also launches the #LovePeaceJoyProject, inviting audiences to share social media photos in which they make peace and love signs or jump for joy in front of the displays. For each post, the store will donate five dollars to STYLEFUND and the Why Not? Foundation, which empower both women and children.

The Barneys New York holiday windows are open now at 660 Madison Avenue and 101 7th Avenue.

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Weekly Instagram Roundup: Prada, Opening Ceremony, and more

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This week’s complete social snapshot, distilled for your pleasure.

From the hottest celebrity parties to the regretful morning-after shots, ESSENTIAL HOMME‘s Weekly Instagram Roundup brings all of the hottest designer, model, and trendsetting pics from the week directly to you. After all, no one has time to scroll through anything but the best.

Prada

Prada’s latest video campaign, “Past Forward,” a celeb-studded starrer by director David O. Russell, assembles an all-star cast of elegant women ostensibly running through an airport, before stopping in their tracks at the sight of their masculine counterparts—an homage to long lost loves of old.

Opening Ceremony

Victor Solomon, an artist who creates bejeweled, stained glass basketball backboards, once again collaborated with Opening Ceremony to release a new design, Mono Flow. The luxe backboard will be auctioned off with 100% of proceeds going to Planned Parenthood.

DSQUARED2

On DSQUARED2’s 2017 agenda is a blaze of glitter and color, as shown in its Spring/Summer 2017 menswear pre-collection. This week the brand teased with this glam rock leather jacket, boasting purples that evoke Prince, but a style that suggests Bowie or Mercury.

Jordan Barrett

Nineteen-year-old Aussie male model Jordan Barrett returned to his homeland this week at the Louis Vuitton pop-up store opening in Sydney. Wearing a “Volez Vouguez Voyagez” shirt from the brand’s Autumn/Winter 2016 collection, he rubbed shoulders with Kim Jones, Louis Vuitton’s men’s artistic director.

Public School

Public School debuted a capsule collection of glutinous popularity, dubbed PSNY Pizza. The range is a light-hearted departure from the brand’s more ostentatiously brooding Spring/Summer 2016 campaign.

Dolce&Gabbana

It was a big week for Dolce & Gabbana, celebrating Stefano Gabbana’s 54th birthday and launching a new winter campaign for its Light Blue fragrance. Brand-favorite David Gandy reprised his role as the face of the campaign, this time posing in the Italian Alps.

Follow ESSENTIAL HOMME on Instagram at @EssentialHomme.
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Gucci Gift Giving 2016 Campaign

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Video: Gucci.

The dreamlike, luminous, and zoological aesthetic of Gucci under Creative Director Alessandro Michele comes alive in the brand’s Gift Giving 2016 campaign film, created by artist and director Floria Sigismondi. The film depicts Gucci models exploring the lush gardens and pristine rivers of the Edenic “Gucci Garden,” showcasing the accessory-heavy collection as women pick apples from trees and pass them to men laying among snakes, honey bees, and tigers. The models’ accessories demand attention, a range that includes leather goods with Michele’s signature kingsnake design, and backpacks, phone cases, and wallets with similar tropes and the insignia of Gucci. Wearing the Gucci Cruise 2017 collection and featuring bright intarsia wool sweaters, the models inherit the intricately-detailed line with a gorgeous, hyper-saturated sense of self. The visuals beautify the exotic animals and wonderland aesthetic, the film presenting a portrait of Michele’s complete artistic vision.

The Gucci Gift Giving 2016 collection is available online now.

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Acne Studios Opens Madison Avenue Flagship

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Acne Studios FlagshipImage: Acne Studios.

Acne Studios, a brand that successfully merges minimalism and eccentricity, physicalizes its aesthetic in a new flagship on Madison Avenue in New York City. The brand’s largest opening yet, the 230 square meter space resides on East 74th Street, one block from the iconic Met Breuer building.

Acne Studios FlagshipImage: Acne Studios.

The store is awash in gold, from the gilded feature walls and change rooms to the glistening mirrors, shelves, and racks—a visual accent favored by Acne Studios, which often highlights its collections in metallics, seen in its Spring/Summer 2016 campaign by way of a shimmering gold suit. With its shiny, futuristic visuals, the new flagship is as mesmerizing as the clothing it displays. “For me, it was important to elevate the store design into something spectacular since the location demands it in a way,” said Creative Director Jonny Johansson. Contrasting the palette are the black asphalt pillars and floor, flecked with glittering semi-precious stones, producing a cosmic effect. The furniture, designed by brand collaborator Max Lamb, also resembles gleaming gemstones, with bronzed desks, benches, and stools dotting the soon-to-be-iconic location.

The new Acne Studios flagship is open now at 926 Madison Avenue, New York City.

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Moynat Releases Artist’s Trunk and Capsule Collection with Mambo

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Moynat x MamboImage: Moynat x Mambo.

Of all the items produced by Moynat, the luxury French leather goods atelier, few seem quite so Parisian as its latest design, the Artist’s Trunk. Made in collaboration with Chilean-born artist Mambo and designed to both store his art supplies and display his canvases, the trunk was conceived as a transportable art gallery to highlight the creative’s work. Featuring a foldout easel, interior leather pockets, and a distinct curved bottom, the trunk’s highlights include a recovered canvas exterior, complete with boot imprints and paint splashes reminiscent of Pollock himself.

Moynat x MamboImage: Moynat x Mambo.

Moynat x MamboImage: Moynat x Mambo.

To celebrate the release, the French label announces a capsule collection of accessories featuring the artist’s iconic style. The “Mambo for Moynat” line includes a sea-blue pebbled leather pouch with an illustration that explores core themes of mental processes, sensations, and emotions. The pouch has a curved edge, mirroring the trunk’s bottom, similar to the gray leather tote bag imprinted with colorful urban designs. The pieces support a collection that re-imagines the mobility and adaptability of self expression alongside a statement-making art piece of a grand schema.

The Artist’s Trunk is on display now at the Moynat Boutique at 937 Madison Avenue. The “Mambo for Moynat” collection is available in stores now.

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Stella McCartney Releases Debut Menswear Collection

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Images: Stella McCartney.

Stella McCartney, a designer known for radiant, elegant designs, finally expands her illustrious range into a debut menswear collection as unique and diverse as the brand itself. Released with a star-studded launch at the Abbey Road Studios–a venue very familiar to McCartney’s family–the collection continues the brand’s cruelty-free ethos, ensuring the items are environmentally-friendly and made with sustainability in mind. Drawing inspiration from subcultures across the eras and her legendary father Paul McCartney, the collection fuses quintessential British styles with vibrant contemporary graphics and designs, boasting checked coats, oversized knits, and bold patterns emblazoned on shirts, jackets, and casual-wear. Tongue-in-cheek slogans like “Members and Non-Members Only” and “Nice One” offer an insouciant edge, while dressier styles balance the collection, such as the royal blue button-up with a swallows print that was partially inspired by her father. Also influenced by the Beatles’ aesthetic is a denim Maharishi-style shirt and vintage bohemian floral patterns adorning jackets, shirts, and shorts. Where the slogan shirts nod to rave culture, the knits and casual-wear hint towards subtle Rastafarian culture–the football scarves, sportswear, and mackintosh raincoat pay homage to McCartney’s British roots.

The Stella McCartney menswear collection will be available in stores January 2017 and is available for preorder online now.

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MR PORTER Releases Lanvin Anniversay Collection

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MR PORTER x LanvinImage: MR PORTER x Lanvin.

MR PORTER, the online powerhouse, partners with Lanvin for a capsule collection celebrating the French couture house’s 10th anniversary with Lucas Ossendrijver, the Dutch designer who helmed the fashion staple through some of its most memorable collections. The brand’s exclusive range offers luxurious yet relaxed styles, with contrasting, over-dyed fabrics combined with modern, edgier looks. The crowning piece, a burgundy slim-fit suit, features two-tone gabardine fabric with a striped sleeve lining, a subtle nod to the brand’s expert craftsmanship. Included in the collection are two bomber jackets in black and brown, both with intricate pocket embroidery in the shape of flowers and keys. Another style, a camp-collar piped short-sleeve shirt, contrasts the brand’s characteristic aesthetic, going for a minimalist bowling shirt without bold patterns and logos. Inspired by retro creepers, the brand also debuts two pairs of suede shoes, in black or white, with generous soles ensuring a comfortable fit. The collection honors the brand’s signature style, with premium fabrics and a confident, detail-oriented flair.

The 10th anniversary Lanvin collection is available online now.