Author Archives: Patrick Galizio

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LFWM: Backstage Berthold Spring/Summer 2018

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Image: Thang LV.

A bracing portrayal of gender and strength, Berthold‘s Spring/Summer 2018 line took inspiration from African child soldiers to emulate the dramatic change from boyhood to man. With elongated proportions and heavy fabrics that hang off thin frames, the collection’s saving grace is its hopeful and aspirational blend of colors.

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Eastpak x AMI Release Collaborative Bag Collection

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Eastpak x AMIImage: Eastpak x AMI.

The contrast between United States-made Eastpak and Paris fashion house AMI is stark—the former a clear cut supporter of function, the later a proponent of interpretation. Putting these two ideals to the test, the pair release a three-strong collection of bags that remold classic styles with Alexandre Mattiussi’s playful proportionality.

Eastpak x AMIImage: Eastpak x AMI.

Eastpak x AMIImage: Eastpak x AMI.

Eastpak x AMIImage: Eastpak x AMI.

The collection’s showstopper, the AMI padded, utilizes seatbelt webbing, coated zippers, and metal hardware for a sleek rendition highlighted by bright pinpoints of child-like color. Beside it, the topload functions as a military/urban hybrid, its high-capacity build completed by an adjustable top closure, available in both nylon and full leather. The oversized banana waistbag, an update to a ’90s favorite design, features a smaller construction, but what it lacks in stature it makes up for in organization, its many zippered pockets ready to keep even the most hopeless of messes organized. All decked out in bright reds, yellows, and purples, the release moves beyond function to breathe a youthful new life into instantly recognizable silhouettes.

The Eastpak x AMI collection will be available online starting June 30th, 2017.

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LFWM: Backstage Edward Crutchley Spring/Summer 2018

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Image: Thang LV.

Tapping into a vein of medieval revivalism, Edward Crutchley showed a bit of bourgeois brass for Spring/Summer 2018. Displaying a line drenched in shimmering silk at London Fashion Week Men’s, the designer pulled from Victorian femininity and Edo-era Japan to reinstate a much needed poetic nuance.

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LFWM: Backstage Xander Zhou Spring/Summer 2018

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Image: Thang LV.

A science fiction double feature, Xander Zhou‘s Spring/Summer 2018 collection at London Fashion Week Men’s made the most of its spaced-out theme with out-of-this-world accessorizing against a reworked office uniform. Utilizing inventive cutouts and disproportionate workwear, this extra-terrestrial rebranding has breached the atmosphere.

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LFWM: Backstage Liam Hodges Spring/Summer 2018

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Image: Thang LV.

Anger raged throughout Liam Hodges‘ Spring/Summer 2018 runway for London Fashion Week Men’s. Edged by a simmering angst, the collection, with bags brought to you by Côte&Ciel, utilized screaming bear motifs and pleading graphics to give voice to a generation navigating a noise-scorched world. Inspired by sportswear brand FILA‘s American iconography and pinstriping, the looks herald a new age of youthful rebellion.

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LFWM: Backstage Oliver Spencer Spring/Summer 2018

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Image: Thang LV.

Oliver Spencer displayed an unyielding connection to the rainy British capital for his London Fashion Week Men’s Spring/Summer 2018 runway. With shortened proportions and textured textiles at the forefront, the models stripped down to “Love Town” tees for a casual portrayal of patriotism at its finest.

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From Our View – London Fashion Week Men’s Spring/Summer 2018

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An exclusive front row invitation.

From the flashing paparazzi to the glittering Thames, the British capital is truly having a moment this London Fashion Week Men’s. Of course, with so many runways on the roster and eyes to catch, the schedule can be just a tad bit daunting. That is why we put together this invite-only rundown of the very best from the week. Let EH be your eyes so you can focus on those exclusive after-hours parties instead.

Xander Zhou

Xander Zhou leaves little to the imagination with updated workwear attire—an office ensemble that plays with masculinity and over-extended proportions.

Liam Hodges

Things got wild at Liam Hodges‘ runway, showcasing unhinged silhouettes and relaxed fits alongside a surprising collab with côte&ciel, completed by a monstrous, overly-sized bear.

Topman Design

Topman Design‘s striped and graphic offering follows both an iconic British color palette deepend into a too-cool-for-school aura. High crops and even taller socks elongate and draw the eye across the entire look.

Bodybound

A dangerous balance between playful and utilitarian severity, Bodybound toys with the relationship between material, cuts, and exposure with light draping against flesh-baring wear.

Edward Crutchley

Taking a step back into British history, Edward Crutchley reinstated a medieval uprising with a curious presentation of excessive material that pushed and pulled at commonplace design conventions.

Berthold

Daring to be different through its inventive use of color, Berthold proved that to open fashion week, all it takes are some sandals, geometric patterns, and trailing textiles.

Follow ESSENTIAL HOMME on Instagram at @EssentialHomme.
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Gents Initiates Grooming Line with Beard Oil

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Gents Beard OilImage: Gents.

Most known for its range of luxury hats and accessories, Gents attempts a shift into men’s grooming with a revitalizing new beard oil. The inaugural release from an upcoming full line, the lightly-scented product aims to rescue damaged and unruly facial hair through its adaptability, as ready to serve full beards as it is to highlight a budding five o’clock shadow. With baobab oil providing Vitamin A, E, and F, as well as jojoba oil promoting hair growth, the mixture restores and protects follicles with relative ease, the green coffee bean extract oxidizing while the moronga oil drives the concoction home through its deeply penetrative oleic acid content. Encased within a rich black amber glass, this elevated grooming must offers an elegant preview of what’s to come.

Gents Beard Oil is available online now.

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Weekly Instagram Roundup: Florsheim, Alexander Wang, 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.

Alexander Wang

For those looking to break free of the oncoming summer doldrums, ESSENTIAL HOMME December 2016/January 2017 cover star Alexander Wang has you covered. Unveiling #WANGOVER: The Guide, the designer releases his weekly manual to Manhattan’s many offerings, from the chillest to the hype-est, to make sure your Instagram remains fully boosted. Follow this wild-child wellness plan at your own risk.

Calvin Klein

Calvin Klein shared a look at its most recent swimwear release in a shoppable post of fresh, grayscale youth. Featuring the volley short, with its multi-pocketed design, the label shows off its tendency towards layering with a uniquely pieced together reinvention of a classic favorite, shot by photographer Willy Vanderperre.

Gucci

Donald Glover, Childish Gambino himself, attended the Gucci Cruise 2018 runway this week in pieces from the label’s Spring/Summer 2017 collection, including those coveted Ace sneakers. In an elbow-rubbing, who’s-who affair, the Alessandro Michele-designed line featured monograming, intense draping, thick layering, and every color under the sun for a collection dripping in self-awareness. Walking in the Palatine Gallery at the Palazzo Pitti, the show follows in the pop-Renaissance aesthetic first started by the house in 1982.

Dior Homme

Kris Van Assche reconstructs a classic staple in Dior Homme‘s Fall 2017 shoe collection. Crafted from black calfskin leather and a “newave” print, the Derby shoe is a hybrid pack leader, bridging the relaxed vibe of the accompanying canvas trainer with the sophistication of the broken glass laser loafer. A perfect pair to ground any streetwear ensemble, this daring kick is not for the faint of heart.

Florsheim

Having just passed its 125th anniversary milestone, Florsheim took to the streets of the East Village to celebrate with a live model exhibition throughout the Manhattan locale. Culminating in an all-out feast at Out East, the downtown seafood haven, the event toasted the Chicago brand’s legacy alongside Death & Co., the NYC brooding, gothic hideout.

Follow ESSENTIAL HOMME on Instagram at @EssentialHomme.
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ASICS x JYUNI Reteam for Black Collection

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ASICS x JYUNIImage: ASICS x JYUNI.

Two Japanese labels, ASICS and JYUNI, team to pull Tokyo-heritage menswear into the mainstream with a new unisex collection of athletic-wear. Dubbed the JYUNI Black collection, the release—seven versatile pieces, from hooded jackets to knit shorts to everywhere in-between—covers the athlete in full-body unison from head to toe.

ASICS x JYUNIImage: ASICS x JYUNI.

ASICS x JYUNIImage: ASICS x JYUNI.

With precariously placed pockets and minimal detailing, the collection breaks free of the sporting giant’s tiger-striped, splashy tendencies to strip the aesthetic to its barebones. Inspired by the quick pace of Tokyo, while integrating the time-oriented mindset of JYUNI, “twelve” in Japanese, the line provides a breathable antithesis to the heavier White collection created between the pair earlier this year. The hexagonal design ethos—color, construction, silhouette, material, graphics, and function—offers a full reinvention, bridging the divide between streetwear comfort and Olympic-level functionality. Urban, simple, and prepped for action, the Black collection is a harmonious balance between strength and sleek delicacy.

The ASICS x JYUNI Black collection is available online now.

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Acqua di Parma Releases Ingredient Collection Travel Sprays

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Acqua di Parma Ingredient Collection Leather Travel SprayImage: Acqua di Parma.

Befitting a fragrance line born of a voyager’s heart, Acqua di Parma‘s Ingredient collection releases new travel-savvy bottles perfect for on-the-go workaholics and high-flying adventurers alike. Featuring all six of the original scents—Colonia’s Oud, Leather, Ambra, Quercia, Ebano, and Mirra—the set dances around the Mediterranean for an all-encompassing olfactive trip. Marrying design with product, the fragrances are housed in an embossed, leather case with hinged top, protecting the traditional spray nozzle of the refillable bottles that click into place for quick spritzes as needed. Wrapped in a soft, matte leather that mimics a certain archeologist-turned-explorer aesthetic, the release is a stylish travel campion based on the original scents’ fan-favorite, masculine mixtures. Hefty, dramatic, and with notes as ranging as amber, sandalwood, and lemon, the fragrances are locationally defined, stoppering locales for powerfully transportive experiences.

Acqua di Parma’s Ingredient collection travel sprays are available online now.

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Karen Walker Launches First Men’s Eyewear Line

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Karen Walker Men'sImage: Karen Walker.

Karen Walker steps across the gender divide to finally bring men’s eyewear to her delightfully out-there label, having spent the better part of the past two decades providing her unapologetic lenses to Hollywood’s feminine elite.

Karen Walker Men'sImage: Karen Walker.

Undisputedly masculine, the new line—quite rightfully named Monumental—bears all the eccentric markers of the New Zealand brand, shedding none of its unusually quirky charm. Taking methodology from ’30s simplicity and tense ’50s perfectionism, the line features clear, black horn, and tortoiseshell acetates, as well as smoke, brown, and green polarized lenses. Even the accompanying campaign, starring musician Connan Mockasin, features historical references to masculinity, the bird topper a nod to Julius Caesar’s preferred depiction of societal stature. The bold new lenses, as promised by Karen Walker herself, act as an inaugural foundation, an initiating release that will branch off into exciting new ventures as the upcoming seasons arrive.

The Karen Walker Monumental eyewear collection is available online now.