“Its name alone is suggestive of a line that always balances audacity and dignity,” Christian Dior wrote in the press statement for the Oblique Collection, which debuted alongside the Fall/Winter 50-51 collection. This pivotal presentation introduced a modern silhouette — one that was sharper and fresher than other suit cuts at the time — that altered the shape of men’s tailoring for decades to come. Now Kim Jones, current creative director of Dior’s menswear, has added his own spin to the landmark pieces, fusing his unique sense of urban elegance into the fabric of the French label’s legacy.
Watch the video above to learn more about the savoir-faire behind the ‘Tailleur Oblique’ suit.
Dior Homme’s Winter 2014 accessory collection demonstrates the French brand’s passion for black, updating its flair for luxe and youthful design with an understated polka dot pattern—inspired by ties from Christian Dior himself—and silver-toned details. Complimenting sharp menswear tailoring that referenced Savile Row and high-end street wear, the accessories line includes shoes (both dressy and casual) bags, belts, and other small items—all with subtle ornamentation that retain creative director Kris Van Assche’s signature minimalism.
Image: Dior Homme.
One pair of black and white calfskin sneakers ($1,450) feature polka dot adorned uppers, providing a pop of silver to the shoes’ sleek silhouette. It is details such as this that can add contrast to any monochromatic outfit without sacrificing elegance—or color ways.
Image: Dior Homme.
Similarly, the collection’s black calfskin small zip wallet ($960) has a like-minded design, but substitutes polka dots with four “lucky charm” emblems, displayed on the wallet’s exterior. With a matching silver-tone zipper, the piece embodies restrained luxury.
Image: Dior Homme.
Together, the full Dior Homme Winter 2014 accessory collection elevates the classicism of the iconic fashion house to a new territory—sleek in style and subtle in humor—and will be available at select Dior Homme retail stores and online soon.
I’m no string theory conspiracist, but there are a few things that get me going. I mean REALLY going. The latest update in this series involves an ongoing, life-paralyzing obsession with everything Raf Simons and a (sometimes confusing) appreciation for cali-girl songstress Katy Perry. To put it simply, they’ve reached a point of complete inception, and I truly think they might be the same person. But how, you ask? What brings these two, seemingly different, worlds of high fashion and girls kissing girls and liking it together? How could one mid-40 year old Belgian man and an American pop star be the same human? One word, no uppercase letters: adidas.
Evidence A. Perry has rocked the activewear brand on and off the stage, in music videos, and magazine shoots in all of its lives: adidas Originals, adidas Sports, and, of course, adidas x Jeremy Scott.
Evidence B. While there hasn’t been a direct link to Simons’ own label, the former Christian singer has been known to have another kind of Christian moment every now and then. That was a Dior joke. Interesting that Simons (or maybe secretly Perry herself) is the Creative Director of the fashion house.
Evidence C. For his second adidas x Raf Simons sneaker collection, the Fred Perry-collaborator seems colorfully obsessed on the loud, whimsyness of comic illustations. Using the exaggerated aesthetic as inspiration for loud logos and crazy forms. Katy Perry has her own comic book. Coincidence? Of course not!
Lastly, Evidence D. Who really likes pink THAT much. That’s right, you know who.
Okay, so maybe this argument wouldn’t hold up in an actual court of law… and I guess there’s not that much pink on the shoes…but take a look below at some of my favorite selects from the adidas x Raf Simons Spring/Summer 2014 collection while listening to Teenage Dream, and tell me you’re not in heaven.
The adidas x Raf Simons Spring/Summer 2014 Collection will arrive in adidas retail locations soon.
While I’ll be the first to admit that I do not usually dabble with color—being that my general wardrobe readily falls somewhere between a Viktor & Rolf store and Swedish pop band Shout Out Louds (“black is the only color I know”)—I can say Raf Simons‘ latest collection for his collaboration with Fred Perry (now in its sixth year, hooray!) might have me considering other hues. Although to be completely candid, it should also be said that I would follow the Belgium designer into the depths of the hell—or rather, the sale rack at Bloomingdale’s—if need be.
Using the British classic three-button sports shirt as his canvas, this season Simons stuck with an ethos that he’s proved to have mastered in earlier collections and at Christian Dior, bringing saturated colors (warm, tangerine golds and grape juice purple), large scale pop-art graphics and smart lines to Fred Perry’s Laurel Wreath Series.
Image: Fred Perry.
The full collection is available online now, and if the persian blue just ends up being *too much* for Spring—it’s fine, I get it!—fortunately there’s a similar option in the comforting contrast of black and white.
It’s a good day for the wardrobes of American men when purveyors of contemporary French style, Sandro, opens up a store here. Which, until last night, had only happened 4 times before. And only in New York City. Their first non-Big Apple locay opened with much fanfare last night in…Vegas! No really, Las Vegas. Which you might be surprised about until you learn that they’re in the esteemed Forum Shops at Ceasars Palace along side the likes of Burberry, Christian Dior, Louboutin, Louis Vuitton and Salvatore Ferragamo. Not a bad place to be, or first stop on the way over to our Western coast. By summer’s end Sandro will have opened boutiques in Los Angeles and San Francisco marking a full on American expansion of our favorite, growing French brands. Check out images from the new store, post jump.
The name Serge Lutens is synonymous with luxurious fragrances. He got his start at French Vogue back in the 1960’s, working with people like Richard Avedon and Christian Doir and made the jump to fragrances and cosmetics in the early 1980’s working with Japanese great, Shiseido. In 1992, Serge Lutens had his own “Marrakech” inspired boutique open in the Jardin du Palais Royal in Paris. And now, 20 years later, Serge Lutens has launched in the US at Barney’s New York with its newly expanded Serge Lutens boutique exclusively at their Madison Avenue Flagship Location. There’s even a phone number (212-833-2425) you can call if you can’t make it to the store but no online sales.
