Tag Archives: Jean Paul Gaultier

chitose abe jean paul gaultier

Chitose Abe Will Take Over Jean Paul Gaultier

After a 50-year career and staggering final presentation in Paris, Jean Paul Gaultier knows the show must go on. The beloved French designer announced his retirement in February but he had yet to name a successor to his vast empire until now. Earlier this week, Gaultier announced that Chitose Abe, the designer behind Japanese label Sacai, will create the label’s next couture collection.

 

Abe won’t take over the company permanently, though — she will essentially kick off a new brand initiative as it experiments with hiring different designers each season to oversee the collection. For a designer as revered and anomalous as JPG, this is an intriguing, though not entirely new, concept. (Remember when Hood By Air’s Shayne Oliver designed a Helmut Lang collection as its ‘designer in residence’ in 2017? Same thing.) Plenty of brands have invited guest designers to lend their talents for one collection, but Gaultier’s decision to adopt this as an ongoing strategy essentially allows the label to persevere at the hands of the very designers it inspired. It’s kind of genius, but then again, when isn’t he?

 

“I am pleased that this concept will become reality now with Chitose Abe of Sacai as the first guest designer. I admire her work, we have many things in common creatively and a similar vision of fashion. I am glad to give her the complete freedom,” Gaultier said in a statement to WWD.

 

Chitose Abe will present her Jean Paul Gaultier collection in July

 

 

 

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The Divine Spectacle of Jean Paul Gaultier’s Last Show

Less than a week after announcing his retirement, fashion’s favorite troublemaker Jean Paul Gaultier presented his final couture show. The designer, who originally launched his eponymous label in 1981, spent over four decades challenging convention and consistently expanding the limits within the industry through his over-the-top theatrical presentations. A spectacular celebration of his countless contributions, the Spring/Summer 2020 show was a glorious victory lap for a truly groundbreaking career.

 

In the awe-inspiring 174-look presentation, which featured supermodels of the moment like Karlie Kloss and the Hadid sisters alongside alternative icons like Dita von Teese and Boy George (who started the show with a rendition of Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black”), Gaultier masterfully referenced multiple eras of his career in a way that was both nostalgic yet fresh. The cheeky pinned clothes looks which opened the show were first seen in the Spring 2003 collection. A series of nautical ensembles in the middle of the presentation were redolent of the designer’s own personal style — he frequently sported a striped shirt with a tartan kilt — and a nod to his vast fragrance empire. Who could forget the campy homoeroticism of the early JPG fragrance ads as well as those torso-shaped bottles? There was even an update to the timeless cone bra immortalized in pop culture by friend and muse Madonna. The designer clearly had an abundance of material to pull inspiration from, and yet rather than feeling limited by his own material, Gaultier was able to repurpose his work in a way that was familiar to his long-time fans while simultaneously introducing his legacy to a new generation. Just like he did with last year’s Supreme collaboration.

 

The show felt like a greatest hits collection but also served as a reminder for how far the industry has come and the ways which Gaultier pioneered some of these changes. He always made an effort to cast a diverse range of models long before the idea of representation dominated the cultural conversation and Teen Vogue articles. He designed men’s skirts and dresses before current genderfluid style vanguards like Ezra Miller and Jaden Smith were even born. And, due to the limited budgets younger couturiers are forced to deal with at the start of their careers, he was always resourceful in using discarded fabrics and unconventional materials and transforming them into sensational creations. Nowadays this would be considered a sustainability tactic. Jean Paul Gaultier’s departure is a sad loss, but the impact he left in the industry is not likely to leave the collective consciousness anytime soon. That seemed to be the overarching theme of the show: maybe gone, but never forgotten.

 

Watch the Jean Paul Gaultier Spring 2020 Couture show below.

 

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After 52 Years, Balenciaga Returns to Couture

Over the weekend, Demna Gvasalia, former creative director at Vetements and current artistic director at Balenciaga, revealed that the Spanish label will return to Haute couture later this year. The last time Balenciaga presented a couture collection was in 1968, before the label’s founder Cristóbal Balenciaga shuttered the atelier and pivoted to ready-to-wear.

 

“Haute couture is the very foundation of this house,” Gvasalia told Vogue. “So it is my creative and visionary duty to bring couture back. For me, couture is an unexplored mode of creative freedom and a platform for innovation. It not only offers another spectrum of possibilities in dressmaking. It also brings the modern vision of Balenciaga back to its sources of origin.”

 

Gvasalia remains one of the most influential and polarizing figures in the contemporary fashion landscape — from ushering in the era of big ugly sneakers to selling luxury Ikea bags, the Georgian designer consistently finds new ways to troll and disrupt the industry. And since there will be a large Jean Paul Gaultier-sized hole in the upcoming couture schedule in July, Balenciaga has some big shoes to fill for Fall 2020.

 

 

 

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After 50 Years, Jean Paul Gaultier is Retiring

Well, this is a bummer. Jean Paul Gaultier, one of the most influential French couture designers ever, announced his retirement today on Twitter. His upcoming Fall/Winter 2020 show in Paris on January 22 will be his last.

 

“This show celebrating 50 years of my career will also be my last,” he said. “But rest assured Haute Couture will continue with a new concept.”

 

Gaultier has had a tremendous impact on the global fashion community and pop culture. He launched his namesake line in 1976 and was one of the first to blur the lines of luxury and streetwear — a master of trickle-up theory. His 1985 show featured a line of men’s kilts, long before the public was even talking about gender fluidity and challenging masculinity and all that. (A lifelong punk, he could often be seen sporting his own kilt.) His Spring/Summer 1990 collection is frequently cited as one of the most influential menswear shows of all time and was referenced heavily in last year’s JPG x Supreme collab. And, before I start rambling, he invented Madonna’s cone bra. Need I say more?

 

While it definitely is the end of an era, the designer announced that his brand will continue under new leadership and he has some additional projects in store. Watch the full announcement below.

 



 

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A Closer Look at Supreme x Jean-Paul Gaultier

After Supreme announced its newest designer collaboration with the French couturier Jean-Paul Gaultier, the internet was thrown into another streetwear-goes-luxe frenzy. While the New York skate brand is no stranger to collaborations — I’m pretty sure its collaboration with Louis Vuitton two years ago is what reignited the fanny pack craze — this partnership seemed like a genuine pairing between two masterminds, and one that cements streetwear’s residence in the industry. Supreme remains a leading authority of streetwear, while Gaultier’s iconic work has permeated pop culture for over 30 years. (Who hasn’t seen one of his body-shaped perfume bottles or the Madonna cone bra? Supreme even cast Madonna’s daughter Lourdes in the campaign as a tribute to the designer’s muse.) When the collection officially drops tomorrow, it’s sure to sell out before the page even loads. We take a closer look at some of the inspiration behind the latest Supreme collab.

 

The ‘Fight Racism’ Collection

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Neither brand is stranger to making a statement and both adopted a punk ‘fuck authority’ mindset in both their careers, so it seemed a natural instinct to integrate Gaultier’s signature bold collage print from his ‘Fight Racism’ collection of the ’90s.

 

Jean-Paul Gaultier S/S ’90

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While Gaultier had frequently blurred gender lines in his presentations, this was one of the collections that were able to subvert the business suit. By contrasting the utilitarian style of the silhouette with cargo pockets and industrial belt buckles, it was one of the first collections to combine formal wear with sport and workwear.

 

Jean-Paul Gaultier S/S ’90

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Another example of Gaultier doing it first with the utility vest. While it’s now taken the place of the side bag trend of yesteryear, it was another example of transforming the mundane into a fashionable accessory — Virgil Abloh showed similar pieces during his menswear debut for Louis Vuitton FW ’19.

 

Jean-Paul Gaultier SS ’01

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Plaid and florals have frequently been used in many of Gaultier’s collections, but this darker and more subtle print seemed lifted directly from the designer’s Ss ’01 Couture show and incorporated into a casual pair of sweatpants. Now that’s how you do hi-lo fashion.

 

Supreme x Jean-Paul Gaultier drops in select stores and online (and on Grailed) tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

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Supreme x Jean Paul Gaultier is Peak Luxe Streetwear

With only one image, Supreme set the internet ablaze (again) with an Instagram post teasing an upcoming collaboration with Jean-Paul Gaultier. The French designer has made history with his punk and avant-garde approach to fashion, which makes the collaboration with streetwear’s most prominent and disrupting label a match made in heaven. Little is known about the collection, apart from that it should involve a long faux-fur tartan coat with a grid print, yellow collage-printed trousers, and a belt with a branded GAULTIER SUPREME buckle which is sure to become the toast of the Grailed homepage once it’s out. When that is exactly is tbd — stay tuned.

 


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Inside Mugler’s Dark Twisted Fantasy

Landing on the scene with a hyper-surreal perspective, Thierry Mugler dominated the fashion world in the late 20th century with his high-production showmanship and futuristic garments. By fusing science fiction and film noir visuals into razor-sharp silhouettes that celebrated femininity, the French label was able to simultaneously capture the zeitgeist and propel it to new heights, turning runway shows into opulent spectacles and models into superwomen.

 

The reclusive designer, who stepped down from his eponymous brand in 2002 before it shuttered completely shortly after, remains an instrumental figure in contemporary fashion. Renowned for sculpting entire worlds that extended far beyond the runway and amassing a vast body of work that fortified his singular vision, Mugler’s influence remains as idiosyncratic as ever and continues to rouse the public. Almost two decades after exiting the limelight, the designer is being honored with the first exhibition dedicated to his work, Thierry Mugler: Couturissime, which opens at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts this weekend.

 

M1Thierry Mugler, Mugler Follies costumes. Photo: Christian Gautier / © Thierry Mugler.

 

When presented with the idea to commission an exhibition, Mugler himself chose curator Thierry-Maxime Loriot to make it a reality. Loriot has emerged as a young, yet seasoned veteran in sartorial show curation—his first exhibition was the widely successful Jean-Paul Gaultier retrospective that toured the world from 2011 to 2016.

 

“I was quite surprised and flattered when he [Mugler] asked because I know that many museums approached him for the chance to do an exhibition about his work,” Loriot says. “I guess it was a match with the museum director here [Nathalie Bondil] because we do more installations, rather than general retrospectives.”

 

The two worked closely together to design an immersive experience poised to re-introduce the genius of Mugler’s mind to the masses. (After all, the designer was the first to host a show that was open to the public—the Fall/Winter 1984 show in Paris featured over 350 looks and drew in an audience of over 6,000.) “We make installations that are very alive,” Loriot assures. “We are storytellers. That’s what the exhibition will be about—it’s going to be about fashion and the obsession with Mugler through the years with a thematic approach.”

 

M2Helmut Newton for Thierry Mugler, Vêtue/Dévêtue Vogue (Paris), 1996. Outfit: Thierry Mugler. Short-sleeved cotton piqué jacket. Patent calfskin pumps. Hat, sunglasses. © The Helmut Newton Estate.

 

Comprised of over 150 full couture looks (many on display for the first time), the exhibition encompasses Mugler’s multidisciplinary work as a full auteur, including photographs, original illustrations, and rare video footage from his extensive archives, which remain hidden and carefully preserved in secret warehouses throughout France.

 

“It’s quite impressive to see the level of perfection that was achieved in these pieces, and also the amount of work and number of hours he spent on every piece,” Loriot says, regarding his time spent combing through the archives and what viewers should expect. “Many people see the pieces in the magazines and on TV, but to see them up close is really impressive.” There’s also some irony that Mugler, whose work was frequently acclaimed for its futuristic appeal, had not preserved any of his archives digitally. “[Mugler] stopped doing fashion in 2002, when pretty much all the photographers went digital, so none of the images were digitized from the archives.”

 

Despite a seemingly never-ending public demand for all things nostalgic, Loriot is adamant that the exhibition is very much a reflection of today. “I don’t think this is something nostalgic, to be honest. I think this is more like a new work altogether,” he says. Additionally, a section of the exhibit includes new looks crafted exclusively for the museum.

 

M3Inez and Vinoodh, No Couture No Future (Kym); BLVD, 1994. Outfit: Thierry Mugler, Longchamps collection, prêt-à-porter spring/summer 1994. Metal-trimmed leather minidress. “Tattoo”-print latex tights, Photo: © Inez and Vinoodh.

 

He also mentions the importance of re-contextualizing Mugler’s work for modern consumption. Even at his career peak, his pieces were not without scrutiny—critics frequently deemed his clothes sexist and harmful for their exaggerated shapes and hypersexual tone.

 

“I think it’s always interesting to put things in context. We live in a #MeToo era,” he says, showing how hindsight has affected interpretation to carry Mugler’s work in higher regard. In his universe, women were autonomous supervixens who existed unburdened by systemic oppression. And it’s likely this interpretation that has continued to attract some of the biggest stars—like Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, and Cardi B—today.

 


Since parting ways with his label, Mugler (who’s reverted to using his birth name, Manfred) has turned his focus to extreme bodybuilding, yet his larger-than-life presence still resonates within the industry. His brand remains a fragrance juggernaut, consistently ranking among best-selling in the world since the first perfume launched in 1992. And the label remains a Paris Fashion Week fixture since its resurrection in 2010 under the direction of stylist and art director Nicola Formichetti. (It’s currently overseen by Casey Cadwallader.) But it’s this exhibition that promises to remind the public why a designer like Mugler is so necessary—harnessing a distinct utopian vision, he shattered sartorial convention and expanded the notion of what fashion could be.

 

“He was really using fashion as a medium; as an artist, and for me that’s what’s important,” Loriot says. “He revolutionized the system.”

 
 

This article is featured in the Spring 2019 issue of Essential Homme.

Cover Image: From Left to Right: Thierry-Maxime Loriot, Curator; Nathalie Bondil, Director General and Chief Curator, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts; and Manfred Thierry Mugler, creator. Photo: © Max Abadian.

 

M5Helmut Newton, Johanna; Vogue (US), November 1995. Outfit: Thierry Mugler, Anniversaire des 20 ans collection, prêt-à-porter fall/winter 1995–1996. “Cyborg” bodysuit in silver metal and Plexiglas (Jean-Jacques Urcun). © The Helmut Newton Estate.

M4David LaChapelle, London Sunday Times, May 1998. Outfit: Thierry Mugler, Jeu de Paume collection, haute couture spring/summer 1998. Sequined fishnet “Angel” catsuit embroidered with Swarovski crystals. Model: Danie Alexander. Photo: © David LaChapelle.

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Weekly Instagram Roundup: Lindberg Eyewear, Jimmy Choo, and More

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.

Mr. Porter

Online fashion haven Mr. Porter shared a tantalizing look at its upcoming Gucci collaboration with just a single pair of light-tinted lenses. Similar to those featured in the Italian house’s Spring/Summer 2017 eyewear campaign, with just a slight bridge alteration, the image heralds a collection that could follow the same print-heavy, color-crazed Gucci looks of late, should the decadent accompanying video, available only on the account’s Instagram story, be any hint.

Jimmy Choo

Jimmy Choo released a first look at its Pre-Fall 2017 line, turning its focus from the sensual edge of last year’s aesthetic towards a more simplified ethos. Approaching the looks with a dependable and long-lasting hand, the British brand seems to have found its stride—matching Spring/Summer 2017‘s everyday sensibility with the darker tones of the colder season.

Todd Snyder

Despite the unconventional approach to Todd Snyder‘s Autumn/Winter 2017 collection, don’t expect the American brand to shed its vintage heritage without a fight. Highlighting golf pros Arnold Palmer and Ben Hogan as style icons to reflect on, the label showcased the correct way to wear a polo with an aim to promote its latest update to the classic piece, all Italian cotton silk.

Jean Paul Gaultier

The controversial designer Jean Paul Gaultier, unveiled a quick look at his latest fragrance, capitalizing on the popularity of YouTube unboxing videos with a model-filled rendition of his own. Entitled #funboxing, the made-in-France brand showcased its Classique and Le Male scents in a characteristically on-tone effort from the Enfant Terrible himself.

Lindberg Eyewear

Danish optical authority Lindberg Eyewear threw it back to 2014 London Fashion Week where it turned heads with a dazzling projection show displayed across several of the rainy city’s monuments. A favorite of both Matt Damon and ESSENTIAL HOMME June/July 2016 cover star Nick Jonas, the bespectacled brand, since Big Ben and River Thames takeover, has seen its image reworked through rounded monocled silhouettes and a look back at discreet design traditions.

Follow ESSENTIAL HOMME on Instagram at @EssentialHomme.
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Dive Into the Creative Mind of Björk at MoMA’s New Exhibit

moma_bjork_postalbumcmyk Image: Stéphane Sednaoui courtesy of Wellhart Ltd & One Little Indian.

Starting next month, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City will host a retrospective dedicated to the multifaceted work of Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk. The exhibit will recount the artist’s two-decade career with her innovative music, videos, visuals, objects, costumes, and instruments.

blacklake_09 Image: Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin courtesy of Wellhart Ltd & One Little Indian.

Chronologically the special showing begins with the release of Björk’s first mature solo album, ‘Debut’ (1993), and proceeds through her career up to her most recent work in 2015, including a new video and music installation commissioned especially for the museum, ‘Black Lake,’ which also appears on her new album, ‘Vulnicura.’ Conceived and realized by Björk herself, alongside director Andrew Thomas Huang and MoMA’s Chief Curator Klaus Biesenbach, the new exhibit offers an experience of music in many layers, with instruments, a theatrical presentation, an immersive sound experience, a focused audio guide, and related visualizations—from photography and music videos to new media works.

moma_bjork_biophilia_large Image: The Museum of Modern Art courtesy of Wellhart Ltd & One Little Indian.

Also included in the exhibit are some of the unforgettable and spectacular costumes Björk has worn throughout her career; demonstrating how the artist has always used fashion as both a creative medium, to enhance her unique music vision, as well as a transformative tool for her performance art. Never one to follow the fashion industry and its rules, Björk has always been involved in her styling choices and has worked closely alongside some of the most renowned talents in the industry such as designers Alexander McQueen, Bernard Willhelm, Jean Paul Gaultier, and fashion photographer Nick Knight.

Titled Björk, the new retrospective is a product of collaborations with artists from all creative fields and brings together a chronology of daring and unique works of various media, expressing the artist’s overarching project: her music.

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Saint Patrick’s Day is Awful, But Green isn’t Always So Bad

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Rowdy out-of-towners, crushed beer cans/broken glass bottle shards filling the streets, and more rancid green-themed products than you’ve ever seen… that’s right, it’s Saint Patrick’s Day. But just because it’s the worst 24-hours in the moral realm that doesn’t mean you have to dress like it. Here are eight runway outfits that have embraced green to help you survive the crazy, mean cousin of all of the national holidays. Good luck and we’ll see you on the other side.

  • RAF_0455.450x675RAF SIMONS AW14: If you thought you had your fill of Raf Simons after his most recent Fred Perry collab release, you're wrong. Dead wrong. For Autumn/Winter 2014, our main man teamed up with LA artist Sterling Ruby on a rebellious collection of organized chaos, but who has time to wait that long? This patchwork sweater might have its share of similarities to an ikea rug, but what else would you want to pass out in after a heavy day of Irish ballads and pub crawls?  

  • VWVIVIENNE WESTWOOD SS13: Although Westwood's Monet-inspired show for last Spring was styled with earth-made crowns wrapped delicately across her models' foreheads, it was this toned down botanist meets English-country-side-vacationer that has us oozing for grass stains, just be careful with the Guinness. 

  • JPGJEAN PAUL GAULTIER AW12 : If you must do camo, then try it with a side of camp! The only issue with this chunky cake of couture might be trying to de-layer when you have to urinate for the 120th time of the day. What a great holiday! 

  • AlanTaylorALAN TAYLOR AW14: Here's a tip, avoid any St. Patty's pinches for not wearing green, and keep it simple with a subtle (but not really) accessory like these Alan Taylor metallic forest green gloves. They're as easy to slip on as they are to hurriedly rip off in embarrassment—you know, for when after the beer runs out.

  • LanvinLANVIN SS14: Okay maybe it's cheating, but this teal—technically mixed green and and light blue—leather jacket over jogging-styled trousers is a great way to keep the holiday alive when you're stuck in the office and not at the parade today (like a person in the normal world).  

  • HAHAIDER ACKERMANN SS14: An imaginative take on a traditional Irish vest, you would definitely wear this to the pub...if the pub was the site of a gay Hugh Hefner dress up competition. Huzzah! 

  • MuglerMUGLER AW13: If you're worried you might not get the public reaction that is usually associated with St. Patrick's Day—people staring, little children confused—then this sci-fi, neon and black body suit will certainly do the trick. And hey, you can do a few rounds of Isabella Rossellini-porno after!

  • JSJEREMY SCOTT SS12: Because if you start the day out with your genitals exposed then it will certainly spare you the confusion of looking for your pants the morning after. Also, we all know the only regional costume sexier than that of a leprechaun's—other than everything else in the history of clothes—is a cowboy's. 

Images courtesy of AdAge and Style.com.

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2013 in Men’s Fashion

Resignations, unlikely duos, and ethnic face-face-face: no this isn’t an episode of Scandal, it’s our 2013 men’s fashion in review! So slide on that bucket hat, put Beyoncé on pause (we’re sorry B), and get ready to say goodbye to one wild year in menswear.

  • Apart from his SS14 runway show this past September (perhaps the most talked about RTW presentation in a long time), in which Rick Owens sent a cast of multiracial and multi-sized step dancers down the Parisian catwalk, fashion's dark sheep designer had a pretty big year. From the surprise announcement of a sneaker collaboration with adidas—initially conceived as a way for Owens to stay in shape (“I’m in my fifties now, and I need to do something for my heart and lungs,” he told WWD in June, "I thought to myself, ‘What shoes am I going to wear running?’ I can’t wear my big chunky basketball shoes–I’d look like a dinosaur running through the Tuileries”)—to an online e-commerce "evolution," hints of an LA outpost , and even some love for his family (long live fashion icon Michele Lamy). With all of these seeds planted, 2014 is looking like a very bright dark year. Just how he likes it. 

    Image courtesy of Huffington Post.

  • Exhibitions

    Marc Jacobs proclaimed in 2007 that "Fashion is not art," but we'll have to check back in with him in a few years from now, when he's proposing his own showcase. That's right: we're calling it now! We, on the other hand, believe in the preservation of couture, be it in an overpriced department store, or the cold stillness of a museum. This year we were delighted to see three major exhibitions that spotlighted highlights in men's fashion including; the avant-garde in Jean Paul Gauliter's retrospective at the Brooklyn Museum in New York,  the whimsy in Paul Smith's show at the London Design Museum, and the genre-crossing in Punk: Chaos to Couture which featured Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci, Alexander McQueen, Comme Des Garcons, and more. 

    Image courtesy of CR Fashion Book, London Design Museum, Metropolitan Museum.

  • GreatGatsby
    Baz Luhrmann, Miuccia Prada, Leo and Jay-Z reminded us what 1920's fashion looked like in The Great Gatsby, and why we no longer dress like that today. 

    Image courtesy of Warner Brothers Pictures. 

  • Okay, it's not menswear, but when a duo of men emerge as unlikely as Oscar de la Renta and former Dior designer John Galliano, it does make news. After a recent rough few years, Galliano received an invitation in early 2013 via Anna Wintour for a temporary residence at ODR to consult on the brand's FW 13 RTW show. After a favorable presentation, and surprisingly amiable working relationship, rumor has it that a permanent post at the American fashion house may soon be extended to the disenfranchised designer. 

    Image courtesy of The Independent.

  • Balenciaga Spring 2013 RTW
    In November of 2012, after 15 years with the Spanish-designed French fashion house, Nicholas Ghesquire left Balenciaga. Fast forward to System Magazine's debut issue in April of this year, in which the designer cited that many of his issues came from the brand's overpowering parent company, Kering. Next, this past November year, almost 12 months exactly after his departure, Ghesquire was appointed Creative Director at Louis Vuitton Malletier, the biggest fashion brand for luxury conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy. While it's not completely clear if jumping into a larger sea after having trouble with the tides in ocean is the best move, Paris eagerly awaits Ghesquire's inaugural runway show. 

    Image courtesy of NY Mag.

  • Balenciaga Spring 2013 RTW
    After putting his two-collection fashion line on hiatus, Yeezus collaborated with french outfitters APC this summer amidst about as much criticism  from the streets as from the fashion elite. We mean, really, a white tee for $120? Well you can run, but you can't hide 2013, because here's the kicker: the collab is coming back again next year. 

    Image courtesy of APC.

  • Jeremy Scott copy

    Fashion designer Jeremy Scott was appointed Creative Director of Moschino, a brand he once interned at decades ago, in October of this year. Will this prove to be an outlet for sportswear in the luxury circuit, or is adidas' hype boy #1 finally growing up? 

    Image courtesy of Collectivedit.


  • In October blogger and style icon Susie Bubble wrote in Because Magazine, "We are approaching the logo with a new attitude. Rather than being slaves to a brand, we take ownership." And with this year's most popular items: retro snapbacks with K-E-N-Z-O spelt out in bold threads, Opening Ceremony's revival of Donna Karen's four famous letters, and all Brian Lichtenberg everything, the statement seems hard to deny. Will next year allow us to be more subtle, or should we invest in more old school Gucci loafers? It's hard to tell, but in the meantime we're still reeling our favorite 2013 name brand shout out: Will Fry's Raf Tee.

    Image courtesy of Wil Fry.

  • Anne
    In November, Ann Demeulemeester of the influential Antwerp Six published a heart-breaking letter announcing her departure from her own namesake. 

    Image courtesy of The Source.

     

  • NYFW
    Just days ago, William Morris Endeavor and Silver Lake Partners acquired IMG Worldwide Holdings Inc in an estimated $2.3 billion deal. What this means for all of us, is that Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week is now under different management, and with the program's contract with Lincoln Center expiring in 2015, the future for NYFW seems as grey as Viktor & Rolf's new boutique

    Image courtesy of NYC Prowler.

Image courtesy of Style.com.

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À-la-Mexique Knocks Off Fashion’s Most Famous Names for a Cause

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We do not generally gravitate towards the streetwear trend of fashion wordplay made famous by designer Brian Lichtenberg—we’re team Slimane, thank you very much!—but when it comes helping a good cause, we’re all ears. Enter À-la-Mexique, a collaboration between NYC-based publicist Gabriel Rivera-Barraza and Simon Guindi Cohen of the brand SPƎNGLISH. The limited edition capsule collection translates four iconic symbols of fashion (Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Alexander McQueen) into a modern context in an attempt to raise awareness for the need for peace in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico—a city deemed “the most violent zone in the world outside of declared war zones” in 2009 by The Houston Chronicle—as well as to materialize the colorful sense of humor of Latin America. Even further, 10% of all sales of the premium cotton tees will be donated to Project Paz, a non-profit organization committed to changing the state of the city. Who said fashion doesn’t save lives?

 

 

À-la-Mexique Tees are $50 each and available for purchase now at Spenglish.net.

Images courtesy of À-la-Mexique.