The spirit of Hedi Slimane is alive and well in the latest briefcases and leather pieces from Celine. Launching later this month, the designer’s new Triomphe Coated Canvas collection has the best gear to help ease the transition from summer to fall with a selection of rock star-approved goods.
The new canvas range features a slew of lush luggage, mini-messenger bags, wallets, backpacks, and tote bags, but the main focus is the briefcases. A black-and-white paint-print briefcase (pictured above) is ornamented with gold hardware details, finding a perfect harmony between classic luxe and post-punk savvy. Meanwhile, an all-black calfskin option embossed with the designer’s logo offers a more straightforward option for the office. Either way, a new briefcase is a perfect way to get over any post-summer blues.
The Celine Spring/Summer 2020 marked the end of another fashion week in Paris, but the show was also the site of a bigger loss. For Hedi Slimane’s third show for the French label, the designer seemingly abandoned his sartorial signature: the skinny jean. The statement pant that he had premiered during his time at Dior in the early ’00s, further expanded during his stint at Saint Laurent where it became a cult item, and later ushered in his inaugural collection at Celine last September was nowhere to be found in the most recent presentation. Instead, the designer opted for a looser flared cut in assorted washes and pant styles. Rest assured, there were plenty of other Hedi-isms on the floor as the show was a tribute to ’70s counterculture. Leopard print, rock-star tailoring, and plenty of leather reminded the audience that this was indeed a Slimane show, though the designer seemed curious to explore new territory within the familiar. A lighter color palette echoed this sentiment, with sunnier hues and more relaxed-but-still-fitted tailoring showing a different side of the same rock-and-roll coin — like when punk kids from suburban high schools become hippies in college.
For the label’s 20th anniversary, Philipp Plein staged a cinematic post-apocalyptic show in Milan for its Spring/Summer 2020 collection. Embodying a blockbuster rock star mentality, the presentation was an attack on the senses with elaborate stage techniques including monster trucks and fireworks that highlighted the appeal of the pieces.
A bulk of the looks featured iconic band logos (some models even had KISS facepaint on) bringing classic rock iconography together with a modern new wave aesthetic. The men’s looks featured studded biker jackets, re-imagined versions of a classic suit, classic punk hoodies, and high top sneakers. The designer’s own logo was prevalently featured, printed on many of the garments along with flame designs and metallic animal prints. Chains, spiked hardware, and other metallic embellishments further drove the theme home.
Watch the Philipp Plein Spring/Summer 2020 show below.
For those about to rock, head to the Met — the Metropolitan Museum of Art is unveiling the first ever exhibition dedicated to rock instruments with Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll. Organized in partnership with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the immersive exhibition features over 130 instruments and other artifacts (like costumes and psychedelic posters, oh my) that belonged to some of the great rock legends of our time, including (but definitely not limited to) Keith Richards, Chuck Berry, Joan Jett, Prince, Eric Clapton, St. Vincent, Jimi Hendrix, Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, and Lady Gaga. (Whew.)
“Play It Loud celebrates a formative chapter in 20th-century art and culture, and the extraordinary objects featured in this presentation convey the innovation, experimentation, passion, and rebellion at the heart of rock and roll,” director of the museum Max Hollein said in a statement. “The exhibition allows us to appreciate the artistry of the instruments as well as their powerful role in the creation and expression of rock’s legendary sound and identity.”
With such an expansive range of musical heirlooms, the exhibition does a terrific job of chronicling the history of rock and roll in an intimate manner. And the fact that it’s hosted at the Met speaks to the lasting influence credibility of the genre that continues to challenge the status quo and fight The Man. So rock on.
St. Vincent MASSEDUCTION edition electric guitar, Ernie Ball Music Man, 2017. St. Vincent designed this instrument to suit her ergonomic, stylistic, and sonic needs, and used it on her 2017 MASSEDUCTION Tour. Courtesy of St. Vincent.
Poster by Bonnie MacLean promoting The Yardbirds’ and the Doors’ concerts at the Fillmore Series, San Francisco, CA, Tuesday, July 25 to Sunday, July 30, 1967. Collection of David Swartz Courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Saint Laurent is a rock star brand. Ever since Hedi Slimane was appointed as creative director of the French house in 2011, it’s routinely referenced decades of rock subgenres — punk, garage, new wave, the list goes on — and, in turn, become a favorite of the celebrities it idolizes. It’s a truly symbiotic relationship that has worked seamlessly and the latest effort proves no different, with current creative director Anthony Vaccarello embracing the spectacle of the show for its Fall 2019 presentation beneath the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Vaccarello has led the brand since 2016 and seemed committed to continuing what was started. Saint Laurent’s clothing remains as sleek, slim, and trendy as ever, with one showstopping piece to leave a lasting impression (remember the heart coat?), but previous collections have seemed more like preservation than reinterpretation. However, this season saw a subtle departure from the ultra-skinny tailoring that’s become synonymous with Slimane and, as a result, the label. For the womenswear, shoulders were broader and dresses were looser. The menswear retained many of the signatures (skinny, but breathable tailoring and ’80s influences anchored by a predominantly black color palette). The specter of Slimane remains, but this collection showed Vaccarello ready to reinterpret the pieces in his own way while maintaining its legacy. This was evident in the show’s celebratory final act, which featured models marching down a runway illuminated by blacklight that highlighted several neon looks, which could either be seen as a victory lap or a call for an encore. Guess we’ll find out next season.
After completing several stops in a 5-year international tour, the renowned exhibition David Bowie Is, which chronicles the namesake artist’s legacy, finally concludes its run in New York. The travel pattern was meant to mimic Bowie’s life — when the project was first announced, he stated that he wanted it to begin in London, his hometown, and conclude in New York, the city he spent most of his adult life in. A bittersweet ending, but the exhibition (curated superbly by the Victoria and Albert Museum) itself is a spectacular exploration of Bowie’s career and a treat to anyone who visits (over a million people across the world already have).
Featuring personal artifacts from the artist’s childhood, including journal entries and personal belongings, rare photographs, and a vast selection of Bowie’s most iconic costumes (full disclaimer: when I saw the blue Life on Mars suit in the flesh I teared up), the presentation is a dazzling celebration of the British icon that shows glimpses into his personal life, and how his influence continues to flow through the veins of contemporary art today.
The exhibition opens on March 2 and will be on display until July 5, and tickets can be bought here.
Victorinox Swiss Army is known for its trusty knives, watches, and travel gear, and now it’s making waves with its new men’s fragrance, ROCK. Standing for the spirit of adventure in today’s urban lifestyle, the layered scent is a concoction of artemisia and nutmeg, crowned with the freshness of lavender for an oriental, spicy touch. The fragrance’s masculinity arrives in a combination of cedarwood, incense, and cumin, paired with the warmth of patchouli and leather, to unfold a flair of sensuality and passion. Its packaging is inspired by the breathtaking Swiss mountain ranges, explained by the true-stone Victorinox emblem and anthracite-colored glass on the flacon, a perfect fit for the modern, adventurous man.
The Victorinox Swiss Army ROCK is available online now.
Image: Essential Homme, Paul Wagtouicz courtesy of SNOB at The Americano.
As true believers of the work hard, play hard mantra, we present you with It’s Been a Long Week, a weekly column aimed at awarding some liquid appreciation to you for just being yourself, dammit. Make a glass or two on us, you deserve it.
WHAT
SNOB’s 30 Day Aged Rock & Rye You’ve heard the words “good things take time,” but never has the phrase been so teasingly appropriate as SNOB’s 30 Day Aged Rock & Rye. Straight from the newly opened rooftop restaurant atop Hotel Americano in New York City, the classic rock and rye cocktail drink gets a holiday twist with essentials spices that—after almost a month of marinating with the drink’s other goodies—perfectly balance out the rye whiskey, citrus, sugar, and bitters.
HOW
Batched ingredients (to be placed a large mason jar for 30 days)
Place all of the ingredients in a mason jar for 30 days. After this period has ended, strain out all raw items. To serve, pour 3.5 oz. of the recipe into a mixing glass with ice and stir for 30 seconds. Strain over rocks glass with one large ice block. Add two dashes of angostura bitters and garnish with fresh orange wheel and a maraschino cherry.
Equally famous for his downtown design as he is for partnering with music legends to push his rockstar-fashion agenda, designer John Varvatos has tapped music legend Ringo Starr to be the new face of his Fall 2014 ad campaign. Starr, who celebrates his 74th birthday this month, appears in the Danny Clinch-photographed series to raise awareness for the Ringo Starr Peace and Love Fund, a peace-spreading project that supports the David Lynch Foundation and works to heal trauma and stress through transcendental meditation. The former Beatle, who has practiced meditation for over 40 years, appears in the vintage-inspired black and white images flashing his trademark peace sign while donning the quintessential rockstar symbol: the leather biker jacket. The campaign launches in conjunction with a behind-the-scenes short film featuring Starr and a few other rock heavy-hitters (and Jimmy Kimmel?), as well as a worldwide call-to-action social media movement that revolves around the hashtag #PEACEROCKS. For every participant that shares a picture of themselves via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Vine using the hashtag and flashing the signature Varvatos two-finger peace sign, the designer will donate $1 to the foundation through the end of 2014. As if we needed another reason to take a selfie.
You can’t spell punk without Dr. Martens. Okay, well obviously you can, but you’ll have a much harder time keeping face on the beer-soaked dive bar floors in last year’s running shoes. Since its birth in the 1960’s, the british shoemaker has become a staple product for both youth in revolt and heritage connoisseurs, ruling the feet of any and every important New Wave rocker, Grunge dresser, and head-banger in the years following. Today, Docs continues their tradition of outfitting the subculture with a third collaboration with fellow Brits Brutus Trimfit. Available in classic oxblood and yellow check patterns, the two short-sleeve button downs feature three-finger collar, double button dart vented sleeves, and of course, a sharp tailored fit.
The Brutus Trimfit x Dr Martens shirts are available now for $88 each at Dr. Martens retail stores worldwide and online.
“The world of today is all about contrasts that come together,” says John Varvatos of his autumn/winter 2013 collection. “I created a bridge crossing an ocean and mixing seemingly opposite universes and different eras: English dandy and New York edge.Rooted in the character of old world English dandy, the great textures, deep autumnal colors and elegance are blended with a strong dose of New York edginess to create a sophisticated contemporary look for today’s man. The new tailored silhouette has a subtle hourglass shape and a stronger shoulder while layers have been stripped back to let the fabrics, leathers, yarns and new proportions speak for themselves. Brushed tweeds, artisan finished leathers, hand knit sweaters and washed velvet shoes blend to create a timeless yet unexpected mix that is a step forward in the constant evolution of the John Varvatos signature handwriting.”
A tailored hourglass silhouette. The color is claret if you're a dandy. Wine if you do the whole rock and roll thing. And...vino if you're Italian. Either way, all of you can wear this proudly.
This look migh've had a few more layers in season's past. The mix of fabric textures, hardware and accessories freshen it up.
The coat. The COAT.
The light/dark contrast in the 3-piece suit, button up and tie are easy and creative. But really, styled with arm warmers? Now you've got us piqued.
Rockabilly, ska, smoking parlor...party or p.j...plush & knit. The cardigan could be lived in.
