Spring 13 Menswear Trends

Shiny

Burberry Prorsum, Canali, Roberto Cavalli, Mugler (All Photos from Style.com)

When Christopher Bailey sent a bunch of shiny shirts and jackets down the runway, I was honestly just confused. What is this mess. But then several other designers followed suit, though in different ways (that I tended to like a little more). Canali and Roberto Cavalli's Shows featured a couple suits with shiny blazers paired with matte pants and shirts. Mugler had a different approach to adding shine, making some of the pieces look almost liquid. Hardy Aimes, Victor & Rolf, and Maison Martin Margiela also featured shiny pieces and looks.

Prints, not Patterns

Burberry Prorsum, Etro, Gucci, Bottega Veneta

Well, Prints In Addition To Patterns. Patterns became real big in menswear this spring and now big prints are joining in. Burberry's show was full of shirts and jackets covered in prints of all different colors, and Etro brought a bunch of Middle East-inspired suits down the runway. Several looks in Gucci's (beyond amazing) show had big, swirling patterns. And Bottega's suits had florals printed over glen plaid. This trend was also seen in Roberto Cavalli, Alexander McQueen, Moschino, Salvatore Ferragamo, and more. Read my full post on Prints here.

Monochrome

Ann Demeulemeester, Jonathan Saunders, Gucci, Hermes

Monochrome, the natural step after the color-blocking trend of the last couple seasons, started appearing on the Spring runways in all colors (but mostly blue and orange). Ann Demeulmeester threw some patterns into the monochrome looks, adding a splash of fun. Jonathan Saunders kept it cool in the classy blue looks above. Gucci's all orange looks were drop-dead stunning and sexy. And Hermes brought in this lime green color that I'm really really feeling and I hope it catches on. Monochrome was also seen in Alexis Mabille, Brioni, Mugler, Roberto Cavalli, and more.

The New Military

John Varvatos, Valentino, Belstaff, Balmain

Military? Isn't that a ubiquitous look that can't really be a trend? Well, yes, the military look is sorta always happening and I don't see it going away ever, but designers were taking a new look at it this season. Instead of army jackets and military green, they experimented with cropping (Balmain), Belting (Belstaff), new takes on Camo (Valentino), formalizing military (John Varvatos), and military looks in all colors. Military dressing has gotten exciting again. Maybe this is because of the repeal of DADT and now the gays have a say in military uniforms? I'm into it. This was also seen in Costume National, Dries Van Noten, and more.

Menswear - SS13

It's no secret that I love patterns. Actually, "love" makes it seem like I have a healthy relationship with patterns. I don't. I cannot get enough of them. "Obsession"sums up how I feel about them much better. Lets start over.
It's no secret that I have an obsession with patterns. this whole color-blocking thing that's been going on is not so much my thing. Pattern blocking is much more my style.  Patterns on patterns on patterns is how I like it. If your outfit doesn't worry someone with epilepsy I just don't want to have any part in it.

So I've been loving how, for the past couple seasons, menswear designers have been rolling out new takes on patterns. First it was florals and bright patterns for Spring 12, then they got darker and more geometric for Fall, and patterns have taken a new turn for Spring 13. Instead of small, repetitive patterns (florals, geometric prints, or otherwise) patterns shown in the Spring shows have been big and instead of just sort of happening over the whole piece or outfit, they are placed strategically and the pattern becomes the piece.

Gucci & Burberry Prorsum (All photos from Style.com)

Gucci and Burberry Prorsum (probably my two favorite menswear designers) showed some of the best examples of this. The prints on the shirts (and jacket, in Burberry's case) are these big designs placed on the pieces so that the design itself is an integral part of the piece. I would feel bad layering something over these because you would lose part of the print. That's where these new designs are different from past prints - before, they were repetitive and all over the piece. Now the design is just on part of the piece.

Bottega Veneta & Etro

Bottega Veneta does something similar with florals on blazers. Instead of just having a bright floral blazer, the floral is printed subtly on top of what looks like a even more subtle glen plaid. The floral is just on part of it though. For Bottega, just a couple flowers are necessary. Etro then has their trademark paisley just on the top half of the blazer and the bottom of the leg. The new repetitive patterns aren't repetitive at all - the happen just once and stay where they are.

Roberto Cavalli & Alexander McQueen

Roberto Cavalli did the same thing, except with a speckled pattern on the top and bottom of the blazer. Again, the repetitive patterns happen only in one or two places instead of all over. The second jacket is another big pattern on the piece. Alexander McQueen brought it with the Spring collection, showing lots of amazing looks and suits. The first blazer is just a great print with a defined center on the button, making it look like an explosion from the middle of it, instead of patterns with no start or center previously shown. I'm beyond obsessed with the second blazer. Dragonflies were a motif throughout the collection and this blazer was my favorite use of them. They're focused on the lapels and seem to be flying all around the rest of the jacket. Just perfection.

Moschino & Salvatore Ferragamo

Moschino showed both ways of using patterns - how it was done in FW and how they're being used in SS. Under the cardigan is a print that just repeats all over the shirt and, separately, the pants. Then on top is a cardigan with one big print coving the whole chest. This shows the difference in how the patterns are worn - with the repeating patterns you wear them to add some interest to an outfit with something that's not solid, then the big new prints are there to be there. You don't wear them under something else, the print exists as a whole, not as something to be covered. (Sidenote, this collection reminded me so much of D&G's FW11 collection. I'm still so upset over the loss of Dolce & Gabbana's diffusion line). Salvatore Ferragamo showed some more of the new patterns in different ways from the other designers. The cardigan looks almost like pattern-blocking as opposed to color-blocking. And the blazer is just a great print, and the painted-on look makes the outfit so much more than just a tri-color jacket.

Resort 2013 - The Season of Silhouettes

This resort season wasn't exactly what I was expecting. While I was expecting designers to play with patterns and textures (which they still did), many of them seem to be playing with silhouettes in fun, exciting ways.

Marc Jacobs

All Photos from Style.com

Marc took inspiration from Cindy Sherman's clown series, which, at first, seems like an odd place to take fashion inspiration from. Well, not just at first, it still seems very odd. The results are mixed, I'm not the biggest fan of the color palette (every color ever), but there were some pieces I loved. But I'm here for the silhouettes. Marc really played with different shapes this season - long tops over enormous, clown-like pants, lots of big skirts (though big seems like a too-gentle term to describe some of them), cap sleeves gone crazy, and long, rectangular dresses. The collection feels like a continuation from his Dr. Seuss-like Fall collection. It seems as if Marc Jacobs is having a lot of fun with his designs lately, and he doesn't want to leave any silhouette out.

Balenciaga

This collection was all about the mix of hard and soft. Light pastels with black accents, a flowing cream-colored dress with a leather halter, skirts that can only be described as "flouncy" with a form-fitting top, a light skirt with a highly structured jacket. This led to some very interesting designs and some really different shapes for looks. Nicolas Ghesquière has moved the peplum down from the waist and gave skirts a turn-up at the bottom (I've never been a peplum's biggest fan, I'm so excited about this) which adds to the skirt's interest, and, frankly, is just fun and adorable. The structured-sleeve jacket is something we saw a lot in the fall shows, and Ghesquière is continuing that, and doing so in different ways. The third looks above shows he has created the incredibly structured arm with a soft fabric - an unexpected juxtaposition that gives the arm and the entire look a new silhouette. The entire collection with filled with looks like that, introducing new silhouettes by altering old ones - the turned up skirt, the cropped, structured-sleeve jacket, structure with light materials, and, in that last look above, an oversized, light top with structured ruffles on the sides. By playing with old silhouettes and combining hard and soft materials, Balenciaga turned out an incredibly exciting resort collection.

Lanvin

Alber Elbaz followed his out-of-control-amazing Fall collection with this equally great Resort line. Elbaz did what he does best - highly creative designs and lots of dark colors and gilded touches. He also continued this mini-trend of silhouette play. Big, protruding shorts (first look on the left) and voluminous short sleeves (second look) mirror what Marc Jacobs showed. Then several of the looks had rectangular silhouettes, similar to ones shown both in Marc Jacobs and Balenciaga, but of course done in a way only Lanvin could do - a long square snakeskin jacket, and a flowing red dress with a square back. If the Lanvin resort collection is any indication of where fashion is heading soon, it is all about being bold with dark colors and materials.

Derek Lam

Derek Lam's resort collection is mostly full of neutrals, with lots of light blue and some bright reds. Along with that, there were a lot of rectangular silhouettes (the first two looks above), usually with some sort of twist - the undone light blue jacket in the first (kind of really amazing, turning boxy into sexy), and the wider bottom of the white jacket in the second. Again, he showed several exaggerated skirts, which I am such a fan of. And of course there were military details in almost every look in the line, because of course!


The consensus: Big sleeves, enormous skirts, and just new shapes and silhouettes

Resort 2013

DKNY

I feel very mixed about this collection. A lot of the individual pieces were great, especially the maroon blazer on the far left, the leather jacket in the third look above (leather is hard for me to ignore), and the contrast leather sleeve trench (again, leather is everything to me). My main problem with this collection is the styling. Much of it is fine, but many of the looks are styled so that there are several visible hemlines of shirts and tops. Like, lets tuck some shirts in! And black tights just feel too UES for the look of the clothes. But, that being said, the maroon that was central to many looks is just great.

Erdem

You're going to have to excuse me for a hot second, I'm currently dying over these patterns! It's like Erdem put the best prints from the fall collections on crack and acid. Every looks is overwhelming in the best possible way. I cannot wait to see what the shoes look like up close. Both Erdem and DKNY continued the fall trend of bright colors in cooler, darker hues.

Just Cavalli

This collection was kind of a hot mess. It was a mix of some pieces that I loved with a bunch of pieces I hated and lots of pieces that felt too familiar to other collections. Lets start with the pieces I loved. The white leather jacket killed me, as did the white crocodile-skin pieces (jacket and pants shown above) in the collection. The floral blazer shows on the right is also so good. It’s hard for me not to fall in love with a fun printed blazer. A large amount of the collection reminded me too much of other designer’s work though, especially the look on the left above (Versace, particularly their collection for H&M) and the looks with symmetrical floral patterns (Givenchy). All in all, I wasn’t the biggest fan of this collection, though some pieces stood out from the rest.

Oscar de la Renta

What to even say? This was Resort perfection. Amazing colors, amazing patterns, amazing textures, amazing Oscar. The collection moved from black and white to a parade of colors. Most dresses featured either a floral pattern or texture or a checked pattern like gingham. The way Oscar translated floral patterns into textures on the dresses was unreal. Then the green dress that looks like a flower itself…What even? The dresses shown in this collection show that floral can and should be taken to new dimensions. Hopefully we will see more of this in the spring shows. 

My Love/Hate Relationship With Mint Pants

Mint is, well, everywhere this season, and I kind of really love it. I mean, how can you not love such a fun and flattering color? I cannot wait until I get my tan on and really take advantage of my own mint pieces. Pastels, especially mint, became the colors of the season during the spring shows, below: (Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Yves Saint Laurent. Photos from Style.com)

Then, Lady Gaga named Mint as the color of the season in her "Marry The Night" music video, and, since what the Queen says goes, it became ubiquitous. As I'm sure you've noticed, mint is everywhere now: dresses, tops, pants, shorts, skirts, mani-pedis... At first, it was my minty-dream-come-true. I absolutely loved it.

But heres the thing: mint pants are out of control. Not in the good way. I was so excited for everyone to be wearing mint pants - they're something totally new and unexpected that came out of this season. They give an outfit a fun pop of color while remaining totally classy.
Everyone took that "fun and unexpected" part and turned them into the most overdone piece I have seen in a while. It's like no one is able to come up with an original outfit. The number of girls I have seen wearing mint pants with a simple white blouse was unreal.

While this is such a cute outfit, it already feels old

I have never gotten over a look so quickly as I did with this. By the end of that first nice day I was disappointed and over it. Heres the thing though: it's not like a white blouse is the only thing that would go well with mint pants, there are so many things that go with mint and would pair with mint pants soo well - whyy can't people wear them? Heres a short list:

Black (Maybe throw on a blazer or leather jacket)
Cream (trench coat, anyone...?
Navy (or really just any blue)
Patterns
More pastels
Light and dark shades of red

And I'm sure you can come up with more. There are *a lot* of options that aren't white; please choose them. Mint looks modern, but the mint pants/white blouse look has already been done to death and you won't look as trendy as you hope to.


Just to clear something up. I'm not breaking up with the Mint pants/white blouse look. But we're definitely on a ross/rachel break.

Gaga's Best Fashion Moments

In honor of the one year anniversary of Born This Way's release, I've decided to look back at some of Lady Gaga's best fashion moments. 

She wore this out of control Armani gown to the Grammys in 2009. The pieces spinning around the whole dress, the insane platform heels, the glitter sleeves, the bright yellow wig, and of course the star she held all come together in a perfect way to show everyone that she was the real star of the night.

This, the 2010 VMA Awards, was the same night she wore the meat dress, but her Alexander McQueen arrival gown vastly overshadowed that in my eyes. She flawlessly wore his “Armadillo Heels” and walked in with several servicemen and women who had been discharged under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell – making a statement in the most beautiful way.

I have always been a fan of houndstooth so this Salvatore Ferragamo look is kind of major. Of course she took it several steps past what it was on the runway – adding a houndstooth hat, sunglasses, and the pattern on her leg itself. Of course this dress was seen on several other celebrities, but who wore it best isn’t even a question.

Custom Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld is something that every girl wants, and Gaga got it for the opening of Gaga’s Workshop at Barneys last November. She looked like a caricature of a Chanel gown in the best way. The massive skirt and the sheer amount of pearls were absurd but she worked it and it came off as fun and somehow glamorous. And of course she wore fingerless gloves to show off her nails (claws?) along with it.

Last year, Donatella opened up the Versace Archives for Gaga and Versace became the only thing she wore for a month or so. Being Versace's biggest fan, I was dying. This yellow snakeskin pattern dress killed it. Gaga toned it down with simple black Louboutin pumps and a studded belt and sunglasses. Class. Act. (Obviously Gaga’s “toned down” is most people's “too much” but whatever).

Continuing with her Versace moment, Gaga wore only vintage Versace in her simple “Edge of Glory” video. Leather, leather, and gold…perfection. She has never been scared of some S&M influence on her style and this vest/necklace/straps look screams someone who is unafraid to take fashion risks. I hope Donatella and Gaga continue their friendship and can one day create something beyond beautiful together.

Summer Beach Totes

So summer is my favorite season. There is literally nothing bad about it. Even when your car is too hot and you have to wait outside of it for a bit before you can get in without melting has a certain charm to it. I. Love. Summer.
Obviously one of the best aspects of summer is lazy beach days. Getting up early to head there with your friends. Laying on the sand with Vogue. Running into the ocean. Regretting not using enough sunscreen and dealing with your burn for the next couple days. (I'm currently going through that last part).
So of course you have to look amazing for the most quintessential part of summer! And a cute beach tote is absolutely necessary.

TopShop & J.Crew

These two bags are perfect ways to throw some neon into your beach trip. The TopShop tote blends the old-style woven bag with modern neon green handles. Mixing traditional with modern is one of my favorite things in fashion so this bag is kinda perfect. The stripes and rope handle on the J.Crew tote bring in a east-coast nautical twist to the bag. Tell me you don't like stripes and I'll tell you that you're a liar. This bag is also water resistant so don't worry about getting too close to the waves with it.

Marc by Marc Jacobs & Kate Spade

The fashion world is having a major moment with prints, and of course Marc Jacobs is having fun with it. Ever since I saw his sunglasses print I've been obsessed with it. It's literally perfect for summer. This one is also big enough to hold your stuff for an overnight (beach house, anyone?) Kate Spade brings some tropical fun to the beach with this embroidered tote. I guarantee you'll be the only one on the beach with amazing cockatoos on your bag.

Marni & Lanvin

If you're the type of person who can spend $1000 on a beach bag (No judgement, just some jealousy), then these are the bags for you. The orange and pink blocks of color exude fun in the classiest way. Stripes and color blocks? Yes please! Then Lanvin combines woven straw and python printed leather? Like, shut up this is too good. I honestly don't know what else to say. Alber Elbaz is a genius.