Revolutionary Topman LFW 2012

It’s been brewing all season. From Kenzo’s romantic Hawaiian idyll to Givenchy’s menacing tropical prints, Comme des Garcons’ layered pyjamas to Walter Van Beirendonck’s exuberant Caribbean patchworking and even the obliquely tribal swagger of Christopher Shannon’s monochrome tassels. But it was Topman Design who pulled all that latent, vividly eclectic globetrotting energy together, a rich, decadent Marrakesh blitz of sunburnt colours and languid silhouettes.

For a whole generation of postwar writers, artists and designers – from Bowles to Genet to Saint Laurent – the louche exoticism of Morocco represented a luxurious modern Eden, ripe with guiltlessly hedonistic sensuality.

But the success of the Topman team’s spin on this well-trodden route lay in adding a blast of breezily modern youthfulness. Intricate scarf patterns and psychedelic landscape prints were tempered with taut, long-line tailoring in sombre urban shades. jackets and silk shorts skewed the silhouette in a relaxedly schoolboyish direction, emphasised by loosely-tousled banded knits in slabs of earthy colour.

Bohemian in spirit but coolly urban in its’ execution, (and evocative of Scottish designer John Ray’s underrated work at post-Ford Gucci) this latest outing from Topman Design was a further step in its’ evolution into a standalone menswear voice, mining iconic period reference and filtering through its’ own distinctively London Edge.

Jake.

Backstage Images by: Sam Wilson

5FWS RECOMMENDED OUTFITS

As you know I love man clutch and I think they are really fashionable and trendy. I really appreciate that Topman re-invented it and put it in his S/S 2012 collection. I also love bulging jackets and straight leg trousers.

Totally in love with those extra shorts in chic fabric and this floral shirt.

Phillip Lim Spring/Summer 2012 collection

You can usually count on Phillip Lim to be squarely on top of the direction of the season. But this Spring, as so many zigged to Technicolor and try-and-top-this prints, Lim zagged toward something refreshing, airy, and minimal—a sartorial sorbet. His reference, in fact, was an object made to fly away: the kite. It was taken literally in tops and dresses sewn from rectangular panels with loose edges that fluttered as the models walked. Colorful strips were sandwiched inside nylon shells and left long to stream about like tails.
Lim says his guiding principle is "sophisticated youth." At a time when lady clothes seem to be the default setting for New York designers, it's nice to see a different approach.
In my opionion dressed in those outfits you will hit the streets and everyone will appreciate it!

Jake.

A stunning Japanese designer.

Nowadays Japan is very popular in Occidental world, not only for its amazing customs and traditions. Japan is fascinating also for its fashion designers. In my opinion Issey Miyake is one of the most popular and established fashion stylist in the world. His clothes are really simple to wear and the lines as well. I love his latest show in Paris, where he presented his F/W 2012/2013 Men Collection. The men’s design team at Miyake created the illusion of layering via a variety of techniques: assembling checked cloth like pieces of a puzzle to produce wavy patterns; and dip-dying check flannel jackets and trousers using a traditional Japanese technique. I really love his trousers, they are pure and comfortable. I liked shirts and jackets but not coats. If you made trousers SO SIMPLE, you cannot exaggerate on coats color and its fabric textures. What I totally appreciate is an oversize coat similar to a poncho, the color and lines are really fashionable and glamourous. I also love coats with large metal studs, STUNNING!

Below you can watch the entire Issey Miyake's fashion show brought to you by FTV and looks I prefer the most.

Jake.

Une nuit Parisienne.

Let me present this amazing and stunning video that let me remember an important person in my recent life. It shows the beautiful city of Paris by night. In my opinion Paris is one of the most fashionable and glamourous city in the whole planet. Enjoy this fabulous video, comment it and share it with your friend ;)

Jake.

Hollywood Costumes Exhibition!

Hollywood's most beautiful costumes will be displayed for the first time at a major exhibition, hosted at the V&A from October 20, from Scarlett O'Hara's green, velvet, curtain gown as seen inGone With The Wind, to the little black dress worn by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast At Tiffany's. Sponsored by jewellery label Harry Winston, the exhibition will house over 100 of cinema's most famous and iconic looks, including Johnny Depp's Pirates of the Caribbean costume and Judy Garland's gingham The Wizard Of Oz dress. The showcase will be divided into three sections; the first puts visitors in the shoes of the costume designer to explore how they translate a character from script to screen; the second looks at the relationship between the costume designer and the film's creative team and, finally, a third gallery offers costumes belonging to cinema's most beloved characters.

Here you can get a little preview of what you will see there, so, enjoy!

Judy Garland as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz(1939)wearing a gingham dress by Adrian Adolph.

 

Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater in Titanic (1997) wearing a black and white dress by Deborah L. Scott.

Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher The Iron Lady (2011) wearing a blue suit by Consolata Boyle.

 

Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007, wearing an Elizabethan yellow dress, ruff and undergarments by Alexandra Byrne.

Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra (1963), costume by Irene Sharaff.

Marilyn Monroe as Sugar Kane Kowalczyk in Some Like it Hot (1959).

Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind(1939) dress by Walter Plunkett.

Tippi Hedren as Melanie Daniels in The Birds (1963) dressed by Edith Head.

Keira Knightly as Cecilia Tallis in Atonement (2007) wearing a green evening dress by Jacqueline Durran.

Sharon Stone as Catherine Tramell in Basic Instinct (1992) by Ellen Mirojnick.

Jake.