NEWS Archives - Page 278 of 282 - CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN

The Summer holiday season is well and truly upon us, whether your jetting off for Ibiza, aving it in Ayia Napa, taking it in, inThe Hamptons or High Rolling it in Las Vegas. A DJ in demand, or aspiring one, relies on a bag that not only gets the job done, but is in sync with their style. Splitting time from trendy lounges and airport lounges around the globe is just part of the job, but ensure your tool of the trade endure the riggers of, not only international, but domestic travel.

To answer this problem, luggage genius brand Tumi and music mastermind DJ Vice have mixed things up to come up with the ultimate in DJ Bag musthaves. Vice, an native Angelinos, who cut his DJ teeth, mixing his brother and sisters records including Madonna and Morrisey, with more dance based tracks.

In 2002, he saw new opportunities emerging in Las Vegas at the huge clubs that were starting to open and left his radio job. He began with a residency at Body English in the Hard Rock Hotel and later moved to the mega-club Tao, where he still has a residency. The move to Vegas has been a huge game-changer for him, exposing him to an international audience. DJ Vice has now played all over the world, including Shanghai, London, Singapore, Hong Kong, Norway, Germany and Istanbul.

When travelling from venue to venue, Vice requires one carry-all that he can pack on his back, jet- setting direct from the plane to the club. Propelled by the lifestyle led by this nightlife occupation, Tumi tapped into Vice to amplify the Tumi Alpha T-Pass Business Class Brief Pack, the chosen travel companion within the DJ fraternity. The Tumi x Vice Brief Pack bag illustrates design elements tailored to this A-list, or wannabe, DJ’s needs.

The limited-edition piece packs in added enhancements that the elite of music makers can appreciate, all the while commanding attention with pops of Vice’s signature electric green colour. While spinning a set inside a dark club, Vice found it problematic to dig into his bag to find belongings successfully, so he worked with Tumi to engineer a LED-lined interior. With the click of a button on a small remote, the inside of the bag gleams electric green, for ease of searching for personal items when lighting is scarce. From business class to the DJ booth, Vice demanded a transitional bag tailoring to his needs, both large and small. A compact option was therefore incorporated into the design, allowing for the rear of the bag to zip-off into a slimmer backpack. Vice has mastered blending his belongings seamlessly into each pocket of his Alpha backpack: the side pouches hold items such as a mini surge protector with dual USB ports, a small roll of gaff tape, a GoPro camera and a few DJ cables. The “goldmine of this bag”, as Vice puts it, is the main pocket housing equipment from two pairs of headphones and a needle case, to the essentials while taking flight: magazines and a thin sweater.

We are spoilt when it comes
to sunglasses, no matter what our budget, face shape or colouring
we can quite easily find a pair of sunglasses to suit our handsome
lil faces. And yet still we desire more, more exclusivity, more
attention to detail and individuality. Now this is where
Eye
Respect comes into its own, born out of a desire to
pay homage to the long and distinguished histories of English
& Italian culture, style and standards of
craftsmanship. The ideal of “sprezzatura”; The effortless
combination of style and attention to detail that are inherent in
both cultures. Referencing key landmarks
in Anglo-Italian style, the collection is a reflection of the
exacting standards both cultures embrace. From the traditional to
the contemporary, with a strong heritage influence, Eye Respect
collections attract a broad selection of both traditional
professionals right the way through to modern sub-cultures. Eye Respect frames are
designed and manufactured by hand. Their designs are conceived in
London in the artisinal way, and then head to the region of Veneto
in Northern Italy to the family – owned workshop that has been
producing the finest acetate frames for 50 years. Each frame goes
through more than 60 crafted stages to achieve the style and
quality that they respect and has gained the brand the respect of
key artisans including Oliver Spencer and Mark Powell and Shhhhhh
Adrien Sauvage for Summer 2014, but keep it to yourself.

Denim brands are pretty much two a penny these days and to try and achieve stand out amongst this ever so crowded market is a tall order, but Flying Horse Jeans are a British denim brand specialising in Indigo dyeing and a unique construction of denim apparel. The brand is inspired by nomadic sun soaked travels throughout the islands of South East Asia and their ability to create really amazing indigo washes through different dyeing processes.

The brand was founded in October 2010 by friends David Rix and Sanjay Madan, who met whilst working together on a previous assignment and came up with the idea of a new denim brand based on the lifestyle concept of nomadic adventures around Asia. David has over 18 years of design experience working with the likes of Ralph Lauren and Abercrombie & Fitch. Whereas Sanjay has been in the jeans manufacturing industry for over 30 years and owns a factory in Thailand where the brand is produced.

Carven

And so onto Paris and into the final leg of the Mens Fashion week circuit for this season, well next season, never mind. Ahhh Paris in the Summer, the Champs Elysee, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, THE PACKED UNDERGROUND SYSTEM ! The first day of the Paris shows and its off to Carven, who were inspired by the great artists, not one in particular just a mix, or collage of them. We saw bright sherbet colours and artist smock style shirts and all rather wearable.

Valentino

Onto an Italian Powerhouse, who has taken a shine to showing in Paris is Valentino, and rather then me tell you I’ll leave you in the rather stylish hands of Monsieur James Sleaford, a Englishman in Paris who just happens to be the Fashion Editor of GQ France, “One of my favourite shows was that of Valentino. It was a collection both rich in fabrics, colours, styles but equally very wearable! Whilst, many designers went for the floral print at a strong statment piece Valentino subtly used it in a comoflauged trouser print to add both colour and texture to an outfit but keeping it commercial at the same time! Whilst summer leathers were everywhere for the Spring Summer collections – the Valentino vests were of the highest quality – styled in a clean sportswear fashion with both T-shirts and tailored trousers! This was sports chic at its best with a twist of Military flair!”

Please don’t think lazy of me but I sort the opinion of another fashion leader this time in the shape of Adrian Clark, Style Director of Shortlist. “Dries Van Noten knocked it out of the park for this season. The Belgian designer’s use of print is unsurpassable and the combinations of his menacingly dark florals on liquid silk and satin fabrics worn with romantic military tailoring will set a precedent for Spring 2014.”

Kenzo

For both Kris Van Assche and Kenzo it was about forgetting Sports Casual for Spring 2014 and think Sports Formal. Van Assche managed to blend elements from suiting with casual outdoors attire plus added splashes of BRIGHTS for maximum effect. Whereas Carol Lim and Humberto Leon, for Kenzo, returned to their California roots, replacing the tiger stripes of their phenomenally successful sweatshirts with the waves and surf of Cal-I-for-ni-a and offered a BLUE-tiful collection.

Over at Hermés, silver was the colour du jour as Véronique Nichanian celebrated 25 years of producing exquisite, not often I get to use that word, collections for the French Luxury house. As always she didn’t disappoint offering everything the Hermés man could possibly want from a Summer wardrobe.

Ami

To finish the day it was off to the Ami show, increasingly becoming a fave of Clothes-Make-the-Man, where Alexandre Mattiussi, showed us his sense of humour, sometimes in all too short supply in Fashion Land, he tried to convince us that budget airlines and the stresses of contemporary airline travel have and could not take the glamour and gloss off international jet set travel, obviously he needs to experience the delights of Ryanair and Easyjet a little more.

Louis Vuitton

And to, what has to be, arguably, the most sort after ticket on the Paris schedule, Louis Vuitton. So, of course I wanted to gauge the opinion of the most sort after lady of Menswear Press, the alluring Catherine Hayward, Fashion Director of British Esquire. “When you’re the style director of Louis Vuitton, talented teams and big budgets mean it’s easier to be noticed, receive accolades and collect awards for your efforts. But for his Spring 2014 menswear collection, Brit designer Kim Jones proved his worth with probably his most successful collection yet for the house of Vuitton. Managing the notoriously uneasy balance between commerciality and artistically viable pieces of ‘fashion’, Jones’ road trip across the USA produced a mix of uber luxurious lambskin holdalls and back packs, bright orange crocodile skin bomber jackets and python sweatshirts and sneakers with a more down-at heel vibe across the casualwear; cotton drill varsity jackets and parkas decorated with carpet woven travelling badges plus oversize shirts and t’s which channelled classic bandana prints. With David Beckham sitting front row, Jones sent a red–carpet friendly finale of slick grey, black and monogrammed evening wear along the runway with quirky clothes peg detailing on lapels for added chutzpah.”

Paul Smith

Finally, from a Brit at a French house to a Brit at what has to be THE most British of houses, Sir Paul Smith, although he showcased his new Best of British collection during London Collections:Men, Paul still, for the moment, shows his signature line in Paris. When I caught up with Paul recently, sorry I don’t mean that to sound as wanky as it does, he explained how he thought his recent collections had become very dark and how when he had visited his archive he saw all this colour that he had become synonymous for. Well he wasn’t bluming well joking, there was Red and orange and pink and, I think you get the picture, essentially the catwalk and venue was awash with colour.

As the sun sets on another LC:M for this season, its time to move out and move on, setting up camp in another style Capital this time it’s the turn of Italy’s Financial Capital, Milano. For Spring Summer 2014 the Italian houses seem to be in mixed moods, maybe reflective of the country wide mood, as the recession rumbles on and uncertainty is the mood du jour. So first we have some young blood who seem to be making waves in the right direction Les Homme. Continuing where London, left off and reflective of a number of their designers, Tom Notte and Bart Vandebosch of Les Homme blurred the lines of casual and formal and teamed leather t-shirts with suiting, formalised the shorts and bomber jacket all the time keeping the primary colour palette dark and sombre but highly wearable.

Calvin Klein Collection

For Calvin Klein Collection, Italo Zucchelli, was all about 40 shades of blue, rather then the grey, which several of his fellow designers seemed to relish. Every hue of blue must surely have been used at some point during the show, offering, as always, his minimal, futuristic take on menswear. Whether it be simply Navy, or Sky blue, Yves Klein blue, no relative, to Midnight blue they were all present as Zucchelli celebrates a decade at the helm of the good ship SS Calvin Klein.

Vivienne Westwood

Now as we mentioned in the London Show Reviews, I’ve sort the views of a number of Fashion industry soothsayers, for their opinion on their key shows and first of today’s viewpoints comes from British GQ’s Associate Editor, Mr Robert Johnston, who has forgotten more about Fashion and style then many people will EVER know.

“I loved Vivienne Westwood. Fresh, fun and wearable while still being classic Westwood. The Indian prints took you to a chic Goan beach house mixed with the drama of a white evening cape for a modern mix of east meets west.”

Then onto an Italian Family Dynasty, who are hopefully putting the sad events of this year behind them to concentrate on more happier times. Missoni, who like many designers this season are opting for a more conservative, maybe even recession proof collection. Obviously it goes without saying the show wasn’t without the unmistakable family pattern evident on many of their key pieces, but this was made all the more wearable by mixing it with a much sober palette of navy, beige and sage.

Prada

And as almost to act as a colour interlude from all the darker tones of Milanese Designers, Prada should present to us their collection for SS14, but I will leave this to the more then capable Dan Rookwood, Style Director of Mens Health UK to expand upon.

“Every season the one show everyone expects the most from is Prada – and every season the fashion powerhouse more than meets those expectations. Prada’s HQ had once again been reinvented. This time we were transported back in time to a steamy 1950s tropicana scene. I got a sense of pre-Revolution Havana when the mob were running the casinos. All the models had been spritzed to look like they were glistening with sweat, mirroring some of those squished into the front row. The tiered seating was aqua blue like a swimming pool and the ceiling was sky blue like the, erm, sky. The models walked around the pool edge past a painted set of sunsets and palms. The colour palette was quite moody and muddy for a summer collection – burgundy, bottle green, khaki and navy – but was enlivened by bold, colourful Hawaiian print buttoned-up shirts and standout leather briefcases and overnight bags, festooned with tropical patterns. Trend-wise, we’re looking at a wider leg trouser worn with a casually tied canvas belt; generously-lapelled jackets with the sleeves turned up; and 50s-style shirts. The universal verdict: yet another Prada triumph.”

Gucci

So from one great Stylish man to another, this time Fashion Director of American Esquire, the ever dapper and unflappable Nick Sullivan, give us his take on the iconic house of Gucci designed by Frida Giannini.

“Gucci was a breath of fresh air for me this time round. The glitzy side was played down in favour of a comfortable mix of romantic print and technical sportswear. Highlights were floral print cotton suits and a couple of others with simple dot prints reminiscent of pocket squares… The navy ones got my name on it. On the sports side I loved the bright yellow sailing top with its technical bonded seams and sone of the texhnical looking pants. To me the combination of romance and sport was unlikely but the sheer unadulterated quality of everything made it work just great.”

Couldn’t have put it better myself fellas!

Fendi

Italy are known for their great family Dynasties from the Borgias, to the Guccis, The Medicis to the Fendis and the latter house offered as a HUGELY wearable collection for SS14 to the point that I challenge you not to find a least one outfit that you wouldn’t like to purchase. The colour palette, the cut, everything about this collection just screamed WEAR ME ! From casual chic to fresh formal, it owned the Fendi man a complete wardrobe from dusk til dawn.

Last night a DJ Bag saved my life – Tumi X DJ Vice team up for the ULTIMATE DJ Bag

Eye, Eye, Nuff Respect for Eye Respect

Forget your Crazy Horses & Wild Stallions its all about Flying Horse Jeans

Paris Menswear Show review SS14

Milan Menswear Show Review SS14

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