Miharayasuhiro - Evolution of the suit or an extension of pyjama?

A nice, crisp, tailored suit should be hung in perfect accordance in any mans wardrobe, however Miharayasuhiro have set out to defile this convention, and I'm still trying to work out whether it's a good thing or not. Mihara Yasuhiro, the creator and CEO of the brand has been working closely over the past seven years or so, with Puma, to create some of the most interesting and innovative designs we've seen on sneakers to date. However it wasn't so long ago that the up and coming designer converged to designing menswear. Just like his sneakers, he has always set out to break boundaries and smash conventional ideals of menswear, I think he's done justice with this reel.

This collection sees the conversion of traditional and contemporary Japanese Manga into prints, and I think it's paid off. It's not at all what you would think the outcome of this project would look like, but I'm in awe of it. The prints are subtle yet prominent, and unlike most of the high street, patterned shit you see hanging around, it does not embellish the whole item and has some sort of personal ties with the designer. The central motif for the collection was a Phoenix, which is being exploited in the gold head guards worn by the models. It's a statement that tells of the power of the Phoenix being, incomparable to that if human power. Perhaps this is what Mihara thinks his collection is, in comparison to the rest if the industry. He's done a good job, but you're not quite there yet.

As mentioned earlier, he seems to have out a spin on the conventional tailoring of the suit, combining oversized Asian harem pants with a slightly tailored jacket. The oversized trousers give a more contemporary edge to a traditional piece. Never the less it can be seen as a smart pair of pyjamas, at least I can see both sides of the spectrum. I do however think where print has been applied, it should be broken up throughout the outfit a little more. This draws such prominent attention away from the upper half, and has your concentrate on the outfit as a whole. Otherwise you may as well wear some last season, American apparel jeans.

Altogether it's a great collection and does she the boundaries of menswear being elevated, hopefully one day menswear will be comparable to womenswear, and not just a side show designers use to experiment with.

Vivienne Westwood - Gold couture fit for a queen.

The aim of this blog is to centralise a breakdown in styling, and fashion of the worlds best fashion brands, and to also have my own virtual marketplace of design, catalogued from the best the fashion industry has to offer.

It is for that reason I chose to analyse a well known, and very aesthetically pleasing, piece of work, by one of the most controversial, eccentric and loved designers in British fashion.

Most of those reading this, and of my generation, will only know of Westwood’s work; post 1980′s Britain, (Unless of course you’re a fashion student) Or like myself; clutch a copy of ‘Vogue’ or ‘Dazed and Confused’ on every lengthy train journey or soul destroying commute to work.

Straying from the topic at hand a little, but onto the styling analogy. Being my first post, I wanted to choose a collection that I initially fell in love with. Of course It did just that. As Westwood describes her premium collection: ” Influences come from the 4 corners. Historical and Ethnic, structure and ‘flow”. From a styling perspective, this statement doesn’t come into play quite as much as the design of the garments. However you can still see the influence (predominantly historical). The items them self see a great influence of medieval Italy and Arabia. This expands the very complimentary  brown and gold colour palette.

As a Fine Art graduate, a good colour palette is ALWAYS crucial when piecing together an outfit. This effortless outfit, head to toe, really does seem to compliment each other. The only real aesthetically frustration I endured was seeing no scarf, or infect anything chunky just below the crew line. Having this being an AW I would have liked to see this outfit with more bulk. Especially paired against a cape with so much to drape. Ideally I would have paired this outfit with a statement gold parliament piece.

Again, full of compliments (don’t get used to it) but I am in love with the matching of hair and make up, which trails down the model, with an almost water flow like cascade. however I seem to recall Westwood using a similar, beaten theme in a previous AW collection. Perhaps 2011?

Finally, onto probably the most important piece; the shoes. These chunky, almost recycled yet signature boots, seem to provide the essential bold top off to the outfit. They affirm a display of confidence and sincerity with the outfit. Something every stylist wants to achieve!

Needless to say the outfit, and of course the collection is divine, in its entirety. I can only hope that at some point in the future, something as premium and self titled is available for men!