<Musings of an NVous Insomniac>

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Men's Fall Winter 2011

I have a thing for brands. I'm not ashamed to say it. Some people avoid brands like it's the plague because they want to be detached from consumerism, but I know I'm part of the consumerist culture sweeping the whole world today. I'd rather admit to it than sit on my high horse. I hated people who brandished their brand name bags before, but later realized that I just could not afford them so I hated. But now I realize it's just people's preferences, and who am I to judge?

My personal favorites are the classics: Prada, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Dior. I own an item from each, albeit starter pieces like wallets and a money clip. Cheapskate, right?

Every now and then though, I tend to depart from the classic brands and look at others. I still couldn't afford them, but who's stopping me from dreaming? There's a store in Sydney Westfield called Harrolds (weird choice of name since it's too close to Harrods) that stock my favorite brands and I admit they are very aspirational (read: save up for four months for those sunglasses).

For the past few seasons, I've liked stuff brought out by Christophe Decarnin (Balmain), Ricardo Tisci (Givenchy), and Christopher Bailey (Burberry). This rings true for their Fall Winter collection pieces. It's kinda cool being in Sydney with the weather patterns opposite those of the Northern Hemisphere (it's winter here when it's summer in Europe) so we're always a season ahead. Or behind, depending on how you look at it. I prefer looking ahead, so I get inspiration from Europe's current collections.

Hemingway's, here are my top picks for Men's FW 2011:

Burberry Prorsum

OK, I must admit I wasn't particularly impressed with Burberry's pieces for this season. It really worries me when a designer goes "back to basics" as this implies that the designer has lost his way, therefore going back "to the roots" of the brand. Of course, this only applies to designers who have carried over a particular brand.

I did not like the Burberry check coats that were on display this season. The past three seasons of Burberry have definitely been strong, but I'm just not sure about this one. Nevertheless, there are some that I find appealing:

Camel jumper - Classically contemporary

Black jumper - Great texture, versatile piece.

And my favorite piece of them all, the see-through plastic raincoat with black piping. It is very versatile and practical. I can see myself wearing this during the coming rainy months. I wonder if this will be available here.

Givenchy

Ok, Riccardo is now being hailed as one of the future greats in the fashion industry. I must agree. His clothes spell chic with a capital C. He is the epitome of edgy. His inspirations range from religion, clowns, rock, and even death. Now, he's into barking dogs. There's a thin line between crazy and edgy, but this is fashion. I like that he gets to have fun!

Plus he uses Asians in his shows. THANK YOU RICCARDO.

My favorite pieces are:

The shoes, the shoes! I'm not buying one because it's gazillions of dollars and it won't suit me and I don't know where to wear this, but I still love it!

Classic Givency shirt in black.

Classic Givenchy shirt in camel.

I must have this belt!

And the best look to summarise how strong this collection is:

Now this, I can definitely get away with.

Balmain

Thank Christophe for resurrecting rock. His pieces have been coveted for the past years and have been seen on most fashion editors and insiders in Paris and Milan. His menswear collection speaks volumes of relaxed luxury. He usually doesn't Overpriced jackets and pants aside, Balmain has remained to be one of the top aspirational brands out there.

My favorite pieces are: