Dries van Noten Catwalk Fashion Show Paris Menswear SS2014
Dries van Noten said it with flowers. He sent out a mix of old floral and botanical prints (from muddied and smudged in inky shades tot vivid blossoms) with scans of freshly cut flowers. Those prints appeared on silk robes, shirt-like blazers and fluid pants – which gave the collection an easy feel. To make it not too comfortable Van Noten added a cotton coat or crisp blazer here and there. There was some sportswear too, anoraks, tank tops and surfer shorts.
Louis Vuitton Catwalk Fashion Show Paris Menswear SS2014
Louis Vuittons menswear-designer Kim Jones dedicated his collection to America, it’s hippies and nerds, its forest rangers and movie-stars. So the clothes moved from preppy blazers in exploded checks tot bush jackets with tie-dye effect an slick evening-wear. There were varsity-jackets, raincoats, surfshorts, blousons and of course black dinner jackets. Blue, brown, mustard and gray were the main colors.
3.1 Phillip Lim Catwalk Fashion Show Paris Menswear SS2014
Phillip Lim presented a ss14 collection inspired by the idea of an accidental tourist, who dresses the way it comes. The result: a relaxed collection, where beach and city met with Neoprene oversized jackets and T-shirts, scuba shorts with kimono-inspired shirt jackets and metallic leather on sleeveless bicker-jackets. Colors were inspired by the see, like ocean-blue and coral-red.
Raf Simons Catwalk Fashion Show Paris Menswear SS2014
That was an interesting menswear-collection Raf Simons sent out yesterday. It left the audience puzzled. Especially the rompers with low crotches – that sometimes looked like mini-skirts or dresses, but also the screaming oversized shirts. Simons told the press that the collection was a study of consumer society, which is becoming ‘more and more artificial, toxic in a way’, he said. He is looking for a new aestetic. ‘Freedom of expression versus the mechanical repetition of products’. The designer certainly challenged the audience with his rompers in a spongy, synthetic fabric, his oversized polo’s and T-shirts in pink or splashed with screaming advertising slogans. There were also sequined embroideries on knitted sweaters and color blocked shirts.
This collection was certainly food for thought.
Valentino Catwalk Fashion Show Paris Menswear SS2014
It was obvious that workwear and military uniforms were the guiding themes for Valentino-designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli. The show kicked off with a series of suits and outerwear, including shirt jackets and parkas, spliced together from various shades of denim.
The designers gave a twist to aviator-style khaki or beige jackets by adding blanket stripes and a single black leather breast pocket that was bonded so flat, it looked like duct tape.
Satiny pants came in a floral chine design that resembled an abstract camouflage print, while toile de Jouy motifs in muted shades evoked faded World War II-era Hawaiian prints.
Walter van Beirendonck Catwalk Fashion Show Paris Menswear SS2014
‘Home sweet home’ whispered the clothes Walter van Beirendonck presented yesterday. He presented a ss14 collection with highly graphic well-tailored suits, shorts and jackets with color blocking and patterns looking like the interior of a room complete with wall paper. A few looks even displayed a table and flower-filled vase — one literally sprung from a jacket like a children’s pop-up book, in 3-D.
DSquared catwalk Fashion Show Milan Menswear SS2014
‘James Dean crashed with his plane on a tropical island and adapts’, that was in short the story that inspired the Caten-twins to design their ss14 DSquared-collection. The show opened with a model taking a shower under a tropical waterfall wearing nothing than a pair of briefs from the duo’s new underwear and swimwear-line. The James Dean the duo imagined chopped off his cotton pants at mid-calf, but kept his biker jacket. Also in hun survival-wardrobe: Bermuda shorts with tropical motifs and rockabilly T-shirts, slouchy, laser-cut shorts and jackets made from a lightweight, waterproof fabric.
The Fifties flavor was felt throughout — on a curtain print, for example, which evolved into cropped pants and jackets, as well as in eveningwear.
Fendi Catwalk Fashion Show Milan Menswear SS2014
Silvia Venturini Fendi designed her ss14 menswear-collection with ‘Extreme Heat’ in mind. The result was a streamlined collection with crisp and slim suits and oversized outerwear. Some pockets and seams were trimmed with strips representing tape, which gave it a raw edge. Colors were deep and saturated, rust, ochre and indigo. Sometimes a bit faded, like bleached by the sun.
Prada Catwalk Fashion Show Milan Menswear SS2014
What looked like a setting of an exotic holiday changed with the threatening sound of a military helicopter at the start of the show. Miuccia Prada wanted to create a dark and menacing feeling with het ss2014-show she told Womens Wear Daily backstage. Her story, that a conflict-torn globe makes finding a carefree place almost impossible, made for a daring collection and a show as captivating as a film noir set in pre-war Honolulu.
The collection: Hawaiian shirts, broken suits, satin-like blousons, and leisure shoes cloaked in rubber. The models looked as if they dressed themsleves in panic and just grabbed some clothes they could find. The colors were dark for a spring collection, as is noticed in more Milanese collections. Prada spiced up her palette with bold and lively prints of jungle foliage and pinup girls, even putting them onto leather briefcases and weekender.
The silhouette was very relaxed in double-breasted or single-breasted jackets. They looked great over silky printed shirts and full-legged trousers.
Missoni Catwalk Fashion Show Milan Menswear SS2014
Angela Missoni presented a fresh, comfortable ss14 collection and introduced a new loom knit made with a rubber coated yarn in indigo, sand and sage green, which she used to create overcoats and short parkas.
Cardigans — some loosely knit, others light — had an airy feel and were done in a palette inspired by West African fabrics. The fabrics were also used as inspiration for classic men’s suits, featuring plaid patchwork patterns on cool wool, as well as a series of pleated linen pants and cargo shorts.
