Sunday, October 3, 2010
Yohji Yamamoto Spring 2011
Paris 1 October 2011
The final look at Yohji Yamamoto was a black T-shirt printed repeatedly with the phrase "This is me," paired with a skirt that looked like it might have been fashioned from a clear yellow pool raft. The message was somewhat obscure. Was the iconic designer, for whom business has been a tough slog this year, making a joke about keeping his head above water?
The show had started off more solemnly, with Yamamoto's signature deconstructed Edwardiana in all black with a hint of ragamuffin. Models had near-Kabuki white faces and matted hair. There was something funereal about their pace in clomping combat boots. When suddenly the music turned to funky guitar, flashes of a psychedelic print appeared in high-top sneakers, leggings, and inside the waistband of a paper-bag pleated skirt. Yamamoto flipped back and forth a few times, alternating "Ave Maria" with "Purple Haze." In one rocker moment, a panel of that eye-popping print extended from a dress and wrapped around the shoulders like a priest's vestment. Another look recalled Madonna, with punky leggings under a shredded skirt with a black bustier and rosary. The religious undertone made sense if you were aware that the designer was paying homage to Jimi Hendrix, a rock god deserving of a temple.
Today's outing may not have scaled the heights of sheer beauty and emotional resonance that Yamamoto is capable of reaching, but the designer's defiant individuality is still intact. Perhaps that was what he was getting at with the slogan tee.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Long Men Hairstyles
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Picture Gallery of Men Haircuts & Styles | ||
Men didn't used to be so concerned with their hair, but times have changed. More and more men are opting to go for a stylist or visit their local hair salon specialized in men grooming, rather then a routine barber visit. Here are some men's hairstyles to get inspired from for when looking for a new do, and be sure to check out our Celebrity Men Hairstyles section for hundreds more styling ideas.
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Thursday, September 30, 2010
Spring 2011 Barbara Bui
30 september 2010 Paris
The great thing about designer inspirations is that they don't necessarily have to make complete sense to work in the context of a collection. That would be the case with Barbara Bui's Spring show, for which her ideas ranged from "energy and light" to "women reporters." In your head, you might conjure up a radiant Christiane Amanpour in lotus pose, but on the runway you could see the designer's train of thought. There were flak jacket-inspired pieces—jumpsuits, khaki shirts, silky cargo pants, and, well, jackets—leading to the desert ease of languid silk dresses and blouses, and natural linen shifts and tiny shorts.
Following in the vein of her coats from Fall—and the current trends—Bui also showed leather outerwear pieced with panels of snakeskin and perforated suede. With shades of both biker and aviator, these also dovetailed with the chic and nomadic foreign correspondent she imagined. The necessary counterpoint to all that relatively rugged and sporting utility was a dash of gold lamé at the end of the show. After all, this Florence of Arabia may be a professional, but her life can't be all work and no play. Bui also added a slightly more low-key dash of flash in geometric sequin embroideries on those linen bits. Strangely, a few were reminiscent of Louis Vuitton's insignia, which could have been a coincidence, or perhaps a reference to luggage? Either way, it was the sole true head-scratcher in an otherwise solid collection.
