No Spain, No Gain: This time last week, Jean-Luc introduced us to the fall 2009 collection from Barcelona-born menswear designer Georgina Vendrell. As was pointed out, Vendrell is one of the rare species of women designing for men. The collection was intriguingly styled, incorporated a thoughtful mix of fabrics and had more than a handful of stellar pieces. The three sweaters featured above in particular strike the right balance between high-end and ready-to-wear. But we were made aware of more than just one designer. 080 Barcelona Fashion is a relatively new fashion event that gives both Catalan and international independent designers the opportunity to showcase their creations in front of an international jury. Of those who sent menswear down the runway earlier this year, check out the fall 2009 collections from Dutch designer Maikel Bongaerts and German label Postweiler Hauber.
Back to Basics: The past few days have borne the news of two designers releasing diffusion lines. First, we discovered that Alexander Wang was looking to release a menswear version of his T label, and now we see Robert Geller following a similar course of action with his latest cut-and-sew line Seconds–both lines looking at leveraging the purchasing power of basic tees and singlets. Does this diffusion of luxury labels into the value sector signal the end of the middle fashion segment?
Dazed & Confused & Enthused: We were treated to a new dimension in fashion earlier this week with the Dazed & Confused 3D August Issue (glasses included), which featured a specially commissioned shoot of Marios Schwab’s 3D-inspired collection. Catch an interview conducted by SHOWstudio’s Fashion Director Alex Fury with Marios Schwab here. Dazed & Confused Menswear Fashion Editor Robbie Spencer styled >this August issue editorial shot by Karim Sadli, with pieces from Prada and Number (N)ine (see above). Be sure to read the interview conducted this week by Models.com with Dazed & Confused’s Fashion Director Nicola Formichetti. And, finally, for those budding fashion bloggers out there in London, D&C is on the prowl for a new editorial intern.
Set Sale: OK, so I wouldn’t exactly label the prices at the newly opened SHOWstudio Shop as sale prices (see this £25,000 flag created by Galliano)… but it’s still interesting to peruse items from fashion history. If it’s a bargain you’re after (and you live in New York), check out the ‘Christmas in July’ sales (until July 21) at a host of Lower East Side stores. These sales are in celebration of the menswear trade show known as (capsule), an event that gives up-and-coming, edgier brands the opportunity to showcase their latest collections to buyers and the press.
Lagerfeld, that’s who…That photo of Karl and his entourage has been making a splash in the blogosphere this past week. If you’re desperate to try your hand at irony, you can snap up Naco’s “Karl Who?” t-shirt and tote from Colette at a modest $70USD each.
