First of all, welcome to Know Wear! I am so excited that it's actually going live today. I have worked on it for many hours and I can't wait to hear what you all have to say about it. Bear with us to complete the transition from soVIPzone. The above menus will be up and running in the over the next week and I have done my best to adapt the old posts to the new layout but I haven't got around to doing all of them yet so don't get grossed out if some look awful.

Now, back to the collage. I remember posting about camouflage last year when Rag & Bone showed a couple of pieces on their FW10 collection. I didn't like it at all then and I still quite dislike what they did with the tricky print now. The reason why I changed my opinion about camouflage altogether is Viviana Volpicella. Her fur-collared jacket worn with purple trousers and Prada's striped shoes really won me over. The fact is that if visionary designers like Miuccia and Junya Watanabe had also shown some pieces that season it was a trend long overdue. It's still hard to pull it off and find the right combination of shapes and colours. I will start by giving it a try with some ASOS shorts this summer, you?

[Pictures: Style.com, The Glamourai, Stockholm Street Style, Tommy Ton]

Collage Sunday, 06.03.11: Parisian delights

It was so hard to choose only one or two designers to make my Sunday collage about that I chose four instead. They are some of my favourite collections of the weekend so far. Alber Elbaz did it again. I am forever in awe of his skill and imagination at Lanvin (please don't take him away to Dior!). I obviously loved his wide-brimmed hats (where you could have friends over for tea) and the beautiful shoes buckled at the ankle. Cacharel was a pleasant surprise. Cédric Charlier used colours (or lack there of) with prints to express a very modern and chic point of view. I loved the simplicity of the cuts and the layering as well. I hope Giovanna Battaglia gives this a try. I absolutely loved Sonia Rykiel's collection this season. her combination of checks, winter motifs, quilting and dyed hair was quirky but also rather Parisian. I particularly liked the tartan throw-ons and patchwork blazers. And finally, Junya Watanabe. He does extraordinarily well wherever he goes. I am dying over his fw11 light and asymmetrical knits and those slightly cowboy-ish Chelsea boots.

Clockwise from left: Lanvin, Cacharel, Junya Watanabe, Sonia Rykiel.

I'm off.

[Pictures: Style.com]

Paris Highlights

Once again Paris Fashion Week outshone London, New York and Milan by proving that it is in fact possible to make creative pieces while holding back on excess and flamboyance. Paris was less colourful than other fashion weeks which made the catwalks darker but more interesting in terms of texture and cut. Haider Ackermann, Roland Mouret, Celine and YSL best embodied this. Overall, we saw simplicity in the shape of a 60's (Giles, Louis Vuitton) and 90's (Isabel Marant) revival and plenty of lamé and khaki adding up to the FW10 trends.

Balmain

Givenchy

Roland Mouret

Pedro Lourenço

Celine

Junya Watanabe

Lanvin

Stella McCartney

Isabel Marant

Yves Saint-Laurent

Wunderkind

[Pictures: Style.com]

I'm off.

bluuuue VELVET, and grey and brown and red...

When in search for that touch that will transform your outfit into the ultimate winter ensemble velvet is the key. Specially amongst men collections blazers and trousers can be found velvety both in traditional colours and in more fashionable hues. This might not be a fabric easily found when reaching into your wardrobes, but it proves itself most versatile and suggestive when it comes to texture. Velvet introduces light and different shades of a colour into an outfit, making it easier to put together hues of the same palette avoiding looking uninteresting. Let's have a look at the best proposals from the most relevant runway shows.

Since Frida Giannini entered Gucci the house has seen itself influenced by the designer's colourful soul which was instantly injected into the dark brand's past, not making it any less chic. This is why, once more, I have to crown Gucci one of the best collections of the season. In addition, just as it happened with the womenswear line, there is a sort of boho and hippy vibe which includes playful patterns to make it all even more eye-catchy.

Velvet, however, seems to require high levels of confidence. This is why I have collected some more traditional and classic velvet options as well as the daring new ones. There is a velvet choice for every kind of man. Black and brown are always a safe pick for the traditional men, but go velvet for a bit of an edgy feel. J. Lindeberg, Hermès and Giorgio Armani offer full suits and separate pieces in both colours so you can choose. It is YSL, nonetheless, that offers the most beautifully tailored blazer in black.

Now, for those of you reading and realizing you should spring life into your wardrobe, look closely. There is no need to go overboard with colouring. You can start by trying velvet on a weekend to get the hang of it. Grey (Giorgio Armani), brown (Junya Watanabe) or dark green (Rykiel Homme) are perfect hues that will match anything from your winter closet. Find other items from within the same palette and you're on business. Blue velvet (Dolce & Gabbana) might be harder in the winter but is a very stylish option when mixed with grey.

Olive green and different shades of "mustardy" beige seem to be the most original and stylish pick when trying to bring colour into darker combinations of clothes. If you are past confidence issues and black and brown are a little "blah", this is your colour range. Again, YSL produced perfection in the shape of a blazer. Junya Watanabe's innovative collection included trousers and blazer in some of this colours throughout the entire runway show, which makes it a good designer to resort to. D&G's brown velvet suit is perfect for elegance and edginess in the appropriate dose.

Lastly, for the brave he-fashionista, a range of bold bright hues that will surely make you the centre of any party. Have it bright green (3.1 Phillip Lim), pearl grey (Kris Van Assche), fuchsia (Dries Van Noten), or simply mix it up clearing your mind of any fashion preconceptions (Yunja Watanabe).

Has anyone seen the light after reading about the suggestive powers of velvet?

[Pictures credit: Men.Style.com]

I'm off.

dress the GUILDS

You have been seeing several S/S 2009 menswear posts throughout the last few weeks and I am quite sure you will agree they are remarkably interesting to say the least. It seems men’s fashion is on its way to be considered as an equal in the eyes of womenswear. Alas, it might still be a little while until that moment comes but in the meantime we can enjoy the process of the little baby growing up to be a handsome (stylish) man.

S/S’09 is a season for the fashioning of guilds. Bizarre as it sounds; if you have a look at the pictures below it will actually make total sense. Everyone from cowboys to fishermen can experience a trendy summer and we can copy.

Modernity filters down to peasant fashion made in Burberry. Necklines go down and cardigans elongate to cover a bit more of tailored and denim pants. The thinnest fabrics appear in earth colours, cut in comfortable and well-looking fits. Rain hats are renewed to culminate the looks.

Gaultier put together the sort of collection that seems not only nuts but also impossible to pull off and then, when looked at for a second time, configures perfectly in your brain until you come to love it. Chequers and marine striped make an appearance on t-shirts and blazers but also on socks. Just like most of the other summer’09 collections Gaultier plays with layering rolling up jacket sleeves and crops pants to show the shirts and socks underneath.

It looks like hats are the next big thing for next summer. Ann Demeulemeester takes them to the next level, taking us back to Salem times when cheese-makers spent long ours under the shining sun. Trousers shorten up while sheer and baggy shirts make their way down to the knee.

Yes, it might seem you’re looking at creations from the hand of Sir Paul Smith. Don’t be fooled. Junya Watanabe is responsible for dressing the modern ice-cream men. Blue and red striped blazers are the clear protagonists although the most brilliant of features is the way Watanabe plays around with white and different shades of beige. Pants widen roll up and, again, hats get their way. Cream-colour trilby hats are everywhere.

Fishermen are not forgotten. Miharayasuhiro uses sailor vests over white shirts and bait hooks on tank tops. The latter have a certain medieval air, like a revival of the chain mail. Trousers starting as jeans and soon transforming into black chinos are my favourite thing about this collection.

 

This finishes up the posts about S/S 2009 menswear. Hope you have enjoyed them.

[Pictures credit: Style.com]

I'm off.