Pitti Uomo Starts January 9th. The Florence fashion event is a where mens style trends start.
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Coming Soon, Pitti Uomo 24
Tag: Mensstyle
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When is it TOO MUCH?
“Luxury bags make your life more pleasant, make you dream, give you confidence, and show your neighbors you’re doing well.” Karl Lagerfeld
Luxury fashion brands decided going up is better than going down. Prices have increased on aspirational pieces. Chanel bags are now twenty percent more. The controversial Speedy Bag from Louis Vuitton menswear head Pharrell now goes for $1 million. Is this too much? Have the labels lost touched with aspirational clients? Recently there have been many articles and social media posts on an industry that is feeling more and more out of touch.
Instagram gave the world an entitled make believe reality of imaginary wealth, generating demand for high priced goods. In business, when there is increased desire, rise the prices, the Chanel Hobo Bag is now 6350 euros. However, consumers are now balking at forking over more a prized item. The biggest luxury corporations LVMH, Kering and Richemont have been caught off guard, reporting lower sales figures. As the economy slows, inflation bites, buyers have put off buying the latest expensive offerings. Is this only a trend or a new normal of shoppers thinking twice about trading upward? Dreaming keeps the spirits high, but during these times, customers feel money in bank is more secure.
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A Fashion Week Builder
Bauyrzhan Shadibekov talks about Visa Fashion Week Almaty. The CEO discusses the elements of putting together a new professional fashion event from the Eurasia capital. On this episode of the Before Tacky podcast get all the details of an emerging creative style scene.
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A Style History
The history of wearing a hat and why from Simone at Borsalino Milan.
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Suave Fall Looks
Check out the Fall pieces for 2023 that set an inspiring attitude.
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Pharrell on the Paris Catwalk
Pharrell’s Louis Vuitton menswear collection debuted on a spectacular scale. The Pont Neuf bridge was the setting for the musician, now a full-time fashion designer, to show off his version of luxury looks. Virigil Abhloh’s death left a big hole to fill. When the Virginia native was made head of the famed house in February, eyebrows hit the ceiling. Williams’ limited experience and lack of training felt a bit out of sync with the demands needed to be a creative head. The multi-nominated artist has street cred with his label, Billionaire Boys Club. The streetwear brand is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
Going to a fashion show in some cases is not about the fashion but about who is attending. Jay Z and Beyonce sat next to LVMH head Bernard Arnault. LV brand ambassador Rhianna hit the front row with baby bump and husband A$AP Rocky. Throw in supermodel Naomi Campbell, singer Lenny Kravitz, actress Zendaya. It pays to have famous friends, add in all the resources a $20 billion corporation with the Paris landscape as a backdrop, a choir, band and symphony, this event was spectacle worthy of Imperial Rome.
Looking over the numerous looks strutting over the Seine River, suddenly I had flashbacks to downtown Los Angeles. There was a guy who sold who sold fake designer clothing from the back of a truck. If a buyer wanted to try on the pieces, the alley way was the changing room. All transactions were cash only, no questions asked.
Not a Capsule Collection
Granted, Pharrell had only had three months to put together a collection. Looking over the pictures from June 20th, I saw recycled archives with new colors along with a homage to 90’s Ghetto Fabulousness. The absence of subtlety and lack of elegance struck because buyers want quiet luxury, toned down pieces of high quality. Secondly, there was no demonstrative style longevity with this collection. A fashion creative head needs authenticity, not the feeling of a capsule collection collaboration produced for a quick trip to the bank.
A person could be forgiven for thinking they were watching a garish indoctrination ritual. Logomania took over the catwalk in every color, shape and size, from bags and trunks to leather track suits with prints, suits with square patterns, pixel prints and knee length shorts with jackets.
I am willing to give Pharrell a second chance to reevaluate. Perhaps he will grow into the job. If not, the hit song maker still has his first career as a fallback.
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When Mail Was FUN!
Before Amazon and shopping online, mail order catalogs dominated the long distanced retail landscape. Buyers browsed pages for merchandise before purchasing. Specialty catalogs rose from the advent of targeting certain customers. International Male was one such catalog. The menswear label from INTERNATIONAL MALE launched in 1976 from a beach shack in San Diego. Founder Gene Buckard’s homoerotic masculinity vision of fashion became an instant success. An aspirational fantasy of gorgeous men with a six packs covered the pages.
Writer Peter Jones and directors Byran Darling and Jesse Reed document the story of the rise and fall of a once trend setting catalog. ALL MAN-THE INTERNATIONAL MALE STORY is fun to watch for the nostalgic feeling of getting a fun piece of mail.
ALL MAN-THE INTERNATIONAL MALE STORY was screened at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival. From Giant Pictures. Running time is 83 mins. Available on digital platforms June 6th.
Karl Lagerfeld took front and center at the Met Gala 2023. KARL LAGERFELD:A LINE OF BEAUTY was the theme of fashion’s biggest Red Carpet. The legendary German helmed the luxury house Chanel for 37 years.
Vogue editor Anna Wintour along with co-hosts Rodger Federer, Dua Lipa, Michaela Coel and Penelope Cruz brought the glitz and glamour to the exclusive Red Carpet affair, raising money for the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
As with so many other gilded events, this year’s Met Gala came across as awkward. Imagine putting together an IKEA shelf with a 12 degree leftward angle.
Would we go to the most exclusive party in the fashion world? This would be a hard a question to answer. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of the club? However, it’s no secret the fashion industry is swerving on a mountain side road. Retailers as well as brands are feeling a hard pinch. Consumers have cut spending on clothing. Weak brands are falling while the strong ones struggle.
Reality? Who Cares!
Conde Nast has not been immune from shifts. The publishing house has fired staff, issued pay cuts and is decamping in Louboutins for newer, speculation is,,,, cheaper, digs.
I was recently speaking to a press agent about the speed of the change. No one knows who is in charge of publications. Email contacts now have a “no longer working here” instant reply. Journalistic quality has become questionable. What is an objective review? Magazines are now platforms for hire where if you do not pay there is no coverage. Press invites are more of a kin to potluck events, bring your own dish. In the past, agent relations were about seduction with Goodie Bag samples, generous catering and a conversation.
The Good Ole Days are gone. What happens now is more similar to a used car salesman in a polyester plaid suit trying to close a deal before the buyer becomes aware. As many press agents have lost clients, so have their kissing on the cheeks budgets decreased. Only the “In Crowd” may get a trinket. Food, maybe, is a croissant from a corner supermarket, if the lowly overworked intern has time to grab them. Call me adaptable, these days I pack a protein bar with a bottle of water for fashion press events.
Which brings me back to the Met Gala. Sure, it looks great, gilded circus food, cotton candy on a stick. But how long can you eat cotton candy?
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Driving, Need An Accessory
Check out the quick style tip from Andrea Muzzuca of The Outlierman.
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Intagram’s Fast Fashion Affect
An excerpt from Before Tacky Podcast the team spoke about Instagram’s affect on fast fashion. Trying to live the large life while caring about sustainable fashion is a contradiction for the social media set.