The Star Online: Lifestyle: Arts & Fashion
The Star Online: Lifestyle: Arts & Fashion |
- A revival of kilts, whiskers and beards in men's fashion
- Uniqlo's unique approach
- In Beckham’s boxers
| A revival of kilts, whiskers and beards in men's fashion Posted: 24 Jan 2013 06:37 AM PST Men's fashion turns hair-raising as beards and kilts are revived. KILTS made a comeback at the recent Paris menswear shows courtesy of Japan's Yohji Yamamoto while Louis Vuitton looked east to another national costume for inspiration. To the wail of bagpipes, models sporting beards and every conceivable style of whiskers from Dali and fu manchu to handlebar and walrus teamed Yamamoto's 21st century take on the kilt with ties, hats and long flowing woollens. Double breasted jackets combined with the facial hair conjured up an Edwardian gents look with red and black tartan and mauve adding a splash of colour for winter. Trousers – where they did feature – were cut short. For his fourth collection for Louis Vuitton, Briton Kim Jones, working with artistic director Marc Jacobs, said he had travelled to the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan for inspiration. "A collection is often an actual journey for us. It comprises what you take with you and what you bring back both physically and mentally from the experience," he said. Unspoilt by mass tourism due to restricted access, Bhutan "still had that mystery surrounding it. Almost a fantasy idea as well as a real place ... the only place where snow leopards and tigers cross paths," he added. Silk robes in a Garden In Hell print by British artists Jake and Dinos Chapman resembled the gho, the heavy, knee-length garment worn by Bhutanese men, and its traditional checks and stripes featured in much of the collection's suiting. A snow leopard pattern and motif recurred throughout the collection. In other looks, "the figure of the gentleman climber is compared and contrasted with Bhutanese traditions and symbols", the house said, with soft structured jackets and coats in Bhutanese Yak felt and Himalayan stone buttons. The travel theme found fresh expression at Dutch design duo Viktor & Rolf's collection inspired by Jules Verne's A Journey To The Centre Of The Earth. In the suitably hushed environs of a Natural History Museum gallery, earnest, bespectacled models strode past stone columns and high glass-fronted cabinets. Here was the "house's eccentric gentleman on his style journey, a curious monsieur who is playful while serious, adventurous while cautious", the duo said. Super slim silhouette suits dominated in shades of black "interwoven with dark earthy tones in browns, graphites, greens and midnights", with fabrics such as boiled wool and satin quilting. Footwear featured the Chelsea boot with gunmetal toe embellishment, described as Rolf Snoeren and Viktor Horsting's "unique take on the mountaineering boot". The pair mark their 20th anniversary this year. Elsewhere, American Rick Owens continued his focus on light and dark in a typically restrained palette of black, white and ecru with mixed materials such as leather sleeves on wool coats. Owens said that designing the collection had been one of the few occasions he had actively thought about masculinity. "I was thinking about almost a joyous masculinity," he said, adding that wearing a military coat "automatically gives you a certain swagger". Around 80 shows were held during the five-day Paris menswear shows. – AFP |
| Posted: 24 Jan 2013 06:34 AM PST Refreshing colours and prints are featured in the latest collection from a popular Japanese brand. MADE for all – that has always been the philosophy for Uniqlo. Founded in 1949, the popular Japanese brand has no plans for a drastic change anytime soon. However, this doesn't mean Uniqlo is any less unique. With its strong clout and presence as a unisex casual wear label, it has always showcased a combination of minimalism and vibrancy in its designs since the beginning. Although each of Uniqlo's collections is distinctive in its own way, there is an obvious flow in all of the designs. "Creating clothes that people can mix and match on their own is what Uniqlo is all about," said Naomi Takizawa, the company's design director. "As much as we would to like follow trends, we still want everyone to be able to wear Uniqlo," added Takizawa in a recent media interview in Ginza, Tokyo. For its Spring/Summer 2013 collection, Uniqlo is inspired by elements of nature. Takizawa said that the eccentric theme bears a strong organic and human element. "Normally, when a designer looks for a creative direction, it may come from entertainment, art, music or something particular that happened in society," he said. Takizawa wanted to focus on people's thoughts and their desires, which isn't always easy to figure out. Of tea and ice cream He used daily life activities as a lead to identify colour concepts, such as a herb – shades of brown – which can represent a simple act of drinking tea. "If you're tired, sipping a cup of hot tea will help you relax. When you're stressed, drinking tea is also good." This "earthy" pastel colour concept is featured in items like long sleeve linen shirts, three-quarter chinos, long skirts and even printed culottes. To counter summer heat, blue – representing water – is also a colour concept in the products. For denim, the range takes on a more solid, darker blue. This is the first time Uniqlo is releasing denim wear as a complete series, which consists of jackets, shirts, cardigans, jeans and blazers. They are expected to be hot items this season. "When the weather is hot outside, you'd naturally want to drink some water, something cooling that refreshes you. So 'aqua' is the inspiration behind this colour concept," explained Takizawa. "The varied shades of blue represent different kinds of water like the sea, river, rain and even mineral water. Meanwhile, white represents the colour of a bubble." Ice cream is another pivotal "ingredient" for Uniqlo this season. "Gelato", the Italian word for ice-cream, is used by Takizawa to explain the most colourful and youthful looking pieces in the collection. Apart from the cooling sensation that an ice cream can give, Takizawa chose gelato as a colour concept because of its many enticing shades. Baby pink, light yellow, bittersweet orange and mint green are some of the colours on the shirts, cardigans and chequered items. According to Takizawa, prints are the signature of this collection, with the introduction of new patterns in line with the themes chosen to express more enjoyment and a casual lifestyle. This includes dresses, which are released on a larger scale. "We are releasing more dresses in this collection, featuring different designs, prints and patterns. I am expecting them to be a sell-out; the same goes for the denim series," said Takizawa. "Our dresses receive great response, especially when we infuse them with Heattech (Uniqlo's fabric technology that helps provide greater warmth)," concurred Yukihiro Katsuta, the group senior vice president of research and development. The popular Uniqlo Tee (UT) series is also back with more collaboration with brands such as Rhythmic Textile, MTV, Fender, Coca-Cola and Disney. Fans of the UT series can look forward to pocket Ts this season as well. Achieving a balance Uniqlo constantly thrives to overcome challenges in the fashion industry by offering the best to their customers by understanding what they want, instead of focusing on what the designers favour. "We like to keep our designs simple, but not 'basic', because 'basic' may come off as 'boring'," explained Katsuta. "So we make our patterns or prints as interesting as possible while maintaining the concept of making simple clothing. This is what sets us apart from other fashion brands." To provide a deeper insight, Takizawa emphasised that Uniqlo products must not only look good, but they must be comfortable and useful. "Sometimes, a design may ruin the apparel's usefulness. For example, if a jacket looks good with two pockets but ends up confusing the customer (he may forget which pocket he placed his money in), then it might as well have just one pocket!" He reiterated that there has to be a good balance between aesthetics and functionality when it comes to creating a good design. "We do not ask people to fit into our clothing, but we tailor our clothing to fit them," said Naomi Otama, the brand's group executive vice president. "As a brand, I don't think we stand out much from the crowd, but what we want to do is to meet consumer needs. "That is the challenge we face every day – making comfortable and useful clothing while keeping it sharp," concluded Otama. The Spring/Summer 2013 collection, priced between RM39.90 and RM169.90, is available at all Uniqlo stores. Uniqlo will also be opening a store in Queensbay Mall, Penang this March. For more information, visit uniqlo.com/my. |
| Posted: 24 Jan 2013 02:32 AM PST FILM director Guy Ritchie (and Madonna's ex) has directed a new campaign for David Beckham Bodywear at H&M. In it, Beckham is cast as an action hero. "David is the perfect leading man," said Ritchie in a press statement. "For me, this felt like more than a campaign – it was like directing a short film." The tongue-in-cheek campaign, which debuts worldwide on Feb 6, follows Beckham being chased through his neighbourhood streets of Beverly Hills clad only in his boxer briefs. "Working with Guy has been a fantastic experience," enthused Beckham. "I hope everyone has as much fun watching the film as I had making it." The bodywear line offers a new range of colours that come in tones of dark navy, red and utility green. For Beckham fans, no doubt this ad will be a Valentine's gift in itself. |
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