Crisp and Clean

as I recently read a interview on Male Mode with the lovely and always stylish Ana K of Ripped-Knees and one comment caught my eye

“what do you think men should wear more?

Plain white shirts. I say this all the time, and a lot of guys say they don’t like them because they wore them as part of a school uniform for so long, but I actually don’t care. They make 95% of men look better.”

i couldnt agree more and i have been pushing this point for a while. One thing my tutor said to me and it so right is that the most important part of a shirt is the collar.

The collar can completely change the entire silhouette. Personally I prefer a classic wide collar or a close pointed with a collar bar.

whichever style we cant underestimated the tailored white shirt!

There MUST be something in the water at the Raf Simons studio

Ive said it before, everything, and i mean EVERYTHING that Raf Simons touches seems to turn to gold. Prime Example is the young Damir Doma.

This croation born designer graduated  from his studies in Berlin in 2004. He then found a mentor in Raf Simons when he moved to Antwerp. It was in his employment that Doma truely found his feet and grounded his style. He found the perfect balace of light feminine fabrics with classic male suiting, tailored lines and excellent styling.

check out his website

http://www.damirdoma.com/

you’re all EPIC C.U.N.T.s

C. U. Next Tuesday was amazing last night. the place was absolutely RAMMED and everyone was on the buzz!

indie is on the way back up….we want the ripped converse slamming the floor next tuesday!

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We all look forward to a grand C.U.N.T. opening

There are a shit load of nights in the bigger clubs that are playing amazing beats around Dublin and we love to dance to these but do you ever get the urge to dance to some songs with words???

WELL, we have a new night in Crawdaddy that will be on every Tuesday called C. U. Next Tuesday. we will be bangin’ out INDIE, HIP HOP DANCE AND DISCO over two rooms and we guarantee words all night long!!!

for the GRAND C.U.N.T. OPENING we have DEREK FEAR DJ (from that lovely oak basement on a fri) and the C.U.N.T.  DJ’S who both want to get you very, very ,,,,,,VERY sweaty!

come dance untill you feet bleed then dance a little longer!

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It was all a dream, i used to read word up magazine

I freakin’ love Hip Hop man……many years ago i used to (like a lot of genres) judge on what chart music had that genre, not very clever on my part but as i am now a little older and a little wiser i can think for myself. Two songs which get me torso moving on the bus are, the always classic ‘Juicy’ by Biggie Smalls and ‘Alive’ by Kid Cudi which is a collaboration between the Kid and Ratatat (who i believe aren’t getting NEARLY enough credit/publicity for how talented they are).

 

Music rant done…

 

It’s all in the detail

January seems to be fast approaching which means hours of transfixed staring at the 30+new outfits of countless designers……Menswear designers.i am getting the itch to see something new already and browsing back over S/S10 collections i cant seem to take my eyes off the Jil Sander catwalk.

Raf Simons truly understands the idea of minimal detail which is quintessential for memorable menswear design. it was his features that he used such as the single/double-breasted jacket with the curved hem on the centre front on the top layer  and the square hem on the  under layer. it is so stunningly subtle. This along with the short-sleeved  v-neck t-shirt that had a hem that mimicked the jackets rounded hem.

 

Every thing this man touches turns to GOLD!

 

 

images from catwalking.com

Talent in its purest form

One of the finest menswear designers i have been following for the past few years is Aitor Throup. For those of you that havent heard of this Argentinian born, North England reared designer, he studied in Manchester and graduated from the RCA MA course in 2006.  Since, and actually even before he graduated Throup has worked with many major companies including Levis, Umbro and CP Company. He redesigned the english football kit and won several prestigious awards……not to shabby for a 29-year-old!

the reason i think Aitor is blog worthy is simply his technique that he has used on many different projects. He creates mannequins in active poses according to what situation the garments are going to be used in….for example, when researching for the reinvention of the English football kit he watched matches, studying the poses of the players. Noticing their bodies were always slightly hunched and ready to spring into action he created this pose (below) and would drape fabric directly onto this.

another stunning project he has recently completed is a collaboration with CP Company. Aitor had the chance to reinvent the Mille Miglia Goggle Jacket. This iconic jacket, inspired by the needs of the drivers of this epic endurance race around the open roads of italy is 20 years old this year. Throup again made his mannequin to suit the situation( this time a seated driver)

so once he made the jacket it would only sit perfectly when the body was seated in a racing position. i just find this idea …..well perfect. it is one of those time were you say in your head…….why the fuck didnt i think of that!

so check out his website

Aitor Throup

by the by……hes illustrations are INSANE aswell.

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gentlemen please!

 

so there has been an obvious art deco revival with the female side of fashion (flapper girls and the such) but what about the guys?? I think it is really time for us to bring back some of the classier times that was the 1920′s onwards this winter! im thinking really gentleman-esque attire here……..the cold has really hit us and I’m feeling the ‘gentleman’s’ coats, just above knee length, raglan sleeves , cashmere (of course) with large rounded fur lapels and fur lining.  high-waisted  beautifully tailored pleated trousers is a must! and I’m thinking mix it up with some classic patternsa mix up between dior homme pleating and embellishments with balenciaga tailoring would be perfect, but we cant have everything we want!! it has been all about the check/tartan for a good while(and it has been raped by the high street(mainly topshop and pennys) so for winter let us mix it up a little,(thats not to say ditch the tartan, i love it myself but simplicity is the way forward!) also it (being fashion) has become far too disposable, i know this is no major revelation and it has been stated by many other people but i have major of respect for the people who buy the more expensive new or really search out the vintage staple garments that are built for endurance and they wear again and again rather than trying to reinvent their persona again and again.

 

thats my rant…….take it or leave it!

 

opinions?

is this it?

I feel very like a pretentious cliche writer at the moment,

laptop……check

flat in fashionable city………check

strong drink by my side……..check

cigarette in an ash tray  with smoke slowly drifting through the glow given from my screen…….check!

as cliche as it is i love london unimaginably and hate to leave the last week has been absolutely incredible. Midweek i got to take part in the event that my whole summer has been building up to, the Fashion East show.  It should be kind of depressing that my entire 3 month internship was down to a 10 minute window but i couldn’t care less because the show was great.

Natascha Stolle kicked off the show  with  a collection that had a  1930′s cut combined with  several different  prints from a kind of  multicoloured  candystriped to printed ruffles.

daviddavid followed with a short film to which 12 models performed a choreographed routine  to the  remix of Santogold’s I’m a Lady.  The collection’s prints had developed on from the well known geometric patterns that were inspired by visions created by kaleidoscopes and has now moved on to abstract patterns inspired by several different sources including layered highly decorated cakes and gardenscapes but still keeping a similar playful colour palette.

Louise Gray topped it all off with her signature style focusing mainly on embellishment. In this collection she focused all the embellishment on the back, keeping the silhouettes very clean and simple and incorporating chain mail in to contrast the conventional fabrics used.

it was an amazing experience to be part of and from what i could tell everyone was recieved very well.

i am trying to get my hands on the david david video but here are some pictures of the other colections.

Natascha Stolle

Louise Gray

R.I.P. summer 2008

www.daviddavid.co.uk

Photo me Hockney

Since my arrival in london i have been given many amazing opportunities, helping out at a dazed and confused shoot was one of the and while i was there the photographers assistant Amy Gwatkin asked me if i would be interested in doing a shoot for her. she is a very talented photographer and had the concept of doing a shoot influenced by David Hockney. these were  the results..

check out her work if you get a chance.

www.amygwatkin.co.uk

http://spadgerdisco.blogspot.com/