London vs. Milan vs. Paris: Menswear
As the Mens Collections come to an end, I was left wondering about a lot of things. If you've been reading my blog for a long time, you would probably know that I am in favor of innovation and creativity and tend to think of fashion in terms of personal expression and an embodiment of personal ideologies. With womenswear, it is easier to do that but when it's menswear, it seems one cannot get out of the preformed ideas one has about menswear. But thanks to rebels, it's changing. Yes, well, not exactly rebel off the charts kind, but slow evolution is what matters.
Some might argue that the whole point of clothes is to look good and wear something and these designers are basically ruining the whole idea of menswear which is about looking masculine and dapper and maybe throw in sportswear here and there. Like that is all men wear. But no. Sometimes, we have to step out of stereotypes to give people things they didn't know they needed in their lives. That's the whole point of evolution as a person, and in fashion, change. Fashion Industry is one of the few industries who took in the outcasts and rebels under its wings, yet people expect the same old mundane clothing from everyone.
As a Pakistani, I cannot see anyone thinking beyond a suit or two and the regular clothing to add to their wardrobes. And this is has always somehow irked me. And when i turn to menswear collections from across the world, i am left craving for more.
When London Collections Men showcases twice every year, i feel this excitement of knowing that my expectations will be met. LCM has always been the one to break barriers. It experiments with cuts, fabrics and the silhouette on the whole. Of course, maybe it's about how they are taught in their fashion schools, but the Brits have always been innovative to bring out the weirdest of fashion, that happens to be wearable at the same time. LCM shows almost everything; from wearable clothes to off the charts crazy. But maybe this craziness is what fashion needs at the moment.
[caption id="attachment_5370" align="aligncenter" width="474"]
Agi & Sam[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_5368" align="aligncenter" width="474"]
Katie Eary[/caption]
In the past, I have talked about how consumers are now driving fashion houses to create the things that cater to their liking. Whereas it should be the opposite. I sometimes think that maybe the ease of access to everything has damaged our ideas of wanting more. We want more of what we like, and somehow with this mindset, we get lost and lose the chance to discover that there might be things out there that we might not know of but might like?
With Milan Menswear, I felt that they stuck to their roots. The overall air of the collections was sophistication and comfort. It played with patterns and colors, but just to the point of playing it safe. you can argue that that is what Italian menswear is about; class and simplicity and maybe that is what makes Milan stand out. But for a city with such deep roots into the fashion history, i think that playing safe will only strengthen the concept people have in their minds about menswear.
[caption id="attachment_5365" align="aligncenter" width="474"]
Ermenegildo Zegna[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_5369" align="aligncenter" width="474"]
Corneliani[/caption]
At this point of my thought process, I come to think that maybe that's how it should be. That something should be there to balance the crazy. But that is where Paris comes in.
Rick Owens put Paris on the blogosphere for all the weird reasons. His collection displayed what Paris represents, in my opinion. Its about being brave and embracing every part of yourself and showing that that's who you are. Paris has always been, to me, the city where art thrives and artists live. So to see the artist's freedom of expression out there for the world to see is a brave representation of what makes Paris stand out. There was, of course, a lot of other collections and they instilled my belief that somehow Paris menswear is the true representation of the balance between art and wear-ability.
[caption id="attachment_5366" align="aligncenter" width="474"]
Dior Homme[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_5367" align="aligncenter" width="474"]
Yohji Yamamoto[/caption]
The point of jotting down what I did is that I want to say that there's all kinds of people out there who like a certain kind of dressing. And if you look at these three big fashion weeks, we see a representation of who we are as men, and where the idea of being a man stands in the world right now. If I look at London, I see the crazy, flamboyant male who can be whoever he wants to be and express it in whatever way he deems right. With Milan, i see a well refined, gentleman who likes things old school and is comfortable with being simple minded. With Paris, I see the artist who likes to think out of the box while staying inside the box. The Paris male has it both; he's simple but likes his walls splattered with paint. It's all balanced.
I can say which is better than the other but that would be pointless. Every city presented us with a wide array of colors and proved that now, in this moment in time, the rainbow bursts with more than seven colors, and that it's ok for the world to be so varied. Because that is how we grow as the human race, and as individuals.
Some might argue that the whole point of clothes is to look good and wear something and these designers are basically ruining the whole idea of menswear which is about looking masculine and dapper and maybe throw in sportswear here and there. Like that is all men wear. But no. Sometimes, we have to step out of stereotypes to give people things they didn't know they needed in their lives. That's the whole point of evolution as a person, and in fashion, change. Fashion Industry is one of the few industries who took in the outcasts and rebels under its wings, yet people expect the same old mundane clothing from everyone.
As a Pakistani, I cannot see anyone thinking beyond a suit or two and the regular clothing to add to their wardrobes. And this is has always somehow irked me. And when i turn to menswear collections from across the world, i am left craving for more.
When London Collections Men showcases twice every year, i feel this excitement of knowing that my expectations will be met. LCM has always been the one to break barriers. It experiments with cuts, fabrics and the silhouette on the whole. Of course, maybe it's about how they are taught in their fashion schools, but the Brits have always been innovative to bring out the weirdest of fashion, that happens to be wearable at the same time. LCM shows almost everything; from wearable clothes to off the charts crazy. But maybe this craziness is what fashion needs at the moment.
[caption id="attachment_5370" align="aligncenter" width="474"]
Agi & Sam[/caption][caption id="attachment_5368" align="aligncenter" width="474"]
Katie Eary[/caption]In the past, I have talked about how consumers are now driving fashion houses to create the things that cater to their liking. Whereas it should be the opposite. I sometimes think that maybe the ease of access to everything has damaged our ideas of wanting more. We want more of what we like, and somehow with this mindset, we get lost and lose the chance to discover that there might be things out there that we might not know of but might like?
With Milan Menswear, I felt that they stuck to their roots. The overall air of the collections was sophistication and comfort. It played with patterns and colors, but just to the point of playing it safe. you can argue that that is what Italian menswear is about; class and simplicity and maybe that is what makes Milan stand out. But for a city with such deep roots into the fashion history, i think that playing safe will only strengthen the concept people have in their minds about menswear.
[caption id="attachment_5365" align="aligncenter" width="474"]
Ermenegildo Zegna[/caption][caption id="attachment_5369" align="aligncenter" width="474"]
Corneliani[/caption]At this point of my thought process, I come to think that maybe that's how it should be. That something should be there to balance the crazy. But that is where Paris comes in.
Rick Owens put Paris on the blogosphere for all the weird reasons. His collection displayed what Paris represents, in my opinion. Its about being brave and embracing every part of yourself and showing that that's who you are. Paris has always been, to me, the city where art thrives and artists live. So to see the artist's freedom of expression out there for the world to see is a brave representation of what makes Paris stand out. There was, of course, a lot of other collections and they instilled my belief that somehow Paris menswear is the true representation of the balance between art and wear-ability.
[caption id="attachment_5366" align="aligncenter" width="474"]
Dior Homme[/caption][caption id="attachment_5367" align="aligncenter" width="474"]
Yohji Yamamoto[/caption]The point of jotting down what I did is that I want to say that there's all kinds of people out there who like a certain kind of dressing. And if you look at these three big fashion weeks, we see a representation of who we are as men, and where the idea of being a man stands in the world right now. If I look at London, I see the crazy, flamboyant male who can be whoever he wants to be and express it in whatever way he deems right. With Milan, i see a well refined, gentleman who likes things old school and is comfortable with being simple minded. With Paris, I see the artist who likes to think out of the box while staying inside the box. The Paris male has it both; he's simple but likes his walls splattered with paint. It's all balanced.
I can say which is better than the other but that would be pointless. Every city presented us with a wide array of colors and proved that now, in this moment in time, the rainbow bursts with more than seven colors, and that it's ok for the world to be so varied. Because that is how we grow as the human race, and as individuals.