August 2006 Archives


August 30, 2006

S.F. Women’s S/S 07 – ERIN MAHONEY

Designer Erin Mahoney opened her collection with a series of evening gowns. The overall look were 70’s disco era gowns meet 40’s starlets’ silhouettes. While I loved the curvaceous silhouette, the 70’s style of synching of the fabric was to fashion backwards. Where Mahoney really shined with the opening section was the addition of her prints. Erin slowly added these prints giving some flare and a shower of color in her collection. Some of the strongest print looks in the opening section she used her Pucci style prints. Paisley and modern prints filled with layers and layers of color. One of the strongest looks in the collection is the brown/pink/green paisley print dress with ¾ length sleeves. Mahoney used these prints on handful of pieces from blouses to dresses.

In the second section Mahoney continued her use of prints but she changed the style of her prints. Adding more floral and some modern style prints. One of the standout prints in this section was a mum print that is very similar to the mum prints Yves Saint Laurent used for over 30 years. A personal favorite and I was delighted to see Mahoney playing off the original. She used the print on a ¾ length halter dress. Another strong look was another Pucci style print of psychedelic floral pattern in a yellow/orange/pink color palette. The print used on a two-piece gown, a synched fabric bodice and floor-length skirt with a cowl bustle in the back.

While Mahoney’s use of prints was a shinning moment in the collection. She also dabbled with several repeat trends from last season. From brocade fabrics and balloon shapes. Mahoney was able to explore with this collection and made sure she had everything covered. She showed a hat or headpiece with almost every look, the pairing choices were perfect. In the close of the collection Mahoney showed several strong evening gowns looks. One of the standout looks in this section was a floor-length black satin and lace gown. The skirt of the gown is a black silk lace over a black duchesse satin with a bustle in the back. The top of the gown is a black silk lace shell with a mandarin collar over a corset of black duchess satin. A devastating look, and when it moved it was floating down the runway.

With so many strong prints in the collection, the must have piece from the collection is one of Mahoney’s gown from close of the collection. A black floor-length silk taffeta strapless gown with a short train in the back. The gown is covered with several embroidered pink flowers. The flowers are done with a terry-cloth embroidery method, giving the flowers some depth and texture. Another must have piece from the collection is the sky blue chiffon halter-top dress with a red floral print. The dress is ¾ length and the hem of the skirt is finished with a bias cut which adds more movement. Erin Mahoney’s strive for a couture quality in this collection is certainly evident. While her evening gowns well constructed and dramatic, the key to her collection is her use of color in striking prints and creating wearable yet visually pleasing looks for spring. Bravo Madam Mahoney!

View the complete collection at wireimage.com

[images viaWireimage.com]

Goodbye ROCHAS, Hello RICCI . . . . .

WWD reported this morning that Oliver Theyskens is in the process of signing a contract with the House of Nina Ricci. Earlier this month Ricci designer Lars Nilsson handed in his resignation as creative director. Currently Nilsson is in talks of permanently returning to New York, no further details have become available regarding the deal. Although WWD reported “Oscar de la Renta executives have denied that Nilsson is joining the company.” Previously Nilsson was the creative director for Bill Blass from 2000-2003 until he was fired.

This is great news for Theyskens, while he is not getting his own label. The post at Nina Ricci is not a far jump (in terms of design) for the designer. This will give Olivier more time to build his skills as well as his following. According WWD the design team at Nina Ricci will continue work on the S/S 07’ collection, although there will be no for show of the collection. Theyskens will take over reigns of the F/W 07 collection, which will show next March. See everything works out in the end!

August 29, 2006

S.F. Women’s S/S 07 – CARI BORJA

For her 2007 collection designer Cari Borja swung her design pendulum from the left to right. Hitting every strength she in her craftsmanship and her eagerness to explore the idea of texture and shapes. In the opening section of the collection Cari’s focus was on unique and delicate fabrics that really tease your eye. The strongest looks in the opening section were her knitted fabrics in unique shapes. Like the cream diamond-web tunic, the fabric has a crocheted quality. The design of the tunic was very simple but the material is what really made the look. Another strong look in the opening section was the taupe honeycomb knit blouse worn with a matching sarong pant with a ruffled hem.

While many of designers used ruffles over and over in their collection, a trend we saw in mass quantities at the Fall/Winter 06’ collections. There seems to be uniqueness with Cari’s ruffles. Backstage we spoke briefly about the technique that she used. It’s not a regular ruffle; she cut the ruffles in a zigzag motion and finished off with a zigzag stitch. This treatment created a unique movement to ruffle, rather than a up and down motion when it moves, the ruffle floats from side to side while moving up and down. One of the best examples of this technique was the sky blue wool matching vest and skirt shown in the third section. The vest collar and the hem of the skirt was finished with the zigzag ruffle along with the collar of the white cotton wrap blouse. The sky blue wool is woven with white plastic bouclé giving the fabric an embroidered look.

In the third section of her collection, Borja played with some of last seasons big trends, brocade and balloon shapes. While these trends seemed to use over and over in other collections, Cari limited her use. Borja did take the brocade trend and twist it in a couple of looks. While she labeled the red & pink damask fabrics as brocades, they are from the heavily textured look of brocades. One of the strongest looks was the sleeveless red/ fuchsia floral silk damask wrap blouse worn with a matching red/fuchsia tulle skirt. Another strong “red” look was the candy stripe cocktail dress with the hem of dress finished Borja’s zigzag ruffle. The dress was labeled as a baby doll but it really does not fit the baby doll styling. Cari tailored the ribbon fabric to drape with a trumpet shape.

The must have pieces from the collection are two completely different looks from Borja's collection. First is the purple metallic angora cocktail halter-top dress. The dress is worn with a silver ruffle underskirt, the combination of the two metallic fabrics and the design really compliment each and create an eye-catching look. The other must have look is the black and white pinwheel floral print silk chiffon kimono wrap worn over a black and white zebra strip silk chiffon pant. The trim of the kimono and the hem of the pant is finished with ruffle. When this look came down the runway several eyes started top pop open. While Cari continues her used of the ruffle she took it a step ahead of the trend curve. Creating some of the most unique pieces of San Francisco Fashion Week. The key to the collection was her eye for movement. Bravo Madame Borja!

View the complete collection at wireimage.com

[images viaWireimage.com]

August 28, 2006

S.F. Women’s S/S 07 – COLLEEN QUEN

San Francisco Fashion week opened with a series of couture style designer shows. Colleen Quen, classically trained the craftsmanship of couture took the first bow on the opening day of the shows. Her inspiration for this season was peace and possibly summer of 69’. In the opening section of the collection Quen took on some of the big trends we saw last F/W. First being the balloon shape, commonly seen in past works of Balenciaga and St. Laurent. Quen opted to keep the balloon shape low on several gown looks or on the sleeves of a few long sleeve looks.

In the second section of the collection Quen started to incorporate more last season trends like arts and crafts (the quilted floral print gown that looked more like a kids bedspread) even scallop trim which she over used in a linen look. Two of the strongest pieces in the collection are certainly two of the showiest looks of the collection. First is the green iridescent silk organza ballerina dress with a high waist and white tulle undercoat. It’s a really short dress, but the color and shape is very dramatic. The other strong look was the red origami dress. The color combination of the bright red and chartreuse was very bold and the silk origami shapes added life to a simple strapless gown.

The must have look from the collection is the opening look; a hand-dyed red silk satin dress. The dress has a sweetheart shape balloon skirt with a v-neckline in front and back. One of the distracting factors to the collection was the mound of hair placed on the models head. While Quen and her stylist were attempting to compliment the shapes of the looks, the oversized hairdos were taking away from the clothes. While Quen was able to show some key looks in the collection. The looks in the collection were to individual, there seemed to be no design theme or style from look to look.

View the complete collection at wireimage.com

[images viaWireimage.com]

August 27, 2006

S.F. Women’s S/S 07 – LILY SAMII

For her Resort/Spring 2007 collection, designer Lily Samii kept true to the design nature of couture. From her detailed eye for embellishment and tailoring. While most of the designers did send several looks unfinished down the runway at SF Fashion Week, Samii really made an effort to complete each look and make sure it was polished. Her obvious inspiration for the collection was a very earthy color palette conveyed in rich couture fabrics of gazar and organza.

In the opening section Samii showed several stretch jersey and wool looks, from day dresses to working two-piece looks. One of the strongest looks in the opening section was a dark green cotton dress with a boxed neckline. The hem of the skirt and the hem of the sleeves were finished with a frayed edge. This detail was even used on the trim of the matching belt worn above the waist. The frayed belt was one of the standout trends from SF Fashion Week. While Samii was focused on a wearable look in the opening section, some of the looks were shapeless, like the cashmere tweed jackets. In the second section Samii started to slowly add some embellishments to each look from beading to gold quail feather. She used the feathers on two looks. The strongest look was a pale mauve organza dress with a pale blue crepe bust line and the gold feathers applied to the waist of the dress as if they were floating down. The bottom of the dress is draped with squares of mauve silk crepe.

As the collection progressed Lily Samii began to step up her attention to detail while working with some decadent couture fabrics in a broad color pallet. Samii used a lot of earth tones through out the collection adding splashes of bold color here and there. In the third section of the collection she showed two striking looks that are total opposites. First a purple silk satin gown with the seaming on a bias. The sweetheart bodice of the gown is trimmed with a band of lavender silk satin with crisscrossing straps in the front and finished with little lavender bows. A very classic gown but the bias seaming on the skirt of the gown added movement to the purple satin. Another strong look was a tiered black tulle and iridescent silk moiré gown. A black lace was layered over the moiré tier with a scalloped edge and finished of with beading and silk thread embroidering detailing the lace design. The standout detail of this gown is the cashmere tweed thread used to embellish the lace, adding more texture and a soft detail to a strong look.

The must have pieces from the collection are two beaded looks for evening. First is the iridescent green/brown taffeta floor length evening gown with a draped balloon skirt. The bodice of the gown is sheer brown organza beaded with crystals in a floral and leaf design. While the skirt was very simple in design the detail of the beading was striking. Samii also showed a cocktail dress version of the gown. The dress was a 20’s style design dress the green chiffon covered by a layer of brown organza that is encrusted with channels of beading that create a striped look to the fabric. The torso of the dress, both front and back is embellished with the same floral and leaf beading used on the gown. Sadly I only have a shot of the dress from the back.

The overall look and feel of the collection really fits with the couture philosophy and aesthetic. Fine fabrics, attention to detail and bold strong looks. Lily Samii was not afraid to take the whole couture philosophy of “more is more” to heart. One the strongest accessories in this collection were the hats and hairpieces Samii added to the looks. I loved the black feather and black satin ribbon headpieces. At the close of the collection, Lily showed a series of Spanish themed evening gowns, a trend we saw last season. The last look a burgundy taffeta gown detailed with ruffle trim and ruffle flowers on the skirt, a gown similar to Zac Posen’s oversized Spanish Ruffle ball gown. Lily even experimented with different looks while maintaining her signature style and was not afraid to break out of her color palette by adding reds and purples. Bravo Madam Samii!

View the complete collection at wireimage.com

[images via Wireimage.com]

SF Fashion Week - 3rd Night of Models

Backstage before the show began, I ran into the MAC makeup team. I talked a little about some the shows they worked on over the 3 days and they hinted the best is yet to come! I gave them praise for their hard work and it showed. We also minced words on the hair, no comment!

Here are two shots of two really gorgeous models! I really did not like the whole sequined eye look!


August 26, 2006

SF Fashion Week - Come to a Close

San Francisco Fashion Week has come to a close. 5 designers showed last night, a broad spectrum in fashion design. From fairy chic to 70’s earthy hippie, I know those could be one in the same!!!!!

My quick assessment of the collections, overall, there were to many last season trends being used, ruffles, balloon shape dresses and hems, ruffles, skinny leg pants, ruffles, tank tops, leggings and oh did I mention ruffles. While some designers shined with their use of ruffles, others just went overboard. Beside the repeat trends there were some really interesting ones. Only a handful of designers did a full leg pant, frayed edge belts, plenty of decadent beading and array of length for dresses and gowns.

Models, for the first 3 days I was really disappointed to not see one Asian model on the runway. Finally on the closing day, they finally caught on, that’s more the booking agents fault than show producers. He should have recommended several Asian models. Luckily we had Tamiece, who graciously cast all there models with some exotic pacific island descent.

Backstage I ran into a couple stunning ladies.

For the past 3 days I was taken to Mele, great walk, great face and body! Total Victoria Secrets model and she could easily work in Paris. I wasn’t able to get her details since she was whisked away for hair.

During intermission these three were waiting with their agent, not sure what for! Meet La Tisha Jones, Amber Brown & Jamie-Lee Miller all from SAM Models.

Janice & Young Designers hit SF Fashion Week

Last night, at the second day of the San Francisco Fashion Week, the Grandé-Dame of models, Ms. Janice Dickinson was on hand to view the collections as well as play guest host to the shows and to hand out an award. To open the evening 15 young and upcoming designers showed off 3-6 looks. Janice was on hand to handout the award for the Best Emerging Designer, which was give to Emily Yao for her S&M and Couture inspired designs.

The Runway Light looking down from the 4th Floor

That’s not the only reason why Janice was on hand. Pre-Show I ran into Janice backstage and watched as a young model strutted for her in hopes for some friendly advice. Janice promptly replied, “Keep working on it”. Afterwards I talked to Janice briefly about her new modeling agency and the new reality show based on her endeavor. She was also on hand to help promote three of her models who were walking the runway for the Emerging Designers show. After I asked for a quick shot of her wearing one Colleen Quen’s velvet and moire looks from the night before, Janice was swarmed by onlookers asking to get their picture taken with her.

Janice Dickinson Pre-Show

After the Emerging Designer show, I ran into the Janice Dickinson’s three models as they waited to leave. I asked them a few questions about their background and their plans for the upcoming fashion weeks. BRITTANY Picozzi, (Janice’s Shinning Star) the fiery red-head is only 16 and was discovered back home in Las Vegas. The JD modeling team is sending her off to Paris for S/S collection in October. CRYSTAL Truehart (with her stunning jaw line and doe-like eyes) was discovered at a Model call the JD Agency did in Santa Monica but is originally from Southhampton, MA. Crystal is set to head off to NY Fashion Week early next month. Then there is PIERCE Ross (Janice’s Runway Queen – she can work a runway! I’ve seen it) who hail from Las Vegas as well.

PIERCE, BRITTANY & CRYSTAL of the Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency

Reviews of collection will be posted once Fashion Week is over which is this Saturday. Thanks for being patient.

A Shot of the photo bank at the foot of the runway

August 25, 2006

FT Moves from Weekly to Daily

Since April, Fashion Television has been loading podcasts of their archived segments. Initially they were posting a few podcasts each week, now they have shifted to the Fashion Television Daily Podcast. Check out the recent posting of Jeanne Becker’s segment on Galliano's F/W 06 collection, and you thought she was all sweet and nice. The show was a pain. period. I opted to not post a review. click the image below to start downloading.......

August 24, 2006

Website Graph Tool

My friend Pete over SWIMFINSSF found this really great Website Graph Tool that graphs your traffic. My graph (shown here) took over 4 minutes to load, the result is pretty amazing.

August 23, 2006

San Francisco Fashion Week is Underway. . . . .

Just got back from the first day at San Francisco Fashion Week. The designers who showed this evening were all Couture designers. When the shots from the show become available I will post my reviews. The ladies over at Mystery Girl Productions really out did themselves. From a variety of vendors showing and selling their wares on the tiered balconies above the catwalk; to the great food and drinks.

If you are in San Francisco over the next couple of days tickets are still available at the door. The event begins at 7pm at the San Francisco Design Center (101 Henry Adams Street). For now here is a shot of some of the models waiting for the show to begin all done up. The bun on top of the head was a key look for the couture designers.

August 12, 2006

Great Lagerfeld for H&M commercial. . . . .

August 11, 2006

New Truman Movie

Apple just put up the trailer of the new Truman Capote bio-pic. Before you chop this movie up as another after thought of last years Oscar winning Capote with Philip Seymour Hoffman. Take a look at the trailer – this is the real life story of Truman Capote. A picturesque story of Truman Capote torrid and scandalous life! We are treated to an inside look of Capote’s love life with Jack Dunphy and Perry Smith along with his jet-set lifestyle and friendships with his “Swans”. The other treat is the plevé of period couture on the perfectly styled characters of Babe Paley, Slim Keith, Marella Agnelli and Diana Vreeland

view the trailer here

Then there is Toby Jones portrayal of Capote, which puts Seymour Hoffman’s to shame.

Not to mention the powerful casting of:


Hope Davis as Slim Keith

Isabella Rossellini as Marella Agnelli

Sandra Bullock as Harper Lee

Daniel Craig as Perry Smith

Juliet Stevenson as Diana Vreeland

Sigourney Weaver as Babe Paley

And Gwyneth Paltrow singing "What is this thing called love?"

August 10, 2006

"Ain't Nothing Natural at Galliano"

As John Galliano once stated to Jeanne Becker, "Ain't Nothing Natural at Galliano" - this little montage of Galliano's post show is bows anything but modest. Enjoy!!!!

McQueen's Deconstruction

Over at YouTube - Alexander McQueen's short film "Deconstruction" Has been posted. Here it is!

August 09, 2006

PARIS Men’s S/S 07 – JUNYA WATANABE MAN

For Spring/Summer Junya Watanabe takes on America and the world of Sporting Goods. The recent collaboration with his new Nike line was the focus of this collection, emphasizing the iconic styles of American sports. The end result is the morphing of bold lines and color of uniforms with Watanabe experimentation of reconstruction of the gentleman’s wardrobe. In the opening of the collection Watanabe was took off running, showing two really strong looks. First is the powder blue, teal and white suit. The red lines added below the teal satin shoulders and the darting of the powder blue fabric into the white panels on the sides of the jacket. Its all line, so many lovely lines! The other standout look is the powder blue and teal satin suit with similar darting that creates a modern look.

Slowly Watanabe moved away from the bold colors and focused on a darker palette of black, dark grays and blues. The standard sports jersey slowly morphed into leisure suits and even dress suits. One the best morphed looks was the navy blue velour pants worn with a navy blue satin jacket with panels of white detailing the darts of blue and panels of football cone orange satin. This style of molding athletic looks and colors into wearable day and evening looks seemed to flow through the collection. Then the collection came to a complete stop when Watanabe showed a handful of overcoats and parkas. The nylon material is too puckered at the seams and trim, giving the jackets a messy look.

For the close of the collection, Watanabe finally showed several knitwear looks that incorporated several football jersey designs and colors. One of the standout looks was a navy blue and powder blue sweater, Watanabe uses this color combination through out the collection. Another standout look was a yellow sweater with a blue and red stripe design along the sleeves and the sides of the torso.

While there were many must have looks in the collection. There were two really unique pieces in the collection. First was the heather gray jacket with a mandarin collar. The jacket is made of cotton jersey material used for sweatshirts and pants. The detailing of the zippers and straps is what finishes off the piece. Another unique piece is the dark blue jersey suit for evening. The jacket is pinned to the torso creating a athletic shape for the jacket. To finish of the jacket Watanabe added detailing of darting around the torso in white. Bottom line this collection is pure genius, Watanabe’s experimentation of lines and reconstruction of athletic American looks. While adding some colors that we don’t see today but certainly would have seen on the field back in the 70’s and 80’s. Watanabe’s tailoring and play with lines really stands out in the jackets and knitwear. There are too many key finds in this collection to list them off, if you can get your hands on just one piece, your lucky! Bravo Monsieur Watanabe!

View the complete collection at style.com

[images via style.com]

August 05, 2006

PARIS Men’s S/S 07 – JOHN GALLIANO

John Galliano and Frankenstein, what a dramatic combination! Designer John Galliano lined his back light metal grate catwalk with power line towers complete with spark fireworks and neon lights. Only Galliano would go so far to take the inspiration of Frankenstein, Literally! The music is even reminiscent of the “Munsters”. My first reaction to the collection is this Spring/Summer or is it a Fall/Winter collection? Galliano has fallen victim to the dark palette that is plaguing the Spring collection. In the opening section molded his zoot suits and overcoats in some of the daring shapes of the season. Full and Large, almost to large! I was not a big fan of the large zoot-coats but when Galliano added some tailoring to some of the looks they became appealing. Like the gray/brown distressed leather blazer, which he kept the wide shoulders but pined the torso of the jacket close to the body.

From the opening section Galliano shifts his inspiration towards a combination of a Rasta male models parading in bikini bottoms and Speedos. Then he swings away from the island style to a morphing of the SNL punk style with thick lines of the Rock-a-Billy look. In this section Galliano showed a lot playful looks and several bold looks. He plays with animal prints One the strongest looks in this section is the baggy and loose fit denim pant worn with a creamy yellow and black cheetah print silk shirt. Sadly the pant is one of only two loose fitted pants in the collection.

While Galliano is well known for his flare for the dramatic he certainly creates pieces and looks that stand-alone. This collection is no different two of the must have looks are from the Punk/Rock-a-Billy section and the other from the tailored section of the zoot suits. The first look is the denim pant with a tiger print embroidered onto the pant and detailed with beading as highlight to the print. The combination of the tiger print pant and the cheetah print knee-length overcoat is perfect. The lapels and cuffs of the coat are beaded, adding more decadence to the look. The other must have look is a black sheer blazer, the torso panels are made of black organza and the sleeves and shoulders are black silk crepe.

Galliano’s collection fits into the theme or focus that Galliano is known for. His remarkable eye for outerwear is evident but his absence of color is what really makes you rethink the entire collection. Yes the bikini bottoms and Speedos were colorful, but not enough color in the collection overall. What I was happy to see is the number of unique pieces and editorial pieces in the collection. From the organza jackets to the crepe straight jackets, even the mafia silkscreen print shirt. Not to mention the whole Rock-a-Billy gone punk section.

View the complete collection at style.com

[images via style.com]

August 04, 2006

PARIS Men’s S/S 07 – LOUIS VUITTON

For the Spring/Summer 2007 Louis Vuitton designer Marc Jacobs handed over the design reigns to his second in command Paul Helber’s. In hopes that he would get a break and possibly hand-off the control of the men’s line to Helber in the future. The collection was small and the models walked through a window opening, minus the runway. The backdrop was a series of panels with photographs of pool water in sunlight as a background to photos of models underwater shot prior to the show, wearing the clothes and accessories from the collection. Sadly, there was no digital backdrop as some big industry names reported! On an interesting twist to the collection is the casting of the models for the show. Almost every other model in the collection looked like Jacobs’s ex-lover Jason Preston. The quirky highlight to the collection was all the Elvis Hawaiian songs.

In the opening section Helber’s showed several suit looks that incorporated a big trend this season, the vest! Now right off the bat, I would like to say I was not keen on the silver and gold lame shoes in the collection. Several buyers and editors commented post show that shoes will be the new wait list item for Vuitton. One of the strong looks in the opening section incorporated one of this seasons “it” colors, Aqua. Helber showed a black/white & aqua printed silk shirt worn with a black satin dress slack and a knee-length black overcoat. The coat is also worn with a pair of the classic Vuitton slim tailored pant, sadly this skinny leg pant is a dying repeat look, Helber did not show any full leg pants in the collection. While the pants are a bit of a disappointment in the collection Helber did show one unique pant. A white denim pant with a black line design creating a floral print on the denim. The downside to this look is the pant is cut to the leg.

In the second section Helber moved away from his dark pallet and the combination of black and white looks. He slowly add some color but then moved back to a dark palette. While the looks seem to be recycled from one section to the next. Some of the key and standout looks in the collection are two outerwear pieces. At the close of the show Helber showed two trench coats, in white and a dark olive green. The trench coats are probably the only real big sell of this collection.

The must have look from the collection is one of the long lapel blazers Helber’s showed in the collection, the only unique piece in the collection. It’s a white linen blazer with a long lapel that runs past the stomach. The jacket is worn with a collarless black shirt and a dark blue plaid print vest. Sadly missing from the collection are any knitwear pieces, Helber did incorporate one piece a navy blue chunky knit cardigan with the opening of the cardigan lined with a ribbed knit. With Helber’s at the helm he managed to shift the Louis Vuitton collection into reverse. All of Jacob’s strides and progression he established in the last 4 years seemed to disappear in this collection. There were to many trends used in this collection that were borrowed or repeated from seasons passed. It’s great to barrow from the archives, but only when a decade or two have passed, at least! The collection really limits the LV client with summer options. Helber’s dark palette of black, gray, blue and dark greens gave the collection a Fall/Winter look and style. While Helber made sure that his skinny leg pant was fluid throughout the collection. The Vuitton style is what is absent from the collection and the looks Helber created were to far from each other in style.
View the complete collection at style.com

[images via style.com]

August 03, 2006

PARIS Men’s S/S 07 – YOJI YAMAMOTO

More Italian Bambinos in Paris! Designer Yoji Yamamoto took inspiration from the mobster looks from the early 20th century. Yoji opened the collection with a non-stop parade of his oversized suits and pant looks. A signature! Its in the tailoring and ornamentation of the suits do we see the whole Italian mafia inspiration. An interesting twist to the collection was Yamamoto showed all of his suits with suspenders and later in the collection he took the suspender seriously and even made up slogan shirts to praise the accessories. Yoji played with the suspender and the Y-shape created at the back support. He added slits to the back of jackets allowing the Y-shape support to be displayed on the outside of the jacket.

Yamamoto even went as far to add slits to the front of jackets so the front straps could weave in and out of the front of the jacket. Another strong point to the collection is the relaxed Yamamoto pant has gotten even baggier. The designer moved away from the straight leg pant of last season to a really loose or baggy fitting pant. While Yamamoto continues to play with the suspenders he also played with some color. One of the weak colors he added to the collection was the military green he used on several shirts and pants. Another weak look was the silver lame overalls. But Yoji found little trend look to play with, overalls! One of the best overall looks was the black jersey overalls worn with a sheer cotton button down shirts and a matching jersey blazer.

There was one must have looks in the collection, the black pinstripe zoot suit in the opening of the collection. What is interesting about this suit is Yoji used sheer linen fabric; you could almost see the models bits! The must have pieces from the collection are the white dress shirts that have panels of fabric that allow suspenders to be threaded through them, acting as an anchor. So why can’t suspenders come back into style? It seems that Yoji is trying to make a statement that all those hip-hop boys with their pants hanging below their ass and all of those low-rise jeans must go. I could jump onto that bandwagon. Outside of the play on word and statements, Yoji produced a rather dark collection but a classic Yoji collection. Endless options! Bravo Monsieur Yamamoto!
View the complete collection at style.com

[images via style.com]