For designer Kiminori Morishita the skinny leg pant is still alive! For most of his collection the design stuck to the rocker chic skinny leg pant. The strongest statements for the collection were his use of prints and outerwear. The opening section was a series of skinny pant looks so tight to he leg that the crotch was tight. As the collection progresses Morishita started loosen up the fit. The models look was very similar to that of the Ramones in the 70’s and Steven Tyler. One of the strongest looks in the opening section is one of the most out of character pieces from the collection. A cream silk damask blazer worn with a white silk vest and a low-rise treated leather pant. While the pant was just a little too skinny for the look this season the sophistication of the blazer and vest is unique.

In the second section there were two strong looks that really went in two directions away from the rocker chic look that opened the collection. First Kiminori went in the direction of American sportswear with several 70’s style sports jacket. The strongest piece from this section was the white sports jacket with a blue and orange stripe design on the font of the jacket. The designer also moved in the direction of the Goth rock with a series of all black looks that incorporated a few unique prints. Like the black snakeskin print on velvet vest worn with a black skinny leg pant and black sleeveless dress shirt and tie. Morishita then showed more American sportswear looks that incorporated key pieces like the khaki p-coat and printed blazers.

There were two must have pieces in the collection. First is the sleeveless gray dress jacket worn with a matching skinny leg pant. The other must have piece is a army green treated leather jacket with a mow collar. The fit of the jacket is loose but still has a tailored look to the jacket. Morishita hit several unique trends from this season like the skinny tie as well as several sleeveless jackets in the evening section. The only miss from the collection was Morishita’s skinny leg pant; I would like to have seen more variations in the collection.

View complete collection at Wireimage

[images viaWireimage.com]

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For his menswear collection for Spring/Summer 07’, designer Hiroaki Ohya showed only three looks. The looks consisted of a variation of styles molded with some of this season growing trends, like prints and full leg pants. The only downer is that Ohya only showed one of the three looks with a full pant leg. The other two looks included a skinny leg velour suit and a skinny pant. The standout look from the collection incorporated two of this seasons biggest trends, the full leg pant and prints. A turquoise full leg pant worn with a printed short sleeve cotton shirt. While the selection was small and the only key look seemed to be a junior attempt at menswear. I would like to have seen more color like the full leg pant looks.

View complete collection at Wireimage

[images viaWireimage.com]

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One of the safest looks to show at a menswear collection is silkscreen print on pretty much anything. Guys love it, designers love it, but do editors love it? For her Spring/Summer collection Kumar opted to add a silkscreen image to everything from blazer and even sweat jackets. One of the standout pieces in the opening section was a white cotton voile cropped sleeve jacket with a mow collar. The white cotton voile is printed with a peace sign print; the look was finished with a long sleeve orange shirt with a silkscreen image of Jim Morrison on the front. Through out the collection Kumar made sure that her pants were relaxed with a full leg. Kumar did not stop there with her pants; she used different textured fabrics for the pants as well.

The must have piece from the collection is gray cotton voile pant with ribbed knit elastic used for the waist. A trend that is starting to pickup from Fashion Week to Fashion Week! The pant is silk screened with a modern print and worn with a brown dress shirt with 60’s geometric design embroidered on the front of the shirt and on the matching necktie. The key to Kumar’s mens looks is in the details. She made sure the look for Spring/Summer was a more relaxed look, abandoning the skinny pant and tapered shirts. Bravo Madame Kumar!

View complete collection at Wireimage

[images viaWireimage.com]

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At Xenheist its more hooded jackets and plaids but its Bernard Taylor’s full leg pant that is the show stopper. While he incorporated a paisley print into one look, one of the strongest looks from the collection are all the full leg pants, which he showed with several printed t-shirts. Another strong pant look was a black cotton full leg pant with a diamond print on the fabric. The pant is worn with a white and black pullover that has a snap hood. In the closing section Taylor showed a series of matching pant and jacket suits. The fabric for the suits was a combination of odd color palettes used in the prints.

The must have piece from the collection is the read and gray plaid print jacket. The design is very simple and clean but Taylor added some modern embellishment like the dashes on the collar bone which a suto-military. The look is completed with a black wool full leg pant. While Taylor was keeping with a loose silhouette for mens the overall focus of the collection was little off base. On a side note, in the designer notes the designer listed Gemma Ward as a client. Now I don’t see Gemma Ward as being the burly gurly kind of girl.

View complete collection at Vogue Australia

[images via Australian Vogue]

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One of my first notes for the mens and womens at Fashionassassin was on the models hair. The womens hair was shapeless and way to messy while the mens hair was cleaner and prettier, a rare thing! For his menswear Alex continued add more bold prints but making sure they were in guy friendly colors of red/black/blue. He used a honeycomb geometric print on several looks and the print seemed to jump out at you, not in a pleasing way! There was one look that the print was done in soft canary yellow, which is probably the only toned down version of the print. The print was used on wide crewneck t-shirt with the shoulder seaming detailed with a black cotton stripe.

There is one must have piece from the collection and one must have look. First there is the olive green cardigan, which Alex used in his womenswear collection. Then there is his must have look for the season, which is a trend that we saw in San Francisco. The reverse cargo pant, a full leg cargo pant with the cargo pockets moved from the side to the front of the pant. Alex showed this pant several time throughout the collection. One of the strongest looks was the cargo pocket pant in khaki brown worn with asparagus yellow and white print shirt and white cotton vest. You have to have more than beautiful hair and cute little details to have a great collection. What is really distracting in this collection is Alex’s loud prints that opened the collection. I would like to have seen more toned down prints and more emphasis on the details

View complete collection at Vogue Australia

[images via Australian Vogue]

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Only four designers showed menswear during San Francisco Fashion Week. While there was a broad spectrum of looks, from Richard Hallmaq’s water polo suit clad models to Daniel and David Concepcion everyday chic. There were only two really strong trends shown during Fashion Week. These two trends first made light during Milan Menswear in July. One of the strongest trends hitting the mens runway is the full leg pant. Slowly designers are moving away from the slim fit or skinny leg pant. Both emerging designers J9 and Concepcion stuck to the full leg pant, while Gypsy & Loic and Hallmarq showed both the full and skinny leg pant.

Another unique trend that we saw during SF Fashion Week is the use of ribbed knit elastic to detail mens pants and shorts. This elastic is commonly used on mens bomber jackets or “member’s only” jackets. At the Gypsy & Loic collection the designer duo used the knit elastic to trim the pockets on two pants and to cuff a mens short. While the menswear shown at SFFW was very broad, what was lacking was mens eveningwear or even men’s suits. Hopefully next season we see more menswear on the runway.

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Designers Gypsy and Loic keep to their Haight and SF Skater roots and build another wearable collection. While a lot of the looks in the collection a very simple the character is in the little details they added to some key pieces. The duo did show several hooded looks in the collection but their standout trend is their gravitation towards the new full leg pant we are seeing on the runway for both men and women. One of the standout pants in the collection was the full leg cotton pant with a navy and pale blue hound’s-tooth print on the fabric.

Standout pieces aside the collection was very simple and very safe, giving the Gypsy & Loic customer the essentials like cargo pocket pants and shorts in earthy colors. Gypsy and Loic added several unique details to these current day pieces. One the standout pieces was a brown corduroy pant with the pocket opening done on slant and the opening is finished with the same ribbed elastic cotton trim that is used on aviator and flight jackets. This slant opening was also used on the shorts as well. But another standout look was the gray cotton ¾ length short that the duo finished the cuff of the short with the same elastic ribbed cotton.

The must have piece from the collection is the full leg pant with that f is finished with a ridding pant look. The inside of the pant leg is detailed with the crescent seaming from the groin down to the leg, their take on the ridding pant is a more modern with numerous seams running down the inside leg. While the Gypsy and Loic showed several standout pieces in their collection, there were just as many to simple and to safe pieces. I would have like to have seen more daring looks and less of the hotbod male models showing off their abs! Overall Gypsy & Loic has some new pieces that any man would like to add to their wardrobe.

View the complete collection at wireimage.com

[images via Wireimage.com]

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To the avid fashionista, twin brothers David & Daniel Concepcion work was very simple and lacked any originality. Take another look, there is a lot more to their collection than the young clean-cut look they conveyed with the overall look of their collection. It’s in the little details here and there. The duo jumped at the hooded trend, very common for men and women, the strongest statement was their nod to the full leg pant. They showed two long pant looks and one short look. Their inspiration is their design philosophy, clean aesthetics with emphasis on keeping the looks functional, casual and most importantly modern. While their full leg pants were a key look to the collection another strong look is their sleeveless knit sweaters, which they showed with two different necklines (v-neck & a plunging neckline.)

The must have piece from the collection is one of my favorite pieces. The white twill knee-length short with the bottom of the short cuffed. What makes this look standout if the Concepcion twins moved the typical cargo pant from the side of the short to replace the front pocket of the short. A unique design feature and one I would love to see copied at collections next week in New York. David & Daniel Concepcion are certainly young and fresh to the design world and this collection is proof they really can produce quality that can sell. What I am interested in seeing is how they start to mold this clean design aesthetic with their influences from comic books, cartoons and classic art. Bravo Monsieur y Monsieur Concepcion!

View the complete collection at wireimage.com

[images via Wireimage.com]

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Designer Antonia Marguerite was the first designer to show menswear looks at San Francisco Fashion Week. Luckily Marguerite’s vision for S/S 07’ is fits with emerging trend of the Menswear collections in Milan, Paris and Rio, the darker the palette the better. Her inspiration for her first menswear collection was a play on hot rock stars and their sexual allure over women. The only downside to her vision was she focus on rock stars of the 80’s compared to sexiness of rock stars of the 70’s or 90’s. The end result was a parade of several black leather looks. One of the strongest looks he showed was a sleeveless black leather jacket. The shoulders of the jacket were caped and the wide lapels done in leather are attached to inside of the jacket. So the front of the jacket lays open like lapels with the black leather lapels lying on top. The jacket is cropped of above the waist and She lined with a black/white/red.

Marguerite took the new dark palette in mind with her collection; sadly she fell for the skinny pant trend, which is slowly starting to disappear from the runways. The must have piece from her collection was the sleeveless black leather and black cotton hooded jacket. Antonia detailed the jacket with a red zipper, wide lapels and the hood is lined with the black/red/white print she used on all her looks. While Antonia was trying to achieve a complete rocker look with this collection, her outerwear pieces were the highlight. She certainly has the ability to do menswear although I think she needs to really stand back and make sure the look she is creating is not too out there, men scare easily. Overall Antonia showed three really strong and focused looks. Bravo Mademoiselle Marguerite!

View the complete collection at wireimage.com

[images viaWireimage.com]

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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]

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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]

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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]

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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]

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The Gieves & Hawkins design team summoned the fashion rogues to the Hotel de Monaco in Paris for an outside showing of the their Gieves line. The designer showed his Spring/Summer collection on the grounds of the hotel, models walked the gravel pathways while editors in shorts and tennis shoes watched on. The collections theme was “I am a Camera”. My take on this was the models were camera ready! Right from the opening look the silhouette were very simple and very light. Each look appeared to be so lightweight; the fabrics just seem to float as the model walked adding a refreshing look to a hot and sticky day!

One of the best looking in the opening section was the yellow collarless overcoat cropped at the waist. The opening of the jacket overlaps adding to the modern tailoring that Grieves used in the tailoring of the shoulders and torso of the coat. Another strong outwear look was the off-white collarless trench coat that Grieves constructed to be cascading down the body. The trench fabric just floated upward with each step the model took.

The must have pieces from the collection are two knitwear pieces. First was the tan mohair and cashmere knit sweater with a crewneck. The sweater weave design is a combination of a ribbed weave and a cable knit weave. Grieves also showed alternate version of the same sweater, this version was cardigan with v-neckline. The weak part of the look was the tapered leg pant paired with both sweaters. This collection is certainly one of Grieve’s colorful and subtle collections. The overall look is very clean and his use of color really brings some life to the collection. Bravo Monsieur Grieves!

View the complete collection at PrettyPretty.be

[images via PrettyPretty.be]

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Spring/Summer 2007, Boateng is Color! Boateng is Energy! Boateng is Love! Although Ozwald Boateng collection may appear serious, thanks to the models striking stares down the runway. It’s the energy that Boateng and his team give the clothes that really set the runway on fire. To open the collection Boateng opted for some of his classic suits and threw hints of color here and there and then he moved into more daywear looks. On of the prominent pieces in the opening section was the striking yellow-green dress shirt with a mandarin collar. The shirt is worn with a dark red (almost blood red) silk sheen dress pant with a salmon satin belt tied around the waist.

The collection is filled with a lot of Boateng’s classic shapes and tailoring but its his knitwear that really jumped out at you. One of the softer looks was a white knit sweater that is trimmed with in a aqua colored knit. The sweater was paired with a pale aqua silk shirt and a thin white tie. All this is pulled together with a tailored straight leg gray twill pant and thigh length jacket. The overall look is almost 80’s but Boateng’s combination of color and tailoring is very forward. The only real weak points of the collection were the metallic leather piece and the silk satin pullover. At the close of the collection Boateng added more black to the collection. One of the standout looks was a black cashmere sweater with aqua trimming the neckline and cuffs. The sweater is worn with a black velvet pant tailored straight.

The only must have piece in the collection is the pearled aqua pant worn with a soft cream color blazer that is tailored loose around the torso. The decadence of the pant is eye catching on the runway. Many of you might have seen Ozwald Boateng’s recent venture into television with his new reality series that is following him on his journey of concurring the retail market of America. This collection is proof that Boateng still has it after 20 years and he plans to keep going on no matter what. The collection embraced one of the new hot colors seen over and over in Milan – Aqua and a lot of it. Boateng took the color and made a collection of endless options. The result is an honest collection that really gives his clients the ability to mix and match as he pleases. Bravo Monsieur Boateng!

View the complete collection at UK Vogue.com

[images via UK Vogue.com]

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Earlier this week Women’s Wear Daily reported that the House of Rochas will be shutting down and closing their doors to their ready-to-wear line. In 2003, Proctor & Gamble acquired the Rochas fashion & fragrance license from Wella. The conglomerate plans to only shutdown the fashion end of the business while keeping the fragrances (cash cow) on the market. This puts Olivier Theyskens out on the street. Its amazing how greed can cloud a companies idea of the big picture. In order for a fragrance line to be successful and maintain a growth in profit, you need some sort of press. Without a fashion house to back up the fragrance you loose that good press. Can you imagine Estee Lauder without a makeup line or Calvin Klein without a ready-to-wear line? The fashion industry is stunned by this abrupt news, from magazine editors to bloggers. So I must join the masses and put my foot down.

I will admit, when Olivier was introduced to the fashion community 6 years ago by Karl Lagerfeld. I was not impressed at first by his work. At the time Industry gossip was pinning Theyskens to become Karl’s replacement at Chanel. I gasped in horror as I found his student work and his personal line to “Lost”. While Olivier exhibited talent in his craft he was lacking in vision and aesthetic. Then Olivier was appointed to Rochas, and his first couple of collections fell victim to his inability to focus on a vision for his collection while grasping the aesthetic of Rochas.

It’s only in the last 3 years that Olivier began to really understand what was missing from his collections. Slowly Theyskens started to come out of his shell and his energy to design started came across from his work. While critics hammered him for the gothic and minimalism detailing of his looks , they were missing Theyskens’s faith of historical references and details in his looks. Slowly the press and the customers began to understand that Theyskens was producing looks that were not only fashion forward but creating fashion a new aesthetic.

So the news of Theyskens and Rochas relationship ending is certainly “Sad”, but this is a new chapter for Theyskens. Rumors are already hitting the net and magazine world. Big Question on everyone’s mind is: Where will Olivier land in the world of fashion? Vogue editor-in-Chief, Anna Wintour commented this week “If he’d (Theyskens) been with LVMH or Gucci, it would have been a different story.” – this comment was promptly followed by rumors that LVMH and Theyskens are talks of starting his own brand. This was promptly fallowed by many other outlandish rumors.

Here are some of the rumors that have popped up so far:

	1. Olivier and LVMH partner to create his own line.
	2. Oscar De la Renta to announce retirement and name Theyskens as creative director to his namesake.
	3. Richemont is creating a new brand for Phoebe Philo and name Theyskens to head Chloe (fallowing in the footsteps of Lagerfeld)
	4. Ricardo Tisci to be replaced by Theyskens at Givenchy
	5. Hilfiger to bring Theyskens to New York to create his own brand.

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For the August issue of Vogue – a pregnant Linda Evangelist will appear on the cover – Linda is the first model to appear on the cover of Vogue in over a year. Finally the staff at Vogue is getting it! Celebrities don’t make fashion, that’s their job as well as models. Hopefully we get lucky and the September Issue (The Bible) will also feature a model - Christy?

The Associated Press reported this good news today, they also noted the new Versace Campaign (not due out till the September Issue) will be included in the August Issue. The campaign features former Versace muses and icons Christy Turlington and Kate Moss joining Angela Lindvall, Daria Werbowy and Carolyn Murphy – iI was able to find a scan of the new campaign – here are two shots – unfortunately I was not able to find a scan of the Evangelista cover, YET!

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At the opening of his Spring/Summer collection, Armani projected shots from the interiors and views of his many modern and resort atmosphere homes. From Antigua to Saint Tropez, while in the liner notes Armani state that his inspiration for this collection is to focus on a more relaxed silhouette. For the opening section Armani showed a lot of linen dress suits and silk shirts. An endless parade of the classic Armani suits in some of the lightest fabrics you can imagine.

In the second section Armani started to add more color to the collection, from soft greens and soft blues. One of the standout pieces in this section is green leather jacket. The leather was dyed by rubbing the green dye onto the leather. This process created a soft shade of green giving the leather some softness. To top off the look off Armani showed the jacket with one of his loosely tailored pants. In the third section Armani started to incorporate more leather looks. One of the strongest looks in this section was a cropped bikers jacket. The leather was distressed giving the jacket a rougher look; Armani paired the jacket with a navy/blue silk/wool blend dress slack with a pleated front and loosely tailored to the leg.

From the third section Armani focused on more active looks, adding a lot of shorts looks and showing more baggy pants with bold geometric print shirts and outerwear pieces. One the standout active wear pieces was a blue net weave jacket with a draped collar and lapel. The zip up jacket is worn with a linen vest over a geometric print shirt. For the close of the collection Armani moved back to the tapered leg pant for his three-piece suits and tuxedos.

While the collection was massive the must have looks are slim in the collection. The first look that really jumped out at me was the pin-stripe tuxedo worn with a gray and white stripe silk shirt. To finish off the look Armani added a vest in the same stripe silk fabric. The other must have look was the white wide ribbed knit cardigan with a small collar and lapel. The cardigan is worn with a linen vest over a geometric print. Armani is certainly a master of tailoring and has earned that reputation, but he is also a master of creating leisurewear that is not only opulent on its own but really make the customer feel like their opulent. This large collection of more than 120+ looks is proof that Armani can deliver. With this collection he really provided his customer with endless options, I know, I say that every season, so what! The success of the collection is on Armani’s ability to build textures and to find the right shade of black, blue or green to layer on top of each other. Another strong point to this collection is Armani’s ability to give us designs with prints; his use of geometric design is almost flawless. From the lines on his soft linen shirts to the bold chevron shapes used on delicate knit pieces. Bravo Monsieur Armani!

View the complete collection at style.com

[images via Style.com]

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Giorgio Armani seems to be on a Guido and mobster fixation in this collection. While the collection was homage to the baggy pant of last season, a trend that only a handful of designer picked up on this season. Armani seems to be one step behind compared to most of his fellow designers. The opening section was a parade of oversized suit looks in silk and satin fabrics in a restricted pallet of grays, silvers and blues. The models walked the runway with thick black liner on the eyes and fake thin mustaches applied just for the show. You have to just love the slick Guido look Armani was looking to achieve; it added a little sex to the collection.

In the opening section Armani played with textures, although I found the texture of the blue and gray silk wool blend with the oversized silhouettes of the suits an odd combination. When Armani started to play with the tailoring in the later half of the opening section you could see a shift of cleaner but fuller look to the suits. Some of the standout pieces in this section were the black wool jackets that were paired with a black silk/wool blend pant. The contrast of the two fabrics really gives the eye a break in a sea of eel skin suits.

In the second section Armani moved from the heavy suits and shortened the length. Showing a pleve of simple dress shorts with matching blazers. The mass amount of the dress short looks was a little too much, what was missing was color. Armani also jumped on another trend look we have seen this week. Showing several looks with shirts that have only one button at the bottom showing off the models belly buttons. Is this a statement that men’s bare midriffs are in and women’s are out? I hope not! Some of the strongest looks in the second section were the sports pullover shirts and pant looks. Like the black and red pullovers with a band of black and white stripes cutting the two colors on a diagonal. While Armani did have the soccer bug this Spring/Summer (with good reason having Italy in the Final), his closing section was a parade of models in several patterned or textured soccer shorts. With a closing section filled with all athletic looks, the use of color was limited with only black, red and blue.

The must have look from the Armani collection is one evening look and the only unique piece in the collection. The must have Armani suit from the collection is the black wool crepe tuxedo suit with a matching low cut vest. The tuxedo is worn with a pale blue dress shirt and a contrasting blue tie. The other must have piece from the collection is the one of the footballer jersey jackets. A silk satin jacket in red and white with nylon red and white stripped trim along the collar and cuffs. This collection was as far from the Spring/Summer collection that Armani could get. The vast majority of the collection was in a dark pallet of black, dark blues and grays. The only splashes of color in the collection were from the bright blues and reds that were paired with black pants or shirts and blazers. What is interesting is that Armani presented more dress options in this collection rather than day wear looks. This is usually seen more in his signature Armani collection, not at Empario.

View the complete collection at style.com

[images viaStyle.com]

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Designer Italo Zucchelli’s inspiration for his Spring/Summer collection for Calvin Klein is focused on the clean lines of the new wave movement of the 80’s. The opening section is one big pallet of grays and neutrals. One of the strongest looks in the opening section was a gray crew neck sweater that has a light gray weave giving the sweater a v-neck look. The sweater is worn with a straight leg cut pant, Zucchelli has embraced the full leg pant movement. Banish the Tapered Leg! Another standout trend in the collection was Italo’s experimentation of working with new tech fabrics. One the look to note was the black blazer made of made of a linen fabric that has been coated to create a high sheen on the fabric. From a distance the fabric almost appears to be leather.

In the second section Zucchelli’s direction was to make his day looks sportier or more active friendly while playing with his silhouettes. He commented his stretch Lycra legging and unitards were a play on his silhouettes. I giggled when I saw the leggings at first and started to understand why he showed the pieces, to add more to the imagination of the editors in the audience, while complementing the varying shapes his silhouettes are creating. Though, for one brief moment Italo did show a few tapered leg pants. No! While the palette through out the collection was leaning towards gray and neutrals tones Zucchelli did add some color, one of the big colors of the season “Aqua”. One of the best combinations of color and his neutral palette was the geometric design shirt. The shirt is a combination of fabrics sewn together and worn with a gray suit with a straight leg pant. The mix of the fabric has a crafts look, building on the whole idea of home made.

While most of the collection is a lot of suit looks and simple dress shirt looks, Italo showed a few knitwear looks that really stood out on there own. One these looks were the white knit sweater worn with a pair of bright aqua leggings. The sweater weave is similar to the porcelain baskets from the 19th century. The sweater is fitted to the torso, which is actually complemented by the tight silhouette created by the leggings.

The must have pieces from the collection are two of the most arresting pieces in the collection. First is the powder blue cashmere cardigan with a contrasting dark blue lining the button opening of the cardigan? It’s worn with a pair of denim jeans that was treated like the linen fabric creating velvet sheen to the fabric. The other must have piece is the black bikers jacket with the mandarin collar. The jacket is made of a mesh fabric that has been glazed to a sheen. The striking feature of the jacket is how translucent the fabric is and them exposed seaming adds line to the already modern piece. The only downside to the whole look was the short shorts.

With designers moving away from the thin silhouette that was pioneered by Hedi Slimane, Italo Zucchelli is slowly shaping his new silhouette in this collection. A lot of Zucchelli’s pants were tailored straight to the leg and it’s evident that his jackets and outerwear is starting to loosen up. While Calvin Klein is not known for its bold use of color, I was surprised to find that Italo really grasped the color new “it” color, Aqua and played with it. In one of his most daring ventures of this collection, Zucchelli really shined with his use of new high tech treated fabrics. The end result is not only a very classic Calvin Klein collection but also a very young collection.

View the complete collection at style.com

[images via Style.com]

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Last season Valentino issued a manifesto that the world treats travel as if it were a drive to the supermarket. He questioned why couldn’t travel be more glamorous? Well, I think Valentino finally understood that people today are squished like sardines onto Ryan Air and Southwest Airlines only to get recycled air and a bag of peanuts. Gone is the free cocktail and the three course meal that you could write home about as the highlight of your trip. Valentino’s Spring/Summer collection has to be one of the most relaxed collections I have seen from Valentino, EVER!

The opening of the collection was a parade of wife-beaters worn with linen slack and strappy sandals. The Valentino opulence at first seemed to only appear in the accessories, but slowly he begins to add sexy fabrics and unique textures. The key looks in the opening section are his outwear pieces. Although he showed a few tapered leg pants, NO MORE PLEASE! As the collection progressed he loosened up the pant, making it more comfortable. One of the strongest looks in the opening section was light brown linen pant, loosely tailored and worn with a matching light brown knit button down cardigan. Valentino showed this baggy leg pant through the remainder of the collection.

The must have looks for the collection both include Valentino’s full leg pant. The first was the blue silk merino mock-neck sweater worn with a light gray baggy leg linen pant. The other must have look was gray Windsor check linen pant worn with a classic Valentino black trench coat. The weak point of the collection was the absence of color. Valentino focused on a palette of black, gray and natural colors of browns and dark greens. The strongest pieces in the collection are certainly all of Valentino’s linen pants with their full legs. Bravo Monsieur Valentino!

View the complete collection at style.com

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For her first menswear collection Frida Giannini look to the Gucci archive for inspirational prints. She states her focus for the menswear collection was to bring women’s line and the men’s line a little closer together. Since Ford’s exit the two have been very distant in style and statement. In the first section Giannini showed sever dress suits for day and evening. She saturated the suits with decadent fabrics or bold prints on the fabric. The only disappointing thing about the suits is Frida opted to keep with the tapered leg look of seasons past. One of the strongest looks was the black and white pinstripe suit with contrasting pieces. The jacket is white with black stripes and the pant is black with white stripes.

For the second section Giannini used a more earthy color palette. I was happy to see Frida showed several leather pieces but I did not like how high she cropped the bottom of the jacket and tailored the sleeves close to the arm. As the collection progressed the Gucci look moved back to the 70’s looks we saw last season in Giannini’s Fall/Winter womenswear collection. She started to show some really weak looks like the short shorts, the studded and embossed leather vests and jackets. One of the big misses in the third section was the cerulean color leather jacket and short. While I was not keen of the cerulean blue used in the third section, I did love bright turquoise she used. One of the stand looks was the bright turquoise straight leg pant worn with a navy blue and turquoise print shirt.

Frida did show 2 real standout looks both incorporating some of her new prints she created for Gucci. First was the brown paisley print silk shirt worn with a straight leg cut pant, only a handful of the straight leg pants were shown. The other must have look and one of my favorites is the orange and blue paisley print silk shirt worn with a matching blue straight leg pant. For the evening section Giannini moved back to her tapered leg pant and using a lot of printed silk suits. While I found Frida’s attempt to bring the menswear closer in style to the women line, she might have take a few steps too far. The end result is a collection that seems to have a strong feminine appeal and look to it. While her bold use of color and prints really brought a Gucci feel to the collection, her silhouettes were too dated. Overall I was excited to see that Frida started bring back the Gucci prints while adding some new one’s.

View the complete collection at style.com

[images via Style.com]

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Kean Etro seems to have an interest in the upcoming release of the “Pirates of the Caribbean”. At the top of the runway stood a 25-foot tall pirates ship, painted “PINK”. Etro opted to mix the collection up this season; there was no clean indication of sections in his collection. Instead he opted to move from suits to shorts and varying prints with no plan fro continuity (a similar format seen at DSquared2). This crazy format seemed to really keep you caught up in the looks.

In the opening of the show Etro showed several dress and dress-down looks. Right from the start Kean played with several prints, color combinations and textures. One of the most eye-catching looks was the white silk satin cargo short with baggy utility pockets on the sides of the shorts. The short is worn with a black and dark olive green tropical print jacket with tails. The print is very faint to the eye, the green is so dark its almost black. Another strong piece was the orange and brown tropical print pant with a baggy cut to the pant. The pant is very Palm Beach, but the earthy tones really can be worn in the Southwest or any resort destination. I was not to keen about the paisley printed silk poncho worn with the pant. Etro’s combination looks of stripes with paisley prints in one look could be a little distracting.

As the show progressed Etro use of colors became more and more intense. A happy change for myself and other editors (judging on the smiles in the front row during the show)! One of the most fun looks was the candy stripe seersucker suit. The pant has a baggy leg and the suit is worn with a pale blue dress shirt with a read and white gingham print used on the collar of the shirt. The puckering of candy stripe fabric gives it a softer look. Close the close of the collection Etro added some playful pieces to the collection. Like the black and white paisley print drawstring pant, minus the sweat jacket with a dragon print on the front. On the pieces to avoid are the extra long pants with the drawstring ties at the hem of the pant.

The must have look of the collection is one of the dress suits in the opening of the collection. A matching jacket and pant of a black and light gray stripe. The pant leg is tailored straight and the suit is worn with a brown and blue stripe shirts and brown and green coffee beans print tie. The must have piece of the collection is the black a white Windsor check dress slack. The pant is tailored with a flat front and the leg is flared from the knee creating a baggy fit to the pant. Etro continues to show us his ability to play with both bold colors and bold prints in work. This season he really took off with his version of Johnny Depp in “Pirates”. The end result is a collection of strong pieces and look for Spring/Summer. While there is a lot of black, gray and blue in the collection, Etro’s use of bold tropical prints and hidden paisleys draws you away from any dark colors. Bravo Monsieur Etro!

View the complete collection at style.com

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Notes say the inspiration for Alessandro Dell’Acqua Spring/Summer collection revolves around the military and punks. My first impression after the first 6 looks, I felt like Alessandro’s focus was African safari meets rogue militants. Unfortunately I really did not see the punk! The opening section was full of animal prints paired with a lot of earthy shades of green and brown. Dell’Acqua use of animal prints was all over. I was really turned off by the use when he showed a zebra print sweat jacket. Outside of the random earthy tone of brown and the occasional camouflage print on shoes. The only military feel to the collection are all the patches Alessandro added to shirts and sweaters.

As the collection progressed Dell’Acqua used the same looks over and over only changing the fabrics or coloring. Then came the light at the end of drab tunnel, the closing section of the collection would be the defining moment for Alessandro’s S/S collection. It was a real shocker and eye opener, editors faces started to light up! After a series of drab looks, Dell’Acqua showed some of the sexiest and well tailored suits we’ve seen this season. His focus was certainly on the tailoring and keeping the design very clean with an emphasis of loosening up his tapered pant.

From his evening section at the close of the collection, Alessandro Dell’Acqua showed two really must have looks. First was the bright white silk suit. The shoulders are broad with the torso tailored close and the pant tailored with a straight leg. Worn with a pale khaki dress-shirts and olive green tie. The must have look is the black version of the same silk suit. The silhouette that Dell’Acqua created with tailoring is very sexy and the look was topped off with black dress-shirt. Although the evening section was the crowning moment of the collection, sadly what is absent from this collection is Alessandro’s clean lines and fluid sexiness that he shows each season.

View the complete collection at style.com

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Don't forget to tune in tonight to see "PROJECT RUNWAY 3"

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Designers Dean & Dan Caten just could not get out of the locker-room for their Spring/Summer menswear collection. The brothers setup a locker room scene including shower stalls and dressing benches. Models walked onto the runway, undressed down to their Speedos to take a shower and then get dressed back up again. Sometime I could not keep my eyes of the showers every so often. This season the duo opted to mix up this collection no clear break between sections of looks coming down the runways. They moved from Speedos to dress suits and then to undee's or shorts. Caten’s commented the inspiration this was sports and outdoors, hitting on looks for sailing and running. While there were a lot of Speedos and sports jackets and pants, the only obvious details for such outings were the printed adage and logos.

In the opening of the collection three a handful of dress suits in the mix. One of the strongest looks in the opening was a black and light gray pinstripe suit. The suit has a classic fit but with a twist, the waistline is low rising with a flat front to the pant. The overall look is very clean and very sexy. While there was an abundant number of shorts looks in the opening of the show one the standout piece was actually halfway through the collection. The Caten brothers showed a emerald metallic green nylon cargo short, they also showed a matching metallic emerald green aviator jacket. Both are bold pieces but certainly are key find in the collection.

However, the “IT” color for the collection is not the greens or reds. Think “PINK”!!!!! Dean and Dan showed several standout looks with pink. One of the standout short look was simple flat front stone color short worn with a stunning pale pink and white dress shirt and matching Sinatra hat. The pale pink dress shirt is similar to tuxedo shirt. The opening of the shirt is trimmed with a white fabric as well as the sleeve cuffs. Another great pink look was the blue and white stripe blazer worn with a simple white dress shirt. To finish off the look Dean and Dan added a pink pleated front dress short with the hem of the short cuffed. The fit of the short is loose but tailored with clean lines. While pink was the strong point of the collection Caten’s did explore other colors with no success, like the salmon colored leather shorts or white sateen sports jackets.

There were two really bold must have looks from the DSquared2 Spring/Summer collection. First was the yellow waist-length double-breasted overcoat worn with a pair of denim Capri pants with the cuff rolled above the knee. I am not sure what really caught my eye with this look, either the shocking yellow coat or the men’s denim pant. The other must have look from the collection was the metallic pink blazer worn with a white dress shirt and baggy fit denim pant, similar to carpenter fir jean. This collection was certainly a safe collection for the Caten brothers. While I was loving extreme use of color through out the collection, what was really missing was a sense of life outside of all the sports looks and bare chests and chiseled bodies. When you’re not on the opening day of Milan Fashion Week while World Cup is being played, it best to avoid the whole sports frenzy. You end up looking like your copying everyone else. Overall the Caten’s really showed they can add some classic DSquared2 pieces and play off something that appears to be easy. Bravo Monsieur Dan Caten and Monsieur Dean Caten!

View the complete collection at style.com

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Last season designer Clare Waight Keller had a grasp of being able to mix the classic looks of Pringle and the ever changing world of menswear fashion. This season it seems that Waight Keller is leaning back toward the routes of Pringle. The noted inspiration of the collection was interior decorator David Hicks. Who is known for his bold use of color and strong prints and color combinations! At the preview for the Pringle collection the only word that popped in my head was STUFFY! The collection, 11 looks total, was all pants looks. While Waight Keller was giving a nod to the classic Pringle shape of last season, the colors were absent as well as the use of prints or earthiness seen often in the Pringle collection.

To open the preview the designer opted for a tuxedo look with a scooped neckline for the white vest worn with tapered silhouette pant. One of the strongest looks in the collection was the cream cashmere knit sweater. The weave of the sweater was in a geometric pattern and the neckline is ribbed with a rolled v-neckline. The downside to the look was tapered denim pant. Waight Keller’s use of the tapered leg pant runs through out the collection. The only must have look from the collection was the pale beige knit pullover with a crew-neckline and buttoned front. The key to this look is the straight silhouette pant with a pleated front and baggy leg, the only baggy leg pant in the collection. While the collection is a classic looking Pringle collection and Waight Keller played it safe with standard Pringle colors. The absent of color is what really drained the life from this collection and certainly knocked Waight Keller back to two steps this seasons. Hopefully next season she can really jump forward to experimenting and coming up with a new chapter for Pringle.

View the complete collection at style.com

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Right from the opening of the collection it appears that Donatella and her design team seem to have their shoes off and their legs kicked up for the Spring/Summer 07’. The look is relaxed and for the Versace customer that means a lot! A reoccurring theme in the collection was “Where can we hide the Versace “V”, from belt loops to necklines or shoulder strap. My happy reaction to the opening of the collection, COLOR!!!! Finally a designer who gets it! The opening section was a lot of muted color and the look is almost American, from the tailoring of the clothes to the models that were cast for the collection.

The strongest looks in the opening collection were the day suits that opened the show. One of the standout looks was the soft gray pinstripe suit worn with a silk bright orange tie. The pant was the key to complete look of the suit. The pant was loosely tailored with a flat front; the loose tailoring created a fuller leg pant. For the second section Donatella moved into whiter palette that mixed shades of yellow. One of the standout looks in this section was the plunging v-neck short-sleeve shirt in canary yellow. Worn with a crisp white linen flat front pant. The only low point in this section was the 80’s yellow leather jacket with the sleeves rolled up.

In the third section Versace started playing with more color and mixing in prints. She also added some textures in this section. One of the standout looks was a dark brown silk parachute drawstring pants worn with a coffee brown silk trench coat. The pants are wrinkled and have a utility tailoring adding to the overall active look. The highlight in this section was all the neon light graphic prints done on everything from shirts, shorts and pants. One of the standout pieces in this section was the white short-sleeve silk shirt with a plunging v-neckline. The shirt is colored with a indigo blue and a pale purple neon light design. The shirt is worn with a pair of baggy utility pants.

Versace played with the Neon light print adding different color combinations. One of the standout looks was the white sleeve-less shirt with an orange and yellow neon light print; the shirt is worn with a pair of baggy khaki color pants and strappy sandals. Another complimentary piece to this look was the matching swim trunk covered with orange and yellow print. For the closing section Versace paraded several loose evening looks in a white and steel gray palette.

The must have looks for the collection are two dress looks but one for day and the other for evening. First was one of the opening day suit looks. Finally the other must have look was the dark charcoal gray silk jacquard and sheer silk crepe shirt. The combination of the two fabrics is sewn together in a vertical stripe in various thicknesses. With silk jacquard used for the sleeves and worn with silk/wool blend dress slack with a baggy leg cut. This collection is certainly one of the most out of the box collections that Donatella Versace has shown in years. A sigh of relief seemed to be floating over the editors post-show. Not to mention the buyers! This is a sign of some change for menswear and Versace is really embracing this change. Bravo Madame Versace!

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The inspiration is quoted to be a businessman meets skinheads. What is giving into safe? That would be Neil Barrett this season; the designer opted to keep with tradition. Opting to keep with the absent of color and true to trends of seasons past (skinny rocker chic and tapered pants). Barrett’s faithfulness to the skinny leg pan, western motif is an obvious step to steering clear of taking any risk. From the beginning to end the pallet as usual is black and white. The suits are thinly tailored to the body and the pants are hemmed well above the ankle. Barrett opened the collection with a black leather and satin members only jacket, yes that what is said!

The only stand look in the collection was one simple piece that Barrett played with color. This piece is also the only must have piece in the collection. An indigo blue denim pant that was only dyed on the outside of the pant, leaving the inside fabric its natural color. The dye was cast in a feather motion around waist and the seaming running on the inside and outside of the leg. Creating a bold print design that is eye catching. I found the collection was made up of the same pieces used over and over and only the color of the fabric changed or the fabric it self was replaced by leather or a textured fabric. Overall Barrett’s tight silhouette used throughout the collection was the big disappointment of the collection.

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At the Marni preview, we were treated to some very classic looks for Marni. Sadly the down point to this collection is the lack of color. Although there are splashes of red and blue here and there .The absence of the bold Marni color is a little sad, not to mention the lack of any Marni prints. This season designer Consuelo Castiglioni focused on giving the Marni client a simple collection – opting to show the small collection of 8 looks in his showroom.

One of the strongest looks in the opening section is the very first look to hit the runway. A gray and navy blue strip knit cardigan with light gray along the lapels and hem. The cardigan is worn with a pale blue and white strip short and white dress shirt. One of the misses in the collection is Castiglioni use of the tapered leg pant, a trend that seems to be disappearing, thank you! Another lacking feature is the simplicity of the Marni accessories. For example the bags showed with several looks, the bags were bulky and seemed to be unfinished in its design.

The must have pieces of the collection are two outerwear pieces. First is the only splash of color in the collection, a red collar-less overcoat with large pockets on the front of the jacket. The must have piece is the white trench coat that is collar-less with large pockets, similar to the red overcoat. The overall look for the collection is for the intellectual collegiate going on holiday at a retreat in the countryside. It’s very clean and simple, but overall it’s just too simple. Hopefully next season we can see more life in Marni.

View the complete collection at style.com

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For the opening of the collection Miuccia Prada showed a number of simple untailored suits and day looks in a light and dark gray pallet. While lacing a little color here in there! The backdrop of the show was a flash of imagery on the walls; it was pretty evident the flash of slogans was hinting at the collection – Doom!!!! In the second section Prada started to come alive with more color and more texture, not to mention some striking prints. While I found Gottex shorts a little over the top and a stretch for the designer. Her use of bold colors of green, yellow and blue really let the collection take a step away from the whole minimalism and modern direction.

In the second section Prada’s use of color and prints really took off. The standout looks in this section are two short looks. A taffeta short printed with geometric egg shapes and hemmed with a contrasting blue zigzag. The short is pleated at the waist and along with the short length of the shorts give the short a puff shape around the waist, adding to your package! The short is worn with a simple black ribbed cashmere cardigan. I was not a big fan of the techno blue patent leather jacket that was right out of the 80’s.

For the third section Prada slightly moves back into her minimalist pallet. Then she splashes you with more color, this time it’s more orange and yellow. The most unique pieces of the collection are certainly the orange and canary yellow PVC slickers. What is up with Milan Designers showing raincoat in their Spring/Summer collections? Is it going flood next year all over the world? In the end, I love that Miuccia added the two raincoats.

The closing section moved back into the minimalist design and a black-based pallet. While a bilk of the closing section was very simple and incorporated a lot Prada’s signature looks. The standard theme that resonated on the runway was all of the Prada strapy sandals. The sandals were worn with everything from pants to shorts and even stretch leggings.

The must have pieces are both from the closing section of the collection. First, the black cotton dress shirt with a simple collar but the shirt wraps around the lower torso like a wrap dress. Giving the shirt a new look with direction of the lines of wrapped shirt and creating a feminine twist to the look. The second piece is the black silk taffeta jacket, the jacket is simple box cut shape but the collar criss-crosses instead of buttoning down the front. Its worn with a sheer black silk ribbed pullover shirt. What I love about this look was the pairing of the black taffeta jacket with a pair of dark ,dark brown (almost black) taffeta pleated shorts.

Prada is a hard designer to love and some might even agree, hard to understand. Season after season Muccia looks to keep with her design aesthetic and make sure her clientèle receives something new while not straying from the classic Prada style. This collection certainly resonates this philosophy but the key to this collection is Prada’s desire to bring her looks alive with strong and vibrant colors. Her strong point in this collection is most certainly her use of prints, while we seldom see strong prints (outside of her womenswear line) for menswear, this season she delivers. Bravo Madame Prada!

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The gods must love Dominico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana at the moment. Their collection for Spring/Summer is all sport and all about the body. Like I said before I have not seen that many chiseled torso since the 80’s. The opening section was all about sport and pampering the body. Models strutted down the runway in Speedos, robes and several Dolce & Gabbana football pants (the must have look at Beverly Hills High will be football jocks in D&G pants!). In the second section the duo got preppy, from shorts and blazer looks to boy with sweater tied around their necks.

In the third section the duo started adding more satin looks, adding some decadence to a very athletic and starched collection. One of the standout pieces in this section was a navy blue satin shorts suit. The blazer is tailored close the torso and the shorts are pleated giving a fuller leg look. But what really caught my eyes were the black and white wingtips that were worn with suit. The shoe is completely flat on the bottom. It has no heal, an interesting take on the classic dress shoe, In the closing section one of the standout looks was a vibrant white matching pleated short and blazer, worn with an off-white sating shirt and topped off with a cream satin tie.

The must have looks in the collection are two shorts looks. First was the rust color suede shorts. The shorts are tailored baggy and worn with a tight fitted blue shirt, the colors are very 80’s but I love the combination. Another was not an actual clothing look –rather a pair of tortoise shell sunglasses. I love how they kept the shape of the glass round but made the lens larger, worn with a pair of tennis shorts and matching tennis shoes, of coarse no shirt! While the collection fits with the Spring/Summer theme – the excessive theme of sports and body mixed with the classic tailoring is a little confusing in the end. But the collection is very Dolce & Gabbana; sadly there were no real wow moments this season for men.

View the complete collection at Vogue.UK

[images viaVogue.UK]

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If Oscar Wilde were alive today, would he embody his iconic image of a sophisticated and aristocratic gentleman? My gut response is certainly “of coarse”, but Wilde’s lover Lord Alfred Douglas is another story, I see him falling victim to the many cliché homosexual trends. From chops from the 70’s, super tan and wife beaters from the 80’s, even the muscle craze of the 90’s. For their Spring/Summer collection the Missoni family gave their guests a first glimpse of the collection with a tiled backdrop consisting the colors from the collection. Backstage the Missoni’s quoted the inspiration being Lord Alfred Douglas. Last season Missoni was all about the sun kissed look, this season the family are off on a golfing holiday. This inspiration is in the classic Missoni knitwear.

Earlier in the day a few designers opted to show no shorts in their collections. The Missoni’s jumped on the end of the spectrum, showing a lot of shorts along with pants to indulge the golfers need to stand out on the “fairway”. Right from the start of the collection get the classic Missoni geometric knitwear in pallets of soft pinks, aqua and yellows. The first standout look if the collection was the bright teal and brown sweater set. A collarless cardigan worn over a matching v-neck sleeveless sweater. Another strong knitwear look was the v-neck sweater with the classic Missoni wave design mixed with stripe design worn with a pleated tan pant.

The second section of the collection was more summer than spring. Missoni showed several Bermuda short looks as well as several dress shorts look with matching blazers. The standout looks in this section were all the short shorts looks. More specifically, the low waisted swim trunks (emphasizing the package). The swim is a plaid print combining colors like yellow and aqua or yellow and orange. One of the best looks was the yellow and aqua swim trunk worn with a similar plaid print jacket and scribble print t-shirt. While this abundant use of prints is very busy – the pairing really compliments the look.

As the collection progressed the designers shifted into a black and white section, which really didn’t flow with the abundance of color. The black and white really broke up the collection into two pieces. Although in the middle of the black and white section the Missoni’s did throw in two strong color looks. First was a black and pale aqua Missoni stripe design used on a matching cardigan and sweater set. Worn with a baggy pleated khaki pant. The other standout look was short sleeve knit polo with the classic Missoni stripe design in pale purple, peach and black. Worn with a baggy pleated white linen pant.

The must have looks from the collection are two knitwear looks, one shorts look and one pant look. First was the kahki brown linen shorts worn with a matching black and yellow print dress shirt under an orange and brown Aztec design cardigan with black and white stripe details. The highlight of this look is the pleated linen short; I love the classic baggy fit. The other must have look from the collection is the pale green chevron design knit cardigan with a wide draping lapel. The chevron design gives the cardigan a little a 30’s look. This season the Missoni family really took the collection another level. They opted for a single theme for the collection and ran with it. The end result is a complete collection that is not only wearable but also sellable, buyers look to be salivating after the show. Bravo Monsieur Missoni!

View the complete collection at style.com

[images viaStyle.com]

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For Spring/Summer 2007, designer Christopher Bailey has his heart in the classic Burberry Fall look. Taking the classic Burberry trench coats and pantsuits and adding some color or a lot of color. One of the inspirations quoted back stage was the music presented in the show. My impression or response to the music was it felt sad but a heartfelt tribute to Bailey’s partner who passed away last year. In the opening section Bailey kept true to the classic Burberry style showing several suits and outerwear pieces in pale browns and soft grays.

Although the opening section was full of light and airy fabrics, the look that Bailey was trying to achieve was more a Fall/Winter look than Spring/Summer. Christopher continued his use of knitwear from his last F/W collection, but his outerwear pieces were the highlight of the opening section. One of the strongest outerwear looks were the chunky lapel and button trench coats in various shades of red, green and blue. Two coats really jumped out at me, first the metallic electric blue trench and the metallic olive green trench. The coats were detailed with chunky buttons and worn with a loosing fitting pant and a silk Marino sweater over a dress shirt.

As the collection progressed Bailey shower more and more outerwear looks. The trench began to get really repetitive. But then he dropped a bomb by showing two coats in what could be the new “it” color for the season, a tangerine/red color. First, there was the simple red trench coat, that he focused on accents like making the pockets larger and adding large buttons. These accents covered the entire front of the trench. Another bold piece was the A-Line cut overcoat in the same tangerine/red. The coat is very clean and absent that tailored shape that is seen throughout the collection. I loved the little detail of leather straps around wrists of the jacket.

Bailey played with a lot of color in this collection. From bright yellows and greens. He even created a couple of silver pieces. I was not a big fan of the silver lame dress shirts worn under a v-neck sweater. But I did like the silver lame knit cardigan worn over a simple gray dress shirt. I did not like the straight leg pant worn with the cardigan. Bailey took last season emerging trend of a full or baggy pant to the next level in this collection. Showing a large number of pleated baggy pants with a variety unique looks.

The closing section seemed to be more feminine, a lot of pale pink and blue looks with very feminine lines and shapes. Bailey added rhinestone accents and shoulder pads to jackets and coats. Now I know shoulder pads on men is a scary thought, but these little additions really made the closing section a success. For the closing Bailey showed several all white tuxedos looks. He used every white fabric he could get his hands on, from white silk satin to white silk crepe. Then adding details like beading and rhinestones. Like, the white cashmere knit sweater that was completely encrusted with crystals. Worn with a satin bow tie and shirt. The key to the all of the white looks was all of the pleated baggy pants in silk crepe. The only miss in the evening section was all the black shoes the models were wearing, did someone miss place the right shoes for these looks?

The must have looks for the collection are two evening looks. First was the gray silk trench coat worn with a pale pink sweater over a white dress shirt. The highlight of this look is the gray eel skin plated pant with a baggy leg. This look will certainly be a strong unique look for Burberry. The other must have look is the last look of the collection, a white trench coat worn with a white cashmere sweater over a white dress shirt. The pants have a sailor look with a baggy pant leg and rhinestones down the side of the pant. Even though the collection was predominantly done in browns and grays, Bailey made sure to give the Burberry client some color for Spring/Summer 2007. The only downer for the Burberry client is the absence of shorts! Overall it’s an almost complete collection, Bravo Monsieur Bailey!

View the complete collection at style.com

[images viaStyle.com]

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With the world heating up like it is in Milan this June, designer Ennio Capasa showed most of his collection with Shirtless models. Models wore several suits and day looks, minus the shirt! Is the shirt obsolete for the Costume National customer? No! he did show a handful of looks with shirts. While this attempt may be seen as a statement of how to wear his looks. The truth is that the lack of shirts was to cover up the fact most of the fabrics and colors used in the collection made the clothes look heavy and very hot. The opening section was a lot of dark browns, gray and an excessive use of black.

Sadly the opening section did not give us enough strong looks for Spring/Summer, rather more for Fall. In the second section Capasa drew inspiration from the big game hunters from 50’s and 60’s. Almost James Bond, a lot of hunting browns! Then Capasa moved back to his dark pallet of blues and grays. At least the light browns gave the looks a lighter look and feel. One of the strong looks in the second section was a light gray jacket worn with a dark gray cargo pant. A very simple look but it’s the best I could see so far.

The closing section of the collection was swing back to a dark pallet, but I really loved all the eel skin pants and suits. I was happy to see that Capasa took this mafia related fabric and look and steer completely away from the stereotype by playing with the tailoring and design. One the strongest looks was the pale steel blue eel skin suit. The jacket was detailed with black satin lining on the lapels and black satin piping along the pant leg and trimming the cuffs and pockets. Another strong piece in the closing section was a cropped gray tweed jacket with a wide lapel. The jacket is tailored to the body by pinch in the sides, worn with baggy black crepe pants.

The must have looks from the collection are two knitwear looks. First was the dark gray double-breasted ribbed cardigan, which was a big trend item from last season. The cardigan was worn with a tapered leg pant, which really does not fit the collection of baggy or full leg pants. The other must have look is the white cable knit cardigan worn with a black cargo pant that can be rolled up to ¾ or short length pant. Giving us the first real summer look to the collection.

Another standout and must have look is the last look of the collection. A white dress suit with a white silk crepe jacket and matching white silk satin pants. The white is not a true white seen through the close of the collection. It has a little tinge of blue/green mixed into the white. This look really jumped out at me, very seldom does the closing look really impress me like this. This collection is certainly one of Capasa’s success stories in recent season. Although a bulk of the collection seemed to be out of place or out of season. The key here is the endless options for the Costume National customer. What was lacking, yet again, there is no “shorts” pieces or looks in the collection. Overall Capasa gave us a blotchy collection, while there were many great looks in the collection as whole the vision for Spring is too far in the Fall.

View the complete collection at style.com

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For his sophomore collection, designer Raf Simmons continued his respect and understanding of the Jil Sanders philosophy. For Spring/Summer Simmons shifted his focus on redefining several trademark Sander looks and reworking them under his attention to detail and lines. Simmons kept true to the classic lines and lack of color. The opening section was a parade of several black and gray looks.

Key highlights to the opening section included Simmons redirecting the two-button blazer or jacket. Some of the best outerwear pieces were tailored below the waist. I found the crop waisted jackets to stick out; the designs really did not fit the definition of the collection. Another weak outerwear piece was the collarless trench coat; the cut of the coat was a little baggy. One of the fun pieces of the collection is the rain slicker. Shown in electric blue and gray.

Another strong outerwear piece was the gray leather box cut jacket. The bodice is oversized and I love how Simmons offset the lapel and button to add a modern twist to the jacket. He also showed several outerwear looks in number of bold colors. Like, the tangerine/red trench coat with an offset lapel. This use of color is repeated through out the collection; the only color that didn’t jump out was the techno blue, which we have seen used over and over the last two seasons. I was hoping this color was gone for good.

The must have pieces from the collection are all the short sleeve dress shirts. Simmons showed the shirts in a number solid colors. The must have colors include the simple shirt which was worn with several black and gray suits. Then there is the “it” color of the season, Simmons Tangerine. The small collar gives the shirt a very clean look with the limiting of lines and focusing on the simple design.

At the end of the collection I found myself still loving the idea of Raf Simmons heading Jil Sander. Raf really nailed the whole Jil Sander vision on the head and he really does have a grasp of the Sander legacy. The only thing absent from the collection was Simmons sense of innovation. With this being his second menswear collection it appears Simmons is more focused on reworking classic Sander pieces and look to bring back the Sander customer who has been disappearing. Bravo Monsieur Simmons.

View the complete collection at style.com

[images viaStyle.com]

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The most striking opening day for Milan Menswear - At Dolce & Gabbana the models were athletic gods, I've never seen that many chisseled torso's since the 80's. While other designers seem to be light on the tailoring - designers are predicting a HOT Spring/Summer for 2007. My reviews will be up soon! Big day tomorrow!

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