For some reason there has always been a great divide within the Fashion industry which perpetuated a disjointed aesthetic between Menswear and Womenswear. For some reason the looks walking down a menswear show beared little resemblance to their womenswear counterparts even insofar as having completely different inspirations, stylistic themes, colours and construction. However, thankfully enough, that has begun to change. More and more designers are looking to create an aesthetic which unites both menswear and womenswear under a unifying vision, or quite literally the "perfect couple".
"The perfect couple", you ask? For so many of the great fashion houses who've always been known as leaders in the womenswear field, this drive to create the "boyfriend, of the girl who wears (Insert Designer name here)", is a welcome change from the previous collections of recycled tired old suits, ties and the odd shoe simply to please the investors and keep duty free stores stocked full of ties, watches, and cufflinks that have little to nothing to do with the brand's aesthetic. When a menswear collection can hold its own against its zeitgeist making womenswear counterpart (Balmain, Givenchy, etc), that is a truly rare designer. This is why the new Fall 2010 Lanvin collection is such a welcome change from the norm.
The women's collection began as being loosely inspired by the North African desert regions, yet managed to infuse an ethnic albeit thoroughly modern urban aesthetic into the collection. The mens collection, maintains this modern ethnic vibe and expands upon it from a men's perspective. As is to be expected from Alber Elbaz, the Lanvin women's collection naturally is a billowing, well draped and graceful collection even if it has that hard urban warrior edge to it. From the men's perspective I got much more of a...hate to say it...starwars vibe here.
Now just hear me out on this one...
One of the first looks down the runway features this very tribal metal piece under
a suit which for me helped set the stage right off the bat as more of an ethnic collection...
...But modernity quickly became apparent once one took a closer look at the shoes; a sort of snake skin ethnic / modern age version of a wingtip with those modern adjustable straps in place of the traditional shoelace...
...And this was where I got that Anakin skywalker-esque
North-African inspired merchant-mercenary-airplane pilot look...
...With the billowy striped shirt and the pants that looked like a parachute material?...
...And the stringy, laced-up canvas satchel...
...North African merchant-mercinary modern interpretations of the leather duster?
...sort of an interesting gauze-like sci-fi-esque shirt...
...cut-off sleeves, longer tunic-like over-coat reminds me of a blacksmith,
or possibly a mechanic within this post-apocalyptic vigilante desert world...
... definitely a tunic...note the rough construction and a
wrinkled quality to both the pants and the vest...
...The materials call to me the most as being very
aeronautically related, but in a futuristic sense...
...wonderful juxtapostion of the rough and satin like textures, reminds me
of a tuxedo...the most modern sort of paired down sense of the gesture...
...True to form they did have suits, but even these re-enforced the design aesthetic...
...Saw this shot. Loved it. Its not entirely the sort of thing you'll ever see me personally walking down the street in, but it has that rare moment when everything comes together. The photography, the billowing overcoat in the background expressing a lightness and a movement, the rough, almost unfinished quality to the cuff of the sleeve and the lightness of the pants which seem to have been in some sort of explosion or near an awful lot of sparks judging by the singed holes in the pants, and the fanny pack? satchel? that adds a utilitarian harder edge to what would otherwise be a very airy-looking delicate shot. perfect combination...
...This was my absolute favorite shot in that it captures more of a refined look. Theres a much more constructed quality to the garments, less of a loose edge to them, but still a bit rough around the edges. Wonderful mixture of textures, colour and pattern. This shot to me was the most Mechanized-Machine-Age-Post-Apocalyptic-Sky-Captain-Meets-Star-Wars-esque with all the straps and laces to the satchel, the rough, but refined motorcycle jacket, and mostly the pixelated hexagonal gilded pants really reinforced this vision...
...after seeing this photo posted to one of my all-time favorite blogs, Jak and Jil, I just couldn't stop thinking about these sandals. Clearly its a woman we see in the shot wearing the, yes you guessed it, women's designer brand sandals, but theres just something about those rough hewn leather straps and that primitive canvas ankle cuff that I just can't get my mind off of...
...Being the relentless google-search-hound I am, it didn't take me long to pull up dozens of photos from nearly every angle...and I'm going to share them with you and hopefully you'll feel the same way...Naturally being Chloé...they're extortionately expensive. As an unpaid intern for a Boston Design Center showroom, I'd ironically have to sell my own legs [feet attached] just to pay for these sandals...which I'd then be entirely unable to wear...what then? electrical tape mantle-piece ornament perhaps?
...I've always liked that militaristic look, and these sandals have that aesthetic pegged perfectly... but what I don't get is why women get to delight in such innovative detailed footwear. Normally I'm a loafer-wearing, chuck-toting, wingtip-scuffing, top-sider-boating kind of guy, but for some reason designers seem to put so much effort more into a proliferation of women's accessories, shoes, hats, etc and we all get why...men hate to shop. But still...it leaves me in this awkward situation in a Barney's shoe salon where I'm doing my best not to steal furtive glances towards the gender-bending sandals I so dearly adore...
...I think its the looping belt-buckle like straps and the mixture of texture, material and colour which are what I find the most appealing about the sandal. And because the canvas part ultimately loops around your ankle it provides a certain ability for one to alter the look of the sandal. For example, take the sandal pictured above...doesn't it almost look like it might have stepped out of World War I with that height they've given the ankle cuff, whereas the one pictured just below the Barney's Ad looks much more...[dare I say it to please myself...yes.] Masculine?
...At the end of the day, what with my current financial status, [I work literally for sun-chips, free fabric and the odd carpet sample] I wouldn't even be able to afford a heavily discounted pair on sale let alone the full priced $595. However, as with many things I so severely covet, I think someday, someday soon... I'll spend a lazy-Sunday feverishly tearing apart canvas bags, stripping leather belts, and sewing a cobbled version of my own to love and to cherish for all the cobble-stone sidewalks of my days...
