The Autumn-Winter 2020 menswear fashion dust has settled for now, leaving little but trampled seating charts and interns’ tears in its wake. In short, designers leaned mostly towards futurism and gender non-conformity. ‘Le Tout-Paris’ had to clamber on an electric kick scooter or worse yet, walk on limited editions, to get around because of the historic transport strikes. Nonetheless, Paris served us both the evergreen stars (Walter, Dior, Dries, Louis, Raf) and ‘newer’ voices (BOTTER, Craig Green), so all travel-related pains were swiftly forgotten. London came across relatively drama-free (or perhaps too worn-down by dystopian politics and monarchic antics to kick up a fuss), Italy came alive via stints by Telfar Clemens (Florence) and A-COLD-WALL*’s Samuel Ross (Milan). Maybe because the actual news this year has been an incessant torrent of brimstone from day one, the first real 2020 fashions felt like a calming balm (lace front ‘Egyptian’ tributes notwithstanding). Let’s enjoy that peace and quiet while it lasts.
Oh, look, Jean Paul Gaultier is quitting couture forever and nothing will ever be the same again!
If you hadn’t boarded the Telfar Train before, I hope you enjoy the sight of locomotives dotting the horizon at sunset. A Pitti Uomo show in Florence is often the official fashion industry seal of success, and Telfar Clemens’ debut at the fair this January was no exception. The New York-born label has been bubbling under and above the radar for well over a decade now, so be sure: a flash in the pan this is not. This is hard-won glory. For AW20, the presentation signalled a renaissance of sorts. Not just because of the location (the late-baroque Palazzo Corsini) but the clothing felt reborn too. Inspired by his prolonged stay in Emilia-Romagna late last year, Clemens and creative director Babak Radboy were able to produce the entire collection in Italy with help from the Pitti team. Spending time among lots of classic Italian art overflowing with nobles decked out in tunics and codpieces had no small impact: “I just began to see so many correlations between the clothes I actually make and the clothes that were in these paintings”, Clemens told GQ. Translating that to the Telfar vocab: lots of ruffles, raised collars, culottes, luxurious fabrics and striped breeches. The viral appeal of the so-called ‘Bushwick Birkin’ bag also showed no signs of slowing down, flashing gold and silver colourways before the consumers’ hungry eyes. In signature style, trousers and tops were spliced beyond logic, with down-filled bubbles wrapping the bottom halves of jeans like turkey tail mushrooms. Solange and Grace Wales Bonner were present, and both boychild and Wu Tsang walked the set strewn with remnants of a feast held the night before – pomegranates, bones and wine bottles à gogo. Can you spell opulence?
London designer Bethany Williams was the recipient of the British Fashion Council’s Emerging Talent Menswear 2019 Fashion Award (among many other accolades last year). It’s good the recognition has come sooner rather than later, because what Williams does for heartfelt and ethical fashion is a true service. Her latest show, ‘No Recourse To Public Funds’, was created in collaboration with (and in aid of) local non-profit The Mag Pie Project: a practical support and advice organisation for mothers and children under five living in temporary or insecure accommodation. Spinning joy from pain, the collection offered a Matissean collage of colour and print on white-based, relaxed silhouettes that featured materials and techniques speaking to the experiences of women and children living in precarious accommodation. The narrative: amplifying the experiences and voicing the fears of the marginalized. Full of heart, but sustainable too, Williams used organic and recycled materials only – including scraps from a toy factory – and upcycled a range of adidas trainers. She even left show guests with a sock knit designs for them to create and donate back to the Magpie Project charity (socks being a much-needed but oft-overlooked necessity for rough sleepers and people experiencing homelessness). That’s not all. “We use a factory in North London, and we work with women ex-offenders and those on prison day-release”, Williams told Vogue. Important work.
A Martine Rose show is like that Michelle Obama meme come to life: “Hey queen, girl you have done it again.” Using her daughter’s school as a show location, Rose shines most eye-blindingly when her community is at the heart of her work. Showing archive reprisals with added detailing, AW20 gave us those signature out of whack Martine Rose proportions with heavy nods to Seventies sartorial culture and exquisite denim (those baroque face prints) and innovative footwear treatments (those plank-like soles, masterful) worn by a diverse cast of models with hair swept up like Roger Klotz (coiffed by master Gary Gill). Martine Rose felt inspired by Kinky Gerlinky (a legendary club night) revellers and football casuals tying a jumper around their shoulders on the road to a match. Her own memories of going out in London gave this collection oodles of heart, and her signature bravado found a home in a new mock slogan: Expect Perfection. She gives it you every time.
Having developed such a grown-up brand a few seasons in, speaks volumes about ‘Stefan Cooke’ as a label going forward. Voluptuary but not overtly so, their London Fashion Week AW20 show was highlighted by the boat neck coats in mid-century couture cuts. Stefan Cooke & Jake Burt – partners in every sense – named this collection ‘The End’, welcoming the new decade with vim. Models came out wearing mini bloomer-esque kilts and expertly slashed knitwear paired with skilfully tailored trousers cut with just the right amount of pooling around the ankles. Accessories were Insta feed-nip, brandishing shearling Bugatti handles on repurposed 40s antique leather handbags complementing leather vests splashed with airbrushed vignettes (a limited collab with Will Bond). The denim was created in collaboration with Lee Jeans, punctured with hundreds of individual studs. Impressive.
Though we’re exactly the same age, it feels like Grace Wales Bonner has lived a hundred lives before. There are few contemporaries of hers who manage to imbue their designs with such lived-in heart for eras recently bygone. Her AW20 collection is titled ‘Lovers Rock’, referring to a particular romantic genre of reggae and dubbed ‘a sweet song to the strength of community’ by Wales Bonner herself. A dance between menswear and womenswear, the collection felt sodden with soul - blending 70s silhouettes with Rastafarian-referenced crochet detailing, luxe materials and standout headwear. Collaborating with adidas Originals on tracksuits and trainers, Manolo Blahnik on shoes, Stephen Jones on millinery and using the artwork of British-Guyanese artist Frank Bowling, ‘Lovers Rock’ is the crescendo of a most dulcet serenade to her own community’s story. Inspired by John Goto’s photographs of young British African-Caribbeans at Lewisham Youth Centre, ‘Lovers Rock tells the story of second-generation black and Asian youths finding love and belonging in the underground blues parties of 1970’s London’, says the designer. Looking at these pieces, I see flashes of my father.
‘Was this collection designed by Raf Simons’? Fashion would not be fashion without the rumour mill always working overtime (why do I suddenly envision unpaid interns in The North Face puffers pushing an old-timey milling wheel?). Whether Miuccia took the Saffiano leather-clad wheel or more of a backseat on this collection, the show stood out as an exercise in contrast through workwear. The lacquered shearling transported me back to Burberry AW10 and the geometric prints and intarsia motifs of the upside-down triangle logo were technically stunning but of a more dialled-down glamour. With ‘hope in a hopeless world’ as its central tenet, the collection went strong on the outerwear (slick cagoules) and accessories (in extra fruity hues). In the words of Miuccia Prada: “I thought to give an indication that the only thing that makes me calm, relaxed and optimistic is to give value to work… to give value to things that matter in your life and your work. And so the creativity is mixed with technicalities, which is a little bit similar to the Secessionist period when ideas, creativity, and actual work had to be all together.” Focusing on recycled materials and sustainability through creative technicality, the collection as a whole offered a glimpse of Tomorrow’s Prada. Pradomani? Yes, let’s go with that.
For his first foray to Milan, ACW’s prodigious founder Samuel Ross felt inspired to look back. 300.000 years back, to be precise, to the ‘history of the movement of homo sapiens in slow and incremental shifts around the world’, says Vogue. Pangaea Flintstoney realness, this AW20 collection was not. With a goal to refine his signature, much-loved-and-Grailed style with more premium materials contrasting with the techiness of memory-retaining nylon and malleable hoods, this show was mostly ACW’s official coming of age declaration. Five years in, the brand has lost none of its fervour but rather sharpened it into its own type of experimental minimalism. A little less logo, a little more low-key luxury. Interesting!
Trust Walter Van Beirendonck, almost four decades into the game, to deliver one of the most memorable collections this season. The AW20 show spelled out as ‘W:A.R.’ or “Walter: About Rights’. With KNOTORYUS representing (hi D, hi S!) at the show, I feel confident in informing you the clothes were just as marvel-worthy in real life. Divided into 4 sub-themes ranging from exoskeletal mega-spikes (with matching prickly make-up by master Inge Grognard), to weird and wondrous Pantone technicolour pieces and protruding teddy bear tops over blown-up 70s dandies and finally landing at wearable installation art sequin box T-shirts. About rights: in times as precarious as these, defending your rights will be the only way to retain them. Callousness and carelesness go hand in hand with the loss of life and liberty. If there’s one thing you could never accuse Walter of, it’s not caring. You’d be tempted to start taking his unflinching use of radical cuts and colours for granted with time, but never miss a chance to step back and admire the genius presented in front of you. It’s literally spelled out in one of the finale looks: cherish creativity. If you weren’t at the show in person and cannot wait for fall delivery dates, you can still catch the currently ongoing W:A.R. exhibition at Galerie Polaris in Paris, displaying installation art featuring. Oh, and if you’re the person who stole a bear and Walterman sculpture from the exhibition space reading this: I’m sending up a prayer for you because Walter Van Beirendonck literally instructed you to be ashamed and burn in hell. That’s a pox with gravitas. You don’t recover from that, sis. If the thought of a fashion curse unsettles you, re-soothe yourself by listening to the recent episode of The Most podcast featuring Walter himself.
‘Upcycling as a mindset, not a concept’. For their official Paris Fashion Week debut (mariah_carey_clinking_glasses_champagne.gif), Rushemy Botter and Lisi Herrebrugh of BOTTER went the way of ‘homemade couture’. Collaborating with Curaçao-based artist Tirzo Martha - who created a large installation from old lawn chairs, tires and tarp - the collection was resplendent with repurposed beauty. We’re talking fibre stuffing, plastic tags, fishnets (a BOTTER signature), balloons lending an air of sophistication previously unattributed to them. The suiting was great, with exaggerated, rushed shoulder lines (echoes of their other daytime job at Nina Ricci) versus peeled-off outer layers and the denim was cut just right. Crimping and rushing and studding and puckering, the pieces felt thought-out to the fullest. As little badges and prints spelled it out: a lot of LOVE went into this. ‘There is no crying in fashion’, one top exclaimed. Perhaps not, but there is a lot of polluting in fashion and shows like this remind us of what’s real.
Kim Jones has long mastered the art of harnessing both the raw frisson of ‘l’air du temps’ (please note the author is ‘ooh la la-ing’ and doffing his beret at the time of writing) as well as an ageless elegance. His work at Dior is the truest testament. Without visibly straining, Jones’s ‘Dior Men’ includes a hype-laden collab with Jordan Brand and Shawn Stussy while simultaneously giving us archive-inspired, giant rosette-studded opera coats (avec evening gloves) in the dearest of eggshell blue silk moiré. For AW20, Kim Jones and his team paid tribute to their friend: the late and great stylist, jeweller and art director Judy Blame. His iconic (the word is overused, but applies to Mr Blame) safety pin-heavy punk jewellery-cum-found object art relived via the touch of Director of Jewellery Yoon Ahn in this show, pinning itself from ears to headpieces. There were plenty of archival references to be parsed: Marc Bohan’s thirty years at Dior, John Galliano’s newspaper print, the signature Dior ‘toile de Jouy’ motif (transformed for the occasion into ‘toile de Judy’). I audibly gasped at that silver-feathered mackintosh finale, inspired by Christian Dior archive haute couture. But mostly, this was a celebration. Of a man gone too soon. And of the direction man is headed in the future.
I hope Virgil Abloh had the most off-the-grid and salubrious hiatus and it’s good to have him back. Health is the only wealth. Economic wealth will, however, play a bigger part in you getting one of these AW20 looks redirected to your closet, such is life. In a Truman Show-meets-Magritte setting, models descended from the heavens wearing what the brand calls ‘a material and figurative exercise in freedom.’ Speaker trunks, surrealist appliqués, tweaked and body-con twisted luggage and every relevant celebrity imaginable on the front row: there was a lot to be distracted by. So allow me draw your eyes to the tailoring. There was a selection of ‘craquelure’ suits, which means the looks were cut into pieces and reassembled to reveal ‘cracks’ in the surface. There was peplum embellishment at the hips. There was some excellent Liberace-style diagonal ruching going on. I really want that frilly shirt. It’s evident Virgil Abloh is turning a corner of sorts, perhaps predicated by his ominous ‘streetwear is going to die’ quote. I don’t much like dwelling on predictions of death however, so here’s the rest of Abloh’s thoughts: “I think that like we’re gonna hit this like, really awesome state of expressing your knowledge and personal style with vintage – there are so many clothes that are cool that are in vintage shops and it’s just about wearing them. I think that fashion is gonna go away from buying a box-fresh something; it’ll be like, hey I’m gonna go into my archive.” That’s more like it. As a caveat, you might still consider purchasing the box-fresh AW20 items on show here. How else will LVMH be able to continue purchasing baseball-sized diamonds? Food for thought.
Carefully captioning show looks with hashtags ‘#fakefur #fakediamond #fakesnake”, Team Dries Van Noten was quick to prevent a comment section pile on. Fortuitously, such carefulness was not exercised when it came to the designing of the AW20 collection. A riot of texture, print and rich colour (a house signature, of course), this collection was meant to be an evolution of the previous spring show and the DVN DNA is still unmistakable (the fur stoles even reminded me of the Dries Van Noten AW03 womenswear specimens). Jewel buttons and rhinestone trimmings, platform boots, velvet, satin, bubbly puffers, smooth leathers, wooly opera gloves, florals and leopard spots. It’s Doctor Zhivago at the Parker Palm Springs. This collection was sensual in the literal sense of the word, with textures clamouring to be touched by the palm of your hand. Faux or not.
Another Paris ‘debut’! Craig Green was at his Craig Green-iest this season and yet it never got stale. His ‘nomadic men’ were out in full force for the occassion, padded and packed, tented and protected to the teeth. Green’s adidas collaboration delivered intriguing new takes on the Superstar, Boost Runner and Copa Mundial with exaggerated contrast stitching guiding glances t’wards ankles. Finishing ever so strongly with his sunset-print protective Venetian blind constructions, you’d be forgiven look past exactly what makes this collection great. It’s the fact that it’s suffused with emotion. As Craig Green puts it: “It’s this idea that you’re given an outfit from birth, and you’ve unfolded and adapted it, but you’re still carrying it all with you,” he said. “It’s the idea that you are what you’ve been. That you wear the imprint of your past on you.”
I imagine Jonathan Anderson’s daily iCalendar looking something like this: ‘JW ANDERSON at 7! LOEWE at 7:15! UNIQLO at 7:59! JUDGING HYÈRES at 8:13! LOOKING VERY HANDSOME at 8:46!!!’ Busy schedule nonetheless, for AW20, his show felt alive with wonder and puerile imagination. “I imagined a child that plays with a mom’s ball gown in front of the mirror, giving a 2D effect to the 3D object”, Anderson told NOWFashion. I love the stories designers typically tell of childhoods spent wading through clouds of Jean Patou to watch their mothers or grannies take hours back-combing their bouffant and slinking to the supermarket in musk rat furs and Cristóbal Balenciaga taffeta two-pieces. I love those mythical tales because my mother’s main idea of accessorising was a denim bucket hat. (No shade, mum, adore you always). So, Loewe AW20 brought out Jonathan Anderson’s versions of superheroes, ones that wear capes but also try on a ruched lamé sweetheart dress from time to time. This collection was fun. It also caters to every target audience, ‘menswear’ or not. Money shall be made
If you head to the Raf Simons Instagram right now, you won’t see much else besides his newly minted independent footwear line, RAF SIMONS (RUNNER). No other look from the AW20 collection, just these shoes. They’re quite splendid objects, to be fair, as engineered by Myles O’Meally of Areté. Mostly, this singular type of focus tells us the (RUNNER) line is important to the future of Raf Simons – which lately has too often involved third-party speculation on ‘where is he headed next’. Guess what? For the time being, Raf is right here. In Antwerp, in Paris. His AW20 collection, however, is on another plane. Worn by Solar Youth, living in a post-apocalyptic sci-fi future. This alternate timeline could be two thousand or merely twenty years down the line, if the climate crisis is further ignored. That we don’t know. What we do know is this collection was sleek and elegant to the nth degree. Faux fur muffs (there will be no adolescent puns to be found here) and wraps, plastic wrap corsetry, cinematic references, restrictive fits. Remember those bright pink and green satin coats of SS19? All colour was drained from this outing, making place for something more stern yet also more placid. Penny for your thoughts, Mr Simons.
Read the KNOTORYUS Best Of Womenswear Month SS20
