Emporio Armani SS13: Trends with personality

Courtesy of Armani

Very few menswear designers are able to marry sportswear and tailoring as well as Giorgio Armani. That's probably the reason why he was trusted with the task of dressing the Italian Olympic team this summer. What could give more pleasure than saying "I'm wearing Armani" when you're decked down in activewear? Exactly.
I personally loved how this influence was introduced in the SS13 Emporio Armani collection because it was subtle and elegantly done. The eclectic textiles used in the collection not only helped the symbiosis of the sporty and the smart but added value to all the looks because of the play of textures they created. I especially loved the outerwear and how it was styled with comfy shorts and shoes as smart as they were tough.
But perhaps what I appreciated the most about the show was the fact that we even saw some seasonal trends, which is something rare at Armani because the designer marches to the beat of his own drum. I loved seeing parkas, quite a bit of khaki and even a dash of leopard reinvented by Mr Armani as a sort of enamel monk shoe.
This was one of the best EA shows of the last few seasons and a personal favourite. You can watch the video of the runway show below.

Daks SS13: A Modern Gentleman

If I am quite honest, which is kind of the premise of this blog, I wasn't very aware of Daks' menswear line until I attended the SS13 last June in Milan. I really like what the brand does for women and their London shows are a welcome shower of simplicity.
The collection brought together traditional tailoring – the double-chested suit, the tuxedo – with a fun contemporary twist. Pops of orange and colourful Prince of Wales checks appeared on the lining of coats, the back pleats of jackets, waist bands and back collars. To me, the most interesting thing was how the line mixed smart elements like the smoking jacket, the bowtie or the cummerbund with English sportswear pieces – bomber jackets, rain coats, shorts.
The colour palette of earthy tones, bright orange and sartorial checks tied together all the pieces, all of which were so beautifully finished with slim fits and cuffed trousers. It was definitely a collection after my own heart that I would wear in a heartbeat.

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Z Zegna SS13: Italian Modernism

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The Z Zegna show always one of the most exciting show to attend in Milan because the brand and their creative director Paul Surridge totally march to the beat of their own drum and stand out from the crowd season after season.
One of Surridge's main inspirations for SS13 was the work of Dan Flavin, famous for his installations of fluorescent lights. In comes a colour palette of fluoro greens, corals and yellows paired with Solaro tailored pieces with micro prints or iridescent finishes that are perfectly light for the summer and add an interesting play on light and texture.
Another strong point of the collection were the elbow-long short sleeves of blazers, jackets and shirts with a 60's flavour.
My favourite part of the collection was the sportswear feel of the line, which has been one of the fixtures on womenswear too during the last two seasons, one that doesn't seem to be going away soon.
It was a intriguing and beautifully finished collection that will work wonders in editorials and look incredibly cool on the streets.

Click on read more below my video of the finale to see more images of the collection after the jump.

Frank Loves: Valentino SS13

Courtesy of Valentino

When it comes to menswear it is a very hard thing to combine the trendy and the classic, the passing and the timeless. But Valentino has managed to strike a perfect balance between the two in the last couple of seasons.
I am still in awe of the SS13 collection. The colour palette was right up my street – khaki, beige, mossy green, camouflage and dashes of denim blues. And so were the cuts – slim suits with jackets falling just below the waist, trousers cropped at the perfect length, untucked modern and crisp shirts.
Thinking of it, the reason why I love so much what the brand is doing is how they've positioned it right next to Balenciaga and Céline. I am a sucker for new materials and techniques and a contemporary and timeless aesthetic.
I must confess that, as it often happens to me, I was most infatuated with the shoes. For SS13 Valentino has adopted the popular shape of the New Balance 574 – another sign of how much in touch the bran dis with what is happening in menswear. They've taken the shape and completely redesigned it with different combinations of leather, suede and nylon in colours and prints to go with the clothing. My favourite touch is the strip of studs across the heel that connects them to the womenswear line – remember this shoe? Just like Louboutin did with his red soles, Valentino is indulging men with those little details that make women happy and that we've missed out on for a long time.

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Philipp Plein SS13: Chuck Bass with an Edge

This season was my first time at a Philipp Plein show and, though I knew well the brand already, I wasn't quite sure what to expect from it. All I knew was that Ed Westwick was going to be on the runway, which was enough to have all the guests buzzing with excitement.
The show was at 9pm on my first day in town and welcomed us into a medieval Palazzo during the steamy Milanese summer night. Once the super cool and eclectic crowd took to their seats a live DJ started spinning the first tune, to which Ed Westwick marched down the runway in a dapper all-black tailored look topped off by a modernity-meets-tradition baby blue blazer.
Philipp Plein's street wear edge was welcome amongst the rest more traditional menswear collections. I loved the sharp tailoring that appeared either combined with washed and ripped jeans, with swimming trunks of tropical prints, or as colourful evening options.
There was a real graphic quality to the whole collection, which went from the more expected plaid shirts to the street and tattoo art that injected t-shirts and customised skateboards speaking of an LA influence. The immense sneaker and shoe line crowned a collection only apt for the daring that didn't disappoint anyone.

Courtesy of Philipp Plein

Check out my video of the show finale below. Even I fidgeted in my seat like a teenage girl when Ed walked past.

Frank Loves: Siviglia SS13

While I was in Milan a few weeks back I had the chance to attend the SS13 Siviglia show. I was quite excited to see the collection because I am always interested in finding out about new brands and designers doing interesting work. And I love the element of surprise of attending a fashion show you don't know what to expect from.
I wasn't disappointed. The SS13 collection was fascinating because it brought together sportswear elements and very sharp modern tailoring in a very unique and innovative way. Classic 3-piece suits were reinvented by introducing new materials such as nylon or jacquard and fencing-inspired waistcoats. The contemporary shapes of the tailoring together with the bold colours and prints struck a perfect balance between the modern and the classic – a total look is bang-on the season's trends but separately, each item is timeless. These are clothes for a modern, fashion-savvy and very practical man.

The trousers were one of my highlights from the show. Siviglia introduced for spring the perfect length of both the cropped suit trouser and the shorts – a man never wants to show too much ankle or expose too much thigh.
I fell completely in love with the exquisite textures of suits. Especially the short numbers in orange and blue you can see above and below. They will be perfect additions to my SS13 wardrobe.

Make sure you check out Siviglia's site to find out more about the brand, including the list of retailers.

All images courtesy of Siviglia

Take a look at my video of the finale below. This is one of those shows where they clothes look amazing in pictures but they blow you away in person. Click here to watch the full show.

A closer look at Burberry Prorsum SS13

While I was in Milan for the SS13 menswear shows the Burberry team were kind enough to have me over at their showroom to take a closer look at the collection I had seen on the runway the day before – see the full post here.

I was so happy to see my favourite pieces up close. The khaki and lilac satin jacket looked even more spectacular in the showroom. This is key item number 1 on my wishlist for SS13.
I was glad to find extra pieces such as scarves, swimsuits and ties featuring all the brilliantly cool prints shown on the catwalk. The shorts below and the full collection of ties are definitely a must-have! I must say that even though I have never been a big fan of colourful frames on sunglasses these Burberry metallic shades look great on. They are super light and slick – I have my eyes on the green ones!
As usual, the tailoring looked impeccable. My personal favourite was a subtle seersucker suit, which is perfect for the summer because it adds texture but it's super light and fresh.

You can watch the whole Burberry Prorsum SS13 show here.

All images Fashion, Frankly

The Tod's SS13 Collection

It is always such a pleasure to attend the Tod's presentations in Milan. Not only because Villa Necchi, the 1930's villa where its held, is such a beautiful place so perfect to relax between shows but because their PR team is so incredibly nice and helpful.
The SS13 collection found inspiration in the Mediterranean landscape for the colour palette. Everything was vibrant – the hot reds, yellows and oranges of the sun, the deep blues of the sea, the lush greens of the vegetation. And they really get you in the mood for the summer season. They are just the right pop of colour for a subtle estival outfit.
As Tod's often does, they continued to update their classics – new colours for the gominni, innovation in materials looking for style and comfort on their contemporary shoes. Some of my highlights include the new line of loafers with coloured all-rubber soles. You can't even imagine how comfortable they must be! The luggage is another of their strong points. The suede shopping bags and croc carry-ons are as luxurious as they are practical – a great investment. But I must say my personal favourites continue to be the ultra-soft suede jackets. I picture myself wearing them over a white t-shirt with light blue jeans and creme Supergas à la Steve McQueen. A man can dream, right?

Courtesy of Tod's and Fashion, Frankly

Miuccia Prada & the Art of Reinvention

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Even though Prada always hosts their menswear and womenswear shows at the same space on Via Fogazzaro you would never think you're ever entering the same venue as last season. The wide open carpeted runway from last season had disappeared, the steps were now a ramp. Instead, I found a white sterile room flanked by blocks of press and buyers and a zig-zagging ramp at the back.
As soon as the show started it was evident that this was a game of precision. Perfect beams of light created a maze-light catwalk – geometry. After toying with flowers, pastels, golf motifs and colourful studs Miuccia seemed to want a clean slate. The SS13 collection was a beautifully precise story of modern lines and androgyny with a subtle reference to sportswear, specifically to tennis, via The Royal Tenenbaums – we wouldn't want to miss out on Miuccia's signature quirk.
Because it was about starting from scratch, we saw the reinvention of the basics: the polo shirt (my favourite), the v-neck jumper, even the slacks. The colour palette was restricted to white, beige, blues and blacks, apple green and burgundy used in a form of colour blocking that had more to do with the visual effect – is that part of the shirt or the jacket? is that top one piece? – than with any trend. Miuccia creates her own.

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Check out below the brilliantly choreographed finale and the squeaky-clean space. What an experience!

Dolce & Gabbana SS13: Moltissimo Sicily

Warning: This collection might give you an irrepressible need to want to spend the rest of your summer in Sicily. If you decided to continue reading, for better results, click here and play while reading.
Dolce & Gabbana was the first show I attended in Milan this season and I was extremely excited about it because it was my first. The traditional runway space at the Metropol had been stripped down from al decorations. Only at the back, a little piece of Sicilian landscape served as decoration – very old school. As everyone took their seats and the lights dimmed, a traditional Naples folk band lifted the mood with a Tarantella Napoletana (which you should be listening to from the link above).
For the casting, Domenico and Stefano had chosen mostly non-models and had instead gone finding teenagers and young kids from around Sicily. There was something so charmingly authentic about it. The collection found inspiration in the Sicilian 50's. A young boy would wear his brother's hand-me-downs – trousers might be too short, or too wide but they would make it work.
It might be because I come from a similar Mediterranean culture but I was actually quite moved by this collection that was almost romantic. It reminded me slightly of one of my favourite Dolce & Gabbana collections ever – their FW10 Baarìa-inspired ultra-sober yet full of sentiment line.

The striped pieces were one of my personal highlights. It's like this iconic Mediterranean symbol that went from being the mark of fishermen to a mainstream clothing reference to a high fashion motif. And I feel like this collection kind of brought together all the different connotations of stripes. In SS13 we will be wearing them from the most casual t-shirt, to the vintage shirt and the more contemporary shorts and cropped trousers.

All images Style.com

Take a look below at my video from the finale – please excuse the untimely blurriness. My camera is very temperamental. You can see the full runway show here.

Burberry Prorsum SS13: 'Come rain or come shine'

Courtesy of Burberry

I generally don't like it when designers give their collections a name. But if there was ever someone to make an exception for, that's Christopher Bailey. He presented his latest menswear collection for Burberry Prorsum last Saturday in sizzling hot Milan. Just as the show was about to begin the ceiling of the venue was uncovered to reveal the Milanese sun shinning through onto the runway.
Bailey entitled his SS13 collection 'Come rain or come shine', which is so very apt for a brand whose heritage comes from the UK. Instead of going colour-crazy, Bailey mixed together slim-cut suits in the most beautiful textures that he mixed with foil-like metallic shirts in lilacs, oranges, blues and yellows layer under military-inspired jackets, a signature at Burberry.
The über-popular ikat prints from SS12, which many editors were sporting in Milan, better move over for the new season's. This time they were more geometric and colourful, more toned down than the metallic pieces but just as striking. They almost seemed like Férnand Léger's impressionistic take on a traditional indian printed silk. And along the way Bailey managed to make this summer's pyjama trend appealing to men by using these prints on chic shirt and shorts looks.
Instead of beige and neutral trench coats Burberry proposed bright outerwear – metallic leather varsity jackets, khaki and lilac metallic silk bombers, and shiny blue and printed mackintoshes. Whether it rains or not in London, the Burberry man will provide his own sunshine. And that's where the sunglasses come into the picture. Burberry suggests you also inject your shades with some metallic brightness. I, for one, can't wait to get the green ones!

Courtesy of Burberry

You can see the full Burberry Prorsum SS13 show here.
Stay tuned for a post of my favourite details from the collection. In the meantime take a look below at my video of the finale.

Watch the SS13 Burberry Prorsum show live!

Tune in today at 4.30pm (GMT) to watch the SS13 show live from Milan.

Follow me on Twitter @KnowWear for updates from the show!

J.W. Anderson channels some Marc Jacobs (the person, not the brand)for his SS13 collection

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The first London Collections: Men closed yesterday evening after three days full of only London menswear fashion. It was quite amazing to see, even though I didn't really go to any shows, how excited everyone was. At the James Long show on Saturday it felt just like any other established fashion week. I loved that.
J.W. Anderson kicked off the day yesterday. He is probably the most interesting menswear London designer. I have been to his shows in the past and you know as models walk down the runway that what you're seeing has never done before.
His SS13 collection was bold. Bold as the statement that Marc Jacobs made on the runway of this year's Met Ball. In fact, Anderson showed three looks composed of a lace shirt and trousers that seemed to be the male equivalent of Jacobs' outfit – only much much better constructed.

You can see the rest of the collection and read the review here.