BEAUTY: Clothing--Berluti

Paris Fashion Week in a virtual presentation, adjusted for COVID. And I am delighted that, unlike London Fshion Week, it seems to be working quite well! But to be fair, London was right up against the quarantine and was not able to really take the time needed to assemble something of this magnitude. Paris has had an extra few months as have the designers offering videos of their collections. It has been wonderful to see so far...so let's dive right in.

Inspiration. Collaboration. Conversation.
Head of the venerable brand Berluti Kris Van Assche and ceramicist Brian Rochefort (previously here!) speak about working together in this surprisingly engaging interview showing a very satisfying, organically textured Spring Summer '21 collection for Paris Fashion Week.

And just look at how those classic Berluti shoes are hand stained!

https://www.berluti.com/
https://brianrochefort.net/

Berluti and Joseph Dirand

Venerable Italian shoe and leather goods company Berluti paired with Parisian architect and designer Joseph Dirand (previously here) for a recent collection of shoes and bags. What makes this campaign special is that was photographed in Dirand's own Paris apartment (full of his furniture designs) and on Dirand himself! What a handsome man! And I envy that array of Berluti shoes in his entry...

http://www.berluti.com/en
http://www.josephdirand.com/

BEAUTY: Clothing--Misc. Paris Fashion Week

Now that Paris Fashion Week has ended, here is a wrap-up of notable moments, elements, and details that could have otherwise slipped by...

But before I move on, I want to say that Ann Demeulemeester was conspicuously and sadly absent from Paris Fashion Week. She announced in November that she would be leaving her eponymous label she started in 1985. No word yet on who might replace her at the house. Word is that her men's collection for Fall-winter '14-'15 will be shown with the women's collection at the end of this month, January '14.
Also conspicuously absent was Jean Paul Gaultier. Hmmm...

Onward:

Carven showed a collection straight out of "The Wild Ones," "On The Waterfront," and "Rebel Without A Cause." Dock worker pea coats, ski caps, and jackets that are a cross between a motorcycle jacket and a 1950s car coat were shown in a shady, highly atmospheric pool hall!

Alexander Wang's ode to petroleum products nearly fetishized rubber--but not in that way (nudge nudge wink wink). He was thinking of rubber tires on motorcycles, race cars...and he showed his lookbook in front of a heap of smashed, totaled cars. Pants that looked like oil slicks on asphalt, and jackets that could be recycled tires...

At Louis Vuitton, it was a stripe story... in luxuriously draped scarves and cashmere sweaters. It feels cool, and jet-setty, and Old World all at once.

Jackets on top of coats...on top of trenches... at Cerutti.

Several designers showed their Fall-Winter '14-'15 collections with models draped with or carrying blankets, quilts, or afghans. And here, Sacai has a few blankets inspired by Navajo prints.

Miharayasuhiro has some great shoes to offer for Fall-Winter '14-'15. I love the paint droppings on the boots which bring to mind McQueen's wonderful paint-splattered collection of SS '10, here. Also of note is the shoe with toes dipped into flocking! I also like how Miharayasuhiro showed shoes pre-distressed in metallic leather.

And for a finale, I want to point out a collection at Berluti that was perfectly pleasant and supremely wearable, but looked even better on a variety of models that included mature men. It is always nice to see the tyranny of youth breaking down bit by bit. I mean, just look at these men. Some silver, some lines, some mileage... grrr...
Thanks, Berluti!

http://carven.com/
http://www.alexanderwang.com/
http://www.louisvuitton.com
http://cerruti.com/fr/
http://www.miharayasuhiro.jp
http://www.berluti.com/en/

BEAUTY: Clothing--Berluti

The venerable leather good manufacturer Berluti (established in 1895 by Alessandro Berluti) showed a really sexy '13-'14 F-W collection for Paris Fashion Week via a lookbook. Here is another collection that does not follow my typical pattern for what I find interesting in a designer or collection. As regular readers are well aware, I gravitate toward an artistic statement, a theme, a designer who is willing to take risks, designers who present performance art creations and costumes rather than just clothes. But it seems that this season, I have been drawn to some collections that, although they do not have this overriding sense of art, are attractive nonetheless.

And this Berluti collection is a great example. Despite being a basic collection of menswear, both formal and casual, there is something so darkly compelling and, well, just plain sexy about this collection. Like, growly, animalistic sexy... and I am sure it has something to do with the chosen models, which can be very important to how a collection is perceived. I really admire Berluti's choice of men... there is an occasional "pretty" model, but for the most part, these are guys... guys with some maturity in their faces, with a bit of roughness. Click on the panels below to see the hotness a little closer. Grrrrr...

But I digress. Back to the clothing: there is some wonderful pattern mixing, some luxurious suits, and the cut of most every piece (especially those belted coats and jackets) imbues the wearer with a masculine, sensual swagger. Not "power dressing" as in "power over others" but the power of sex and life...

http://www.berluti.com/
Photos via http://www.style.com/