BEAUTY: Clothing--Umit Benan

Turkish designer Umit Benan must have a lot of testosterone. His collections are always so masculine, and generally not in a stereotypical way, but in a basic, ballsy sort of way. Benan first came to my attention in 2011 with his SS '11 collection "Home Sweet Home" based on the look of taxi drivers in Istanbul who hang out in cafes, playing board games, and drinking rocket-fueled coffee, seen here. Next he showed a FW '12-'13 collection full of military-inspired pieces in a theatrical version of an Army barracks complete with naked soldiers showering and men getting tattooed live on stage, seen in the video at the bottom of this post here. He created another homage to the Turkish man in the video at the end of this post here. Another paramilitary look--this one based on Cuban Communist revolutionaries--infused his SS '16 collection with more manliness, seen here. Even during his brief time as creative director at Trussardi, he managed to conjure up the spirit of high performance Formula One racing and the swaggering spirit of racer Jackie Stewart, seen here.

So it is no surprise that he would explore another traditionally masculine arena like martial arts. What sealed the deal for him was that on his 16--yes, SIXTEEN trips to Tokyo ("I’ve been to Japan some 16 times last year — it’s my biggest market," Benan told WWD), he saw students at a martial arts school wearing their gear on the street once classes had finished. Thus "Tokyo Diaries," this FW '16-'17 collection at Paris Fashion Week was born. It is a fun, slick idea to turn karategi and judogi (the Japanese name for the traditional uniform used for Karate and Judo practice and competition) into casual, daily clothing. The original pieces are loose and comfortable so translating them into everyday wear seems natural. Here Benan shows us the jacket in an oatmeal tweed, a jacquard, denim, leather, and a midnight blue corduroy! Loose trousers or skirts fit right in. The classic "black belt" is used as a literal belt, and the iconic Japanese crane motif shows up on shirts. And kudos to Benan for his continued use of the mature model. For this show, he did some street casting--apparently, some recruited right off the rue only hours before the show!

And in a final--and might I say inappropriate--over-the-top coup of testosterone, the show unfolded around a traditional low table where a group of men practiced the ancient Japanese custom of eating sushi off a naked woman’s body. Its cringeworthiness must be a form of irony, no?

http://www.umitbenan.com/

BEAUTY: Clothing--Umit Benan

I love when a show's inspiration surprises me and Turkish designer Umit Benan did that by proving that inspiration can come from anywhere. It must be the newly opened Cuba that made Benan think back to the Communist revolution days that closed it to the rest of the world in the first place. Taking Castro and Che Guavara as models, he outfitted his men in versions of green military pieces for his Spring Summer '16 show at Paris Fashion Week. But the addition of cool aquas and awning pinstripes add a kind of sultry, bossa nova flair with the result looking like luxurious clothing--polo shirts for a drive around Havana, loose belted suits to wear to a nightclub to listen to Afro-Cuban jazz, pajamas to wear on the balcony of the hotel at noon for brunch--one would take on a trip to modern-day Cuba...

I'm aware that the collection is not groundbreaking or avant garde but I appreciate it for its costume-ness...and its wearability. Benan loves to design for cultures (previously here), and if I ever go to Cuba, I will absolutely costume myself in this way. This kind of wardrobe is perfect for sipping a Cuba Libre on a beach under the stars of the southern sky.

And Benan came out in cool white for his bow with a Cuban cigar and a Cuba Libre...of course...

http://www.umitbenan.com/

BEAUTY: Clothing--Misc. Paris Fashion Week, June 2013

As usual, a wrap-up of miscellaneous details and elements from the Spring-Summer '14 collections seen at Paris Fashion Week, June 2013.

Raf Simon's cute, colorful moon boots:

Goths... and technicolor Goths at Comme des Garçons:

Great chukka boots with color bands at Sacai:

I love these SUPER wide cut trousers at Acne...

...and these super high cut trousers from Damir Doma:

And finally, instead of pictures, I want to share the Style.com feature about Umit Benen's collection which was an homage to his homeland and an effort to keep a certain culture from disappearing.

http://www.rafsimons.com/
http://www.comme-des-garcons.com/
http://www.acnestudios.com/
http://www.damirdoma.com/en
http://www.umitbenan.com/

BEAUTY: Clothing--Misc. Paris Fashion Week F/W '12-'13

Here's a little round-up of some miscellaneous looks and silhouettes from Paris Fashion week that I found interesting...

Acne showed some interesting shapes and proportions along with the unique idea of having a quilted outerpiece worn under a jacket! It seems that lots of designers were doing short jackets in this season of the suit...


One can always depend on Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons to present something totally insane and totally unwearable. This '12-'13 F-W collection featured an elusive cross-dressing, Goth, schoolgirl theme with a bit of French court millinery thrown in to keep us off balance (as if we needed to be any more off balance with this collection). The result is peculiar and compelling. The brocade printed over a classic tartan has an almost lace effect.


Dries van Noten, one of the original Antwerp Six, continues to create interesting collections. This one, inspired by a highly unlikely pairing of Frank Zappa and Oscar Wilde (?) featured graphic quotes from Wilde with psychedelic prints. Watch the video from Style.com to see the creation of the "art wall" behind the models.

Iceberg's '12-'13 FW collection came to us through Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, as evidenced by the hats and suspenders on the models, not to mention that minimalist outline of Chaplin in gold on the tee shirt below. The gears on the back wall of the runway reference the Chaplin film "Modern Times." This reminds me very much of the Chaplin collection John Galliano did for SS '12, seen here.


Issey Miyake's '12-'13 FW collection was mildly interesting, but of note was a faded pattern on suits and pointy, geometric jackets.


Junya Watanabe is another designer who loves a theme and this collection seemed to be an homage to lumberjacks in Carhartt's. I like the tailored approach to work wear as well as the leather patchwork suits. I seem to be smitten with the model in orange suspenders. Anyone know who this is?

Maison Martin Margiela took the re-use/recycle ethos to heart and created coats from Monoprix bags as well as black trash bags!


Jean Paul Gaultier showed a '12-'13 FW collection that featured suits and pieces in a brick pattern as well as silhouettes that evoked the early years of the twentieth century. There is something a little "Boardwalk Empire" about it all... but of course we would not expect to see a gangster in a skirt. Only for JPG.


Now here we go again with the Hundredth Monkey/ zeitgeist idea... not only did Gaultier use a brick print, but so did Moschino! Coincidence? Something in the air?


And finally, Walter Van Bierendonck, who is wildly entertaining, created a collection that kind of terrifies me. Using the idea of African masks mixed with leather masks from bondage/S&M culture, he presented a candy-colored world of fetish, playing off the usage of the word as both an African statue containing magic and a sexual fixation. Models wore rubber waders, rubber masks, and rubber padlocks as accessories on necklaces and canes which ended up looking like tribal or voudoun staffs of power... fascinating and scary!

And finally, I need to share a really wild runway show even though the clothing was not remarkable. Umit Benan, whose designs I do appreciate, came up with an extreme military theme this season, with pieces that look like he raided Fidel Castro's closet. If I want that, I will go to the local Army-Navy Surplus store. But the show! WOW! Naked soldiers showering, men getting tattooed live on stage, Army men hanging out... what a theatrical tableau! Yowsa!

http://shop.acnestudios.com/
http://www.comme-des-garcons.com/
http://www.driesvannoten.be/
http://www.iceberg.com/
http://www.isseymiyake.com/
http://www.maisonmartinmargiela.com/
http://www.jeanpaulgaultier.com
http://www.moschino.it/
http://www.waltervanbeirendonck.com/
http://www.umitbenan.com/

BEAUTY: Clothing--Trussardi

If you need proof of some of Jung's more interesting concepts such as synchronicity, meaningful coincidence, or a kind of collective unconscious that works through a sense of the zeitgeist, then the Fashion Weeks are often a place to look. It seems that a color will suddenly occupy most designer's minds, or perhaps a time period or place. It is fascinating to see how, à la the Hundredth Monkey theory, an idea leaps from mind to mind.

So with that in mind, who would have ever thought that there would be TWO Formula-One racing inspired shows at Milano Moda Uomo at the same time? Well, considering the ideas I just mentioned, it seems more likely than not! Where Thom Browne for Moncler Gamme Bleu referenced Formula-One racing in his traditional, gentlemanly, extremely tailored way that suggested a sort of Old World elegance, Umit Benan, now head of Trussardi (and good for him!) looked to the 70s, evoking the style of the iconic Jackie Stewart, mutton-chopped and topped with a newsboy cap, for his collection that was heavy on the colors and patterns of that swaggering era... complete with sexy-as-hell pornstaches!


http://www.trussardi.com/us

BEAUTY: Clothing--Umit Benan

If next Fall/ Winter seems a bit far off, let's look at what is going on for this Spring/ Summer. German-born, Turkish-bred, American-English-Italian-educated (and quite handsome) Umit Benan has only designed four collections, but he shows immense promise. He titled his SS '11 collection "Home Sweet Home" and based the look on taxi drivers in Istanbul who hang out in cafes, playing board games, and drinking rocket-fueled coffee.

INTERVIEW magazine wrote the following about Benan and his collection:
"When I look at older men, I get a picture of the past, and it's a strong one in the case of my characters," says Benan. "They've experienced life and that allows me to write and create my own story. It's hard for me to design based on a beautiful young guy. It's not that it won't happen, but at the moment these old cats are more than fine for me." For his previous fall collection called "77 Days" Benan shaved his beard and posed for photographs seven times over a 77-day period while his hair grew back. As he became progressively scruffy, Benan took in the startled reactions of his neighbors in dapper Milan: "It's hard to be accepted here with my mentality because classic clothes equal classic minds, but when you are accepted here, you're basically one of very few and unique," he says.

Benan's favorite piece in the Home Sweet Home collection are his dropped-crotch pants. "I'm not the first to do them, but I think I've found the perfect shape," he says. "I always wanted a pleated, low crotch style that was sartorial—low, but not too low. And these are it. I think they're going to be a classic."

http://www.umitbenan.com/