Blogger Hits Paris Men's Fashion Week - Christian Lacroix

            Finally, this blogger has gotten her very first intoxicating taste of going to a fashion show. From the people (including Suzy Menkes, Terry Richardson, Tommy Ton, etc.) to the side streets, from the venues to the style...the atmosphere is intriguing and brilliant.

            The very first show that I went to was the Christian Lacroix menswear show for Spring/Summer 2013. Personally, I'm amazed by the amount of women in heels who survived walking the cobblestone path that led into Hotel de Brossier (located at 12 Rue Charlot). Once inside, I found a standing spot on the stairs right next to the pack of photographers.

            While the house of Lacroix is often thought of as being more in tune with the world of costumes than the world of fashion, I found the show to be both inspired and wearable. Playful prints lit up closet staples such as the t-shirt (cut in a more square and billowing fashion). Classically puffy jackets were made refined in their detailing, including multiple zippered layers. Belts and banding were also used in an innovative fashion as they wrapped around sections of the clothing and torso, but were not a completely outside layer. Many of the jacket and skinny tie pairings were sexy, confident, and slightly reminiscent of Mad Men. Meanwhile, the continuity of the collection resided in the silhouette with variations on a few staple pieces (larger jackets, suiting, and billowy square t-shirts).  

            For your enjoyment, research, and entertainment please enjoy the following photographs (click to enlarge): 

The venue prior to plastic being removed from the catwalk. 

I truly enjoyed the bright colors that were sent down the runway. Clearly my obsession with yellow clothing isn't going away any time soon. Also, both jackets here have great classic potential. 

An example of the prints seen at the show. 

While not every man could pull off the pants on the right, I'd sure like to see some try.

Great interplay between a subtle pattern and an exaggerated puffy silhouette. 

Every man should own an outfit like this. 

Innovative use of banding as previously mentioned. 

A slice of the finally line-up. 

(All Photographs By Kristen Friberger)

Post #9: Manning Up

            There’s an old saying that says you always want what you can’t have. Whether it be straight-instead-of-curly hair, height, a different eye color, etc., we are constantly seeking change. Going along this theme, one particular trend that we can’t seem to shake (almost year after year), is that of androgyny; so let’s play dress up in our fathers’ clothing, instead of our mothers’ pearls, and see if we make any best dressed lists.

            Throughout most of history, it was taboo for women to wear pants. Society much preferred us in corsets, hoop skirts, bustles, petticoats, and all things old-fashioned. In fact, it even used to be the case that showing an ankle to a male suitor was scandalous. Riding breeches came into fashion for a time, but were heavily disapproved of, and in Hollywood it was an anomaly to see anything but a woman in a skirt. Our first real glimpse into cinematic plays at gender roles was the iconic Marlene Dietrich in Morocco (1930). And if you haven’t seen the iconic picture of Dietrich smoking a cigarette, wearing a tux and tophat, then please look here:

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That along with the fact that women wore pants to work in factories during World War I, gave us our first taste of women playing with men’s attire. And like some fairly addictive drug, we’ve been slowly getting more and more hooked throughout history.

            Continuing in this little lesson on old Hollywood fashion, next came Katharine Hepburn, who threw convention out the window. Along with having quite the bold attitude, Hepburn made it known that she liked wearing pants. In fact, most iconic photographs of the actress are of her in slacks or pantsuits. And while her outspoken personality and fashion sense seemed to put her on a more equal footing with her male coworkers, Hepburn never lost a certain sense of feisty femininity that makes us love to wear pants today.

            Then, in 1966, Yves Saint Laurent decided to embrace androgyny with its “Le Smoking” tuxedo for women. 

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Not only was the male silhouette chic, but also the whole aura of erasing gender lines. The slicked back hair…the posture…somehow holds this indescribable sexiness and power.

            So now, embracing the new 2011 year, male fashion for women is back. I’m not telling you to wear a suit on the red carpet (although celebrities like Leighton Meester and Sandra Bullock have embraced their power strut in suits and heels), but I am telling you to take a few cues from dad and grandpa and man up.