Men's Fashion– Variety Clothing

With improvement of people's living standard, men's fashion become variegated and variety. As we known, fashion week is a platform for fashion designers and fashion brands to display their new collections. Through diverse shows, media can catch latest fashion trends. Paris, Milan, London and New York are the most prominent places to hold fashion week. Before 2009, women fashion shows are main strengths of fashion week. Tracing back to 2009-2010 fashion week  productions in New York, a separate fashion week was created for men's fashion designers. 

Except men's fashion week, some fashion designers such as Vara Wang not only does luxurious wedding dresses and perfumes but she also extends to men's fashion. She designed and sold the first men's black tuxedo and gray suit in America in 2012(In Style, 2012). 

Vara Wang's men suit

Furthermore, some designers play essential role in men's fashion. Thom Browne's " Spring 2013 Menswear" displayed variegated and variety of men's clothing fantastic. In this fashion show, Thom Browne's clipping style and unique pattern made a profound impression for audience. His suit looks smaller than a normal suit: bare ankles pants, and coats' cuffs shorter a few inch than others. Browne's cropping and layering always keep this particular rule. 

Thom Browne's suit

Amazingly, Browne's pattern of these clothing looks like a palette. Candy- colored  gingham, beaded lobster pattern, wale pattern pants and colorful socks(Blanks, 2012). These elements were all showed on Browne's productions. This series of clothing combined gentlemen's cropping and children's naively style together, all of the elements took on a new least of life suddenly. there is no doubt that this series of products were wise and vivid, browne's design appreciated value completely.

Therefore, men's fashion is paid attention by fashion desiger and brands. Obviously, men's fashion will become full of variety in the next few years.

Reference list: 

Blanks, T. (2012). Style. Com: Thom Browne. Retrieved from http://www.style.com/fashionshows/review/S2013MEN-TBROWNE

In Style: Vara Wang's Tuxedos for Men's wearhouse: Now In Srotes. (2012). Retrieved from http://news.instyle.com/2012/04/13/vera-wang-mens-wearhouse-tuxedos/

Men's Fashion- Men in Skirt

In much Europe countries and North American, wearing skirts are usually seen as  typical for women. However, I think men wear skirts can be accepted as well. In 1984, a designer who is named  Paul Gaudi has designed the first skirt for men. Gaudi has considered that men's skirt was stands for timid and overcautious (Admin, 2013). On the historical level,  men's clothing includes skirts and skirt- like garments commonly. For examples, Britain is a typical country which keep the tradition of men in skirts. We did not feel wired when Britain's Prince Charles in a traditional kilts (Sun, 2012). In china, men's skirts were earier than women's skirts. In addition, we can see men in knee-length wool skirts everywhere in Fiji. In fashion area, famous designer Marc Jacobs once has wore skirt and thick shoes as well.

marc Jacobs's skirt

"Men in skirt" have been a hot topic in fashion area in recent years. In my opinion, men's skirt should be encouraged. As ladies can concur, skirts have a lot of advantages such as stylish, easy to wear and practical. Throughout the western clothing history, women have borrowed many fashion items from men: braces, shirts, jeans and so on. Why can not we share skirts with men?

Designer Alexander Mc Queen has tried to guide "men in skirt" for males. the "Spring Fashion Show of Alexander Mc Queen 2013" has showed some men skirts examples. 

Alexander Mc Queen's skirt design for men

From this photograph, through the monochrmatic cloth and simple clipping, this knee-length skirt gives expression to male's forthright character, and the model's muscle lines of legs looks sexy. Therefore, wearing skirts or dress is not a privileges  for female. In fact, males demonstrate a fact that they can handle skirts normally and nicely. 

Reference List: 

Admin. (n.d.). New Style Press Wholesale: The development of flax fashion dress. Retrieved from http://ggpad.net/index.php/the-development-of-flax-fashion-dress/

Sun,F. (2013). Kanye, Marc Jacobs and Ted: A brief visual history of men in skirts. http://style.time.com/2012/12/13/men-in-skirts-a-brief-visual-history/photo/the-2012-braemar-highland-gathering/

Street Fashion- Gothic Fashion

Most of fashion trends come from top brand's new production release press conference, top models wear diverse clothes to advertise fashion elements on T-station. While, out of studios, street fashion become more and more popular in the young grassroots in recent years. Most of young subcultures have had an associated street fashion. For instance, Gothic fashion are popular with some western youth and Japanese. Then, I will introduce difference between western Gothic and Japanese Gothic, and Gothic's effects to modern fashion.

There are a lot of types of Goths and Goth clothing. Some outfits are very pricey and intricate. But, those western street Goths usually have morbid fashion and dark style: black cloths, black hair, black nails, maked up smokey eyes, even black lip. "The origins of contemporary youth style are found in the Victorian cult of mourning." Cintra Wilson said (Mackie, 2009). These people show Medieval, Renaissance and late victorian excess style exaggeratively. Moreover, they like body piercing, and they put silver ornaments on the piercing place.

In Japan, Be influenced by Japanese manga, many school girls popularize Gothic Lolita fashion style. Compared with western youth's cool and morbid style, Japanese girls prefer cute elements such as lace dress and headdress, lovely stocking and shoes to express their own style (Gothic Fashion, 2010).

In addition, this kind of street fashion bring profound influence upon modern women's attire design. On the fabric level, Goths usually use fishing net, feather, PU, silks and satins. Top brand Christian Lacroix has produced a series clothing on Gothic style in 2008. On the ornaments level, Gothic prefer gold or silvery clasps, mandarin orange pearl and fake diamond.  these material are similar with Alexander Mc Queen style. Therefore, Gothic is not only a part of screen fashion, but also it style effects mordern fashion deeply. 

Christina Lacroix 08/09

Alexander Mc Queen Shoes

Alexander Mc Queen clothing

















Reference List:
What is Goth: Gothic Fashion.(2010). Rerieved from http://www.platypusart.com/whatisgoth/pages/Goth-Fashion.htm

Mackie, V. (2009). Gender and Sexuality In Asia And The Pacific: Gothic Lolita And The Political Economy of Fashion. Retrieved from http://intersections.anu.edu.au/issue20/mackie.htm

Fashion & Art- Fashion Illustrations

Fashion illustrations are usually used in fashion magazines or advertisings, they are origination with illustration, drawing and painting. At the beginning of 20th century was the golden age of illustrations. Undoubtedly, illustrations are the most important visual experience of Enlightenment, and they play  essential roles of fashion magazines at that period. However, after the invention of photography, fashion illustrations were weakened in fashion area.

Nowadays, with the development of technology, different designers use diverse performance styles and techniques to express fashion, fashion illustrations re-become popular. In recent years, to be artists, some illustrators are increasingly favored  by many popular fashion brands. These brands often invite some illustrators who has unique style of painting to draw some fashion show advertising pictures. Sometimes, they even use fashion illustrations instead of common model show to advertise their brands. For example, Kelly Smith is a typical fashion illustrator in Australia, and she has graduated from Tasmania College of Arts (Katarina, 2011). Her art works are famous for natural and simple style, and her majority of creative inspiration comes from super models and film stars. In addition, many famous fashion brands such as Chanel, Fendi, Givenchy and so on, have used her illustrations to advertise their productions ( Catalogue, 2012). From I have described above, it is easy to see that fashion illustrations become popular and famous both in fashion and art area.

Reference List:

Catalogue blog: An Interview with fashion Illustrator Kelly Smith. (2012). Retrieved from http://cataloguemagazine.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/blog-post.html

Katarina. (2011). Design Float Blog: fashion illustration by Kelly Smith. Retrieved from http://www.designfloat.com/blog/2011/10/11/illustrations-kelly-smith-fashion/

Fashion & Art- Chanel Fiole Concept Car

As we known, Chanel is an out standing brand in fashion area. Its products are widely favored by ladies. Throughout Chanel history, from perfume to dress and sun glasses, diverse Chanel productions brings us different surprises, and all of them represents high fashion and high quality. Surprisingly, karl Lagerfeld with a few strobes of a genius designed new fashion work- Chanel Fiole Concept Car. The car designer Jinyoung Jo is a student, and he is studying at a University in South Korea (Gooden, 2009). This car will be pro ducted in 2015.

Chanel Fiole Concept Car continue to be used black and white to do body colors, and its upholstery design use red only (Chanel Fiole Concept Car, 2009). Obviously, it is still the representative style of Chanel. Moreover, the car body inherits Chanel's simplicity of lines. Chanel Fiole Concept Car made a sensation in art area. because this car is not only stands for luxury, but also it represents a cooperation between art and fashion. It is genius to put fashion elements and art modelings together, to make a sharp appearance car looks mellow and fashionable. There is no doubting that Chanel Fiole Concept Car is a innovative art work and it is a mile stone in fashion area. It means fashion productions will not limited on small items such as handbags and clothing's any more. It proves a theory: fashion and arts supplement each other.

Reference list:

Car body design: Chanel Fiole Concept car. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.carbodydesign.com/archive/2009/05/28-chanel-fiole-concept/

Gooden, E. (2005). Luxe Lust: Chanel Fiole Concept Car. Retrieved from http://www.luxelust.com/2009/04/29/chanel-fiole-concept-car/