Burberry Prorsum Photos by Davide Maestri
Milan menswear fashion runway shows going on and Berlin about to explode with fashionistas with Bread & Butter Berlin, Bright, and Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, we took a look at what’s going on in menswear and found interesting correlations to streetwear and vice versa.
Burberry is coming off good news as it reported a 22% rise in Q3 revenues and their latest Burberry Prorsum RTW Fall 2012 collection showcased in Milan proved they are on trend for today’s menswear from a younger point of view going with the super tailored suits.
While some of the inspiration may be from shows like “Downtown Abbey” which WWD claims, it can also be said that tailored button-down shirts, pants, and jackets have been growing in popularity among youth culture from a streetwear perspective for the past few years (think skinny jeans but in slacks). This was also seen at Agenda among some of the top streetwear brands.
What’s interesting also about Burberry for Fall 2012 menswear is the incorporation of the outdoor/woodsman motifs with wolf heads popping up on sweaters and even button-down tailored shirts. Fishing vests get a twist, and there’s of course some camo/military vibe going on with the jackets, as expected for 2012.
Creative director Christopher Bailey talked about pulling together British urban city lifestyles with being “polite and charming”—something that was traditional and yet familiar as his inspiration.
The mix of fabrics is unique also with velvet mixed with tweed wool, chunky sweaters, studs that add a punk rock and youthful flair, and colors ranging from plum, olive, camo, white, and teal.
Alexander McQueen
Everyone’s been waiting to see what would become of the next collection of Alexander McQueen ever since his tragic death last year. With designer Sarah Burton running the show, it has actually been taken to a new level. Their 2012 Fall collection featured a progressive usage of tie-dye in suits and pants, and again, a unique usage of fabrics, incorporating velvet into the mix with tailored skinny pants. One outfit in particular looks like Prince circa ’80’s Purple Rain.
What’s also interesting is the incorporation of the varsity/letterman jacket into a more tailored and designed business suit jacket with silk sleeves. This is something that comes from streetwear, but the push-pull of fashion designs will probably also be incorporated back into streetwear with the tailored suit jacket body in letterman jackets in the future.
Prada
Photos by Piero Cristaldi—Prada
Prada’s show in Milan while always an inspiration to youth culture and streetwear designers, went more old school, but with a twist, featuring a bevy of actors including Tim Roth, Adrien Brody, Gary Oldman, and Willem DaFoe to portray the look in a glamorous, celebrity-driven performance.
The suits looked more like powersuits, but the jacket on jacket layering was interesting. According to Adrien Brody about the experience, according to WWD, “It was terribly fun because of this outfit that is so specific of a character. Music was also an inspiration.” When told that Miuccia Prada said before the show that he was “eccentric” and fearless about wearing unusual clothes, he added: “Being an actor you must have a sense of humor and be playful. And brave to be different from yourself even in your sense of style.”
