Dear Shaded Viewers,
Mandi Lennard is preparing for London’s MAN. MAN is a new menswear show debuting at London Fashion Week as a partnership between Topman and Fashion East. Mandi asked a few of the industry experts to contribute their thoughts on Spring 2006,
Here is what Jay Bell the Senior Buyer for the Men’s designer collections at Barneys NYC has to say:
"THANK GOODNESS FOR THE SANE FEW! IF LEFT UP TO THE PECULIAR MAJORITY
DOMINATING MEN’S FASHION, MENSWEAR WOULD BE IN A SAD STATE OF AFFAIRS BASED
ON THE SPRING 2006 RUNWAY SHOWS.
MILAN, THE CITY WHERE MAJORITY REIGNS SUPREME, WAS A COMPLETE YAWN. THE BIG
BOYS – WHO SHALL REMAIN NAMELESS – RESTED ON THEIR LAURELS, AND RE-HASHED
IDEAS THAT WORKED YESTERYEAR: DISTRESSED JEANS CUM SPORTJACKET, WHITE ON
WHITE, AND LOGOED NYLON (DID ANYONE ELSE NOD-OFF IN THE FACE OF THE
OMNIPRESENT LOGOS?) WERE MORE UNBEARABLE THAN THE RECORD-BREAKING HEAT
WAVES.
PARIS WAS SLIGHTLY MORE STIMULATING (LIKE A DEXEDRINE OVERDOSE, ONE MIGHT
IMAGINE), WITH MANY RE-WORKING TIRED IDEAS INTO A FRENETIC FRENZY:
"TEDDY-BOY-MEETS-LIBERACE" IS A LOOK FOR THOSE USED TO A RACIER PACE, I
GUESS. AND I, AS MUCH AS THE NEXT GUY, DIG A BIT OF ROCK-N-ROLL ON MY iPOD
— BUT COVERING MY JACKET, SHIRT, AND TROUSERS? I DON’T THINK SO.
DESPITE THE FLAGRANT SHORTCOMINGS, THE UNSUNG HEROES MARCHED ON: CHRISTOPHER
BAILEY PROPOSED A DEFT DISPLAY OF ALL THAT IS CHIC. NICHOLAS GHESQUIERE
KEPT IT REAL, PROVING THAT ONE DOESN’T NEED TO COP A GIMMICK IN ORDER TO
MAKE IT FRESH. RICK OWENS, ANN DEMEULEMEESTER, ALEXANDRE PLOKHOV (OF CLOAK),
KRIS VAN ASSCHE, AND LYNN BAN VINTAGE ALL DID WHAT THEY DO BEST TO KEEP
THINGS MOVING FORWARD."
JAY BELL
SENIOR BUYER – MEN’S DESIGNER COLLECTIONS
BARNEYS NEW YORK
575 FIFTH AVENUE – 11th FLOOR
NEW YORK, NY 10017
P.S. Thank you Jay Bell for your contribution.
P.S.S. In Paris the streets are empty, everyone left for holiday or so it would appear. I thought that now was the moment to show you some whale watching pictures taken by our London contributor, Robb Young in Iceland.