Dunhill Spring Summer 2011

dunhill presented their spring summer 2011 collection in paris last sunday. it is challenging for a company with such a rich heritage, to bring in a relatively young designer to shake things up. i think kim jones has always treaded very carefully, and in the words of tim blanks: managing the needs of dunhill and what kim jones wants. i love it that the explorer theme is omnipresent in dunhill's collections, so it should be as cliche as it sounds, it is the brand's DNA.

with the jackets more fitted, the trousers hem lines raised, the heritage emblems unearthed from the archives and the silhouettes trimmed, jones has subtly transformed the dunhill men.

my pick for model of the season: james smith (centre)

if you can look pass the rather overdone make-up and focus on what he is holding. several of the models walked down the runway clutching the book with a vintage looking cover. don't know what that is but i know i need it.

i usually shudder in fear when i see grown men in backpacks, but this seemed to work. the dunhill man is an explorer. really loving the parka and leather straps on the bag.

can you guess what he's holding? it's the ipad cover, but i can't quite make out how it looks like from the front. and it's interesting that a lot more designers are doing ipad covers as compared to the iphones. confidence that the ipads will really take off?

click here to see the entire collection from dunhill spring summer 2011.


and i must add: nice shoes from the collection!

pics credit: dunhill



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Mr Hare Fall Winter 2010

shhhh... mr hare's fall winter 2010 collection, now available online.
here here here!

e-vo-lu-ti-00o00n!

pics credit: oki-ni

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Barnabé Hardy Spring Summer 2011

while i eagerly await pics from barnabé hardy's fourth collection since leaving the house of balenciaga, here are 2 sets of preview pics. i am not entirely convinced that these will end up in the final spring summer 2011 lookbook, but pictures to illustrate key pieces from the new collection. the outer-shell is still a key area of focus for barnabé: the patchwork lamb's leather jacket from fall winter 2010 is reworked, this time in even brighter colors. i am especially loving the piece with green, yellow, red and blue. it reminds me of brazil's colors. could barnabé be rooting for brazil's world cup glory?

if patchwork is his signature, the style is also incorporated into the t-shirts. barnabé is definitely feeling colors for next spring.

liking the collection so far?

pics credit: barnabé hardy

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Rafael Nadal and Richard Mille RM027 at Wimbledon Championships

besides the world cup, the other major sporting event happening right now is the wimbledon championships. here is another look at spanish ace rafael nadal last saturday after beating philip petzschner of germany, wearing his US$525,000 richard mille watch. the watch weighs less than 30grams, and nadal will be exclusively wearing mille's watch during the rest of the tennis season.

a-maz-ing.


pics credit: getty images


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Damien Hirst pills cufflinks

here is a piece of damien hirst's art without the space required for a pickled shark, or a bank breaking budget for a diamond encrusted skull. in 2004, damien hirst exhibited "the elusive truth" in new york. the exhibit included a selection of hirst’s over-sized hand-painted tablets, and the medicine cabinet appeared as a shrine praising modern pharmaceuticals. the idea is that while medicine helps to prolong life and prevent illness, it is ineffectual in holding off death completely. while hirst’s pills remain shiny and inviting - immortalised as they are in the pristine pharmaceutical cabinet - the artist puts into question society’s reliance on chemicals to feel, and stay, alive.

the sterling silver cufflinks are hallmarked and engraved with hirst's logo. i love the story behind it, and especially liking the fact that this is a piece of wearable art. the cufflinks is available online here.

a print of hirst's hand painted "pills" from the exhibition. l00o00ve.

pics credit: othercriteria.com


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Hermès Carré H watch designed by Marc Berthier

hermès will be releasing the above "carré h" watch this september. designed by architect marc berthier, the titanium cased watch is powered by swiss watch makers girard perregaux. the latter seems to be the movement of choice amongst some of the fashion houses who are going high end with their timepieces: ermenegildo zegna centennial watch, the upcoming bottega veneta "bvx" timepiece and now hermès carré h. no longer seen as "just another fashion watch", these timepieces are serious contenders amongst the bigger players out there.

limited to 173 pieces, the watch will retail for around €12,000.

the style is undeniably hermès, but for that price bracket there are a few watches that really "spoke" to me in terms of design and complications. i am still in the market, and actively searching for the watch. this is a considerable investment, so i should really take the time, pun not intended, to enjoy the selection process. the search continues.


pic credit: hermès / claude joray


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Dior Homme Spring Summer 2011

dior homme presented their spring summer 2011 collection on saturday. against a pallete of black, white and cream, the emphasis was on the cuts and drapings. i don't feature dior homme on here very often, i think i missed the boat completely even when hedi slimane was in the house. i just didn't quite get the hype surrounding it. just how do you solve a problem like dior homme? there was no menswear archive to look back to as the couturier himself did not establish the menswear line. an option would be to create clothes the designer would like to wear. and hence i always find a hint of kris van assche in dior homme. i really would love to see galliano and van assche work more closely to bring the two lines together. i would like to see a dior homme collection that suggests a hint of grandeur and opulence that is very much associated with the house of dior.

i still love this collection, a few pieces that i have my eye on, but it's more clinical, subdued and very much van assche then christian dior himself.

i never really took notice of model james smith in prior seasons, but he seemed to have risen through the ranks for the spring summer 2011 collections. the moody melancholic gaze, and those other worldly blue eyes. very good presence, i sense several campaigns coming up.

kris van assche for dior homme spring summer 2011

dior, not war. but just how do we solve a problem like dior homme?





pics credit: GQ/firstview.com, getty images

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Balenciaga Menswear Spring Summer 2011

my heart just sank, deeply. dear nicolas, please consider bringing barnabé hardy back to design balenciaga menswear. or tell me who is responsible for this, i'll have a word with him/her. we should all be open towards constructive criticism. i really do love the house of balenciaga, that's why i am doing this. thank you.

pics credit: balenciaga.com



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Christian Louboutin in Christian Louboutin FW10 studded flats

christian louboutin / pic credit: jayme thornton for wwd

only just came across the above pics of christian louboutin taken back in may 2010. i love it that he's a man who is not afraid of colors: pink blazer, navy trousers, leopard print shoes, red soles. the designer wore a pair of leopard print slip-ons (not sure if it is still called "rollerballs" for fw10) from his latest fw2010 collection. despite sporting a myriad of colors, his outfit works because he kept everything simple, letting his shoes be the focal point.

love his styling.

besides leopard prints, the studded flats also come in zebra-like stripes. i think both pairs would work well with his outfit. l00o00ve.

there's also another similar pair by giacomorelli as featured by kevin earlier today, click here for more.

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Hostem, Redchurch Street

hostem is a new menswear store located in shoreditch. away from the west end touristy crowds, shoreditch in east end london is home to a crowd that is 00o00h so hip it hurts. though only a short walk away from my office, i must admit i rarely venture into that part of town. out of the newly opened shoreditch high street overground station, i would turn left towards liverpool street for the financial districts, and sometimes down right towards kingsland road where there are vietnamese eateries aplenty. kind of half way in between lies redchurch street, where some of the very trendy shops and restaurants lie, where some of the it crowd in town gathers. hostem really wouldn't look out of place.

on the sunny tuesday afternoon, i ventured into new territories to discover what hostem has in store.


hostem is home to a rather niche but well edited selection of labels: ann demeulemeester, damir doma, casely-hayford, visvim, 3.1 phillip lim, rick owens as pictured above, amongst many others. the shop is made up of three distinct areas, one of which is an ever evolving space in which visiting designers are invited to take up residence on a short term basis.

my favourite piece in store, is the above leather and silk panel jacket from julius. i love the interesting mix of materials, quite possible the two most diverse textures but working so well together. currently included in their spring summer sales, the jacket is now 40% off! if you can't make it to shoreditch, the jacket is also available from their online store here.

besides the curation of labels, the interior of the store is also well worth a mention. design duo jamesplumb gave the shop a rough-luxe aesthetic: raw wooden floor boards, reworked mirrors, chandeliers that erupts from mini lamp shades. the shop also feels like a mini collectors' emporium: there's even a vintage louis vuitton trunk in the fitting room, just another reason to try something on.

i think i was too quick to judge their neighbourhood, "how odd a location" i thought. a 10min walk down red church street soon proved me wrong, i really want to lunch at that eatery around the corner and people watch. a cool little gem, i'm so glad to discover hostem and it's surroundings.

hostem is at 41-43 redchurch street, shoreditch, london. they are currently having their spring summer sales, which is also available online via farfetch.com.



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MFW Day 3 show of the day: Etro Spring Summer 2011

even i surprised myself. on day 3 of milan fashion week, neil barrett, gucci, zegna, canali, etro amongst others presented their spring 2011 collections. to be very honest, i was rather lukewarm towards all that i've seen, it's like a case of deja vu, i've seen it all before. but for the gorgeous leather jackets and a designer who appeared very happy to be there, etro got my vote for show of the day.

favourite piece has to be the suede jacket above. i think i love it because it is reminiscent of bottega veneta's spring 2006 offerings. if etro also did the straight off the runway buying, this jacket would be really high on my list. really loving the jacket, but not the embroidery on the trousers.

loving the whole look, down to the grass runway, but not the embroidery on the trousers.

heavier pieces really dominate the runways this season. also liking this suede and smooth leather jacket. the texture, the varsity feel, the color. but not really feeling the paisley prints.

another luxurious leather jacket, this time in mustard, again i really like. don't mind the pairing of the jacket with the paisley trousers here, seem to work quite well.

kean etro for etro spring summer 2011.

pics credit: getty images




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