Menswear SS15: A Historical Influence on Sportswear

It seems that SS15 will bring a new dimension to sportswear for Men, with both Ancient Greek and Roman inspiration being a key influence, particularly at Versace and KTZ.

          

KTZ bought about a tougher edge to sportswear through black mesh, leather gloves and chunky gold jewellery, with the entire collection embodying the power of the wearer through prints of medals, mythological creatures and battle scenes. Despite the odd piece of body armour, KTZ have created an extremely wearable collection, where ancient influences of Greek Vases, sculptures and battle armour have successfully met a modern twist of basketball shorts, leather caps and statement jewellery.

Versace, unsurprisingly, took a more regal approach to the trend by using the Greek ‘key’ design in golden hues to edge loose fitting, white lounge pants. The use of all white looks were prominent during this collection, even down to the detail of models carrying pristine white and gold printed towels. The show did take an edgier turn though, where we saw models with leather bombers, shoes and bags in brightly coloured hues, which were all heavily influenced by Ancient figures that would have adorned Ancient Greek and Roman Pottery. 

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Throwback Thursday: The First Cover of Vogue

The 1st American Vogue-1892

“Celebrating the ceremonial side of life, which attracts the sage, as well as debutante, men of affairs as well as the belle.”

 

 

 

 

The 1st British Vogue-1916

“The time has come to talk of many things, -of shoes and furs and lingerie, and if one flares or clings, and where the waist-line ought to be, and whether hats have wings”

 

 

 

 

The 1st Paris Vogue-1920

An illustration by Helen Dryden of two ‘tennis women’- a celebration of the ‘sport of the moment’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Surrealism: Now and Then

So, I know we were all wooed by those McDonald’s inspired Moschino pieces, and then later, by those supermarket inspired handbags (lait de coco, anyone?), but after doing my research I found that maybe such quirky pieces aren’t so original after all…
In the 1940’s designers, like Anne Marie de Paris, took the surrealist movement to the next level by creating witty and playful items inspired by unusual objects that had never been seen before. Sometimes we can get so stuck in the future when it comes to fashion, but it’s always good to know about the history of trends,too. Anyway, I thought I’d share some of these true vintage pieces with you guys, I know I was inspired, so enjoy!

Anne Marie de Paris: Surreal Handbags
(Champagne Bucket, Cocktail Bar, Carousel, Sugar Bowl, Telephone, Playing Cards) 

          

 

 

Alice + Olivia at NYFW

Inspired by the illustrated pop up books of Benjamin Lacombe, the designers at Alice + Olivia created a collection that represented ‘elegance, fragility and melancholy’ that was appropriately presented against a gothic fairytale backdrop. Speaking of the collection the designer (Bendet) said that it had ‘dark, sexy ties’ to the Victorian era, and this was clear to see across the whole collection, if not with a modern twist.

Through rich textures and Victorian-esque prints, the collection represents a feminine, but powerful, woman. The collection puts a sexual spin on traditional Victorian dress-knee high leather boots, sheer lace, luxurious looking black embellished mini dresses and leather corsets- whilst the baroque prints keep to the Victorian inspiration from which the collection stems from. The most dramatic piece comes in the form of a gorgeous, floor length red baroque print coat, that again becomes luxuriously modern when mixed with blue denim.

This collection holds one of my favourite inspirations- who doesn’t love a dark, gothic fairytale? The red lips, black choker detail, the opulent Victorian prints and enchanting backdrop wins me over every time!