If at
London Collections: Men, men were sporty/dandy; and at Milan Men’s Fashion
Week, the new male conception was a genderless philosophical glamorous rocker;
at Paris Men’s Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2016, men are surrealist gentlemen,
with a little touch of Parisian extravaganza. Inward-looking for Valentino, warrior
for Comme des Garçons, and a bowler hat-ted gentleman for the American Thom
Browne. The trends for next cold season have been multiple and variegated: from
the camel shades for the outerwear to the come-back of the double breasted
blazers, which is more “Inn” than the single-breasted ones. The sober tuxedo
gets down-played by its combination with the t-shirts. While for those who want
“more”, the FW16 outerwear screams FUR all over the place.
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| ©RooMXMatez TM 2015 |
And it could take place nowhere else
but at Paris Men’s Fashion Week, the Givenchy Fall Winter 2016 show, that gets
inspired by the Hip-Hop culture Made in USA and by the gang culture Made in
Botswana: anything with precision, street style and couture-ness. Riccardo
Tisci let’s himself to be conquered by cowboys and metals, with leather frayed sleeves
on jackets and coats, as on many of the boots. On jackets and coats surely couldn’t
miss a little bit of crocodile leather patchworks, copper rivet or studs. The Givenchy
logo turns metallic, while skulls images appear on the more rocker-mood bomber
jackets and t-shirts, and the colours palette plays with the shades of
dirt/ground/earth and the texture appear being multiple in variety. Black remains
on cashmere jackets, frayed scarves and velvet suits. Yet we saw satin and lace
on couture outfits, along with tulle and chiffon, draped jersey cloths and an
amazing metallic snake leather layered mantel.
No ‘one’ look could be taken from the aesthetic assortment Givenchy had
on show, with each outfit oscillating the collection’s feel, and that was the
aim. Varied not only in fabric and trimmings, but each look was a capsule of
its own accord. Always sitting somewhere between everyday practicality
and a debonair flare, their FW16 line revealed Moroccan tones, as seen in a
desert orange flight jacket, complete with a woven overlay, and long, brown
hooded coats with fringing along the hem. MA-1 bomber jackets and
sweaters emerged emblazoned with serpents and birds of prey in blood red and
black, worn with American flag bandanas the Givenchy man was smouldering, like
a 21st Century John Wayne (Tisci’s fascination with Americana is an omnipresent
trait). Shirts were soft and silky, but a pastel purple denim number stole the
show with rose gold collar tips.
Givenchy’s men show
presented a versatile and mixed line-up, where the tones of extravagance have
been able to stop at the right time. A mallow pink background surrounded the
scene, framing the show in a game of more springy colours than winter-alike. In a fresh, minimalist landscape; one alight in
fuchsia pink and fitted with box seats and neon skirting boards, came those
dark, earthy tones synonymous with the label, contrasting with the vibrant
setting they inhabited this season. A set
that supports and stimulates it, while on the runway he rattles off, with Givenchy’s
proverbial ease, the brand new and awaited outfits for next fall. One over all?
A jumper, onto which hisses a big brown-blended-in cobra snake. In Paris
Givenchy’s male fashion bets on a moved casual with that typical touch of lavishness.
«Riccardo Tisci is a trouble-maker. Since his appointment at the creative helm of Givenchy in 2005, Tisci has been
turning the codes and standards of the French heritage house upside down,
making Givenchy his own
with his culturally loaded women's and men's ready-to-wear collections. But Couture is also important in
Tisci's world, and the sophisticated yet edgy numbers that he sent down the
runway in the middle of his F/W16
menswear show made a lasting impression. “I always combine the influence of the street and Haute Couture. When I
do Couture I get my inspiration from the streets,” stated the designer
about the iconic New York runway show he staged with artist Marina
Abramović (Spring/Summer 2016),
his most relevant show so far that epitomizes what Givenchy is about today. But what makes Givenchy so special? Tisci's
distinctive aesthetics often come with an ethnic twist, a Gothic appeal, a
fetish edge, and a nod to urban-wear, a style which has his clothes selling
like hot cakes. So much so that the Italian designer has been able to attract
an ever-growing fan-base over the past year, a fashion-hungry tribe of Givenchy worshippers who constantly
represent and adore Tisci's unique creative identity.».
Riccardo Tisci’s penchant for travelling frequently informs his
collections. This season the Italian-born designer took his progressive spurs
from his recent jaunts to Africa and Germany before honing down on specific
references: the freewheeling club-kids of Berlin and photographer Franck
Marshall’s Botswana Renegades, a group of heavy metal fans who dress in leather
tasseled jackets and ripped up band tees.
In this sense, Givenchy's latest FW16 menswear offering (elegant
tailoring with Americana style references and rough and sensual edges), was a
continuation of his previous work: a sublimation of youth culture in a
multi-cultural environment, which reminds us that the cultural diversity and
open-mindedness we see on a Givenchy runway is also the one we should be
constantly seeing on our streets. Think pink, as pink as Givenchy's menswear
show location: the brighter the better. «It doesn’t matter where you come from or
which religion you are, and it doesn’t matter which atelier you work for or
what your sexual preference is» stated the designer once, as he
continued «we are all on the same level, capable of feeling love.».
«Givenchy’s gallant lineage was
exercised in grey marl tailoring, navy cashmere pullovers, delicate fringing on
long scarves and tunic edges, and belted trenches. Confident layering
complemented colourful graphics across oversize outerwear, and though patterns
of FW15 were echoed, they weren’t aped. Givenchy’s reinvention was state of the
art, rough and ready».
«After showing Givenchy's SS16 collection in New York
last year, Riccardo Tisci's admiration and adoration of America has not ebbed.
In fact, he doubled down on his fascination of American culture and history
with a cowboy-inspired collection full of fringe, cowboy boots and embellished
shirts. Tailoring was masculine and strong with luxe detailing and
fabrications. The bubblegum pink showspace was also a bit of a headturner, like
some many of the couture gowns female models wore in complement to the menswear».
Simone Bronzi
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