Alaia Mugler at La Foundation Azzedine Alaia

Culture, Fashion

Few designers defined the 1980s the way Azzedine Alaïa and Thierry Mugler did. At first glance their work could not be further apart – Alaïa, the master of sexy discreetness, Mugler the master of bombastic sexiness. Alaia, demure in his respect for Parisian tradition, Mugler breaking with all couture conventions. Alaïa was serious about women, Mugler saw them as characters. Alaïa, building a temple of sophistication, Mugler building a church to Camp.

EXPO JAN-JAN VAN ESSCHE – MOMU ANTWERP

Fashion

“Khayal” is an intimate exhibit of the Antwerp designer Jan-Jan Van Essche, currently on display at MoMu, the city’s fashion museum. The installation takes over the ground floor space of the museum. It begins with Van Essche’s calligraphy-based drawings that guide you into just one room, where the designer has created an installation highlighting ten key silhouettes that embody his work. The space unfolds gradually as you walk around a wooden construction resembling traditional Japanese architecture, with custom made mannequins that reflect the designer’s earthy West-meets-East approach. The serenity of the space gradually takes over, reflecting the serenity of Van Essche’s designs as reflected in the handmade natural fabrics, indigo dyes, and loose silhouettes. Van Essche has created his own world, conducive to contemplation and slowing down time, and by the end of your visit the world outside will fall away.

SHOP.CASE — a.PRESSE

Fashion

The shop of a.PRESSE, the Japanese brand that is currently making a lot of noise amongst menswear enthusiasts, is located in a nondescript concrete building in upper Jingumae, in Tokyo, a ten minute walk from the hubbub of the winding streets above Omotesando, which have been taken over by mainstream streetwear brands.

But walk into the semi-basement space and that is where all the anonymity ends. The walls and columns are clad in a compound made of soil, straw, sand, and cement, giving them a texture somewhere between concrete and Venetian plaster. The furniture is a mix of mid-century Brazilian and Danish, and the speakers are vintage JBL. The brass clothes racks and even the oak wood hangers, are custom made for a.PRESSE. Such minute attention to detail adds warmth and makes the sparseness of the space an asset in itself.