This past men’s fashion week was marked by a sense of schizophrenia more than anything else. Half of the shows in Paris were held in opulent palatial spaces and the other half in basements stripped of everything but their concrete foundations. The reactions of critics and buyers were similarly split. The editors I spoke with mostly shrugged shoulders and talked of consistently lowering expectations, while buyers thought the season more than solid.
We would like to present to you Comme des Garçons Homme Plus’ Fall/Winter 2016 collection.
As holidays approach we wanted to share the things we love that might make good gifts.
Photographer: Wenjun Liang, Model: Yudu Zheng @ IMG, Stylist: Christine de Lassus @ Art Department, Stylist Assistant: Armando Figueredo, Make Up: Miguel Lledo, Hair : Shinya Nakagawa
Last week Comme des Garçons opened their first freestanding POCKET shop in New York City. The concept store carries PLAY, perfume, wallets and other items.
Comme des Garcons is no stranger to the perfume business and has been knocking out great scents year after year at a good clip. Its new fragrance, Floriental, comes from the idea of reimagining a flower that has no scent (in this case, the Cistus flower). It also redefines traditional notions of perfume-making with no definite top, middle, or base scent notes.
“Nothing,” answered a prominent New York buyer when I asked her what she liked during this past men’s fashion week. While I wouldn’t go this far, the Spring/Summer 2016 season was decidedly mixed. The overarching question, which began forming in my head during the first day of shows in Paris was, “What makes a good collection?” Is it the theme or its execution? Do we look for a designer to tell an interesting story, to interpret a theme worth exploring through clothes, or to produce beautiful, interestingly constructed garments? Ideally, both.
Two weeks ago the latest of Rei Kawakubo’s protégés, Kei Ninomiya, was in New York to present a preview of his Fall/Winter 2015 collection for the “noir by kei ninomiya” line that he helms under the Comme des Garcons umbrella.
Last week, the latest protege of Rei Kawakubo, Kei Ninomiya, was in New York to present his F/W 2015 collection of noir by kei ninomiya at the Comme des Garcons Chelsea flagship. Below are the photos from the event and the pieces are available for pre-order.
It is no big secret that “perfume” is a bit of a dirty word in fashion. Often, it is seen, not without justification, as an easy way to make money by capitalizing on one’s brand name. The typical arrangement is to license out one’s name to a big perfume conglomerate, tell them what you want it to smell like, and sit back while the money rolls in. A successful perfume can be immensely profitable. Thierry Mugler, to take one example, has not designed a garment in decades, but his enormously successful perfume “Angel” has made him a millionaire many times over. All you need is a brand name and a good formula. It is no wonder then that every newly minted fashion designer and celebrity is eager to sign a perfume deal.