On Many a Street

Monday, April 9

Raf Simons to helm Dior

Posted by L.A.C. at 17:00

Raf Simons at the end of the Jil Sander spring/summer 2012 show

Raf Simons is to assume the helm of French fashion house, Christian Dior. He was appointed today and is to start in his new position from Wednesday. There has been speculation ever since John Galliano was unceremoniously ousted from his role for an anti-semetic rant he had and a number of names were flying around. Marc Jacobs, Haider Ackermann and British designer Christopher Kane were linked to the role with the latter having ruled himself out early on but when Simons' name was thrown into the mix I had an inkling that it'd be him.

Raf Simons in tears after his last Jil Sander collection

Simons recently left his post as the Creative Director at Jil Sander after presenting his final collection for the label's Spring line for 2013. In tears he left without another job to move on to apart from designing for his eponymous menswear line. Simons has maintained his minimalist aesthetic and influence of youth culture throughout his work, this is coupled with a strong line and sharp tailoring. He introduced an injection of colour into Jil Sander and reinvigorated the once troubled brand and has helped elevate it to where it is today. I was really sad when he announced he was leaving but as always, and with a talent as great and unique as his, the only way is up.

Now, I'm not going to defend Galliano's actions because they were truly deplorable but you cannot deny that he had a flair, a talent and one of a kind. I was looking back at some of his work with the house and some of the shows and I was blown away. A show that stands out to me is the Spring couture show in 2004 (1, 2), the drama of it and the designs of course were all top notch, I loved the Egyptian influence and the immense volume of some of the pieces. However, I do wonder how Simons will approach the job. He will show his first ever haute couture collection in July this year for the Fall and I'm very excited to see what he does.

Christian Dior Haute Couture by John Galliano 1998

Christian Dior Haute Couture by John Galliano SS08

Raf Simons FW09

Vlada Roslyakova in Jil Sander by Raf Simons FW09

What I'm hoping for is influence from his work at Jil and from his own menswear line being fused into something really interesting. He experimented with exaggerated shapes in 2009 and blasts of neon in 2011 for Jil Sander and worked with blown up sleeves for his line in 2009 and I'm praying they're present in July.

You can read more at The New York Times, Daily Mail, Reuters and Vogue.

Grab your cards - Junya Watanabe Man FW10 M51 Fishtail Parka

Posted by L.A.C. at 11:36

Whilst on Tumblr I discovered this little gem. I'm sure if you use the site and follow anyone who talks about menswear you might have seen this at least once, it is coveted, revered and high sought after. It's a parka from Japanese brand, Junya Watanabe and the fact that it's a FW piece from two years ago means that it is rare. Rare not only because of when it was made but the size as well, this particular one is a small. You're sure to be hard pressed to find something like this, at this price and size. The jacket is in this great olive colour - very appropriate for Fall and on the back it has a panel made from a flannel-esque material. It is lined with camo print and has brown leather elbow patches as well as a contrasting blue fabric split on the sleeves. This jacket is something you're likely to come across maybe once or twice. Check it out here and see the images below. Also a side note the website it comes from, Lost & Founds is great for finding other great pieces like this so check that out too.

MOSS NY SS12

Posted by L.A.C. at 07:00

Check out the inaugural collection from new brand MOSS based in New York. Inspired 90’s New York, pop art, and tribal patterns in a time when print is very current I'm sure that this new kid on the block will find instant and well deserved success. My favourite piece by far is are the shorts with the 40 bottle embroidered on them. Check out their website here.

Sunday, April 8

John Waters on Comme des Garçons

Posted by L.A.C. at 09:07

"Rei Kawakubo invented looking like you got ripped off in a thrift shop. She’s an artist and not trying to be funny exactly, but she’s using wit. My father will never get the joke; he says, “You bought that?!” I wear these things to redneck bars and people would never guess I paid a lot of money for them, It makes me chuckle. But I think it’s the youth that make high fashion pretentious. When I was young I just wore what I could get. You look silly in proper fashion when you’re young but once you’re over 40 you need all the help you can get. I basically pay too much money for clothes that poor people would be embarrassed to wear. Wearing Comme des Garçons is wearing high fashion, but without bragging. And that’s the key, that’s old money and the opposite of nouveau riche."

Thursday, April 5

When in Japan

Posted by L.A.C. at 14:27

jamesrmcnally has been a wealth of information and a trove of images of Japanese fashion for years for me. I've been told by various people that fashion from the Land of the Rising sun tends to stay there and unless you're willing to fork out you'll probably never get your hands on them unless you go there yourself.

I always pay a visit to this site when I'm looking for something different to show to people and I'm gonna put together some of my favourite pieces I came across today.