MB Fashion Week Madrid Highlights: Martin Lamothe, Maria Escote and Carlos Diaz

Cities |  Madrid | 

This year, MB Fashion Week Madrid Highlights include just a few designers who presented a a splattering of menswear looks within their collections.

Martin Lamothe, Maria Escote and Carlos Diaz were among the designers that showed a bit of menswear.  Each designers is a bit quirky in their own way.

Martin Lamothe

The theme for Martin Lamothe’s collection ” Water Olympics” was obviously water.  Most of the colors were blues and greens, and the line was meant to reflect strength and glory.  Of course the line also projected more of a sporty look, hence the Olympics portion of the name.

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Maria Escote

Maria Escote’s collection was sexy and scandalous, called Private Dancer. She even started off the runway show with a pole dancer!  If you look closely, you can also see the pole dancer print on some of her clothes.  Tattoo covered models also sported black mesh.

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Carlos Diaz

Carlos Diaz had what one might consider to be a crazy collection.  The first male model actually skateboarded in wearing a smiley face outfit.  Several of the looks were covered in smiley faces print or stamped with a spider logo.  High fashion? Maybe not.  But certainly fun!

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Posted by Lori Zaino

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MB Fashion Week Madrid: Etxeberria

Cities |  Madrid | 

The Spring/Summer 2014 Exteberria collection , Gernika, was inspired by rural Spain. Many of Exteberria’s past collections were inspired by other cultures, but for Gernika, he looked close to home to get inspired.  There were also moments of military influence too.

Exteberria is well known for using leather (and fur in his winter collections), but this season there was also a lot of knitwear, of course tied in with the leather, filling the collection many interesting and unique garments.  The colors were basic, mainly black with a few grey and white looks.  In general the looks were simple, but were far from boring.

Exteberria also used some interesting sandal looks in this designs.  Some of the female looks were almost exactly the same as the male looks, making the collection seemingly androgynous.  The wonderful thing about Exteberria’s collection Gernika (and all of his collections) is the impeccable tailoring.

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Posted by Lori Zaino

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MB Fashion Week Madrid: Francis Montesinos

Cities |  Madrid | 

The Francis Montesinos runway show was truly a show to remember.  The event began with a stage set up with rainbows and flowers, bright and electrifying.  A three person flamenco group kicked off the show, playing and singing traditonal spanish flamenco music.

Frances Montesinos Flamenco

Flamenco starts off the Francis Montesinos runway!

The first ¨model¨to walk the runway was actually a flamenco dancer, who ¨danced¨down the runway.  Beautiful and theatrical, the show had an amazing vibe to it, right from the start.

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This Spring/Summer 2014 collection was named ¨Pura Vida¨, (meaning the Pure Life)  and was clearly inspired by Spanish flamenco dance, music and costume, but also libery and freedom.  The clothes were bright and colorful, and featured many hand woven laces and knits.  Famous Spanish male model Antonio Navas walked the show, and looked darn good doing it!

Focusing more specifically on the mens portion of the catwalk, it did have a feminine touch to it  (maybe the florals?), but if paired with the right pieces, could also be made to look much more masculine.  Floral prints and stripes were used in colors such as grey, off-white with pops of navy and coral.  The clothes were happy and spring-ish.

One interesting bit about the Francis Montesinos ¨Pura Vida¨ collection for men was that it incorporated several different styles such as suits, trousers, shorts, casual and more formal shirts, scarves, bags, knitwear, and even underwear.  There was atleast one piece of every type of clothing, and it´s nice to see a little bit of everything. Sometimes you see collections that feature only one type of look, like only suits or only t-shirts and trousers and while it can be great to have a very focused collection, it is also refreshing to see a line that has something for everyone.

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Posted by Lori Zaino

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MAN 1924

Cities |  Madrid | 

Madrid ManMAN 1924 is a Madrid is a boutique which originally opened in Bilabao, Spain and then opened it´s second location in Madrid.

The store has a family history to it, as many spanish businesses do.  MAN 1924 represents three generations of luxury pattern making and entrepreneurship.  Carlos Castillo opened the first  store in Bilbao when he was just 18 as a homage to his grandfather who started the brand MAN.

When I first visited their website, I noticed there was an option to put the page in English.  Score!  Many Spanish businessed haven´t caught up yet and put their websites in English, so I knew this place was on point.  I decided I absolutely had to pay a visit to the Madrid location to scope it out.

Visually, the boutique (having been refurbished in 2011) is fresh, well lit and spaced with many windows.  The simple decoration lets the the clothes speak for themselves.

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The MAN 1924 brand had many options for the dressy and casual client.  Their in house brand offers suits, casual wear, ties, blazers, tuxedos and made to measure.  Each season, the shop likes to carry a few other brands, and this spring Lacoste and New Balance were a few of the selections.

I particularly liked the selection of spring merchadise.  They offered a lot of linen options, as well as boat shoes, several styles of hats, a beautiful display of uniquely patterned scarves, and also had a large selection of swimsuits.

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During my visit, I had the opportunity to chat with the manager, Tito for a bit, as well as some of the other worker.  They were all very imformative and helpful, and explained to me a bit about the stores history and vision.   I also watched as they helped other clients, and the customer service seemed to be impeccable.  This could come in handy if you are ordering a made-to-measure suit, for example.  One client even stopped to tell me this was  ¨La mejor tienda para hombres en todo Madrid¨-the best menswear shop in Madrid!  They obviously have a very loyal customer base.  Visiting this store is a must if you live in or are passing through Madrid.

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Posted by: Lori

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El Ganso

Barcelona |  Cities |  London |  Madrid |  Paris |  Santiago | 

Spanish fashion brand El Ganso opened its first UK store in 2012 in the heart of most popular London shopping spot – Carnaby Street. This April they launched the second boutique on Niel street.

El Ganso collections are retro inspired by style icons of the past Marcello Mastroianni, Cary Grant, Robert Radford, they praise ‘retro man’ ideal – elegance and chic which suites every one. At the same time the brand remains thoroughly contemporary  very British with a slight Mediterranean hint.

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El Ganso’s philosophy is in offering quality and an alternative touch at a price you can afford. It has a full range of menswear, from casual to more classy: perfectly fit tartan, woolen or linen blazers, comfortable navy-style duffle coats, shirts, cardigans and jumpers, a wide range of neckwear and accessories. All items come in fun and matching colors. Here you can find perfect combo for the occasion either it’s a job interview or a Saturday night out.

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El Ganso is a family company of two brothers Álvaro and Clemente Cebrián. They started in 2006 from a small store in downtown Madrid selling trousers and shoes. Soon after they enhanced their collections with sports jackets and polo shirts and opened boutiques in Portugal, France and United Kingdom.

The store on Caranby Street brings you into the atmosphere of the 70s nostalgia, which suggests a leisurely shopping in a cozy vintage environment. The staff are very helpful and friendly, ready to give an advice and very quick on size request.

Posted By: Yulia

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Georgina Vendrell Menswear

Barcelona |  Cities |  Madrid |  Thrift Etiquette | 

Georgina Vendrell Menswear is a collection created by Georgina Vendrell herself which debuted in 2007. She is one of the few designers in Spain that dedicates her designs entirely to menswear.

While chatting with Georgina at the EGO section of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Madrid, we asked her why she decided to focus on menswear amist a sea of womenswear. She explains ¨I started with menswear because no one ever seems to design for just men in Spain. I wanted to fill that niche. There´s so much you can do with menswear that hasn´t been done.¨  And she´s right! I see a huge opportunity in Spain for menswear, and so many places to go with it.

There was a small stand with some of Georgina Vendrell´s designs outside of the runway shows and we were able to not only chat with her but try on some of her designs. Alton looked especially cool in a one of a kind turquoise sweater and then a polka dotted jacket.

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Her collections are fun and funky, focusing mainly on interesting fabrics and textures. Georgina explained to us that she looks shopping her for her fabrics in London, even though she designs in Barcelona. She likes to include colorful accents to make the items more interesting and unique. A lot of her pieces are just one of a kind, because the fabrics are rare in certain colors and impossible to find more of. Price points are also reasonable, for example, the turquoise one of a kind sweater featured above was under 100 euros.

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In past years Georgina has had the opportunity to show at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Madrid EGO, 080 Barcelona, Valencia Fashion Week (where she won the Best Fashion Designer Award) and Iceland Fashion Week. Unfortunately, she did not show this year at Madrid Fashion Week, but I am hoping to see her designs on the runway in seasons to come.

For more information, visit the Georgina Vendrell Website.

Posted by: Lori

 

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The EGO at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Madrid

Cities |  Madrid | 

The EGO at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Madrid is the final day of runway shows featuring new and up and coming designers. For Fall/Winter 2013-14, there were 10 EGO designers with runway shows, and only a few featured menswear.

Although the menswear was lacking at The EGO at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Madrid, there were a couple of designers which showed some very creative and original menswear looks within their collections: Eugenio Loarce and Pablo Erroz.

Eugenio Loarce only featured 4 menswear looks, but all 4 were showstoppers. His collection ¨Amado Mío¨ which means My Love, focuses the ups and downs relating to love. Colors used were red, white and black and fur, leather, and silk fabrics were also featured. Loarce states that the red and white colors focus on the happy times when in love, and the black signifies that rough parts of being in love. Note the the white and black shoes-absolutely fabulous!

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Madrid the EGO Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Madrid the EGO Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Madrid the EGOPablo Erroz had a collection that was slightly more masculine and modern. He also used trending fabrics in his collection such as leather and fur. Pablo Erroz created some amazing jackets focusing on mixing fabrics and using accents like zippers, patterned sleeves and buttons for a unique touch. I think the modern man who wants a touch of trend would love these looks.

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Obviously if you want to be on trend for the fall, you´ll definitely look into purchasing some items with fur or leather. As you can see above, they can add a that extra touch to make an outfit perfect. And you can´t go wrong with a burst of red!

Posted by: Lori

 

 

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Menswear Shopping in Madrid

Alton Barber Journal |  Cities |  Madrid |  Thrift Etiquette | 

While in town for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, I found a little time to do menswear shopping in Madrid. With no destination in mind, I took off from my hotel, the Urban on Carerra San Jeronimo, to see what I could see. On my way to Puerta del Sol I ran head on into a protest (see “Protesting….” post), so I reversed course and walked with them a bit to support the people.  After a few blocks I turned off and headed to Gran Via.

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I came across a nice menswear store named Cortefiel. I hadn’t heard of them, but they are a Spanish company with many stores throughout Spain. Several nice mid-priced items on the main level. I debated a navy DB casual knit jacket, but passed because it was a bit too close to a sweater that I have. It was nice though. Then went down to the basement and was pleasantly surprised. Very nice full line of mid range pieces. Great value, quality for price, on sweaters and suits. I pushed a few racks and found a sweater that I liked. I knew that the silhouette worked for me because I have something close, but it was a dark green color which I did not have. It looked great on and was on the sale rack so I couldn’t pass it up.

Cortefiel green sweater

I pushed on and went into Nino’s. A very small boutique, that I might have walked by but a sweater in the window called me in. I tried the sweater, but it didn’t work for me. I looked further and found a sweater with a unique leahter closure on the shoulder. It looked great when I tried it and the price was reasonable so I bought it. I must admit that in my haste, I did not check the content label, and once I got back to the Urban I discovered it was acrylic. A fabric that I generally stay away from because they peel sometime, but at the price I’ll get over it and see how the fabric performs.

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Next stop was my most exciting find, a boutique called Eduardo Rivera.  It was full of great items but I did not have time to check them out properly. Check out the pictures. I assured the manager that I would have Lori, our multi-talented Madrid specialist, come by and do a follow-up post on the shop. I’ll definitely look forward to spending more time there on my next trip to wonderful Madrid.

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Madrid is a great place to find nice garments reasonably priced.

Tip

1.  Be certain to take the time to check out the fabric content in a new garment purchase to fully appreciate the value.

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Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Madrid

Cities |  Madrid | 

MBFW Madrid

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Madrid featured menswear far and few between this season. However, when it was present, it was truly excellent. Opportunity knocks in the mens fashion space, anyone out there?

The designers that included menswear this season used a lot of rich fabrics such as leather and fur. Fur, fur, fur everywhere! No one will be cold next winter with the amount of fur predicted to be worn here in Madrid.

We´ll start with the collection entitled ¨Paris, Berlin, Moscu¨ from Exteberria. Exteberria is one designer at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Madrid which specializes in menswear (however, they still also create looks for women too). This season the focus was on coats, and of course, you guessed it, fur. The models were very unique and presented a very firm, intense look, and even their hair was made to look grey. Note the fabulous boots they are all wearing.

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Next Martin Lamonthe brings us her collection ¨Mechanics¨ which focuses on straight lines and forms, but with a vintage and warm spirit. A definite 70´s vibe was present.

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Miguel Marinero blew us away with his preppy riding looks, featuring leather, fur, even a horse saddle on the shoulder of a male model. With the leather soft and the fabrics rich, his few menswear looks looked wearable and luxurious.

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Finally Jesus Lorenzo´s collection ¨Steam Glam¨ was inspired by a vintage New York City. As ¨steam” blew down the runway, models walked wearing clothes emitting steam punk (metal and gray colors, metallics) as well as the glam side, including leather and high end furs.

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080 Barcelona Fashion

Barcelona |  Cities |  Madrid | 

The 11th edition of 080 Barcelona Fashion was an impressive three day run of fashion shows and events. This edition boasted several menswear designers and collections, some of which were pretty spectacular. Trending for autumn/winter 2013: knitwear, layering, volume, and of course the trusty black and grey color scheme.

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Jan Iú Més for Punto Blanco shows some warm, baggy knits, cottons, and linens, all while staying within a basic color scheme of gray, black, beige and white.  The looks are casual and low- key but with a sexy, touseled touch.

Slazenger brightens things up with more tailored, preppy London- style looks. The collection, ¨Heritage¨ features sweaters and knits, but with more form fitting pants. It includes accessories like hats, fingerless gloves and cuffed pants with patterned socks to spice up a dull wintery day.

Torras brings us back to basics with knits, leather, and of course the signature grey, black and blue colors. The ¨Black Torras Collection¨ which is aptly named for it´s color scheme, is a minimalist collection aiming for simplicity, elegance, quality and austerity.

Brain & Beast is a relatively new line of menswear created in 2010 by three spanish designers: Angel Vilda, Ceasar Olivar and Veronica Raposo. The pieces are designed with a geometrical thought process and a structural simplicity. The collection is quite different than most of the more basic looks we´ve seen so far at 080 Barcelona Fashion, and it has a fun and exciting twist to it.

Josep Abril, founded in 1996 by you guessed it, Josep Abri himeself, is a successful menswear line that has walked catwalks in Barcelona and Madrid for several years. The collection shows the trending fall colors of grey and black, but with interesting layers and volume, and a unique pattern here and there.

Images from the 080 Barcelona Fashion Facebook page 

Posted by: Lori

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