Milan Moda Uomo: John Varvatos, Les Hommes, Philip Plein

Cities |  Milan | 

The first day at Milan Uomo Collections  was a grand success.  We were able to catch 3 runway shows, all which were fabulous: John Varvatos, Les Hommes, and Philip Plein.

John Varvatos

Starting off with John Varvatos, the venue was fantastic.  The room in which the show is presented often has a lot of to do with the vibe of the show.  The details of the SS14 collection were refined, yet not stuffy or aged.  The rhinestones on the lapels provided trend and youth to the looks to give it an extra push.  The cardigans and jackets were exceptional.  An occasional un-tucked shirt gave the show a carefree kick of attitude.

BDMOTP favorite: light blue/grey suede jacket

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Les Hommes

Les Hommes, French for ” The Men” , showcased their SS14 collection in a beautiful venue with 30 foot marble columns.  Immediately enchanted with the room and our front row seat, we had a good feeling about this show before it even began!  The show did not disappoint.  The suits were fresh and crisp, with the perfect edge of tailoring.  Leather made an unexpected appearance on panels inside and outside of jacket, as ties and even as a pullover shirt.  Touches of red and blue color broke up the black, white and brown throughout the collection.

BDMOTP favorite: Black and white window pane suit

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Philip Plein

Philip Plein presented a theme that inspired the SS14 collection: Casino!  Everyone loves a good theme and there were even craps tables at the entrance of the show.  Isabel Fontana, international top model, opened the show as Philip’s Plein’s ” Goddess of Fortune”.  The models walked a ” roulette runway”  lit up with colors and lights. The line was very edgy urban and tattooed models even presented an underwear line.  A lot of studs, leather, and faded, washed jeans were shown.  ” Urban glamour” would be an appropriate way to describe the collection.  Some of the highlights were the slim suits with leather welts and the models even made it ” rain”, tossing ” It’s a Mans World” dollar bills!

BDMOTP favorite: Leather studded jackets

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Posted By: Lori Zaino

Photos By: Yulia Gromova

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London Collections Men: Diego Vanassibara

Cities |  London |  Sao Paulo | 

This is the second time BDMOTP has visited with Brazilian designer Diego Vanassibara and seen his fabulous shoe collections.  Diego´s collection during the January London Collections: Men for FW 2013 was truly exquisite and we absolute couldn´t wait to see what Diego would come up with this season.

As predicted, we were not disappointed.  For SS14, Diego has introduced a new color palette that includes a light blue, a beige and a grey, and an army green color in addition to the more basic tones of black and brown.  There is nothing basic about these shoes, however, they are original and funky and fun while still being classic and elegant.

Not to mention Diego and his team are passionate about the shoes.  As I watched Diego explain his vision behind the designs, I could truly see he loves designing and creating and his passion shows in the craftmanship of the shoes themselves. The shoes, in addition to having Diego´s signature wood panels, have some movement in the design so your foot can move and breathe along with the shoe.  The color scheme was inspired by the idea of travelling to Rio de Janiero, Brasil, this of course being the blue and beige of the sea and sand.  Then a classy navy blue and grey for the next destination of Singapore and a more intense black to represent one final trip to Tokyo.

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Diego V (4)Finally, BDMOTP wanted to know if there was a female shoe line in the worlds.  He noted it´s not out of the question for the future to have a separate line for women.  However, for now, females around the world can rejoice because he now makes his men´s shoes as small as a men´s US size 5 so women can wear them! In future lines he will even start from a men´s size 3 so women with tiny feet can wear his strong, independent, masculine shoes.

Posted By: Lori

Photos By: Yulia Gromova

 

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Pitti Uomo Florence: Day 2

Cities |  London |  Milan |  Moscow |  New York |  Other | 

Day 2 of Pitti Uomo in Florence was just as hot and just as rewarding as Day 1.  We were able to see some more great brands and some of our favorites were Angelo Galasso, Broska, and Pasotti.  Each brand is extremely different and features something unique and special.  Angelo Galasso features clothes, shoes and accessories, Broska carries scarves and pocket squares, and Pasotti designs umbrellas, shoe horns and canes.

Angelo Galasso

Angelo Galasso is a high end, luxury brand that has shops in New York, Moscow, Milan and London.  This season the collection has a safari theme and includes some very sharp shoes and jackets, among other things.  Galasso is also known for a special touch/detail on his shirts.  On the sleeve, he allows for a small open space in order to have your watch face peek through. No more having to push up your sleeve to see the time!  Genius!

BDMOTP Favorites: Blue Shoes

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Broska

Broska is a German brand, based in Frankfurt, that creates original pocket squares and scarves.  Some of the pocket squares have up to 4 different patterns per square.

BDMOTP favorite: Grey, blue and brown patterned scarf

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 Pasotti

Pasotti is an Italian brand, based near Milan, which offers umbrellas, canes and shoe horns with unique patterns and of course, funky handles decorated with silver, studs, skeletons and more.  These items would be great as gifts, especially for those difficult to shop for men!

BDMOTP favorite: The Umbrellas

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Posted By: Lori Zaino

 

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Pitti Uomo Florence: Day 1

Cities |  Milan |  Other |  Paris |  Shop | 

Pitti Uomo is a gigantic trade fair for all things fashion and men.  The fair is overwhelmingly large and after one very hot afternoon, we sifted through hundreds of vendors and stumbled upon two of our favorites:  the Italian brand JW Tabacci and the French brand Vicomte A.

Tabacci had a great collection of blazers.  They were lightweight, some were linen but they were all very summery and perfect for warmer temperatures. They also were using scarves as belts, which was a fun idea.

BDMTOP favorite: beige window pane blazer

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Vicomte A had a very trendy, poised collection called ¨Exotique Safari¨ which as you may have guessed, is French for exotic safari in English.  The clothes were all very ¨safari like¨but also very wearable and trendy. They also design and create their very own prints, which were found in surprising places, like the underside of a jacket collar.

BDMOTP favorite:  the jackets with the patterned collars

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Posted By: Lori Zaino

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POSTED IN | Cities, Milan, Other, Paris, Shop
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Moving Around Florence, Italy

Alton Barber Journal |  How To |  Intrepid Executive |  Other |  Travel | 

It is fairly easy moving around Florence, Italy if you are comfortable with a map.  Even then there are a few major landmarks that help….Santa Maria Novella train station, Duomo, and River Arno.  Great city for walking, and walking, and walking, and walking.  Chatting with a gentleman he mentioned that some friends were averaging 11 miles per day on their pedometer over a few days.  I didn’t have a pedometer with me, but I am certain I eclipsed that figure on a couple days.  Just have comfortable shoes…no revelation there.

Getting a taxi on the other hand can be a bit of a challenge.  Unlike New York City, London, or most other large cities for that matter, you cannot just step to the curb and hail a taxi.  You need to call for a taxi or reserve one the day before.  On busy days like Pitti Uomo, even when you call ahead, you may be waiting.

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Waiting for a taxi…waiting…and waiting…

We walked to Fortezza da Basso, the Pitti Uomo venue, after it became apparent that our taxi was not showing up.  The walk turned out to be not so bad.  We got a jump on our 11 miles for the day!

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London Collections Men: Savile Row the English Gentleman

Cities |  London | 

London Collections Men isn’t just about catwalk shows.  They also host fabulous gatherings like the The Grand Match.

The bespoke tailors of Savile row are historically the root of British fashion. Savile Row is a shopping street in London that dates back to forever. The Savile row shops and tailors sponsored the Grand Match event held at Lord´s Grounds, which is actually where cricket games are played in London. All the brands and tailors on Savile Row styled and dressed models for the event.

Over 100 outfits were shown, spread throughout the the rooms and terraces of the Lord´s Pavilion overlooking the cricket field.  Some of the participating shops and tailors include Chester Barrie, Hardy Amies, and Goster & Son.

Looks ranged from pastels, light weight wool suits, linen, flannet waistcoats with trousers, and more.

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Posted by Lori Zaino, photos by Yulia Gromova.

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London Collections Men SS14 – Days Two and Three

Alton Barber Journal |  Cities |  Intrepid Executive |  London |  Other | 

London Collections Men SS14 – Days two and three were packed with more exhibits, presentations and runway shows.  First up was to Hunter Gather.  The HG shop felt good and the clothes chic casual.  My favorite piece was a real funky T-shirt, in an eye-catching black and white print with a mint green collar.  It would add a little color to an otherwise basic black and white ensemble.

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Next was the Olebar Brown presentation, with a theme that takes us to Monaco.  They offered a great line of casual wear in unique shades, Riviera Blue and Marshall Orange.  Something for the yacht owner, gran prix driver, fan and pit crew.  A merchandised line of pieces perfect for strolling Bd des Moulins or Av Atlantica for that matter.  By the way for you intrepid executives, I recommend the Design Suite with Panoramic view at the Le Meridien Hotel in Monaco.  Sweet curved rooms with “the” view.  Now back to overcast London.

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Then to the Hospital Club and spent time with Frank Phillips of  ToBeFrank, Jae Wan Park, and ESK cashmere company.

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TOBEFRANK jacket with velvet lining

In between all of that I stopped by Victoria House to see a couple of brands that I met at this same event in January 2013.  The most exciting shoe designer Diego Vanassibara and a great accessories brand Marwood.  Both of which we have big plans for!

Alton with Diego Vanassibara´s line of shoes

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We also stopped in on the Oliver Spencer runway show.  Tailored as expected with his combinations of colors and fabrics.  My favorite piece was a navy peacoat with brown collar trim.  Very well done.

Oliver Spencer

I ended Day Two at the Marylebone Cricket Club.  The Savile Row Association put on a phenomenal event, The English Gentleman, showcasing what seemed to be 100 ensembles designed and produced by Savile Row shops.  Difficult to pick just one, but one of my favorites was by Edward Sexton.  It was a pistachio sports jacket worn with White Oxford Bags, and shoes by Manolo Blahnik.   You can read more about the event in our post on The Savile Grand Match.  

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On Day Three we had time for one show before taking off for Florence.  The James Long runway  show was a splash of color.  Wonderful separates with sublimated horizontal print patterns.  Splashes of color for a season.

James Long

For more on these designers, visit our Day 2 runway show post and our Day 2 presentation post.  

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London Collections Men: Hospital Club and Victoria House Visits

Cities |  London | 

During London Collecions: Men, there are lots of mini-showrooms set up for press and buyers to pass through and check out some collections.  We were able to see a variety of designers in these two showrooms: The Hospital Club and Victoria House

Hospital Club Visits

We started at the Hospital Club where we loved Universal Works, and Jaewan Park.

Universal Works had an entirely pink line!  It was very different and original and the interesting counterpart is that everything ALSO comes in navy.

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Jaewan Park had some fabulous and very original blazers and jackets.  They included different kinds of layers, an unexpected twist like a single breasted jacket that appears to be double breasted or other subtle details.  This line is architecturally and visually stimulating.

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Jaewan Park

Victoria House Visits

We enjoyed stopping to see Marwood and Diego Vanassibara´s collections at the Victoria House.

Marwood definitely has the gold when it comes to accessories.  Beautifully tailored ties, pocket squares, bow ties and more are Marwood´s specialties.

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Diego Vanassibara, a BDMOTP original favorite, makes beautiful and luxurious shoes with a special wood paneling.  Click here to see his collection from last fall, and stay tuned for a more detailed separate post on his spring collection.

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London Collections Men: Hunter Gather and Orlebar Brown

Cities |  London | 

HUNTER GATHER

On Day 2 of London Collecions: Men, we headed over to Hunter Gather first thing in the morning  to check out their styles accompanied by breakfast.  After grabbing our daily dose of caffeine we roamed around the Hunter Gather boutique, checking out what they had to offer.  I was immediately drawn to a rack of a very bright, mint green selection of shirts.  They had several fully patterned head to toe oufits, which were fun.  They also had a fabulous pair of green jeans and a funky green drawstring closure backpack. (ahem…do we see a pattern here? Green is where it´s at!) Everyone is doing backpacks this season and this one was quite original, in contrast I´ve seen a lot of leather so it was nice to view something a bit different.

BDMOTP favorite:  Black and white patterned T-shirt with mint green color collar accent

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ORLEBAR BROWN

After Hunter Gather, we headed down over to the Orlebar Brown boutique on Sackville Street.   For SS14, “Orlebar Brown visits Monaco”.  Reanna Brown, Sales Executive with Orlebar Brown, explained to us the concept of the collection.  Monaco embodies several different styles, a regular in the yacht world, the Gran Prix race driver, a pit crew guy, and the beach goer.  Each style represents something related to Monaco, colors like blue and yellow to represent the beach, swimming trunks with a pattern of tire tracks.  Orlebar Brown likes to think their designs were wearable five years ago, are wearable now, and will be wearable  five years from now.  It´s nice to see that even as designers/brands participate in trends, they still like to keep an element of timelessness in their designs.

BDMOTP favorites: Lt. blue jacket, oxblood heathered items

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London Collections Men: YMC, Oliver Spencer, and James Long

Cities |  London | 

London Collections: Men Day 2 started off bright and early with  Hunter Gather and Orlebar Brown Presentations.  Following that, we were able to catch two fabulous shows, YMC (front row!) and Oliver Spencer.

YMC

This company began in 1995 and designs with the idea that form follows function.

This season for their SS14 collection, YMC presented a collection of minimal silhouettes, laid back looks with fun patterns.  Stripes and patterns were both present in the collection.  The looks were accessorized with hats, berets and sunglasses.   Colors were muted, focusing on deep green, blue and purple.  Cuffed pants and shorts were present in a majority of the looks

BDMOTP favorite: Striped blazer

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OLIVER SPENCER

When a live DJ walked to the center of the show space, I knew things were about to get very cool, very fast.  This SS14 collection was influenced by a variety of themes such as art, architecture and some of London´s underground sub-cultures.  Again…cool.  What really stood out in this collection were the coats.  Spring jackets, linen coats, all sorts of funky ways to create new shapes and silhouettes using flaps and buttons were present on this runway.

BDMOTP favorites: brimmed hats and navy jacket with brown popped collar

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JAMES LONG

Before the BDMOTP team headed to the airport, we were able to catch one morning show on Day 3: James Long.  This SS14 collection, entitled ¨Beyond the Velodrome¨ was named for and inspired by cycling.  Mesh, Lycra, zip up jackets and leather and silk bomber jackets all made an appearance.

BDMOTP favorites:  striped knit sweaters

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Posted By: Lori

Photos By: Yulia

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