SPRING MENSWEAR: GIVENCHY

PARIS – not many labels can surpass the obsession that we fashion kids & more recently, the hip-hop community- has with givenchy. for decades, the house of givenchy has been tied to some of hollywood’s biggest & brightest icons. while audrey hepburn might differ completely & totally from kanye west- the level of visibility that the french label has recieved in these modern times is unprecendented. every season, as a reflex, i kind of shutter at the fact that so many unaware clamor over the sight or mention of anything givenchy. while im all for conversations on fashion, im not one for hype- especially when it comes with a false sense of awareness. you can’t scroll on your dashboard on tumblr without seeing some random hypester on the east coast posting givenchy runway images from four seasons ago, praising the craftsmanship or design concept like it’s new. im all for timeliness- especially in the confines of fashion. who wants to be late? ever? while i am very about creating ones own lane, or creating your own rules- i am also very aware of certain behaviors being excepted or not excepted in certain circles. im not afraid to admit my own social awareness, but in fashion- you’re either in real time, ahead of time or behind. this, i know. circling old collections for new inspiration & then glorifying it as new is definitely not the thing to do when concerning fashion or how to translate style.

this concept of being ahead of time is perfect when considering the trend relevance of the house of givenchy. through exploration of trend, i have come to notice that very few labels actually set these trends. while many follow guidelines discussed by fashion councils, only a few labels in fashion today actually spark interest amongst style culture- which then creates a buzz leading to a mass of retail reinterpretations at every price point from thousands of dollars all the way down to dollar bins at discount stores- the house of givenchy has set many trends in the last five years, effortlessly. well, maybe effortlessly is not the right choice of word, as im sure the work of tisci could not easily be imitated by many of us. ricardo’s work at givenchy is truly remarkable & as much as i want to believe that this fashion house does not live up to it’s hype; every season, it does. described after the show by jean-paul gode as “vatican chic”, the spring 2013 menswear collection at givenchy was inspired by both sex & religion. it was sensual, outspoken & beautiful. delicate where needed & dark where necessary. most stunning were the collections prints, which hosted a range of religious imagery. one of the collections images was particularly striking, granted my upbringing as a catholic.

there is a story in the bible that speaks of an incident during jesus’ resurrection, when a woman- said to be saint veronica of jerusalem, wiped jesus’ sweat from his face with her veil & his face remained imprinted on the veil. the images of a slightly painted face remind me of that story. i love tisci’s use of religion in contrast with sensuality & at moments, darkness. i feel that there is no greater cultural curiosity than that of religion. tisci represents, reflects & introduces fashion audiences to this level of curiousity & explores it rather than exploiting it. while not terribly visible in the images of this post, some of the collections bomber jackets are  very softly printed with ghostly images of what appear to be the virgin mary. while the collection is subtle in it’s use of silhouette & the concepts are kept clean- the use of print & what the collection represents makes this collection truly a work of art. ricardo tisci continues to defy the odds by raising the bar for himself & the house of givenchy. with couture on it’s way, im sure that tisci’s genius will only continue to shine into show season, where both couture & womens ready-to-wear await us. another incredible collection that surpasses what can be considered style & instead becomes labeled, art. [source]

FALL MENSWEAR: GIVENCHY

PARIS – just like i said of givenchy with their pre-fall collection, im so hesitant to look at collections by givenchy. perhaps it’s me not being content with knowing that whatever the house is going to present will be completely played out for the next two years or maybe it’s the anti-enthusiasm i feel knowing that everyone else is looking at the collection too. i appreciate exclusivity as much as the next bitch & though i applaud ricardo tisci’s efforts in revitalizing the houses image in the present, im much more content with looking at high fashion without rolling my eyes when someone else posts about givenchy on their twitter, facebook or tumblr. of course, as large as the house of givenchy is, it’s almost an obligation to look at the collection. it’s like you’ll somehow be left behind. which isn’t something you exactly aim for when you pride yourself on being well aware of high fashion happenings. that said, again, tisci came out shining like a star this season.

what’s incredibly interesting is tisci’s attempts to further blur the lines of gender through style. i usually don’t like that designers will put womenswear on the runways of men’s fashion week; it’s like men can never truly have an individualized spotlight. but, of course, the rules can be bent when tisci puts joan smalls on the runway. overall, the collection hosted the collection hosted a deep palette of purple, navy with bouts of contrast red, orange, blue, brown & black. horizontal stripes were seen sprayed across the collection as stars were the design element of choice for this season. as tacky & typical as stars sound, what i loved about the few starred pieces was that each embellished star appeared to be of some sort of stone. the embellished star collars were the most beautiful element of the collection & actually got me super excited for couture season which is looming at the close of this month. male leggings, intricate footwear & models on the runway with nose ornamentation allowed the collection to standout among the rest. givenchy continues to slay all other competitors as tisci remarkably delivers with sharp execution each & every season. oddly inspired by mintaurs & the american flag, the inspiration of the collection was well translated & cohesion was never less than stellar at any point during the runway show. male models in skirts, transgendered models, nose ornamentation & inspiration of creatures of greek mythology- as crazy as all that sounds, it’s all well developed in a commercialized set of clothes seamlessly. another round of applause is in order for tisci who remains high fashion’s biggest & brightest. now bring on the couture! [source]

lara stone for vogue japan

represented by IMG models, lara stone appears for the november cover of vogue japan. plastered on the cover behind the words, ‘dress to impress’ – lara’s frame is gripped by givenchy as a bold lip & sleek hair deliver a fashion image worthy of worship. ranking as fashion’s no. 1 female model in fashion, lara is of dutch/english heritage & was discovered in paris at the age of 12. consistently, each season, lara continues to dominate all aspects of high fashion including runway, high end editorial & is a vital force with fashion ad campaigns. as we approach this years end, it seems as though lara is unstoppable & her rank is written in, yes, stone. love this cover, as it is a complete contrast to her feature editorial.

imagesource | tfs

on the radar: caesar stovall

known for breaking new ground through runway casting, the house of givenchy is expected to deliver one of the most outstanding runway shows each season. in addition to creating incredible menswear & womenswear, givenchy breaks new ground & in opting for models that others would deem as less desirable; they’ve managed to remain untouched in the fashion game, allowing new faces to take the stage, season after season. much like givenchy, red models has tapped into this aspect of male modeling that, to an extent, has been unrepresented. male models like wendell lissimore, henry watkins & dominique hollington were introduced to us by this agency& this season, they continue to bring the heat.  on the runway this season, givenchy allowed yet another male model to take center stage by booking him as an exclusive for the show. hailing from south carolina, caesar is currently based in new york city after having spent some time on the frontline fighting in iraq & afghanistan. seen here yesterday, caesar recorded backstage video in which he appears to be star struck in the presence of kanye west & usher, while also giving us a up-close & personal look at what it’s like to be behind the scenes with the models at a major runway show. each season, im always rooting for so many faces that standout; some make it while others don’t but the story of caesar stovall is one that is particularly endearing. in a casting video by red, stovall talks about being from the south where they do ‘country things’ & in his backstage givenchy video seems genuinely grateful for the experience. cinematically, which is how my mind works 500% of the time, it was like nicki minaj’s ‘moment 4 life’ soundtracking: “i fly with the stars in the skies, i am no longer trying to survive- i believe that life is a prize but to leave doesn’t mean you’re alive.” at the 7:30 mark, after having models introduce themselves on camera amidst chaos, caesar looks into the mirror & says, “we made it” with a smile. it’s in that moment that shit gets real- the fact that individuals of color are being afforded these amazing opporutnities is truly amazing to me. equipped with a look that is both high end & commercially acceptable, i envision caesar booking a number of jobs, both editorially & through advertising campaigns. while fiercely competitive, the personality showcased in the backstage video, that feeling of adrenaline & excitement that is clear on stovall’s face- it’s in those moments that stars are born. one booking is all it takes to allow someone to be recieved on a greater global scale. for models, those moments are what it’s all about. with new york fashion week looming, i will be checking for caesar at the new york menswear presentations & runway shows i’ll be attending. as the color lines of fashion become much more heavily blurred, caesar stovall is one of many i want you to put on your radar.

video: backstage at givenchy with caesar stovall

heavenly aesthetics: givenchy haute couture, fall

creatively unstoppable, ricardo tisci & the house of givenchy slayed the couture season once more, this time with the theme of birds of paradise. presenting an exclusive 10 look set, in an off runway presentation style- the FW11 collection draws relativity to givenchy’s last two couture collections in the form of intricate details & mirrored silhouettes. feathers, sheer textiles, beading & floral embroidery are all element seen in the collection, which is nothing short of amazing. with speculation of tisci heading up dior, collections like this make you wonder how the house of givenchy would even survive without him. unendingly inspiring work from ready-to-wear to couture, from campaigns & model castings- im convinced that tisci is where he needs to be, at the house of givenchy. while ackermann might be considered as a creative candidate, tisci + givenchy together are flawless.

some of the fashion kids have criticized the collection as being redundant & too similar to what we’ve seen the last couple of seasons; which i would have to disagree with. while i do find similarities in concept, couture is about details & here, in this collection, the theme of paradise taps into more romanticized details, aspects of floral embellishments- the designs are heavenly. now, in contrast to last season, which was a japanese samurai inspired collection, those elements were much more structured & focused largely on hardware as a balance with femininity & japanese fluidity. going back even further, givenchy’s Fw10 couture collection tapped into a much warmer color palette & used religion & gothic elements as the basis of their collection, which is clearly not what is seen here. considering all bases covered, givenchy continues to inspire me & i will say, without a doubt, that this is one of the best this season. beautifully executed.

editorialesque » the cast of givenchy by karim sadli

what yo’ name iz? dominique hollington, simon nessman, paolo roldan,
daphne groenveld,  rob evans, jeremy wardlaw, jon marquez, dmitriy tanner, mighael hudson, patrick o’donnell,
remi alade-chester, christopher michaut, eduardo calero, o’shea robertson, diego fragoso,
emil dostovic, west serseub, kadeem fisher, manuel ramos,
stephen thompson, willy cartier

shot by karim sadli, i-D magazine takes a focused look on the casting of daniel peddle & drew dasent for the legendary house of givenchy. the casting phenomenon & influential power of the house of givenchy are something straight out of a dream for most models- spotlighting the phenomenal cast is more than necessary. booking a givenchy show can lead to a number of other fashion opportunities for male & female models alike. booking givenchy allows models to transcend onto the next level. ethnically diverse, not many can surpasss or even equal to the power & creative force of riccardo tisci, the creative director of givenchy- he sets the trends for what the rest of the high fashion realm follow. what’s most admirable about the casting of givenchy is the attraction to new & unknown models, it’s that fearlessness to break new ground that allows all elements of fashion, style & modeling to transform into something unseen, something original & artistically inspired. it goes without saying that givenchy has one of the best male & female models casts every season; on the runway & also through campaigns.

imagesource | mdc

dominque hollington for hunter

represented by DNA models, dominique hollington appears for hunter magazine outfitted in givenchy with an unexpected smile. as an international men’s style publication, hunter magazine seemingly packs a powerful punch as the cover gives us a taste of what elements make-up their 18th issue.  from the creators of italian publication, the/end, it seems as though print is bigger & better than ever, in the world of fashion. glad to see dom gracing the cover, as he is a male model, i feel, the game has been sleeping on for quite some time. a new york native, hollington has been on the modeling scene for a minute, booking significant editorial spots for i-D, italian GQ & vogue hommes japan; as well as landing campaign bookings for bennetton, puma & the gap. once represented by red models, i am hoping that DNA, which is hollington’s new agency, readily tackles the opportunity to garner him even more success as a developing male model icon. dominique is a standout among other male models for his street but chic look. one of the illest males working in fashion today. i suggest you get familiar.  

imagesource | tfs

the fashion report: seventy

editorialesque » constance jablonski for numéro

shot by sebastian kim, constance jablonski of marilyn management appears editorially for the pages of numéro. in the publication’s february issue, styled by charles varenne, constance appears shockingly chic in this sepia toned, vintage inspired spread. outfitted in blaenciaga, givenchy, lanvin & mcqueen- i love the use of lighting & the grain that was created throughout the entire set. im always so inspired by the look of age, when concerning modern fashion & photography. sporting a wide range of looks varying from straight long hair to shoulder length curls- constance showcases more versatility in this one spread than most chicks do throughout their careers. an inspiring set of style, creative technique & age simulated photography.

imagesource | tfs