The Winter Styles 2011/2012 – Part 3: Emporio Armani

At least here is the third part of our series about what to wear in the winter/autumn season 2011/2012. The label of today is Emporio Armani, the young fashion line of Giorgio Armani (don’t worry, I’ll write soon about GA too!).

some accessoires...

...and even some shirts in red!

While many other labels integrate tons of colors in their collections, Emporio Armani nearly looks as always. Black, black, sometimes white, rarely beige. Alright. But stop, what’s this? Yeah, there’s something red in this collection. And there’s another red piece, too. Infrequent, but there really some colored articles in the collection.

But you determine that no color is the favorite color of Armani, even if he had tried. There’s more beige than in other collections and a checked pattern shirt or a scarf or a hat or even some pullovers in a moderate red. Maybe a few more colors wouldn’t be bad, but for the colorless label Armani it’s difficult to find the right relation. Too many colors would just appear unnatural. 

favorite 1: a shiny, pinstriped suite

suite or dinner jacket? euqal, it looks great

Because I myself like colors, this collection is like every collection of Armani before: I just can find a handful of outfits I really like and most of them are suits, just like this time. The first one is a shiny pinstriped suit in dark blue which is very suitable for parties or a good dinner in a good restaurant. The other one reminds me of a dinner jacket, I have to admit that I can’t say if it is one. I have no preference, it’s important to me that something looks good. And it looks good. Very good.

photos: gq-magazin.de

Rollin‘ through the summer – Part 1

Even if the car is one of the most-used means of transport and even if it’s very useful – in my opinion, in the summer, there’s nothing better than cruising with only two wheels and feel the fresh air. So in the next few parts of this series I would like to present you how to cruise through the summer like this in a fashionable way. In this first part I’ll show you some of the hottest motorcycles this season.

Mot Guzzi V7 Cafè Classic, $8,990

First of all I have to admit that I don’t like Harley Davidson. I prefer naked bikes with a sportive touch, that’s the best compromise between tradition, coolness and seriousness. Italian motorcycles are very stylish and meet this criteria best, so I’ll present you some bikes from Ducati and Moto Guzzi.

Moto Guzii Breva 1100, $12,490

For all of you who like it very classis, the Moto Guzzi V7 Cafè Classic is the best choice. With a design from the 70s, a 744cc motor and a maximal power output of 36 kW you’re prepared for everything. If that’s not enough, the Griso 8V Special Edition provides you with more power out off a 1,151cc motor. With 81 kW at 7,5ßß rpm, nothing can go wrong. 

Moto Guzzi Griso V8, $14,490

Or do you wish something more modern? Than have a look at the Breva 1100. With a motor capacity of 1064cc and a maximum power output of 63 kW it’s not as strong as the Griso 8V, but because of the maximum of 7,800 rpm you can accelerate without an end. 

Ducati Monster 1100 Evo, $11,995

Maybe Moto Guzzi is kind of too vintage for you? Then I proudly present you the Ducati Monster 1100. Choose in black, that makes it more evil, like a real monster. And with 74 kW at 7500 rpm, you don’t want to dismount anymore. 

photos:

motorradundreisen.de

motoguzzi-us.com

For some cold summer days…

maritime stripe pullover, Lacoste, $200

relaxed over the shoulder...

Today I have some nice pieces for you if the temperatures during summer don’t do like we want them to. Some light pullovers, preferred in light and bright colors or in a casual maritime style are often warm enough. And if the sun come out again – put it over your shoulders. You have no stress, it’s not so warm and it just looks really cool.

noblesse withut end: cashmere, Etro, $850

plain but stylish: the cardigan, John Smedley, $285

And if you are very sensitive about the coldness – why no cashmere? Very, very, noble and at least just as comfortable. And the benefit: You have something better for the cold days in the autumn and in the winter – in exchange you could buy three cotton pullovers by the price of one cashmere piece ;)

photos: stylebop.com

Jeans? Jeans!

jeans jacket, Diesel, $168

bright navy fenton jacket,  Burberry, $665

Even if the jeans are about 150 years old, considering the time there were not much changes. To this day, there are two legs, at least one button, some belt loops and the stitching on the hip pocket identifying the label. This year, the jeans is experiencing a comeback. But not as pants – you should prefer chinos this summer, and even if jeans bermudas are sold again sporadic, I prefer such made from cotton – but as jackets and especially as shirts. 

black gangster blouson, Belstaff, $670

denim shirt, D&G, $265

Please don’t misunderstand me – I like, no, I love jeans. Really. I think they are the best pants ever, there are elegant models as well as casual models, but the best thing is: if you have the right jeans, you can wear the same model as elegant or casual. It just depends on the kind you wear it and on the rest of your outfit. But actually I’m a bit skeptical if shirts and jacket made from jeans are very fashionable, especially if they are stonewashed or something like that.

another denim shirt from D&G, $275

But the proof of the pudding is in the eating so feel free to try some pieces on. For that I’ve searched some interesting articles for you, like the jeans jacket from Diesel, found on yoox.com. Watch out for dark colors and no washings! But actually for the colder days of the summer I would prefer light army jackets or light biker blousons. Casual and cool, like you would expect it from a jeans jacket!

shirt from indigo cotton, Burberry, $235

If you want to have a jeans shirt, maybe a shirt of a less massive cloth than the jeans cotton, but in the same style, suits you better. They have often grey colors, looks really good, I have a “fake denim shirt” myself, maybe I’ll post a photo one day. Anyway, if you want a “true denim” piece, please choose one in grey or light blue. No dark blue, no washing. Maybe you like some of my suggestions.

photos:

yoox.com

store.dolcegabbana,com

stylebop.com

H&M - good fashion, low prices

A few days ago I was yet again in an H&M shop. Yes, H&M. Even if the two letters are forbidden in the minds of most of the fashion reviewers who look upon themselves as very serious, I like it. Yes, I just like H&M. And this last visit approved my opinion again.

First, H&M has good-looking fashion. I know, the quality, everybody’s talking about the quality. But where are actually the great differences? In these days, in which so much is standardised, the big fashion labels often produce in the same factories like the low-cost companies. And in case the quality however is bad – a T-shirt I’ve paid about $10, $15, I can litter without any teariness (but please, don’t buy shoes at H&M, equal how cheap they are – the shoe soles are really, really thin and every time I walked home from disco – I sometimes do this if there’s no other possibility for me to come home – I had some angry blisters, just after 3 miles or something)

So the fact is, H&M has good-looking fashion on a very low-price range so the quality is insignificant. The next good thing at H&M is that there’s no nasty shop assistant following and asking you every two minutes if you need help – please, appreciate that I don’t need help until I ask something. I mean in expensive shops that’s part of the service, but if I go shopping I only want to have an advice if I ask for. In H&M, nobody asks – I can look as long as I want to – undisturbed. 

So to me, I enjoy going shopping in an H&M store as much as I like wearing designer pieces. But I have just not enough money to pay $100 for every T-shirt or $200 for every jeans. I have no issues with wearing cheap clothing – if it looks good. And H&M perhaps is the low-price shop with some of the best-looking fashion at all.

Finally I small add-on: I actually managed not to buy anything in H&M even if there were some pieces I really liked. But I wanted to handle with the fashion melancholy, you remember my article about this phenomenon? And the good news: It was pretty easy. I tried the pieces, looked at them and enjoyed them. But then I said to myself: “No, you have enough.” It was so simple. I left the shop and was happy because of the shopping. Without spending one cent.

photo by textilwirtschaft.de

The dream of fashion?

Fashion can be something really, really enjoyable. I sometimes can surf on internet shops for hours and when I do, every five, six minutes I see a piece I could imagine owning. But if I bought every piece, I would be bankrupt after a few “shopping attacks”. In my opinion, that’s the “fashion melancholy”. So much you could buy but so little you can buy.

A few days ago I read an interesting article on the website of the GQ magazine. The author told about his friend, an architect, who described shopping as “the small, ugly sister of fashion”. Shopping would be like sex – for the moment it’s the best feeling of the world, but it generates the craving for more. Again and again. The persons who start with shopping will need it over and over again. But the abstinent people, like the friendly architect, the persons who consider fashion as something adorable, although it is out of reach, the persons who have a relation to fashion on a platonic level – these people never have problems with the fashion melancholy.

shopping, the "ugly sister" of fashion

photo by antwerpenR

Furthermore the author described that for him and many other, non-abstinent people, fashion would be an effective and legal drug. So consumption would be just an instrument to compensate the own depressions. But with the first consumption, the fashion melancholy arises and with it new depressions. It’s a plausible train of thought, even if it is just a construct of ideas, because: real abstinence is quasi impossible. Sooner or later I have to go shopping. And nobody how looks upon fashion as something admirable and beautiful will buy anything ugly just to keep his platonic relationship. 

So altogether you can say that there’s no way around the fashion melancholy. But maybe we should sometimes abort our drive to buy something new. Just as an exercise. And in the process we should think “yeah, that piece is really nice, but I don’t need it. My stuff is enough. But I can rejoice in it as a beautiful artwork”. Maybe this temporarily abstinence can help us to handle better with our melancholy and with shopping as a psychoactive drug, because we cannot win this fight – at best we can go the distance.

The Winter Styles 2011/2012 – Part 2: Burberry

moderate colors

Part 2 of my series about the winter collections for the coming cold season. This time, I would like to have a look on Burberry Prorsum. Christopher Bailey had to cover the span between the colorful trend also D&G had included in his winter collection and the traditional royal Burberry design. First off: this exercise was managed by him without a spot.

the lumberjack style

Orange, blue, green, yellow, red – the (trench)coats, traditional for the label and one of Bailey’s specialties, will be available in many colors. That seems kind of crazy, but in fact there are only a few pieces I wouldn’t wear even if I had got them as gifts. The difference to D&G: The colors are mostly not dazzling, but moderate, and every piece has only one color. So by wearing an accordant coat you show that you accepts the winter, the silent, colorless, dead time of the year – but at the same time, with the sober colors, you remember thinking of a better time coming soon with the spring.

my casual favorite

Apart from this, the big rest of the collection shows brown tones, black and white. A traditional label with traditional colors for the winter. Much fur is used, even and especially in the Dalmatian style – friends of animals should watch out. Furthermore coats in the lumberjack style are in the Burberry collection, thus Christopher Bailey apparently sees the trend living on the next season – we will see if he has a point.

my favorite for business

My two favorites are a yellow, well-padded casual jacket for my off time and a 3/4 coat in a textured brown with a bit of fur a the collar – actually I don’t like fur, but here it is very good integrated in my opinion. Congratulation, Bailey – you have achieved to combine the traditional Burberry style with the not Burberry-like colorful winter trend.

photos by gq-magazin.de