Marc Jacobs - The Secret Lemonade Drinker!
You know how it is. It's the end of Paris Fashion Week, you've got a show on and your alarm doesn't go off!! Not quite. But, here is Marc Jacobs at his AW 13 Womenswear show for Louis Vuitton in Paris this morning wearing the Louis Vuitton AW13 men's collection shirt and trousers, part of the Chapman Brothers commissioned print.
Well, it certainly makes a change from a Comme dress and as the Creative Director of Diet Coke ,he usually doesn't surface until 11.30am!
Menswear always comes back to pyjamas. They are almost the posh man's tracksuit. TheChicGeek has revealed his before - here and fashion always returns to the 50s glamour of Rock Hudson and Clark Gable in luxury loungewear.
This particular set of pyjamas feature motifs specially commissioned by Kim Jones, Louis Vuitton's menswear designer, by the British artists Jake and Dinos Chapman. “I sat down with Jake Chapman and we talked through the idea of a ‘garden in hell’,” says Jones. “This was the phrase Diana Vreeland famously used to describe her apartment. It was something we both responded to, that and all of the unusual animals to be found in the Himalayas.”
The designs commissioned appear in silk and cashmere prints and jacquards in red and navy. These anthropomorphic animals and creatures also feature on accessories, charms and motifs throughout the AW13 Louis Vuitton menswear collection. They appear almost like the Chapman’s own spin on the Buddhist idea of ‘wrathful deities’; fearsome talismanic protectors from evil and a bridge between the natural and supernatural world this season.
They are currently 'Price on Request' which means, like any work of art, they are going to be pricy. We're just happy to see Marc Jacobs with his clothes on!
See Marc Jacobs showing off in his BANG fragrance advert - Click here
Third-Sex Fashion?
Unisex is a lazy term to cover all bases, usually ending up with women wearing men's clothes, which they've been doing for the past 90 years or so. Trust Karl Lagerfeld then, to come up with a new term for unisex fashion.
'Third-Sex Fashion' describes his latest, capsule collection sold at Selfridges. We're not entirely sure third-sex is going to catch on anytime soon in the menswear department but the idea that, today, men and woman wear the same styles is more true than ever. But, again it's male items such as suits and trenchcoats which are reconfigured to a woman's body, that are the dominant styles. Like Dior Homme, where women bought the androgynous suits for themselves or Marc Jacobs who likes the odd red carpet Comme dress, the lines are always blurred in the search for publicity. This time it's worked Karl!
Trend - All Going On Below The Waist
It's all going on below the waist this season. Designers bit the bullet and gave us a whole range of patterned trousers. Ikat at Burberry Prorsum, flower-power at Prada; the theme was bold and bright.
TheChicGeek says "Wear with a plain top. It gets too busy with anything else and it's all about balance. Go for a neutral like navy or white or if you're feeling brave go for a solid primary. Channel vintage 60s Lilly Pulitzer, think Palm Beach or Capri in the bright sunlight. Just remember to keep the shape slim and tailored, you don't want them to look like those trousers bodybuilders wear!"
Left - Prada - S/S 12
Burberry Prorsum - Ikat-Print Cotton/Linen Trouser - £595
Like Ikat? Click here
Left - Vintage Lilly Pulitzer - Mr & Mrs Donald Lease 1968
Marc Jacobs - Flower-Print Trousers - £408
Zara - Printed Trousers - £39.99
Henrik Vibskov - Loose Multi Print Jersey Trousers - £165
Tattoo or Not Tattoo? That Is The Question
Blame Marc Jacobs for this one. The picture of him spread-eagled on tin foil for his fragrance BANG and his spring 2011 men's collection for Louis Vuitton have pushed tattoos into the fashion spotlight. Jacobs commissioned the New York based tattoo artist Scott Campbell to decorate a range of accessories for Louis Vuitton as well as ink a number of tattoos on his newly gym-honed body.
Tattoos have moved from a hidden sign of self-expression to a fully respected art medium. There has been an explosion in tattoos over the last couple of years, one theory is that as guys continue to perfect their bodies they are using tattoos to draw attention to their arms, chest or areas they are most proud. Another is that as more and more guys achieve the perfect body having tattoos is a way of standing out from the crowd. But as everybody starts to do this, maybe the trend will come full circle and it will be the guys without whom will standout? And this being a very permanent style decision it can be difficult to know where to start and when to stop.
Tattoos are a symbol of rebellion and still hold on to their old-fashioned masculine connotations associated with sailors and fisherman. The recent fashion in tattoos has moved towards these traditional styles and subjects such as anchors, swallows and mermaids are extremely popular. The stigmas that were once attached to tattoos have disappeared but that doesn't mean you shouldn't choose carefully and not be rushed. Here is TheChicGeek's style advice on tattoos.
ChicGeek Tattoo Advice
Know exactly what you don't want.
Know what you do want, do research and get examples.
Ask your friends what they think and whether it's going to suit you.
Play around with temporary tattoos for a while to see how they look and feel.
Avoid Marc Jacobs' SpongeBob SquarePants or Michael-Craig-Martin-type sofas unless you want to look like a human doodle.
If you're not sure, don't do it. This is forever.
The human body is all about symmetry and proportion, respect that.
Make sure you go to a proper, reputable tattoo parlour. Ask questions, make sure it is licensed and clean.
No 'Tribal' tattoos whatsoever.
Nothing around the belly button. Wrong.
Avoid tattoos if you are pale as the tattoo will bring out the blue in your skin.
Don't have a tattoo in an area unless you want to draw attention to it. If you have good arms have it done there. Decorate your best features.
Think about how it will age on you.
Below - Backstage at Louis Vuitton 2011 Men's Show
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Left - As well as tattoos. Scott Campbell produces artworks from dollar bills
Below - A Louis Vuitton catwalk look
Home Sweet Home - LV Maison Preview
Wow. A year in the making and every square inch of the new Louis Vuitton 'Maison' on New Bond Street has been bejeweled, bedecked and bedazzled with the world's finest materials. Leather walls, silk paper dressing rooms, every precious stone or exotic wood has been used somewhere in this new cathedral to luxury. The second 'Maison' in Europe, after Paris, the new London store has raised the retail bar on Bond Street. The store is vast and while being very Vuitton in places there are alcoves and corners to shop in quiet comfort. This is shop as destination. Fashionable pieces from the LVMH art collection are stationed around the building;Hirst, Murakami, Prince, and there is also an art library.
The men's area or 'Universe' is in the basement. It feels like a beautiful hotel with amazing things dotted about, a very clean Gilbert & George beckons you further into the ready-to-wear area. The changing rooms are always the deal-sealer of any new store, and these didn't disappoint.
The area I really wanted to see was the invite-only, private client area on the top floor. Labelled 'The Apartment', it really was. Buzzed up in a private lift, a Basquiat greets you from the elevator into what can only be described as a relaxing mid-century modern appartment. Different rooms festooned with comfortable furniture offer the very rich a peaceful environment in which to max the Centurion.
The new store is stunning; luxe with a capital Louis. But, did we really expect anything else?
Opened 28th May 2010
Trend - Tattoos
Tattoos have come to symbolise modern masculinity. As men are spending more time working out their bodies they are drawing attention to their muscles by decorating them. Not a trend I would take permanently, without some serious thought, on the right person it can look incredibly sexy. At the recent Louis Vuitton men's show New York based artist Scott Campbell was recruited by Marc Jacobs (whom he tattoos) to decorate the models. Since his buffed up 'makeover' Marc Jacobs has decorated himself in numerous tattoos. There seems to be a trend for traditional motifs such as swallows and even anchors. It's a kind of retro sexuality. A model at the Alexis Mabille show was decorated with floral tattoos and when Riccardo Tisci, the designer at Givenchy, came out at the end, his leopard print top under his T-shirt looked like a tattoo.
Images from the Louis Vuitton men's Spring 2011 show
Riccardo Tisci at the end of the Givenchy men's show
Traditional swallow tattoos
Model from the Alexis Mabille show
To see Marc Jacobs and his tattoos - Click Here
Out with a BANG!
Last night saw the grand unveling of Marc Jacobs' new men's fragrance - BANG. And as you can see from the advertising, you could never accuse Marc Jacobs of subtly. I can see this being a big success. Fragrances can often become bogged down in snobbery and seriousness; the contrived names and overly styled images often make the fragrances merge into one. This one has that element of young cool. The bottle is amazing, it resembles a sheet of metal punched with the Bang logo and the advertising, shot by Juergen Teller, is provocative and sexy. The silver reminds you of Warhol's floating silver pillows and the nakedness is pure porn-star era Jeff Koons. The fragrance itself is predominantly based on the smell of pepper, containing black, pink and white peppercorns and is Marc Jacobs' first men's fragrance in nearly ten years.
Sunglasses 2011 - The Shape - Rounded Tortoiseshell
Trust me, try these. These are where sunglasses are headed for the next few summers. This rounded, vintage style frame looks a bit different yet very contemporary. The most influential style is called the O’Malley by Oliver Peoples. A round, 50s vintage shape usually in tortoiseshell, it was the pair Patrick Bateman wore in Easton Ellis’ book American Psycho and Christian Bale later in the film adaptation. The O’Malley was first produced in 1988 and is named after Los Angeles Dodgers’ former owner, Peter O’Malley. It was a major trend during the 80s and defined Giorgio Armani's look of that decade. Many designers are now reproducing this shape, here is TheChicGeek's top ten;-
The O'Malley is now available, in limited quantities, to celebrate 25 years since founder Larry Leight bought an auction lot of 6000 vintage frames once owned by a guy called Oliver Peoples and started the company.
Oliver Peoples - Sunglasses £260
Ralph Lauren - Round sunglasses - £242
Dsquared2 - Spectacles - £253
Jeepers Peepers - Round frame sunglasses exclusive to ASOS - £16
Marc Jacobs - Round sunglasses - £190
LGR - 50s flecked tortoiseshell sunglasses - £228
Bottega Veneta - Havana Brown - £260
Cutler and Gross - Acetate and metal frames - £275
Topman - Green tortoiseshell round sunglasses - £14
Giorgio Armani - Round tortoiseshell 859 - £265