Displaying items by tag: Martine Rose

It's all about striking a pose, with a bold silhouette like this one, at the moment. I love the strong shoulder on this coat. A power shoulder says strength and this follows a trend that has been pioneered by brands such as Balenciaga, who has continued to push very distinct shapes in outerwear.

Martine Rose is London's home grown answer to Balenciaga, stealthily building a healthy men's and women's fashion brand which recently received investment. One thing to note is, this coat is made from cotton in Mauritius, but it would be great to get the same shape in solid worsted wool from a great British factory. You could always buy separate shoulder pads and stick them in your favourite overcoat.

Left & Below - Martine Rose - Box Shoulder Jacket in Grey & Black Houndstooth - £1085

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Tom Ford is a designer and brand who does his/its own thing. It knows its customer and it services their needs and wants for items of clothing that are expensive, luxurious and suits their lifestyles. He doesn’t usually chase trends, but you know he always has one eye on them.

He knows exactly how to update a classic to make it relevant.

This is his version of the classic Gucci snaffle loafer. A style of shoe he knows well after spending all those years in charge. The chain adds an element of bad taste which is so prevalent in fashion, today. This type of chain loafer appeared on the SS19 catwalk at Martine Rose and I also saw them in the G.H. Bass SS19 collection recently in Berlin.

These are luxury chav loafers and you need to team them with sportswear or other items of bad taste. If you really want to max the trend get them in coloured snakeskin - if you can afford them!

Left & Below - Tom Ford - York Chain Loafers - £590 from Harrods

STEFAN COOKE

Part of the Topman sponsored ‘MAN’ show, Stefan Cooke, in his second outing here, went from his super-tight, Gaultier style AW18 season to something, while still fitted, that played with hype-colour tartans, half ruffs on the necks and small mirrors dotted randomly across the pieces. Winner of the H&M designer prize in 2017, Cooke, from the UK, is a designer to continue watching.

BETHANY WILLIAMS

Part of the BFC showrooms and also with a presentation at Charing Cross Library, Bethany Williams took inspiration from all those books and book binding and managed to thread real, physical paperbacks into her SS19 collection. Working with The Quaker Mobile Library, which lend books to people with no fixed address, her collection showed the hand-ons, painstaking craft element to fashion.

ALEX MULLINS

Mullins is on a roll. His AW18 collection was one of the best of the season and, this, the new SS19, had plenty of ideas to keep you wanting more. Standouts include rock shaped portfolio bags and asymmetric slashed shirts showing just a glimpse of the shoulder. 2019, the year of the male shoulder, maybe?!

Day - What Did TheChicGeek wear? Credits - Suit - Arket, T-Shirt - Oiboy, Cap - Arc'Teryx, Sunglasses - Illesteva

BERTHOLD

If expensive looking black bin bags are your thing, then Berthold could be the place to look. I’m just joking, but the fascination with anything black and shiny seems to be taking hold within menswear and Raimund Berthold is running with it. He showed plenty for AW18 and, now, this was the summer version. Think parachute light black coats and matching accessorises in a sport-luxe - there, I said it! - collection for those who like fashion as uniform.

MARTINE ROSE

Martine Rose took us to Norf London, St Leonards Square in NW5 to be exact, which looked perfect for street parties and carnivals. This was working class Victorian square with no fancy greenery in the middle, no even Albert Square sized. 

The catwalk was the road and the neighbours looked on, perched on their front garden walls or down quizzically from an upstairs window while doing the tea-time washing up.

This was the show of the week for a designer that waited for fashion to come to them. Now, with her own label and working on Balenciaga’s menswear, Rose has become a chief exponent of fashion’s obsession with bad taste. 

There was plenty here, but it’s done in a way that’s still desirable. How much it has left to run is anybody’s guess, but I don’t think the retailers are getting bored. I saw a new ‘hybrid’ - because we all love one of those -  a half-jean, half-trackie trouser - rodeo at the front, scally at the back! 

Rose’s 90s ‘Geezer’ was going out, out; clear plastic trousers, squared-toed snakeskin chain loafers with no backs and Motorcross trousers with loud taping will definitely get you noticed.  This was ‘Out-On-The-Tann’ man, probably down to his local boozer, looking to impress and living it up with gold chains, tucked in shirts and smart-ish shoes. I still want in.

Evening - What Did TheChicGeek wear? Credits - Suit - Pretty Green, Shirt - ASOS, Sunglasses - Kaleos, Shoes - Vintage Alexander McQueen

See LFWM Day 1 - here

See LFWM Day 2 - here

Happy New Year, Chic Geeks. What a crazy year. Things all went a bit Back To The Future II with our Trumpian dystopia, jaffa cakes got reduced from 12 to 10 in a box - the tragedy! - and online started to really eat into, and effect, traditional retail models. 

It feels like we’re in an in-between period, right now, looking to the past, while waiting for the future. Prepare yourself, it’s definitely coming. Here’s a bit of TheChicGeek looking back, rewarding and remembering the past year. 

Join in on social media with #TheChicGeekAwards 

Best Label of 2017 Balenciaga

You had me at ‘rubber car mat skirt’. Anybody who can make a blue leather Ikea bag, at £1800, desirable, is on to something. Demna Gvasalia, the Georgian fashion designer, has made looking drab and unglamorous an art form. While not a massive fan of Vetements - his own label - Balenciaga still has some of the luxury polish left which makes something desirable. ‘Interesting’ could be the word, but what he does with this label is make you think about what you are looking at. It makes you question what you like and what you don’t, and that has to be interesting, no?

Left - Balenciaga Lookbook SS18 Glamour!

Best New Label of 2017 Martine Rose

Before you scream 'it’s not new' at me, I know, but this year Martine Rose broke through. After 10 years on the margins, and, I’ll be honest, I never really quite got it, everything changed and fashion turned towards her style. 

She also started working at Balenciaga, above, and, used their manufacturing, giving her collections the polish it needed. She's making some of the best items of the season and if you’re into fleeces and cycle shorts, you’ll be in 90s heaven.

Left - Martine Rose SS18 - One of the must-have menswear pieces of the season - more about that later

Below - Boohoo has just launched activewear for men

Best High Street of 2017 Boohoo Man

Manchester based Boohoo has expanded hugely over the last few years. It was founded in 2006 by Mahmud Kamani and Carol Kane who previously supplied high street chains such as Primark and New Look. 

Boohoo recently announced plans in June 2017 to build a 600,000 square feet (56,000 m²) warehouse, costing £150m over the next three years, and would offer the capacity to deliver annual sales of £3 billion, alongside their existing Burnley warehouse. 

One of the most successful British online retailers, Boohoo has massive potential and is doing really well in the US. In fashion terms, it’s fast and cheap, and this is the only way to survive and thrive in this market, aimed at 16-24 year olds.

While they nod to the trends, Boohoo makes clothes these people want to wear and while they aren’t all hits, there’s enough choice to be able to make a selection to reflect your personality or the character you want to be that day. Affordable, yes, disposable, yes, but this market is fickle and you’re only as strong as your last product, but there’s plenty here to get excited about and it’s only going to get bigger.

Best Grooming Product 2017 La Roche-Posay Anthelios Anti-shine Invisible Fresh Mist SPF50

Anything that protects, is easy to use and you’re not conscious of wearing, is the Holy Grail of grooming products. This spray goes on like a light mist and offers a high SPF protection. Sun damage is the biggest factor in visible ageing and anything that makes it simple and quick to add a layer of protection has to a good thing. You’ll actually enjoy using this and it shouldn’t just be restricted to the summer months.

Left - Get one of these for your holiday and then carry on using it - more here

Best Grooming Brand 2017 Perricone MD

The best grooming brands are those which make you feel like you’re in a knowledgable and safe pair of hands. Dr Perricone’s MD brand launched this 3-part men's CBx range, this year, containing a face wash, post-shave product and a moisturiser.

The 'CBx' part is a reference to Phytocannabinoids. Phytocannabinoids are non-psychoactive cannabinoids derived from the cannabis sativa plant - hemp. 

Expensive, but it feels like you’re getting more than fancy packaging here and with a new supplements range out this year - 2018 - and twists on his cult products, I think I’m going to carry on being a big fan. 

Above - Dr Perricone's first men's range - read more here

Fragrance of the Year 2017 Tom Ford’s Fucking Fabulous

Picture the scene: Tom Ford walks into Esteé Lauder’s New York headquarters. He’s here to talk about the future of his cosmetics and fragrance business. It gets to new fragrance names. We have a new ‘oud this’, ‘something leather’ that, it’s all very predictable, and then, suddenly, somebody suggests, how about ‘Fucking Fabulous’? The room laughs. We all say it, don't we?!

The execs at Esteé Lauder look at each other, want to carry on laughing and then move over the joke. But, Tom’s feeling cheeky and he wants the name to stick. 

No other brand would do it and that’s the power of having your name, and the power that goes with it, on the product. Nobody is going to question Mr Ford. What he says goes and this is why many fashion companies struggle. It’s all bit beige, a bit done by committee, nobody is willing to stick their neck out. Especially in conservative America. 

Okay, so I’ve made this story up. But, this will be the fragrance people will remember from 2017. It’s just a shame the actual scent doesn’t live up to the name and is a cult for more than its name. If this had a memorable and individual scent it would be unstoppable. I just love how they have to blank out the f-word on the adverts.

Above - More than a name? Fucking Fabulous by Tom Ford 

Most Stylish Programme 2017 The Deuce

If you know me, you’ll know I love a bit of 70s style. Think the pimps from ‘Live & Let Die’, and you’ll get an idea about the wardrobe for The Deuce. James Franco, annoyingly, and unnecessarily, plays twins in this, but Maggie Gyllenhaal steals the show. It’s a mix of mafia, prostitutes, pimps and punters in this grimy yet quite glamourous take on bankrupt 70s New York.

Left - The Deuce's pimps getting pimped

Best Menswear Collaboration 2017 Topman X Stranger Things

The right product, at the right time, driven by a massively popular Netflix series made this a big success for Topman and Topshop. It’s been a tough year for Topman and they need to think clever in order to take on the ASOSs and Boohoos of this digital world. Think ringer tees and washed denim in a collection of early 80s teen-wear.

Left - Taking a trip to Hawkin

Special ChicGeek Award 2017 - Christopher Bailey

Bailey is Burberry and Burberry is Bailey. The giant luxury goods company we see today has been created thanks to his creative design, direction and his attention to detail. This doesn’t mean it can’t change, it just means, in my opinion, it will never be as good.

For many years, Burberry was flying high. It tightened up its licensing and became a must-have for the newly rich Chinese. 

It’s hit the buffers recently, so it’s probably time for something new, but some of those Bailey/Burberry collections were some of the best of their time. Leather sleeves on jackets? Yes, Mr Bailey. He made heritage Britishness modern and exportable and gave it a gloss that made you proud that Burberry was British. Read more here

Left - 2018 is the year Burberry waves goodbye to Christopher Bailey, what will he do next?

Turkey of 2017

Jeff Koons for Louis Vuitton was a double take when it first appeared on Twitter. What looked like a collection of bags straight from the back of a Chinese counterfeit operation, was, in fact, a collaboration with one of the world’s most successful artists. This tacky collection hijacked some of the world’s greatest artists and their most famous paintings and then emblazoned their name all over it: as if you were too dumb to recognise them. If you need a gold “DA VINCI” on your Mona Lisa then this collection was for you.

Left - Never actually seen one on the street, maybe rarer than the real thing?!

What are your thoughts? #TheChicGeekAwards

If you thought Borg was a 1970s tennis player. you’d be correct, but, it’s also this season’s hottest material. Normcore, dad-chic, basic-bitch, the sources of reference are numerable, but it’s all about the fleeciest of fleeces, this season.

Borg is a type of synthetic plush pile imitation fur fabric commonly used for linings, according to Wikipedia, and the coolest of London designers - Martine Rose, Cottweiler - have been lapping it up.

You can find it at all price points, just look for exaggerated fleeces in dull colours. You could even ask your dad for his old one - very Countryfile. You don’t want to stand out, you want to blend in. Bring on the boring Borg!

Left - Martine Rose SS18

Left - ASOS - Oversized Hoodie In Borg - £30

Left - Topman - Red Check Borg Jacket - £50

Left - Uniqlo - Men Fleece Long Sleeve Full-Zip Jacket - £19.90

Left - River Island - Navy Fleece Hoodie - £32

Left - Napa by Martine Rose - Off-White Tyson Fleece - £275 from brownsfashion.com

Left - Cottweiler - Contrast-Panel Fleece Sweatshirt - £252 from matchesfashion.com

Left - CMMN SWDN - Fleece Track Jacket - £215 from MRPORTER.COM

Left - Albam - Fleece Jacket - £150

Left - Fila Vintage - Retro Teddy Bear Fleece Jacket - £64.99

Left - Tommy Hilfiger - Block Stripe Fleece Jacket - £240

Big Coloured Bags

If you're a man carry man-sized stuff around, you need a man-sized bag, obvs. Matching it with your hair is up to you.

From Far Left - Tourne de Transmission, Berthold

LOVE & PEACE

Who was it that once sang, ‘All you need is love’? Well, whomever it was, London needs a bit of a cuddle right now.

Below - Oliver Spencer, Bodybound

Canary Yellow

Just as orange has become a menswear staple colour, it's now time for primary yellow.

From Far Left - Kiko Kostadinov, Berthold

Androgynous ‘Non Binary’ Club Kids

Men’s and women’s fashion collections are merging so they may as well make it all androgynous, unisex and non-binary. They’ll save a fortune!

Anything goes? Yep! Read more here

From Far Left - Charles Jeffrey Loverboy, Art School

String Vests

Alf Garnett becomes the style icon for SS18.

From Below Left - Per Götesson, Nicholas Daley, Bodybound, Katie Eary

Name Badges

Networking, fashionably so.

Far Left - Miharayasuhiro, Blood Brother

Logo Tape

Selvedge tape continues to proclaim you allegiance.

Below - Bobby Abley, Christopher Raeburn

Striped Rowing Jackets

Keep putting your oar in? Don't stop. Discover the new brand Rowing Blazers - here

From Below Left - Topman Design, Songzio, Hackett, Kent & Curwen, Kent & Curwen

Brexit Breakup

Border control. Who needs the eye scanner when you can wear this?

Left - Bobby Abley

Characters

The first rule of fashion week - always end your show on a high.

Below - Bobby Abley, Liam Hodges

Cycling Shorts

Fashion gets streamlined. Bike optional.

From Far Left - Martine Rose, Daniel W Fletcher, Wan Hung

Tie Fasteners

Fashion loves a few pointless dangly bits.

From Below - Tourne de Transmission, D.GNAK 

Big Zips

Who knew big zips could be so slimming?

Both - Miharayasuhiro