Undercover FW18 HBX Editorial

The “order-disorder” collection from Undercover is based around imagery from Stanley Kubricks masterpiece 2001 : A Spade Odyssey. I introduced the showstopping down jacket from the collection earlier. Some of the other impeccably tailored garments utilize other scenes from the movie for inspiration.  HBX has created an editorial around these pieces which include the Last Supper T-shirt, Astronautics Agency Crewneck, HAL Bomber Jacket and White Monolith Raincoat. You can shop the featured items directly on their webshop.

Read more

FacebooktwitterreddittumblrmailFacebooktwitterreddittumblrmail

KAPITAL FW18 Lookbook

Japanese label KAPITAL is a brand that really caters towards expressive dressers. The brand offers up a mix of pieces produced using vintage techniques with a variety of prints including leopard, plaid, and tiger camo. Denim, fleece, boro and navy are heavy points of emphasis in the collection, along with eye-catching pops of orange. Modeled by a diverse cast of characters of different ethnicities and ages, the looks prove that Kapital really does have something for everyone this season.

Look through for the entire lookbook and shop KAPITAL at Mr.Porter and Union Made Goods.

Read more

FacebooktwitterreddittumblrmailFacebooktwitterreddittumblrmail

And Wander FW18 Lookbook

Do you like to go hiking? Even if the answer is a solid no, there are advantages of outdoors clothing designed to keep you comfortable in changing climates and in wet rainy conditions. If the techwear aesthetic is not your thing, one of the best outdoors brands out of Japan And Wander is delivering an incredibly well thought out fall/winter collection that keeps a balance of performance and style.  This new collection brings a selection of outerwear, layering pieces like fleeces and puffer vests. The hiking focus is augmented with some workwear influenced pieces such as the work shirts and aprons. Some of the headline pieces are eye-catching jackets such as the taped seam mountain parkas and high-necked down jackets. What makes the collection more compelling is the styling that compiles great full looks for both women and men. While distribution outside the brand’s native Japan is a somewhat limited you can expect pieces to hit shops including SSENSE and and wander’s wehshop later this fall.

Read more

FacebooktwitterreddittumblrmailFacebooktwitterreddittumblrmail

Backstage at Pitti Uomo – Undercover and the Soloist

 

After covering each show respectively, it’s time to take a closer look backstage. The joint theme connecting the two shows from Jun and Takahiro was the idea of Disorder/Order. Contrasting the two collections against each other, UC takes a much more youthful and streetwear oriented approach, while The Soloist show chooses to subvert traditional menswear. Click through to see more images and you can shop current season items from the brands at SSENSE and Idol.

Read more

FacebooktwitterreddittumblrmailFacebooktwitterreddittumblrmail

Undercoverism FW18 Collection Pitti Uomo

For his FW18 Undercover collection , Jun showed that he really reveres the work of director Stanley Kubrick. He had toyed around with looks inspired by the Shining’s Grady sisters in his last women’s show and for his men’s collection at Pitti he showed many pieces based around Kubrick’s 2001: A Space odyssey. The film centers around a near-future where a rogue AI takes over a manned space mission. The feeling of isolation and dystopia is channeled through various prints reflecting scenes from the movie. It also shows up in other unexpected ways like the HAL 9000 LED fanny packs and raincoats screen-printed with “WARNING.HUMAN ERROR. COMPUTER MALFUNCTION”.  The rest of the collection offers up familiar re-treads on Undercover’s signatures – mixed fabrics, trim wool coats and military parkas. A real showstopper for me personally were the down jackets , with illumatinated facemarks that resembled the spacesuits from Kubrick’s sci-fi classic. Jun has always embraced the future in many of his collections, but looking to Kubrick for inspiration has also added a feeling of nostalgia to the proceedings.

If I could raise a criticism of the collection, it would be that the collection feels almost too predictable. It covers all the bases you expect from UC with the same type of printing techniques used in the past and in a way that feels very trend friendly. Still a good collection but perhaps next to the transcendent showing by his friend Takahiro , it feels a little more ordinary.

Read more

FacebooktwitterreddittumblrmailFacebooktwitterreddittumblrmail

Takahiro Miyashita The Soloist FW18 Collection

Jun Takahashi and Takahiro Miyashita have long been friends and this year they got the chance to show their collections together earlier today at Pitti Uomo. The two designers agreed to a shared theme for their respective collections; an exploration of order and disorder. They had also consulted each other on the the mutual finale that saw a line of Takahiro’s models in black synthetic face an opposing line of models in white floor length pleated skirts emerge from Takahashi’s side It seemed that both their collections channeled an overall feeling of alienation and rebellion, Miyashita’s was much more focused on subverting traditional elements of men’s fashion.

He went down the list of menswear classics , incorporating things like houndstooth but kept them hidden or obscured by his avant garden nomadic looks. Many of the models wore layers of technical nylon items, decorated with bags and accessories. The runway looks gave the impression of armor, with oversized cloaks. The footwear consisted of tall boots and even traditional Japanese Geta (sandals). It was difficult to tell where one piece ended and another began but the effect was impressive; Miyashita was effective at drawing the audience into his world. In many ways the Soloist has been a brand that is more product than spectacle focused than Miyashita’s past work at Number (N)one, with his Fall/Winter 2018 collection however Miyashita showed that he could achieve both with one collection. Check out the rest of the looks after the jump.

Read more

FacebooktwitterreddittumblrmailFacebooktwitterreddittumblrmail

ACRONYM FW18 Release

 

ACRONYM returns with news of their annual Fall/Winter collection release. The items shown here are set to drop September 20th at 15:00UTC which is 2PM Eastern. There’s a mix of re-crafted favorites making a return but there’s also plenty of new items to look through. Returning items including the classic J28-GT, the slightly redesigned P26H-DS, and the J58-WS liner.

Some of the new items that most grabbed my attention was the J16-GT. This is actually a re-engineered FW08 jacket but it’s been done quite a bit of justice being re-vamped with an interesting fit block and detached shoulder pockets. The new J56-S field jacket pictured below is also a welcome addition, mixing traditional ACRONYM elements with elements of vintage field parka detailing. A couple other of my personal favorites are S14-AM silk/cotton crewneck which should be a great layering piece for fall with it’s grid mesh construction. The climashield J-65 vest is a short sleeve piece that looks awesome and should appeal to those in warmer areas who still want layering ability and functionality.

 

All in all the collection should give hardcore ACRONYM fans more of what they are looking for. If you like the aesthetic and production up to this point there should be something that captures your interest. That being said some of the items may be harder to pull off than others and while prices weren’t listed past history shows everything should fetch a pretty penny. If you’re looking for the J28 , J26 or the J64 I highly recommend you try to cop as soon as possible as I bet those will be immediate sellouts items. That being said with the increased hype over the brand in past collections, don’t expect any items to sit for long especially in smaller sizes.

Look for the items to be available online through  stockiest including END, Haven, HBX, Bdga, Hanon Shop, Bureau Belfast, Revive Michigan, Belief Moscow, Idol Brooklyn, Notre Shop,  Darkside Initiative, FRWRD, 18 Montrose  and Firmament Berlin.

Feel free to comment with your thoughts on the collection and your pieces from it. I’ll be doing a follow-up post when the release goes live.

Read more

FacebooktwitterreddittumblrmailFacebooktwitterreddittumblrmail