Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

Fashion week is awesome! No one can escape the energy that electrifies the entire globe each season as designers jockey for attention to their new visions, and fashionistos weep over clothing so beautiful it could hardly be worn.

And of course it’s a great opportunity to slag off everyone else’s clothes…and give some well deserved praise here and there…when one’s in the mood.

You Should Wear This

Selfi

I’m not sure I entirely understood the point of view on show here, but at least there certainly was one. I can’t say I’m too great a fan of the Parisian / Venetian vibe (that’s what I felt and I’m sticking to it), but they did have some some great silhouettes.

 

This unstructured jacket is surely a move towards a relaxed tailor in men’s wear, though I doubt gent’s are ready to give up the classic jacket for this vision just yet.

David Tlale

As usual this prominent designer showcased what his aesthetic is all about; sensual, chick and extremely modern.

I thought the overly exposed buff body was a bit overdone for this day and age, but there are some interesting jacket details if you can pull your eyes away from inappropriate regions.

And I’m intrigued by the motif on this t-shirt, which adds something interesting to an otherwise entirely uninspired outfit.

Carducci

Did what they’ve been doing since their establishment in 1978, which seemed a bit safe given that they’re named after an excessively flamboyant Italian poet. Though I guess there’s always room for tradition.

There were however some incredibly delicious prints, so if you insist on dressing like it’s the 40s at least there’s some modern pallets to keep your friends from falling asleep.

 

I’m Not Sure Anyone Will Wear It

There’s not much interesting to say about any of Scalo’s designs, except to call attention to this brave attempt at draping.

Augustine may need to learn when to stop, and perhaps I’ll just leave it at that.

 

What the Kids Today are Wearing so you May as well Get With It

As always the most interesting designs came from the new comers. It’s wonderful to see what people can create when given the opportunity to do so without the constraints of running a business. Of course liberation from commercial concerns can have some devastating effects, but there were three new designers I think brought something truly novel to the world of men’s wear.

Velly Maswanganye

Although somewhat rudimentary, Velly brought some very modern box fits to the runway. Along with some eyecatching asymetry and an appealing colour pallet, it’s easy to see how much thought went into this collection.

Sibusiso Malete

I think my favorite. The styling is unfortunately dreary, but that in itself appeals to my personal aesthetic. Taking a closer look there are also some brilliant details that can’t not be the result of pure creative genius!

Maquin Sampson

There really is nothing like a fresh take on things to get me excited about the fashion industry all over again. I mean, just LOOK at this guy’s colour pallet!?!? So fresh, so daring, so before we all died in global warming.

Disagree with my judgments? Hit me up in the comments.

If you want to hear more about the inner workings of tailoring sign up to the newsletter

---

 

Images from http://africanfashioninternational.com/