“I Mean…What?!?” – Abe Gurko

The Paris shows have barely gotten underway and already have not disappointed. Seems like Marc Jacobs has been wearing skirts long enough to have fully inspired designers like Rick Owens and Yohji Yamamoto, who featured more skirts in their Spring collections for men than any collection Jil Sander did for women, when she had her own eponymous line. SIDEBAR: Now that Jil and Uniqlo have parted ways, perhaps Ms. Sander can figure her way back to regaining control of her name and getting rid of Raf Simons, who besmirched and nellied up the brand, especially this season. Now that women… Read More »

UPDATE March 8, 2011: It’s official: black IS back! Don’t believe me? Check out the dark mood at Chanel. We all know that Karl Lagerfeld rules the fashion roost worldwide. So, if Karl says “Black uber alles” then so it is. And, from the looks of his somewhat over stuffed collection, black is here and hopefully to stay. When I say overstuffed, I mean the quilted, unflattering jumpsuits that will never live on the streets, but just in the magazines. For now, I am reveling in Black Power! March 7, 2011: For the past few seasons, fashion editors have been… Read More »

Reading all the reviews from the Milan runways, the term “seventies” is bandied about quite a bit. Duh…it was “The Only” time in fashion. A few major trends are spilling off the catwalks in Milan that are clear and present, most notably, color. But not just pops of color, rather, full-on kaleidoscopes of prints and vibrant hues of exhausting jewel tones on acid. Acid…that is very 70’s, too…1973 to be exact, when my third addiction kicked in. But I digress. One recurring look on many runways that I noticed was more 60’s than 70’s really, and that is the revival… Read More »

Jil Sander was always the epitome of cool, chic, sophisticated, clean lines, muted palette. Perhaps that was when Jil Sander was actually Jil Sander. That story has turned upside down. The German-born designer, Sander, is now designing for Japan-based Uniqlo and Belgian-born Raf Simmons is at the helm of the Milan-based headquarters of Jil Sander, who sold out to Muccia Prada, which ultimately pissed off Jil Sander, causing her to split, hence her current deal with Uniqlo. The saving grace for Jil Sander in this scenario, as opposed to what happened to Halston when he sold the rights to his… Read More »

Anyone who knows me from childhood will tell you that I developed my own language, mostly words and expressions to describe things, people or activities that I found somewhat nonsensical. Now, I just say I Mean…Whaaaaat?!?! a lot, which captures the essence. One word is “okeedeer”. This is really just “OK, there”, but with a sardonic twist. Here’s a for instance. Say, The New York Times Style features a fashion spread of men’s clothing, shown on a heavily tattooed model, who looks like a wanna-be beatnik. We know he is a wanna-be, because he is in fact a model, rather… Read More »

Several weeks ago, I noticed a trend in men’s fashion that goes beyond metrosexual (a.k.a. frigid bi-curious), which was screaming out for its own moniker…hence…Man-zies. Man-zies are categorically “quirky”, which in men, is never a good thing. From the “quirky man-hat” to overly printed shorts to neckie scarves worn for no reason, like in warm weather, the Man-zie can be seen everywhere these days. It’s the evolution of the men’s fashion industry, I guess, but somehow, even on the runway, it doesn’t work. As the Milan Men’s Shows are in full bloom, one couldn’t help noticing that there was a… Read More »