We were familiar with Petrou’s women’s collection and boutique, but were totally blown away by the debut of Petrou men. In part due to the dramatic styling by Dazed and Confused‘s Robbie Spencer, but we also loved the quality, fabricationsfaand craftsmanship of some of the pieces on the line. The collection was shown in a presentation at a Chelsea art gallery, where models, wearing full body stockings that covered their faces made them look like mannequins, stood perfectly still in the center of the room. Pics after the jump. 

(photos: Randy Brooke)

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It seems that this season designers are stepping outside of the box, going beyond traditional runway shows and presentations more than ever.  For his first men’s wear collection Siki Im opted for a presentation mixed with a little bit of performance art.  On lookers were ushered into the ground floor of a studio in the west village and greeted by a sole drum kit in the center of the room.  As guests continued to circle around, suddenly the lights went pitch black and two percussionists began drumming out tribal beats.  Just when everyone started to suspect that this was more of a light show meets drum circle, the models paraded out, the lights went up and the collection was revealed. Calling it ‘Black Beat White Wonder", Siki cites the classic novel "Lord of the Flies" as his inspiration for his spring 2010 debut men’s wear collection.  In a palette of all black, the collection gave a nod to minimalism with sharp tailored lines.  Without being cold, the clothes were both refined and modern.  A play on length and luxury fabrics was the focus.  The craftsmanship was evident in looks that featured tailored blazers, short and long skirts, and structured vests done in Australian Merino Wool, Mongolian Cashmere, silk organza, and English and Japanese fabrics.  Accessorized with a necklace of tangled cord, the clothes held strong and were anything but upstaged by the non-traditional presentation.  Siki Im definitely has us wanting to see what else he has in store!  See looks from the spring 2010 collection after the jump.  (Ashley Bell)

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Thom Browne’s shows are usually so weird, they border on the disturbing for those of us who only see the slideshows after the fact. This season, Browne showed his SS10 collection in his new store, (and dressed his models right out on the street) and he focused on showing more wearable looks (printed cardigans, well-cut shorts, fitted trimmed blazers,) while still injecting his fantasy elements in the lineup. All the elements of classic Browne were there—preppy/ sporty looks trimmed in red, white and blue were paired with suitings. New twists on the traditional suits, shorts and cropped pants gave the designer a little more depth. This season’s trousers weren’t the cropped skinny ones we’ve seen in the past. Browne sent billowy printed cropped printed trousers, as well as skinny pants cuffed with shirt cuffs. Also notable were the dolphin print knits, which popped the collection in knitwear. More pics, from NYMAG after the jump.

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Malibu in the ‘70s was the inspiration for BOY by Band of Outsiders, and models posed in front of a set that evoked the sand and waves of the beach. So what does a Malibu beach dude want to wear these days? The show started with sleek, single breasted suits, worn without the requisite skinny tie, followed by a handful of ways to wear shorts. They were paired with double breasted pea jackets, military shirtings, a trench, a hoodie under a blazer, and a dip dyed s/s button down. Band of Outsiders for Sperry Topsiders rounded off the looks.   Pics, from style.com, after the jump.

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Giving us more of his signature layered look, Robert Geller cited German gents on holiday lounging by the north sea as inspiration for the new collection.  With a nod to gothic, the spring collection was peppered with cobalt blue and deep purple.  Pants were proportioned above the knee, baggy and gathered.  And although this collection was lighter in mood than past seasons, Gellar still managed to work in his Tim Burnton-esque signature black and white horizontal striped dress pants.  Edgy, fresh, and poetic – loved it !  See more of the collection after the jump!   (Ashley Bell)

Pics by men.style.com

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During the five years that MAC was the cosmetics sponsor of fashion shows in Bryant Park in New York, the makeup company made headlines with press conferences attended by supermodels and lithe young dancers who wore body paint in the place of clothing. But MAC, while spending millions, had to share a rather circuslike stage with other sponsors who were competing for attention, sometimes including makers of doughnuts, cameras, toilets and Big Macs. Now the company has decided to end its support of that event — Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, as it’s called — and will instead present its own shows at Milk Studios in the meatpacking district. Depending on your perspective, it could be viewed as a complement to Fashion Week, or a new competitor. Proenza Schouler, Erin Fetherston and Alexander Wang are among the dozen designers who have already signed on.  The event, with the working title of MAC at Milk, will overlap with the established Fashion Week, beginning Sept. 10.  (NYT)  If only someone would step up and sponsor a men’s fashion week—we’d love to kick that off in NYC.  

Our friend, the famous runway photographer, JD FERGUSON, is a Fashion Week veteran. Covering all the backstage madness and chaos for his regular blog on V Magazine, I was curious to see what highs and lows consisted of JD’s week. And, as the voice of reason on the season’s newest faces, JD gives us his picks for top male and female model to pay attention to! Take a look below….(YB)

 My Week:

Highs- Having Inez and Vinoodh (in one sentence) tell me    something about my camera I didn’t know (my pics will never be the same). And the boys at Zegna, the boys at Y-3 and the boys at Obedient Sons. Oh and meeting Steven Klein.

Lows- Sitting in bumper-to-bumper on the Brooklyn Bridge and then fighting my way through the storm to Rodarte, only to realize I left my flash in Williamsburg.
 
Hottest New Boy- Alan Carey from Red Models.

Favorite New Girl- Eniko Mihalik from Marilyn.

JD Ferguson backstage at Zac Posen SS 09.  Photo: Kathy Lo

Style Guy Glenn O’Brien is certainly undergoing a bit of a renaissance this season from a fashion perspective. While he’s always influenced millions of guys with his monthly Style Guy column in GQ, and he recently became part owner of Interview magazine, his old stomping ground in the Warhol days, his earlier work is what is getting the attention these days. From 1978 to 1982, Glenn O’Brien hosted a New York City cable TV show called TV PARTY. That show, which David Letterman once called "the greatest TV show ever,"  is the inspiration for the Band of Outsiders collection. Cohosted by Chris Stein from Blondie and directed by filmmaker Amos Poe, television went where it had never gone before. Shot in the style of its subject matter, TV PARTY is an ode to the cable television show that is as much a piece of late ’70s culture as it is a definition for it featuring interviews with famous regulars such as Debbie Harry, Amos Poe and, of course, the host Glenn O’Brien. We’ve shown you clips from the show before.  A documentary of the show which captures the playful spirit of this radical talk show that touches on themes of music, politics and ‘sub-realism’ is available here. We’ve got some pics after the jump.

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Designer Swaim Hutson showed that he has come a long way from his roots as a designer of a rock and roll collection. The presentation last night for Obedient Sons & Daughters proved why Hutson and his wife Christina were named among the top menswear designers in America last week by GQ and the CFDA. The collection for men, and now women showed us what the future can look like- a blend of traditional menswear fabrics and silhouettes – wool continental jackets, pinstripe woven shirts– with hunting elements such as riding jackets, hunting trousers with patched knees, and neck ties all styled and cut with a rock and roll attitude. the collection’s connections to the music scene are still apparent– the clothes still had a cutting edge that would suit any rock star– leather MC jackets, pointy boots, and a surprising brocade smoking jacket that was reminiscent of Chinese waiter uniforms from the 70s..  The girls looked sexy in a feminized version of the menswear. Shorts worn with blazers or tuxedo jackets and sexy woven shirts looked just right for now. Windowpane plaid full trousers looked super sexy with mohair gloves. As a styling element, we are loving the ribbon bow ties worn by both men and women throughout the show.

More pics after the jump.

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