Before I knew to look at couture fashion shows as concepts, rather than ready-to-wear-walk-out-your-door-in-a-mushroom-shaped-leopard-print-pair-o'-pants, I mostly saw them as insane, yelling at magazines "you cannot wear that!" Little did I know that men's fashion has the same sense of humor, and that its designers apparently smoke the same type of pot. That is until I came across an enthralling slideshow in the Huffington Post and decided to show you a few of my favorites.
Behold:
Ann Demeulemeester
What the designer may be trying to demonstrate: the fragility, delicacy, and temporary nature of clothing; either it falls apart from use or we eventually throw it away. And/or: why cover up if we all know what is beneath the clothing?
What I see: from the neck up he looks like a very disgruntled dish washer at Golden Corral.
Ehud:
What the designer is likely trying to demonstrate: the power of color and color theory over how we perceive a look; and/or the shock of not just bright color but bright color in unexpected ways.
What I see: in a trash can somewhere there is a Starbucks cup with a very interesting lipstick stain.
Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci
What the designer is likely trying to demonstrate: a continuation of this season's love of vegetation prints à la vintage horticultural drawings.
What I see: a man escaping after a one-night stand, dressed in the only thing he could find: the dress the woman wore the night before at the beach bar.
John Galliano
What the designer is likely trying to demonstrate: a recollection and reinvention of early-twentieth-century children's fashion in a bid for nostalgia, and the thus ironic rebellion against more conservative styles of today.
What I see: it's rather what I don't see--the swirly propeller on the top of the hat. Or the enormous lollipop.
Moncler
What the designer is likely trying to demonstrate: a prophecy of the clothing of the future--reduced to the only the most necessary elements by way of streamlined silhouette and thermal devices--as well as the needlessness of rugged, practical clothing colors as what little manual labor there is will be done by machines.
What I see: Tommy, the White Power Ranger (the original series is now on Netflix Instant and I am super-excited. Also I just read "White Power Ranger" in my head and that sounds horrible. Not to mention the racial/gender-based coloring of their uniforms. My childhood just took a serious blow.)
But I digress...
Thierry Mugler
What the designer is likely trying to demonstrate: a partnership of truly masculine style and simple, streamlined shapes in the new season.
What I see: I majorly vulnerable area on a gladiator wearing Dickies khakis.
Walter van Beirendonck
What the designer is likely trying to demonstrate: acid effects different people in different ways.
What I see: a room full of inch-tall elf-people watching a model sport the cat's new toy.
Walter van Beirendonck
What the designer is likely trying to demonstrate: I give up.
What I see: a room full of inch-tall elf-people watching a model sport the cat's new dropping.
That being said, I hope no one takes offense at my interpretations; I have the highest respect for fashion designers as artists and visionaries. So I must sometimes respectfully say to such artists: "what the hell was that?" and hope they'll let us in on their creative processes.
Or warn us to stay far away.
