Stylist Olivier Rizzo evokes Buffalo Style for Arena Homme +
The vision of stylist Ray Petri has proved itself as one of the most potent and influential aesthetics in men’s fashion. And in 2009, his mid 80’s-early 90’s defining Buffalo look is on the cusps of a comeback…
The juxtaposition between masculine and feminine, high and low, and especially hard and soft are the basics of Ray Petri’s Buffalo style. The look defined the youth energy of the 80’s and early 90’s as Neneh Cherry’s “Buffalo Stance” (above) and magazines like The Face and I-D brought it into pop culture. Buffalo style redefined symbolism in men’s dress, erasing away their historical meaning and leaving the most cherished sartorial traditions fair game to subversion.
There can be no question that we live in tumultuous times with a society seemingly on the cusp of widespread proliferation of the civil rights of the GLBT community.
Certainly the press and blogosphere is rife with daily news of the push and pull of issues such as gay marriage or civil unions. But fortunately this is not going to be one those diatribes. What has received far less attention it seems to this writer is a discourse about the inner lives of gay men or perhaps men in general and the fear and anxiety that pervades it.
We don’t like to talk about our fears, particularly in a city like New York where fear is smelt 10 blocks away, emanating through the garbage and the dog pee evaporating on a warm summer afternoon. Of course our fear manifests into a multitude of forms. There are our neuroses about our appearance, our bodies, friendships, careers and our relationships or more pertinently, the lack thereof. More importantly there exists a profound uncertainty about our place in society. In a culture that fetishizes success, power, invulnerability and all over fabulousness, where does the gay man fit in? Are we a tribe? Do we have something that we can call a collective culture? Do we even talk in depth about the common narratives of our lives beyond that which only concerns our own problems and insecurities?
Perhaps a problem that we face is the fact that as a minority, we exhibit such a high degree of heterogeneity, not only in terms of race, demographics and education but also the way in which we manifest our homosexuality. So beyond large unifying civil rights issues in which we face oppression from a common enemy, what else is relevant?
Throughout the menswear collections was a feeling of the late 80’s and the early 90’s, a look back to the soft ethnic inspirations of Armani, Ray Petri’s buffalo style, the era’s strange masculine fervor that seemed at once bullish and poetic, and its hard earned, unbridled optimism. Casting this season has seen a change with more men of color on the runways since the early 90’s, a promising sign of new perceptions in beauty. Something is in the air. That period, like our own, found designers and consumers reconciling a decade of excess and consumption, waning towards an essentialist point of view, and grabbing at any reference they could that would allow them to feel grounded and whole. The best collections understood this energy, absorbed that energy, and transmuted it into something new.
The stakes are higher now than they were 20 years ago. At that time, designer mens fashion was a minuscule niche, its importance no further realized than accessories and handbags. But in the past 10 years it has become an industry engine of its own, more than a platform for fine tailoring; designers have used their menswear collections to voice their perspective on the world and to subvert the male identity into so many varied dimensions. Just in time for the new decade, here are the top 10 collections that are boldly pushing ahead, defining a new era.
Rei Kawakubo’s hidden fondness for making stupid money through brand dilution and H&M’s willingness to oblige her led to the years most extreme and unexpected designer collaboration. A genuine CDG label stitched in the center back combined with mass market prices sent fashion devotees *cough* victims *cough* en masse to snatch up the goodies. None of the products offered were in league with CDG’s runway creations (not that I care for the Homme Plus or SHIRT lines anyway) but a noteworthy piece were the unisex advertised drop crotch pants, a fashion revolution as far as H&M’s customer is concerned.
4. The Reinvention: Hedi Slimane for Prada Men’s S/S 2009
The influence Hedi Slimane exacted over men’s fashion was overwhelming; using his highly stylized runway shows and documentary based photography he created a universe that has become pervasive through every extent of contemporary menswear. His step back from designing saw him thoroughly follow up on his artistic side presenting his work in galleries as a serious artist. And now, a venerable Italian Brand has tapped into his vision calling on Slimane to imbue their men’s business with a bit of cool. Time will tell if Hedi’s involvement will be left merely to be art direction for an ad campaign or if perhaps Miuccia has a design post in mind.
3. The Elaboration: Men’s Only Designer Boutiques
Menswear was always been the bane of designer businesses usually losing money or being licensed out to a shirting company. But over the past ten years shifting gender values have made men privy to deep vanity and keen investment in their appearance. A phenomenon of men’s only boutiques has spread with thoughtfully selected offerings and an offbeat progressive appeal. Odin, Atelier, and Bblessing in NYC, South Willard in L.A., Blackbird in Seattle, and now a J.Crew concept store in Tribeca have proven menswear to be a viable and growing market.
2. The Rebellion: YSL scraps Runway Show In Favor of Video Installation
In an attempt to add identity and distinction to the YSL men’s collection, creative director Stefano Pilati opted for a video presentation rather than the standard fashion show. For Fall 08 and Spring 09 the clothes were given a persona played by a single actor and a narrative that spoke more to the YSL man than what a catwalk full of 17 year old boys could do. From scene to scene the YSL man is given images and mood that define the soul and values of the brand. Pilati has discovered a potent presentation that resonates more effectively with a mature male consumer, and it doesn’t hurt that both collections were some of the most remarkable of the year.
1. The Ascension: Raf Simons, Menswear Designer of the Year
Six products you can’t live without. By Jonathan Thong
TOP [L-R]: Comme des Garcons leather wallet, $225 at aloharag.com; MHI Sweat Chino Shorts, $80.00 at oki-ni.com; Maison Martin Margiela brass ring with bottle opener base, $135.00 @ eluxury.com
BOTTOM [L-R]: 3-33 Plaid Sneakers $198; Diesel Ribbed Bowler Hat, $94; Philip O’Sullivan Lanyard, $78 – All from revolveclothing.com
RT @OfficialALT: Gabourey Sidibe, Thank God for her. She said "I will not let
anybody's opinions destroy me." Wisdom for everyone! Go Ga ... 2010/03/15
RT @AlecMapa: Watching "Bonanza" on TV Land. Not featuring gay cowboys sex on this show was a real missed opportunity . 2010/03/15
