Design Major: Spring 2009 Show Reviews

-It's men's fashion week and as fucked as it may sound being June 08, the Spring 09 shows are happening. It's never too early to start thinking about the next (next) season I guess, so I've got reviews coming up.
-You could read the reviews on men.style.com, but you shouldn't. Besides, all their reviews talk in metaphor about silhouettes and materials and shit; We will give it to you straight up, what looks good, and why.
-I'm not gonna do all the shows because, well, some of them suck, and are not worth my time or your time reading about. So I'm sticking to my my favorite labels or any labels that jump out at me as innovative.
-You may be wondering why I assume I have credibility worth listening to, and maybe I don't. But I've followed men's fashion since I was 14, and have always been one to adapt trends and themes employed in high fashion to a budgeted, young, wearable aesthetic. And I'm straight.
-I'll be doing one or two reviews a day until I've shown you all the sickest looks, so keep checking back.
-Lets start in Milan with one of the cleanest shows, Dsquared²

-Analysis and our favorite photos after the jump (click the more link).
-Above: Photo by Marcio Madeira




-This look (above), and the look from the beginning of the post, really show what Dsquared's show was all about, clean rock 'n' roll. The ultra-tailored (notice the peaked shoulders, a tell-tail of Italian cut suits, and the straight legged trouser) business with accessories that pop. In this photo the flare is a little more muted, the purple tie, the tie bar, and the gold chain. In the first photo the flare is more obvious, the patterned shirt (there were a lot of bold patterns in the spring shows), the denim vest (badass) and the gold chain (also badass). The key here is that a khaki suit is a clean summer essential, but it can be boring, make it pop with well chosen color and accessories. Moving on.



-This look (above)is the fresher, younger, more weekend part of the show. The patter from the shirt in the first photo is not the focus on the outside. Maintaining balance thought, the shirt and tie are simple, and the shorts are crisp but light.

-This look (above) gets back to the business aspect a bit. The key in this one is the small things that make it pop. The mackintosh and the striped shirt are European business essentials, but the color on the belt, the bag, and the tie bar add the spark.

-So just ignore the terrible hat and this look is the shit. Firstly I've got say that I've been using colored socks as a subtle way to add color for a long time, I think it's a practice extremely under-appreciated. Another thing I like about this is the sheen of the jacket fits well with the crispy, shiny jeans. I think a more distressed jean would have thrown the look off. I love the chain, again. And the key here is the layering with the cardigan, which is what spring is all about - light layers. The look would be just as great during the day without the jacket.

-I chose to feature this last one because it employs something that I think is rarely done well; Mixing sport pieces into everyday attire. It's hard to do without looking lazy, but something simple like this tennis inspired shirt, with the simple pants and the tennis-shoes really shows you how it can look great.
-Overall, this was one of my favorite shows so far. It was very indicative of how the modern (young) businessman can add personal quirks to his look.
-Thats all for now, more tomorrow.
-All photos of Dsquared² by Marcio Madeira via Men.Style.Com