With the once-exclusive world of fashion now open to all through social media, Norm core is set to become “The Next Big Thing.” Fashion insiders are rebelling against a “fashion” look and, instead, are adopting a uniform that is a blank canvas. Normal is the new cool – and function over fashion feels new and a bit subversive.
Dsquared twins Dan and Dean Caten were inspired by James Dean for their spring/summer 2014 collection. The brothers imagined what Dean would wear if his plane crashed on a tropical island. This season the duo injected a sense of adventure into their signature staples, distressed denim gave way to shirts and shorts adorned with tribal prints and schoolboy satin jackets styled with shorts or cropped trousers.
Bottega Veneta’s ultra-cool Vegas Rat Pack mens collection summoned up a late 1950s and early 1960s mood. Creative director Tomas Maier explored the country club set and the backyard barbecue with a series of streamlined pullovers and windbreakers in color-blocked and diamond-patterned crewnecks. A white polo shirt is worn with a matching cardigan and window-pane golf trousers.
Salvatore Ferragamo’s Massimiliano Giornetti is one of many designers this season putting the excitement back into sportswear by melding it with a tailored sensibility. His experimentation with treated techno fabrics rendered in a vibrant color palette of moss green, hazard orange, and Yves Klein blue set the standard for a new sportswear hybrid.
Even at Fendi, Silvia Venturini Fendi extolled the virtues of utilitarian multi-functional clothes complete with reversible and detachable panels to enhance their versatility. To illustrate her point pockets and straps were taped onto coats and jackets to offer a new level of versatility. Her seductive color palette took its cue from the desert: sand and saffron, terra-cotta and brick tones, paired with deep lilacs and cyclamen closely resembled a sunset sky over the Sahara.
At Vivienne Westwood Andreas Kronthaler took inspiration from Indian Rajas, Hindu culture, Persian and Moroccan influences and interjected the mashup of ethnic influences with the politically charged spectre of former Army intelligence analyst, Bradley Manning.
The bohemian collection draws on kaftan prints and heavily patterned styles, punctuated with earthy hues like rust and mustard juxtaposed against cool blues and creams. A sky blue country gentleman suit is rendered in washed silk and linen.
Not one to follow the rules, Donatella Versace’s man this season is part biker, part artist with equal parts urban dandy. The collection is sporty, yet luxurious with slim silhouettes in suiting and leather, with splashes of vibrant color applied via sports tape. The strength of the collection is a hyper focus on the athletic body in all its glory, using sharp cuts and strong tailoring, along with the power of decoration that is Versace’s signatuture.
