SS08: Prada Men's Wear.

At first glance I wasn’t thrilled at all when the pictures from Prada’s SS08 collection were in front of my critical eyes. But as times went on my appreciation for it increased and I realised how fine it really is.

There’s just something calm and relaxing about the absence of half naked guys, bright colour and presence identical looking models. The background illustrating grass and trees adds to the atmosphere. It is pretty appropriate now when Al Gore has trigged off a “save the globe” spirit in all the guilt Hollywood celebs drive around in their Range Rovers and live in their environmentally in-efficient Malibu mansions.

I’m very anti-boot cut but mysteriously I like the pants featured in the collection, they look some what different, it must be because they end above the ankle. Don’t forget to check out all the outfits below to fulfil your boring weekend in front of the computer.

+
The trousers.
The theme.

-
Nothing.

Grade: 5/5 Wunderbar

Model of the month: Danny Beauchamp

This month’s model was an easy choice. As the fashion worlds most prominent male model, I thought it would be convenient to honour Danny Beauchamp now that we are half way through men’s SS08.

The men’s model industry is smaller and much of a pop culture than the one of the opposite sex. Most fashion houses use different male models every season and sometimes even pick them from the streets. Street casted models at women’s high fashion runway shows are almost non-existent since female modelling is much more complex and serious. With that being said man-pretty Danny is one of the extremely few male top models.

What has made Danny Beauchamp a favoured model is his innocent, almost childlike, looking face which at the same time has a very powerful bone structure. If you ask me, he is clearly top model material, mostly because of his 100% photogenic face, he looks great in almost every frame I have seen.

From all the clips of him that I have watched and what I have read bout him, he seem to be very down to earth guy. Don’t be fooled by what he wears on the runway, 21 years old Danny actually prefers casual dressing. Further more his father is well known politician and multi millionaire in Britain. Even though Danny is making Bugs Bunny money as a model he doesn’t see him self as the “fashion industry” type. He aspires to be a fireman.

SS08: DSquared Men's Wear.

Next on the list is the Canadian double D fashion duo DS2. As usual the two brothers’ collections come with a distinct theme and this time they have been inspired by early 90s Monte Carlo F1 GP. Since I’m an F1 the collection gets a little extra plus because of that.

With the racing theme comes jump suits, racing jackets and various patches which give the pieces a cluttered and cheap looks. You ladies out there will probably appreciate the hard piped and moisturized guys wearing nothing but swimming trunks. Most pieces are wearable but will likely have mediocre quality and be sold are unreasonable high prices.

+
Nice looking swimming trunks.

Well thought out theme.

-
All the racing stripes and decal reminds me of racing jackets from cheap Italian brands.

Uncertainty concerning the quality.

Grade: 3.5/5 Satisfying

Style on a budget.

During the latest 12 months I have encountered several people who have been lurking in second hand stores(or vintage for you who think SH is an ugly word) and found very nice pieces at ridiculous prices. So far I haven't paid a visit to a second hand store yet since I haven't had time and don't like the funny "old-people" odor in those stores. But I have to get over the smell if I want to find bow ties, belts and nicely worn leather bags for less then the price of a Vogue issue.

The photo above shows a rather experienced second hand shopper who has managed to compose a great summer outfit of vintage clothes from head to toe. I like the late 80s Miami- banker/Ferrari 335 Spider owner look he has pulled of, and I especially like the shorts.

SS08: Burberry Prorsum Men's Wear.

I give you the golden nugget of Milano SS08 so far. Just when you predicted that Burberry’s SS08 would not differ any much from the previous collection Christopher Bailey slam dunk with something completely unexpected and mind blowing

The more I look the unfriendly summer outfits featuring pieces which don’t let the skin breath. Bailey’s team seem to be aquaman jumping getting out of the sea to conquer the 7(hope that the right number) continents of the world. Bold colours, water resistant and glossy pieces are all found through out the collection. This collection is simply fantastic and is something that I would really have wanted to see in real life.

+
The golden outfits are to die for, so extravagant.

I badly want the red trench.

Shades with straps.

-
Divers shoes look cool in water but not on the streets.

Weirdly walking models?

Some of the pieces are too dysfunctional to wear on a hot summer day.

Grade: 5/5 Bloody beautiful

SS08: Missoni Men's Wear.

Wohooo SS08 has finally kicked off and you can expect deep coverage here at iluwfashion. So far so good, some of the collections which were exhibited yesterday were spectacular with lots of piece to like and dream about.

To warm you guys up I’ll start with Missoni who just like with their SS07, heavily rely on their uber signature ziggy saw pattern. Never before has grandma knitwear looks to hip and cool. With blue being the main colour across the board the collection seem to be inspired by the ocean and when you’re out sailing or fishing you are directly exposed to the sun, which is why the collection features a good number of Sherlock Holmes hats.

+
The neatly twisted sleeves of the sweaters around the neck.

Coloured pants.

Preppy is cute.

-
I don't digg the hats.

The patterns and colours can cause an epileptic seizure.

Grade: 5/5 I Luw it.

Spending the Benjamins.

In the world of increasing globalization and addiction to retail it seem like the 10 million dollars is the new ”million”. These days there is no such thing as having to much money. Regardless of how much money you there are services and products which will drain you faster than I can tell my janitor to say “Haute Couture”. Billionaire? No problem, by a private A380, a Bugatti Veyron and stay a few days at a hotel in a 2000sq/m room setting you back $10 000/night, and your bank account will be left bleeding it’s having a period. Just ask Michael Jackson. The latest 30 years he has happily spent close to 1.5 billion dollars on the most bizarre stuff one could image.

I’ve seen a very half crazy people myself who have spent close to $150 on a very simple white cotton tee from a designer which probably only produces the t-shirt for less than $10. For the rich, delusional and lonely there are products like the ones below, which are nothing but souvenirs for dick measuring contests.

From left to right: DH USB memory, Karl Lagerfeld Xbox 360 faceplates, LV set for caviar tasting, DH CD case, Bottega Veneta Magazine box, Karl Lagerfeld iPod travel coffin, Hermes huggie horse, Chanel Tennis set, Prada pencil set.

H&M + Roberto Cavalli = Unblessed Matrimony.

H&M joining hands with well renowned design house this year was highly likely since they collaborated with the twins V&R last year and with the “Kaiser” aka Karl Lagerfeld in 06. So on the November 8th 2007 you can expect an H&M shopping frenzy in 200 stores around the world.

Honestly H&Ms choice this year has chocked the hell out of me but is at the same time a logical choice, although I would have preferred a collabo with Versace or Dolce&Gabbana. V&R and Karl Lagerfeld design pretty minimalistic but yet avant-garde collection involving colours like white, black and a splash of purple here and there. Variation is good, which is why Cavalli might be considered a good choice since he is the opposite of V&R and the Kaiser. His designs are very Italian, very emotional and creative(both good and bad), making the man to bring some extravaganza into H&M’s boring store.

As always in the fashion industry, women can consider themselves lucky. Cavalli is one of the top 5 biggest names when it comes to designing dresses for the American entertainment elite. Many celebs turn to him for a creation to wear at the Oscars and Grammies. That means that the chances are pretty big that the collection he will be designing for H&M will feature a dress that might be fabulous enough for you women out there to wear at your prom or during New Years Eve.

If you’re into music and don’t suffer from amnesia you probably recall this beautiful SS07 Cavalli dress Rihanna wore at last years European music award. Next to the picture of Rihanna you have a shot of top model Hilary Rhoda rocking the dress on the runway.

So what’s in it for us boys and the boys boys? Only God and Roberto Cavalli know. His collection for H&M will feature 20 men’s pieces and 25 women’s pieces, so there’s definitely something in it for us. I have never been a fan of Cavalli’s men’s collection. All of them are over the top and finding a wearable outfit in his collections is as difficult as finding any shame in Paris Hilton. With that being said my expectations for the men’s part is very low but hopefully H&M won’t be giving him free hands.

Link Sharing.

I just took the thumb out of my ass and have finally opened up the blogg for link sharing. So if you have a fashion(only) blog and would like to share links you give my a buzz at the email adress below.

luwalira at gmail.com

Wiiiiiiiicked Ads.

If the devil wears Prada, Adam and Eve wears nada then this is what Burberry wants you to wear this autumn. These 80s pop/rock inspired ads are something aimed at us MTV watching, party crazy and sex fixated young adults rather than the old 60 years hags we spot on the streets between 10:00-14:00 wearing beige coats with Burberry pattern on the inside. Isn’t it harmonious? The unification of the young, living youths and the old in the same Burberry stores, shopping together like tomorrow doesn’t exist.

My most fashion fanatic readers will probably recognise the very short haired girl who is none other than the British Agyness Deyn, who featured on the front cover of Vogue May and is one of the most popular models at the moment. The short hair makes her pretty unique but in a positive unlike Britney Spears awful shaving. Think Natalie Portman or Halle berry. As a fan or the UK you can get your favourite jeans on that I will be cheering for the young and British Lewis Hamilton during today’s Formula 1 race.

Gucci Resort SS0708.

Lots of resort collections have been popping up the latest two weeks, warming us up for the SS08s which are waiting around the corner. Resort collections tend to be very glamorous and flashy and one design house which has exhibited both a men's and women's collection is Gucci.

I really don't know what to say about the collection. It looks pretty out of character and non-Gucci to me. The colour choices and the style of some of the garments give me Tommy Hilfiger vibes. Don't get me wrong tough, I don't have it because there are some very nice outfits in the collection which falls to my liking. Not impressive but a pretty descent collection.

No DH at Paris SS08.

Not that unexpected from my side but Dior Homme won't exhibit any SS08 collection in the city of romance and toasted garlic bread. Earlier this month I reported that your excellence, Hedi Slimane, was leaving the sizzors, sewing machines and drawing pads at DH for Kris Van Assche.

Reforming a popular brand like DH in just a few months is almost impossible especially since the expectations on Van Assche are huge which leaves no room for a collection made over a weekend. Despite that he will be exhibiting his own collection in Paris this month.

Other than that I'm excited to see what the ultra expensive brand Lanvin will offer. Hermés will also be in the mix and if my memory doesn't fail me I have never seen a men's collection from them. It will probably involve a lot of orange and mimic LV's collections, which I hope it won't.

Vacation, kind of.

As you might have noticed, posts have latelty been pretty few latetly. That's because my overheating laptop in is for repair, and I have all my thousands of pictures on the harddrive I took out before HP came and picked it up. Until it's back I won't be posting frequently.

BTW I have a severe flu right now, not fun at all.

Look of the month: June

Valentino SS07

Unlike Rihanna I don’t think I need an umbrella right now but I do need more shorts and so you. Y’all probably think “Shorts? No fucking way”, while some of you are daydreaming about the next Billabong surf shorts you’re planning on buying.

For starters surf shorts should be worn on no other place than……….yeah you know the answer. Other than that they aren’t something you wear when you’re out shopping or when you’re meeting up with friends. On the other hand it’s alright to wear on stay-at-home-days like public holidays or on Sundays during your run down to the local store to grab a can of Danish biscuits.

Some guys hate shorts because they are afraid or embarrassed about showing their legs. Well, congrats. Now you know how insecure girls feel when ever they are putting on a skirt, and sorry, there aren’t any leggings for men. If you have been spending too much time sitting in front of the computer reading fashion blogs it’s about time jump back up on the horse and ride a bike 2km/day to get your wiggly or wobbly legs in shape.

As you can see, this month’s outfit is very sexy and leave a lot of body skin exposed. The red shirt/jack is extremely desirable and I want it as much as Paris Hilton wants to get out of jail. During the summer you don’t have to wear t-shirts of wife beaters. Just put on a shirt, roll the sleeves up and open up the 2-3 top buttons. If your surrounding folks are lucky, an outfit like the one above will reveal your sexy Italian sunburn. Shorts are damn nice to wear but don’t try to get inside shorts which are too small for you……………and you who are still living in the early 90s, cut out jeans shorts are something I don’t recommending this year.

Let your sun shades block the sun rays.

Glasses have always been the hottest annual talk pre-summer season and as usual there is a “must have” model and this year it’s the Wayfarers. Unfortunately they have been mentioned in magazines and on blogs as much as Bin Laden was talked about during year 2001, making them totally un-cool. But if you really want to wear them, hurry pick up some cheap look-a-likes before they make it to your local grocery store for old big belly 40 years old fathers to buy.

The glasses I want are of the model below. I tried out a pair from Dior and they looked perfect on my face, and the quality was superb too. They are a great hybrid of aviators and big shades. Unfortunately I haven’t managed to find some cheap ass copies because I’m not the type of person who wants to fork over 250 euro for a pair of glasses. Hugo Boss has almost identical ones for 150 euro, although they didn’t feel as exquisite as the ones from Dior.

I do own a pair of cheap glasses which I use when I drive but other than that I rarely wear glasses, and I have a good reason for that. During a hot summer day I want all the good looking women dressed in skirts and tank tops to be able to meet my eyes.

SS08 Schedule: Milan

It feels like the AW07/08 collections were exhibited yesterday, but time blazes by quickly, and this months it’s time for SS08. In my opinion the SS collections are most interesting since they involve different type of garments and more colours, especially bright ones.

Below here I have listed the schedule for the Milan collections in case any of you globetrotters happen to be in Milan this month and would like to get a scoop of designers, celebs or models.

The Milan shows I’m looking forward to most are Burberry Prorsum, Dolce & Gabbana and Alexander Mcqueen.

Saturday 23 June 2007
11:00 JIL SANDER, VIA VENTURA, 15
12:00 COSTUME NATIONAL HOMME, VIA TORTONA, 27
14:00 GAETANO NAVARRAVIA, SAN GREGORIO, 29
15:00 MISSONI, VIA SOLFERINO, 9
16:00 BURBERRY PRORSUM, VIA MELEGARI, 3
17:00 ORARIO ASSEGNATON/A
18:00 GIANNI VERSACE, PIAZZA VETRA, 11
19:00 ORARIO ASSEGNATON/A
20:00 J.LINDEBERG, VIA TURATI, 34
21:00 DRIES VAN NOTEN, LOCATION DA COMUNICARE


Sunday 24 June 2007
09:00 BOTTEGA VENETA, VIALE PICENO, 15/17
10:00 ANTONIO MARRAS, VIALE ALEMAGNA, 6
11:00 FRANKIE MORELLO, VIA PALERMO, 10
12:00 GIANFRANCO FERRE', VIA PONTACCIO, 21
13:00 SALVATORE FERRAGAMO, PIAZZA AFFARI, 6
14:00 CARLO PIGNATELLI OUTSIDE, VIA TORTONA, 27
15:00 EMPORIO ARMANI, VIA BERGOGNONE, 59
16:00 NEIL BARRETT, VIA TORTONA, 27
17:00 DAKS, VIA TORTONA, 58
18:00 PRADA, VIA FOGAZZARO, 36
19:00 ALEXANDER MCQUEEN, VIALE TUNISIA, 35
20:00 LES HOMMES, LOCATION DA COMUNICARE
21:00 ROBERTO CAVALLI, VIA MECENATE, 84



Monday 25 June 2007
09:30 DSQUARED2, CORSO ITALIA, 58
10:30 VALENTINO, VIA TURATI, 34
11:30 DIRK BIKKEMBERGS, VIA TORTONA, 27
12:30 ALESSANDRO DELL'ACQUA, VIA TORTONA, 27
13:30 BIAGIOTTI, VIA RIVOLI, 6
14:30 JOHN RICHMOND, GIARDINI DI PORTA VENEZIA - VIA PALESTRO
15:30 MOSCHINO, VIA BEZZECCA, 5
16:30 KRIZIA UOMO, VIA MANIN, 21
17:30 GUCCI, PIAZZA OBERDAN, 2/B
18:30 GAZZARRINI, VIA G. NEGRI, 6
19:30 GIULIANO FUJIWARA, VIA SAN VITTORE, 21
20:30 DENIS SIMACHEV, VIA SAN BARNABA, 48



Tuesday 26 June 2007
09:00 MARNI, VIA G.B. PERGOLESI, 8
10:00 ICEBERG,VIA PALERMO, 10
11:00 TRUSSARDI, LOCATION DA COMUNICARE
12:00 FENDI, VIA SCIESA, 3
13:00 ETRO, LOCATION DA COMUNICARE
15:00 MESSORI, CORSO XXII MARZO, 32
16:00 CALVIN KLEIN COLLECTION, VIALE UMBRIA, 37
17:00 GIORGIO ARMANI, VIA BERGOGNONE, 59
18:00 GIORGIO ARMANI, VIA BERGOGNONE, 59
19:00 BELSTAFF, PIAZZA AFFARI, 6
20:00 HAUTE, VIA TORTONA, 27



Wednesday 26 June 2007
09:30 ROMEO GIGLI, VIA FUMAGALLI, 6
10:30 ENRICO COVERI, VIA SAN BARNABA, 48
11:30 BYBLOS, VIA TORTONA, 27
12:30 M+F GIRBAUD,VIA TORTONA, 27