Fashion week rebellions.

Having been painted as a potential bisexual porn star by the press last week, one would expected Kanye West to keep his head low while the swirling rumours cools off but no. Instead, he showed up at the Paris fashion week in a manner less discrete than a golden double headed dildo rolling out of a nun's pocket.

Accompanied by Mr. Bentley, the former associate and umbrella holder for P.Diddy and color combination expert, Kanye West made little or no effort sneaking into LV and Lanvin fashion show unnoticed. With an entourage of 5 brightly dressed Louis Vuitton fanboys painting the streets of Paris in eccentric crayon-like primary colours, the super star left little for imagination when it comes to high profile appearance. Farnsworth Bentley emerged as the most sensible dresser wearing a grey suit topped with a purple tie and an Hermes-cognac coloured brief case. The Golden globe for worst outfit goes to Mr. Leopard pant who terrorised street style photographers like the Sartorialist with a brash Kermit-green leather jacket. Prepare your eyes for epileptic annihilation that held Paris fashion under siege for 24 hours.

Royal dressing.

Whether you are a designer, musician or a gardener you’re an artist in one way or another. The human body is a handsome canvas open to expression using body paint or the conventional matter, clothes. Used not only to shield our bodies from cold weather and harm, but what we choose to wear tell a story about ourselves or what associations we would like to carry.

Royalty posses the highest rank in manners and social behaviour, and spike admiration in many who aspire to follow in the footsteps of those who rule and conquer. Stand on the coastline and far away on the horizon you shall two shades of blue meeting and those two forces are the sea and the sky. Blue is overwhelmingly prominent colour in the grand wardrobe of a prince or King. Contrary to black that symbolise the supreme power of evil, blue project emotions of dominance and triumph. Highlights such as ties, handkerchiefs and cufflinks does a best job complimenting the outfit in burgundy or red.

Cartier Rotonde Central Chronograph

Brooks Brothers

Having served messengers, knights and lords, the horse is the animal treated with most respect. Muscular, versatile and fast it’s undeniably a valuable entity from many aspects. Standing pretty with a long tail which hair is used as strings for violin criticism is difficult to fabricate while the elegance and grace leaves plenty to admire. Safari cargo pants are common amongst tourists during the summer which makes jockey fashion acceptable.

Tom Ford

Big is beautiful and the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe is big, beautiful and magnificent. Much larger than pictures can tell the car is more like a land vessel than a car, due to the commanding size it’s guided through the traffic rather than driven. Complete with a full leather interior that can be specified to more colour than a blind dog can dream off, the Roller is an extraordinary as a luxury car can be.

Fall/Winter collections 2009 are dominated by thrilling double breasted suits unlike previous season where double breasted blazers were a niche. In 7 months the assortment will be supreme, allowing for a life time purchase of this authoritative clothing. A short cut is advised for a more slender and youthful appearance rather than one of traditional length seen worn by men in their 60s. Since I like living ahead of my time I coincidentally acquired a fine double breasted blazer by Aquascotum last week, joining the trend before it hit the retail stores.

Moschino

Versace

Dolce & Gabbana

Zegna

Emporio Armani & Prada

Myself - iluwfashion

Vacation time: Sweden & USA

As you might or might not know, this is a one man blog. Since it’s not thrusted by the same manpower as Condé Nast. Therefore a slow down shall be expected when I’m unable to dedicate my full passion and energy to the blog. I turned 22 on Tuesday this week so in 4 hours I’ll be heading to Sweden for a short visit to the family for a small function and festivity. Then I’ll return to London for a short pit stop before two Rolls-Royce engines sweep me across the Atlantic Ocean all the way to New York City. My Dell laptop will obviously be with me throughout out these trips so I’ll make sure to post whenever time allows me to.

Itinerary
24th -27th Jan: Gothenburg
27th-29th Jan: London
29th Jan -4th Feb: New York
4th Feb: Back in London

Thanks a lot for tuning in!

Finishing touches: Ferragamo Money Clips.

People with an athletic background in team sports have probably heard the saying ”A chain is only strong as its weakest link”. Not only does it apply in team sports and engineering but also to fashion. Regardless if you look more striking than Cinderella does at 23:59pm, whatever strengths are in your appearance will collapse like a house made out of a deck of cards if undressing your feet reveal half dirty sports socks will a holes under the heel. Such a negative sight will engrave itself in people’s brain harder than any positive memory they might have of you. Never under estimate the power of bad publicity.

Money is money regardless of appearance but how money is presented reflect an individual’s tidiness and organisational skills. Reaching down your left jeans pocket for a bundle of wrinkled bank notes tangled up in receipts will make any cashier shake their head in dismay as they will have to straighten out the mishandled notes. These money clips from Ferragamo are an excellent way of keeping exposed bank noted neat and easily accessible.

The 44th President of the USA.

Man of the hour, Barack Obama is holding worldwide media under siege, awaiting to be sworn in as President in less than two hours. Millions of people around the world are sitting patiently in front of their television cherishing important moment in the history of democracy.

The influence and power of Obama’s victory has left no one affected with the Obama effect rippling through to all corners of the globe. Fashion has also been touched as a group of designers have sketched formal attire that would elevate Obama’s presence at all the balls he will be attending after the inauguration.

Burberry Prorsum Men's AW/0910.

Burberry Prorsum Fall/Winter 0910

What do Von Dutch, the Zimbabwe Dollar, Steven Segal’s career and the Burberry print have in common? They are all helplessly in the salvage yard for damaged phenomenon. United Kingdom’s golden boy, Burberry, became victim in a retail robbery where the brand was partially seized by Chavs. It’s logical that you haven’t seen the word in the English dictionary as it’s a socially fabricated negative notion given to London’s favourite group of people to hate. The Chavs are youngsters primarily between 14-25 spending most of their days in Nike wind runners, rebook trainers blasting British rap in a 1.4L Opel Astra with an oversized spoiler and painfully exaggerated exhaust note. Recently the hottest item in world of Chavs was Kanye West shutter shades but their number one signature is bogus Burberry items, caps in particular. Their tainted spoken English is also a distinct character trait that if heard, can drop your IQ by 30 points.

Chavs’ strong love for the Burberry has tragically led to national condemnation of the classic check print to the point where even the lower middle class or the Chavs themselves don’t wear it. It hasn’t ended there as spotting anyone wearing the print is almost as hard finding a snow leopard in Hyde Park. Given the prints near non-repairable condition of the brand, Christopher Bailey’s new rescue plan will unlikely be successful. Sprinkling the print it here and there in Burberry Prorsum is blasphemy as the customer base buying runway fashion aren’t of the type that want to indiscreetly prance the brand they’re wearing. More importantly the print is what has distinguished Burberry Prorsum apart from the Burberry. The classic print has no place on the runway and stands out more than a venereal dieses.

Everything else in the collection is as expected, impeccably tasteful with some pleasant surprises. Bailey’s eye for design and fashion is second to none with Tom Ford sharing the number one spot with him. Whatever they craft hits the highest tone on the spectrum of style, and Burberry Prorsum AW0910 is classy but very cosmopolitan just like how we like it served. Previously seen components are the immensely attractive pleated trousers and familiar Industrial Revolution styled train operator’s hats.

T-shirts or anything goofy like random graphics or prints are a rare sight in the Prorsum collection but this time the fashion Giant hasn’t been short on surprises. Hard to identify the graphic seem to portray some old poet or thinker of some sort, feel free to share you potential insight on this matter if you’re strong in the subject of history. Subtle in grey the print still fall in-line with the formal and well polished perception of Bailey’s designs. Other flashbacks from history include narrow bow ties, Duke inspired trench coat and a healthy dosage of velvet.

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Stop trying to revive boot cut.
The Burberry print belong in the entry level line, the former glory will never be restored. Beige trench coats look severely out of place.

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The grey hip cinchers?
Oversized knitwear with braids.
The glossy shoes.

Grade: 7.2/10 Ignoring the painful sight of the tacky Burberry prints there is very little to detest. Every outfit is concise with dreamy piece across the broad making this a consecutive home run by Burberry Prorsum.

Men's Fall Winter 09/10 intro.

Men's Fall Winter 2009/2010

While English soccer fans are enjoying the battle at top between Manchester United and Chelsea, editorial fashion has its eyes on Milan where Men’s fall/winter fashion week swung in motion with exciting news in menswear ahead for the remainder of January.

Gaetano Navarra FW 09/10

Facing more neglect than orphans, the lesser known designers rarely get the same coverage as the global forces such as Versace and Armani. Digging through archives of previous collection the story tells itself. A considerable percentage of the big names occasionally fail to meet the high expectations of hungry journalists sitting on uncomfortable chairs alongside the runway waiting to be entertained like a Roman emperor hoping for blood and carnage from a fight between a lion and two gladiators in the coliseum.

Gaetano Navarra falls into the basket of grade B designers bringing unexpected fashion extravaganza to the spot light. In a harmonious blend of innovation, finesse and style this collection stands tall as a pleasant intro to the enticing week of Italian fashion. The grey wool jackets with pronounced buttons are elegant outerwear without exaggerated army cues.

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-Puffy pleated trousers.
-The belts.
-Green double breasted suit.
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-Shoes with a metal tip are not cool outside the borders of Texas.
-Cuffed trousers.
-Some of the gaudy pieces not seen in the photos above.

Grade: 9.1/10 A simple but pleasantly neat and edgy collection from an underdog designer that with a clear direction can present repeated success in the future rivalling the giant fashion houses.

International Watch Company Pilot Top Gun edition.

Themed watches have the same appeal as a new flavour of Ben&Jerry’s, the first sight of it leads to an instant crush that can lead promiscuous consumers to spread their wallets wide open in the blink of an eye. Falling in love with this brilliant Top Gun branded IWC Pilot is a €9 200 non-recession friendly affair that will last longer than typical themed product that morph into an object of boredom after 14 days.

Carved out of titanium the case is in coated in the manly matte colour that’s lately become popular. The window for the date is designed in the same style as the altimeter in the cockpit of the fighter jet with the aviation spirit spread like clouds throughout the watch. IWC have kept the Top Gun details to minimum leaving the watch with a neutral appearance but with a gentle touch of discrete personality. 1000 of these handsome units will make a stealthy entry into certified IWC retailers around the world.

Mr. Australia

Having prominent facial hair with an ability to grow colossal side burns have made Hugh Jackman a well suited actor to play Woolverine in the X-Men movies. Buff as a henchman Hugh looks strong enough to do 15 push ups with a fully grown kangaroo taking a power nap on his back.

Not very noted in the world of style a pleasant surprise was in store for fans at the New York premier of the movie “Australia” as Jackman appeared in an alarmingly neat version of himself. In a perfectly tailored bronze coloured suit he moderately matched the western-styled mood of the movie in the most discrete manner. Without compromising his own identity too much there was some facial stub left on the face for a presentable red carpet look. This a tidy effort by Hugh Jackman who has orchestrated a sublime and flawless high profile while avoiding pretentious Hollywood glitz.

I Luw Fashion is going to New York.

It’s time to revisit the mother land, not mine but the blog’s because it was in a large air-conditioned flat in Orange Country where I gave birth to this very blog. Although the current Pound-Dollar exchange rate is painfully unfavourable to me crossing the pond from the United Kingdom of Queen Elizabeth, I’m still going ahead with my plans of visiting New York during the last days of this month.

London has treated me very well but small angels on my shoulders are whispering encouraging words telling me that there might be a future for me in New York. That’s not to say I’ll be calling Donald Trump tomorrow asking him for a good deal on a 2 room condo on the Upper East Side. Nothing has been written in stone and the trip will be on an evaluation and vacation basis. Leisure is obviously high up on the list which is where I need the help of you New Yorkers, and I know there are quite many of you reading this blog. I’ll be staying right in the middle of the cake, in the Manhattan area so I would appreciate tips on places to visit, stunning art galleries, cool shops and since I have an incredible passion for food tips on exciting restaurants are welcomed. So please drop me a few lines using email or write tips in the comment section.

Regards

The coolest jackets ever.

The photograph above might tingle the memory bank in your brain, and yes indeed do the clothes look familiar. From Burberry Prorsum’s Spring/Summer 2008 collection it’s worth reviving photos of the unforgettable trench coats Christopher Bailey presented in Paris almost one year ago.

Recently I have had an encounter with one of the jacket and saw the daunting beauty photographs are unable to capture or project. Like something created by mermaids in the underwater world of Atlantic the neoprene styled material give the jackets a mystic look rarely seen in durable fashion. Unlike the usual runway jackets made out of fancy cotton or nylon blends these are clothing that draws you in for gentle touching of the soft material. And very touchable are they, not to be mistaken for a laptop sleeve the material feel is similar but a tad more dense and lighter with the delicacy of silk.

One can’t look elsewhere for clothing that better defines high fashion. The colour choices are striking and the designs are smashingly sophisticated. Whoever jumped the gun and took home the gorgeous red trench coat must be a very happy as it’s one unique jacket that should be worn whenever the weather is cold or chilly. Given the powerful appearance of these splendid fashion pieces they are priced accordingly. Ranging from £950 the “neoprene” trench coats did require potential customers to swallow a few glasses of water before handing over their credit card to Burberry, as the jackets total up to more than some peoples’ monthly wages. Drawing a parallel between other luxury items like a Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupe, these trench coats cost more than a jacket should but like with the Roller top end luxury is sometime worth the money.

Real men don't carry handbags.

Women and bags share a bond stronger than handcuffs. Telling a woman to leave her home without a handbag is like asking a divorce and destructive police officer to work unarmed, it’s an improbable occurrence. Understandably women need a bag to carry one or two tampons and an emergency makeup kit in case they miraculously stumble into a member of Backstreets Boys who invites them over to the studio where the rest of the group is waiting for some groupie love. Let’s not forget that the trousers women wear having pockets that don’t have more space than for a 4-5 M&Ms.

Still, the paranormal worship of handbags isn’t out of love for functionality or else women would be crazy in love with food boxes too. Even women with no desire to compete with Sienna Miller in style, spend a bowl of cash on bags. The pride of a woman and the gleam in her eyes when rocking a dream bag is that of husband showing off a newly bough high tech lawn mower to his neighbours. Laying a bag down on the table and making sure the front is facing other potentially jealous women in the room is extreme sight of devilish passion brought out of soul when bags straight from the runway is involved.

That devotion to handbags shall be left for women and never grow in any man’s heart. Women have handbags, men have bag. A bag is an accessory and shall be treated as a sidekick holding personal belongings while blending in with the rest of your character without distracting your overall look. Bright, colourful and bags with overcomplicated appearance should therefore be shut out of any man’s life. Just like a fancy car like a Mercedes CLS63 AMG you might be complimented on an attractive bold bag but the compliment might be aimed at the bag rather than yourself. A confident style never needs to be compensated for by theatrical accessories. Last year Louis Vuitton launched their formidable Daimer canvas in a manly graphite colour scheme. Using a appallingly boring looking model instead of using an irrelevant A-list star, LV have once again failed at making an inspiring ad campaign for a men’s range.

The Outcast: Grand Seiko by Seiko.

50 years back wearing a wrist watch was a privileged that only the wealthiest in society enjoyed. Mechanical engineers thrived on taking part in the arms race that was going between watcher makers around the world who were all fighting to develop the most accurate mechanical watch. All the excitement came to an end when the battery powered quartz watch was born in the late 1960s and achieved accuracy, dependency and reliability that not even the finest mechanical watch can rival.

Given the existence of hyper accurate quartz watches, no words have the supremacy to successfully rationalise the purchase of a £15 000 Breguet as a £9 Mickey Mouse watch from Toy’s R Us will a better job preventing lateness. A top of the line Breguet is a grand monument of science and beauty. Engineered by some of the greatest thinkers alive, wearing one is the equivalent of having the Millau Viaduct Bridge on your wrist. Rolex and Breitling are predominantly “I have made it”-symbols for career hungry city men. The status of those watch makers and the dominance of Switzerland in the world of watch making have cast a dark shadow of invisibility for watch makers based in other country that face the eye of prejudice by time instrument enthusiasts.

Japan has long been forwarding thinking nation pushing for ground breaking inventions in the field of science. Seiko introduced the first quartz wrist watch in the late 1960s and secretly have a ‘Grand Seiko’ series of consisting of mechanical watches. Besides the absence of a quartz crystal the watches are hand made using materials and precision on a par with an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. The eyes shed no tears of dismay as the design has the elegance of Prince Charles of Wales with a royal crème coloured face serving as a background for the golden dials and laser blue hands. Exclusivity is where the ‘Grand Seiko’ stand taller than comparable watches in the £4 000 – 7 000. While a Rolex submariner will be on wrist of ever Jaguar sales executive driving a green Range Rover with blazer hung on a hook in the back seat, every Grand Seiko is made in limited number and is a rare sight in all corners of the world. In spite of the missing “Swiss made”-print, this watch possess all the qualities of an admirable time keeping instrument.

If the appearance of the watch trigger flash backs it’s because the design philosophy is parallel with the one of a famous watch maker, IWC. Seiko flexing their watch making skills by crafting watches comparable with the most admirable watch on the market is not adequate enough to deter people from acquiring their Swiss made dream watch. Likewise with some of Japanese luxury cars that are imitations of the Mercedes S-class, there is very little originality in this watch as it carries resembles of the IWC Portugese. There is very little originality in the design of the Seiko watch and it highlights the dieses Japanese is suffering from which is extraordinary innovation with little passion for design. With such a great history and rich culture one would expect Japan to be more aggressive and creative in reflecting their creativeness in their commercial products rather than taking inspiration for Western Europe. Until then Grand Seiko watches will remain as mistresses for watch lovers, great for a little alternative fun but will never be loved as much as the wife.