MAN day has moved away from its segregated status as an ‘add on’ to London Fashion Week and has instead become a definitive, integral part of the schedule and a valid reason to forgo the first day of Milan.
London is never one to adhere to fashion formalities and always creates its own path rather than follows; however it is undeniable that the SS12 men’s shows provide food for thought for London designers when considering their grooming direction. Perusing the men’s shows there are certain looks that defined the season – Pat McGrath’s make-up and Luigi Murenu’s hair at Givenchy, the artisan stylings of Comme des Garcons and Kenzo and the boyish charm of Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent.
However the look that monopolized the world’s attention was undoubtedly the lacquered styles Guido Palau created for Jil Sander taking the degree the brand has dabbled with products up several notches. Speaking with Guido he told me how he “worked very closely with Raf Simons on the concept. He (Raf) wanted something strong that would reflect the line of the clothing and specific fabrics involved. We came up with the idea of a strong haircut with short bangs, very wet looking and super flat; like the boys had a bucket of water dropped on them.”
The resulting high-shine hair is the ultimate manifestation of menswear’s growing affinity for product-heavy hair which has been building quietly over the last few seasons, from Alexander McQueen’s AW11 woven gel laced strands, Mugler’s AW11 grease monkey debutante to Ann Demeulemeester’s SS11 side-parted, gothic, dinner party formality. For SS12 excessive product has gained control of the catwalks at Damir Doma, Comme des Garcons, Vivienne Westwood, Raf Simons and of course, Jil Sander. The more visible experimentation with product isn’t the only notable trend emerging for SS12 though, it is rather an overall shift in attitude marked by a new mood and desire to experiment.
Guido notes that “the men’s shows have become a much stronger statement in recent years. We often cut all the boys hair for a show which is amazing for the individual designers as it gives them a strong statement for their clothes each season. I feel that men’s hair is moving towards a shorter more tailored look with the inclusion of many new dressing products, such as gels waxes, pomades and shine products. Men have got braver and more interested in changing the way their hair looks with products.” Such examples of this more daring nature are exemplified in SS12′s kiss curls at Comme des Garcons and the deep Josephine Baker waves at Kenzo channelling the spirit of the silent movie vamp.
The shift towards the shorter, tailored look has been more organic, emerging more subtly and to a degree has always been omnipresent. The move in this direction has inadvertently seen the caveman depictions of masculinity favoured by Gaultier and Westwood in seasons past gradually fade and the pendulum swing towards a fresh faced boyish look. Fashion’s brief flirtation with facial hair and raw men is currently on the back burner. Emo fringes once a prerequisite at Comme des Garcons and Dior Homme have been clipped back. Rather, masculine authority is being explored through a boy’s eyes. Ricardo Tisci has led the way for this at Givenchy with acutely cropped hair and pre-pubescent faces, where traces of facial hair are eradicated.
This view is one that resonates with MAN day. Last season London designers J.W. Anderson, James Long and Omar Kashoura illustrated sharp, tailored, Eton-boy cuts with a quiet rebel yell attitude. Mischievous, rebellious yet inherently refined, these looks exude a youthful devil-may-care confidence within a luxe setting and as such send a powerful message. The question though is how can one recreate these styles? According to Guido “great products for men to use are Redken Maneuver Working Wax, Redken Get Groomed Finishing Cream and Redken Bulk Up.” And while we wait to see what London’s soldiers will bring, one can only hope that a moment capturing the magnitude of one of Guido’s career highlights where he “transformed 45 boys with the help of black dye, bleach and severe undercuts into a Raf Simons army” will transpire.
