Some Favorites from Spring/Summer 2014: Thom Browne and Givenchy

Some favorites from the Spring/Summer collections:

I’ve delayed commenting on both the Spring/Summer 2014 collections from Thom Browne and Givenchy mainly because it took some time for me to sort out just what I thought. I knew that both collections struck a chord, but I wasn’t sure how or why they resonated; I keep looking at both collections and have yet to grow tired.

With Browne’s collection, I believe it must be the sense of strength of the pieces, which take so many militaristic references and twist them, when juxtaposed to a high gloss presentation of face that grabs my attention—it’s like Robert Palmer Girl-meets Grace Jones-meets Michael Jackson. This character is simply one I cannot shake, it’s so strong. Several of the pieces themselves aren’t very functional, like the strange crotch additions and the oversized coats, but many more can be incorporated as statement pieces. But, again, it’s the styling and aggressiveness of the pieces that I can’t keep from being drawn to. See more HERE.

In regards to Givenchy, the tribal influence that is crossed with digital, and even analog, technological inspired prints, which also have insect-like forms, keep me thinking. The pieces read future, retro, and ancient all at the same time, and that’s an intriguing idea in regards to clothes to be worn by today’s younger men. I’m also usually partial to face painting, and the make-up on the models captures tribal-meets-digital very nicely. See more HERE