Best 10 Men a/w 2013 runway looks to be jealous of

Men fashion shows are taking place around the world. Men fashion is commonly associated with elegant classic style (see Ermenegildo Zegna) , high attention to materials and details but with little room for experimentation. After watching men shows you'll find out that men fashion is anything but boring. Below I've made a chart of the best looks I've seen, clothes that  I too would like to wear (have you seen the pink leather jacket above?) for the high level of creativity (Moschino), heavy decorations (Versace) and highly luxurious materials used (feathers, leather,silk).
Men fashion is reducing the distance with women fashion and it's more colored than ever. Men looks are now bolder and they don't despise furs or high heels. What do you think about excess in men fashion? Are men looks becoming too girly or it's time to get over old clichè (for example that pink is just for women)? How should your boyfriend be dressed? Would you wear these looks?

See my selection after the jump.


La moda maschile è comunemente associata all'eleganza classica, un mondo in cui l'innovazione si esprime nella ricercatezza delle stoffe, all'attenzione nei dettagli, ma in cui c'è poco spazio  per la sperimentazione o l'eccesso. Dopo aver visto le sfilate maschili scoprirete che la moda maschile è tutto fuorchè noiosa. Ho selezionato per voi quelli che seconda la mia opinione sono i look più sorprendenti delle sfilate milanesi, dei look che possono piacere anche alle donne (avete visto la giacca rosa in pelle qui in alto?).

La moda maschile riduce la distanza con la moda femminile utilizzando stoffe fino ad ora riservate solo al guardaroba femminile come pelliccie, piume e seta non escludendo neanche i tacchi alti.

Che ne persate dell'eccesso nella moda maschile? Sta diventando troppo femminile oppure è ora di superare vecchi clichè (come ad esempio che il rosa è solo per le donne)?

Come deve vestirsi il vostro fidanzato? Indossereste voi questi look?

beautiful leather jacket with crocodile imprint

I see a DIY here: sleeves are covered with studs and buttons
Vedo un fai da te: le maniche sono decorate con bottoni e borchie

Funny Moschino shows a suit with graffiti print

a bold leather jacket

a feather jacket

an astrakan fur

I need this suit!

some of the accessories shown;clockwise: Etro loafers with paisley print, Trussardi luggage; Versace bag - studded gloves by Burberry Prorsum
alcuni accessori proposti; in senso orario: babbucce Etro con stampa paisley; valigia Trussardi - borsa Versace . guanti borchiati Burberry Prorsum

Versace for H&M review

Yesterday I went to H&M for their latest designer collaboration. We've been talking about it since June and the moment to touch and buy the clothes is finally arrived. As you can imagine the queue was stressful. I think that shopping and stress should never go along together since we usually shop to relax but I waited patiently in line to shop the collection. I know that Versace for H&M will launch in US and Canada only tomorrow so I thought to share my opinion with you hoping that will be someway useful for your shopping.

two chokers, two bracelets

 

my sister bought this statement choker

the shopping bags

What we (me and my sister) bought yesterday: a skirt,a greek chocker and bracelet each and a beautiful scarf

 Studded pieces are amazing in real life especially the colored ones! This pink one is really beautiful and detailed. Even the back is fully studded, the zipper has a round puller with the greek fret. The front have 4 or more different kind of studs on it, it's definitely worth the price tag! I was surprised by the blue dress you  see on the left. It wasn't my favorite on the lookbook but when I tried on I changed my mind. It' perfectly tailored, it's smaller at the waist, it really follows the curves plus it has a funny hem: shorter on one side then longer and pleated on the other. What I loved the most of this collection are the bright colors. They're energetic and saturated. I know some people would judge them as too flashy but I like colors!

What I couldn't get my hands on: the black studded skirt (even if looked a little toyish in real life) and the baroque bag

The shopping experience:Pros and Cons

Pros

Lenghts

Donatella wasn't parsimonious with lenghts! There are no very short mini skirt! Every dress and skirt are long enough!

Quantity

H&M stocked enought dresses for everyone. If you've been to previous designer collaborations you may know that  by 11 am the collection was almost sold out and there were "3" pieces of clothing left for the poor girls without the bracelets! This is not going to happen this time! Yes, maybe when your turn arrives the most wanted pieces will be sold out but there will be still a lot of clothes to choose from and to buy. I was surprised because even in the afternoon the bomber jacket, the red and purple lace dresses,the fringe dresses and all those printed ones were still available to buy for everyone.

No, it's not that the collection wasn't a success in sales because it was (I saw people going out of the shop with a lot of bags filled with clothes!) I think that this time they produced more clothes! I'm not suggesting you to go shopping late, I know that London sold out really fast, I think it will depend on demand too.

Quality

I know I'm not the first saying this: the quality of clothes is higher than regular H&M, prices are higher but even quality is! If you're a fan of it I read that belts are made in Italy.

Fitting

I think that fitting is regular H&M for most things. I heard someone complaining on the fitting of some dresses like the black one with gold buttons and the purple babydoll, they said they needed a larger size than their regular but I think it depends a lot on bodytype. As always choose what flatters your bodytype.

Queue management

If you've never been at other designer collaboration you maybe not know how the queue is managed: the first 280 people arriving at the store get a bracelet and they can shop the collection in groups of 20 before other people. Unlike other years, this time the staff continued to manage the queue allowing only 20 people at a time to enter the fenced area even after the end of the bracelets groups. This allowed people to have a more quiet shopping experience.

No queue for men's collection

Men don't need to queue (isn't that frustrating?) so if there's a place to shop when you arrive in shop and you don't have the bracelet is men's collection!

Cons

Not every store will have home and men collection. If you check the store locator section in h&m website you'll notice that there are still different categories women, men and home. If you are interested in buying men's clothes be sure to check if the store you choose have them.

Beware that maybe not the whole collection is available in shop! Many of the dresses from the collection weren't available to buy in the H&M I've been to and not because they were sold out but because they never reached the store! Even the black studded leather dress wasn't available, I mean how could they ignore that one, it was the emblem of the collection! Maybe this won't happen in your store but I found it very frustrating! Here's a list of all the unavailable pieces in the store I've been to:the leather dress, the heavy leather jacket and the leather trench, the metallic dresses even the black boots and the pink shoes.

Prices

I think there was a lot of unjustified confusion on prices. The buzz for the collection started on June but H&M website didn't load all the prices of clothes neither the night before the launch(at least not on the italian website). Plus some of those they loaded weren't right! The bomber jacket cost 99 euros and not 129 like they wrote, the studded skirt was 99 euros and not 149 and the men leather jacket was 299 euros and not 349. Prices on these items have been lowered and this is a good thing but this last minute change can create confusion on one who decided not to buy those pieces because of their price tag. I hope you won't have the same problems with US and Canada websites.

 Limited time and other strange rules

1. You get only 10 minutes  to shop in the fenced area so try to get everything you would like to try on. When the time ends you have to get out. If you got a wrong size you can go back and ask the staff to change it but you have to give them back the cloth you tried so you can't really compare a size with the other.
2. You can have a different size but not something different! If you want something you didn't get the first round you have to queue again!
3. Each person can buy only one of everything. 

Did you know?

Dresses with hearts print have Gianni Versace signature on them!

The bomber jacket, the home pillows and the baroque bag are in velvet.

Bottom line :my personal shopping advices

1. get the skirts: they're really well made and tailored, for example pleats don't go up till the belt and this avoides fullness at the top giving a more slim figure; every pleat is decorated with a gold point and I love this details
2. get the scarves! They're soft with beautiful prints and aren't too expensive
3.  get the pink studded dress

I hope this little shopping guide will be helpful and don't forget to tell me what you bought tomorrow!

Donatella Versace opening Regent street H&M in London. She is wearing a fitted version of the studded pink dress(It doesn't have the same style of the one sold in stores, but I think it's even better)

DIY idea: pleats

Pleated skirts are back in fashion and since Donatella Versace included them in her collection for H&M they went right in my diy list. A pleated skirts should be not too difficult to make and I hope to be back to you soon with a tutorial to diy a pleated skirt and be party season ready!

Le gonne a pieghe sono tornate di moda e da quando Donatella Versace le ha incluse nella sua collezione per H&M sono finite nella mia lista dei modelli da realizzare. Spero di potervi presto aggiornare con un tutorial per realizzare una gonna a pieghe da sfoggiare sotto le feste natalizie.

Versace inspired bracelet DIY

 

 Gold and chains are the perfect ingredients for a luxury bracelet. I istantly loved the bracelet designed by Donatella Versace for H&M and while we wait for the collection to finally reach the stores, why don't make our version of it? You only need gold chains, a wide clasp and a big button!

L'oro o almeno il dorato è l'ingrediente indispensabile per un gioiello che abbia un aspetto lussuoso. Tra gli accessori disegnati da Donatella Versace per il marchio H&M uno in particolare mi ha colpito subito ed è il bracciale con le catenelle. Mentre aspettiamo che finalmente la collezione venga distribuita nei negozi ecco un tutorial veloce che reinterpreta il braccialetto. Vi servono: catenelle, una chiusura e un bottone e il bracciale è presto fatto.

 

the inspiration:Versace fo H&M

 il bracciale Versace for H&M

 

 

Aren't buttons beautiful? They can make incredible jewellery almost on their own. I found this big gold button at the haberdashery, you can choose any button you like.The variety is almost infinite and you'll be tempted to buy them all.

Here's the list of supply needed: a piece of metallic wire, a gold chain ,a button, a clasp like the ones you see below. They are pretty common but my local shop didn't have it so I had to diy my own with a metallic cap.

I bottoni sono davvero bellissimi e possono diventare dei gioielli unici. Io ho acquistato questo grande bottone dorato, voi scegliete quello che più preferite. La scelta è davvero molto ampia e una volta entrate in merceria sarete tentate di comprarli tutti!

Prendete: un filo metallico, una catenella dorata, un bottone, una chiusura per bracciale come quelle che vedete qui sotto. Il mio negozio di riferimento le aveva finite quindi ho dovuto "fabbricare" la mia con un un tappo di lamiera.

I just laid down the chain and tried the button on: as you can see the bracelet looks already done.

Measure your wrist and cut the chain in pieces of the same lenght; then attach the botton at the center with a piece of metallic wire. Using the pincher press the clasp at the ends to block the chains and you've done!

Ho sistemato la catena sul tavolo e ci ho poggiato sopra il bottone. Come potete vedere il bracciale sembra già fatto! Misurate il polso e tagliate la catenella in pezzi della stessa lunghezza. Legate il bottone alla catenella con un pezzo di filo metallico. Inserite la chiusura e schiacciatelasulle catenella. Avete finito!

 

what i did to make the clasp: I cut 2 rectangular pieces from the cap then I pierced it using a nail. I used a hook  to connect the chain to the metallic plate an then i pressed it down using a pincher.

Come ho fatto a far la chiusura? Ho ritagliato due rettangoli dal tappo e li ho bucati usando un chiodo. Con dei gancetti ho connesso la lamiera alle catenelle e ho poi schiacciato la lamiera con la pinza.

Milano fashion week: my report part 2

The report from Milano fashion week continues...

Entering Versace palace feels like entering a temple, the sanctuary of the Medusa that stares the invited taking their seats from enlighted arches. There was a lot of electricity and excitement in the air from the upcoming show. The models started to appear on the catwalk and every look was a killer one. This is a celebration of Versace style: studs,colors and prints are mixed together to create a number of breathtaking dresses. The colors are:white, black,mint,yellow and light blue.The theme is the sea so sea stars and seahorses both decorate the cloths. Dresses are really feminine and sexy: they are either tight to follow and enhance women curves or  floaty with deep slits. Models look like both like greek goddesses and like Donatella clones. Most dresses are heavy covered with studs but the effect is not punk or aggressive (except for the black dresses) is more an heavy embellish that give an idea of extreme luxe.
As Donatella Versace appeared there was an ovation and she walked down the catwalk with confidence among the claps.
Omg she has the tiniest waist!...just saying.

Another much awaited show (more crowded than a rock concert!) was Blumarine. The collection is all about flashy,saturated colors and 80s kitsch.  Plastic flowers have the leading role, they cover shoes and entire dresses. Orange, pink,yellow and white are dazzling. The concept of sensuality and its symbols are taken to the extreme: flowers are big and cover most shoes and dresses, lips are used as a pattern, colors are bold and dresses are tight. The 80s are quoted often: there are funny leg warmers, mini motorcycle jackets, neon colors and mini pouches attached to belts! It a colored,funny, excessive collection, I mean, there are furs for summer!
The details I liked more were the rafia trimming onto the skirts and the rafia bags, they really make me think of summer. The plastic flowers are funny too (and so diyable) and I liked them more onto the dresses that on shoes and I definitely wouldn't mind a small jackets covered with flowers.

This is a view of the set of Gabriele Colangelo show. Colangelo is one of the young designer who showed his collection during Milano fashion week. His collection is wearable and artistic at the same time. His dresses look like walking paintings. The inspiration is the sunset at the sea and its colors: white, pink,blue,yellow.
What I like of Colangelo design is that the focus is on new fabrics and materials more than on shapes. This time fabrics are translucent, rarefied or printed, they really look like water.

Big news: H&M patners with Versace

For those who missed the news yesterday, the retail chain H&M has revealed who is going to be the next designer collaborating with them and the designer is...(drum rolls) VERSACE!!!
Versace means glamour,excess,luxury!
I'm so exited! I alredy made room in my wardrobe! Can you believe the mass will have the chance to own a piece of history of fashion! It's a girl dream came true! I'm virtually already standing in the line outside the shop! This news are going to effect my sale expenses! I have to save for a Versace!
The collection will be in shops the 17th of November. There will be 40 pieces in the woman collection and 20 for menswear plus there will be a collection for home like bed sheets and pillows!
Donatella Versace is thinking big and she will patner with H&M even for a spring 2012 collection that will be available online only for those countries where H&M ships to the 19th of January (not Italy at the moment  H&M must fix this asap!).

Here's a little preview!!

   

this is one dress from the H&M collection!!

how amazing is the studded jacket and what about the skirt?
i'm already mad for the shoes!!