Fashion and Design - T Magazine Blog

The Top Five Fall/Winter 2015 Men’s Wear Collections in London

January 13, 2015 5:13 pm

T’s men’s fashion editors share their favorites from the latest round of shows.

Craig Green

Though there were hints of the designer’s groundbreaking debut solo show last season — in the quilted fabrics and eastern influences, in the absence of shoes and the Wim Mertens soundtrack — Craig Green‘s fall collection revealed a mature, confident turn that added heft and a certain amount of sexiness to his ethereal designs. Skintight T-shirts with hand-stitched ruching that created off-centered necklines were tucked into his signature oversized karate pants; sweaters with circular cutouts revealed bare torsos; cropped, broadly cut military-style jackets toughened everything up. Where last season was breathtakingly cinematic, Green’s latest collection was full of clothing men could wear in real life. — JR

Tom Ford

When Tom Ford launched his men’s wear brand in 2006, it was ruled by old-Hollywood glamour, complete with decorative smoking robes and dapper suits with wide lapels that would make Fred Astaire proud. This season, Mr. Ford decided to modernize that look with a leaner, sexier silhouette. Suits took on a ’60s sensibility, cut closer to the body with narrower lapels and straight legs and worn with Chelsea boots. Outerwear went more urban, thanks to standout pieces such as cropped shearling jackets shown with jeans, which managed to look masculine without being too bulky or rugged. Luxurious knits were still a staple, as were accessories such as lace-up shoes and travel bags in exotic skins. Most surprising of all was the formal wear, including tuxedos stripped down to their bare essentials and shown with fine-gauge knit turtlenecks and trainers. The designer may have omitted certain elements of his signature dandy style, but in typical Ford fashion, the collection was as chic as ever. — DF Read more…

Visiting the Source

A Scottish Distillery Celebrates 200 Years by Changing Absolutely Nothing

Food

By Brian Nichols

January 13, 2015 4:15 pm

Though whisky experts are divided on whether the spirit has a terroir like wine (flavors reminiscent of the place it was made), one sip of any whisky produced on the Scottish island of Islay is enough to suggest that, yes, indeed it does. The salty sea air and characteristic peat infuse aging casks there with a signature brininess and smokiness — and fierce sense of origin. Large-scale distilleries have inhabited the small Hebridean island since 1779, when Bowmore settled in; a new one called Gartbreck is set to open there this spring. And this year Laphroaig, arguably the smokiest of the distilleries on Islay, celebrates its 200th anniversary. Read more…

On View

The Met’s Groundbreaking “Henry’s Show” Gets a Reprisal

Culture

By Julie Baumgardner

January 13, 2015 3:18 pm

“I’m Henry — just Henry.” Indeed, that sensibility served Henry Geldzahler well. The charismatic curator, short in stature and large in vitality, in 1969 convinced that stodgiest of institutions — the Metropolitan Museum of Art — to, for a blockbuster exhibition, swap its Rembrandts and Renoirs for Rosenquists and Rauschenbergs. Formally titled “New York Painting and Sculpture: 1940-1970,” the exhibition was colloquially dubbed “Henry’s Show,” which stuck in the history books as its proper name. That show contained nearly 410 works by more than 40 artists — the very catalysts of contemporary art whose fabled exploits, fueled by creativity, community and feuds, composed the history of the New York School. And many of these artists counted Geldzahler as a close personal friend. Frank Stella famously said, “The thing about Henry was that he lived with us. Other curators don’t live with artists.” Another thing about Geldzahler, according to David Hockney: “Henry had a fantastic eye. He wasn’t wrong about anything. He was always right.”

This week, Geldzahler’s legacy gets a boost with “The New York School, 1969: Henry Geldzahler at the Metropolitan Museum of Art,” which opens tonight, recreating much of “Henry’s Show,” at Paul Kasmin Gallery’s Tenth Avenue space. To curate the exhibition, Kasmin tapped Stewart Waltzer, a private dealer of the Color Field painters, who honed his specialty after assisting one its most prolific practitioners, Kenneth Noland, during the 1960s and ’70s. “I used to paint stripes,” Waltzer recalls. The 30-some canvases in the show include quite a few contenders from the original exhibition. “The works from the ’40s are unapproachable,” he says of the pieces included. “Some are on the market, some came through lenders, some we borrow just because we had a purpose,” he continues, citing his favorites in the groundbreaking show, such as Alfred Gottlieb’s “Sign” and Hans Hoffmann’s “Sober Ecstasy.”

“All these works are very expressive, but not glib or facile, and that’s what moved us then and what moves us now,” Waltzer says. “It’s the kind of art you have to give to get. Some art your emotional responses are distilled for you. I think you need to look at this type of art, it’s a litmus of what quality work looks like.”

“The New York School, 1969: Henry Geldzahler at the Metropolitan Museum of Art” is on view through March 14 at Paul Kasmin Gallery, 293 Tenth Avenue, New York, paulkasmingallery.com.

Listen Up

A Vintage-Inspired New Video From the Singer-Songwriter Tom Brosseau

Culture

By Aly Comingore

January 13, 2015 1:30 pm

“I have all these cinematic ideas, but when it comes to filming it’s all Greek to me,” says Tom Brosseau about “Roll Along with Me,” the first single and video from his forthcoming album, “Perfect Abandon.” Luckily, Brosseau found a kindred spirit and co-conspirator in the director Andrew van Baal early on in his career. The two met in San Diego in the early 2000s, and since then, van Baal has directed a number of music videos for Brosseau, as well as casting him as the lead in van Baal’s 2012 short film, “Wonder Valley.”

For “Roll Along,” van Baal places Brosseau and his guitar in a room facing a whirring projector. As he strums along, the singer is obscured by moody shadows and wayward snippets from the film strips playing in the background. In many ways, van Baal’s dark, vintage-inspired treatment speaks to Brosseau’s musical vibe: The North Dakota-raised, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter pens the kind of timeless, narrative-style folk that is best left unadorned. For “Perfect Abandon,” Brosseau, his band and the producer John Parish retreated to a community theater in Bristol, England, where they recorded all 10 of the album’s tracks live with a single microphone. “One of the concepts that we tossed around before was Sun Studio in Memphis,” Brosseau recalls. “We had this idea of a pre-rock-‘n’-roll sound — a light drum kit, an upright bass and a Buddy Holly-type guitar — so that the vocals and the acoustic guitar would be always heard and everything else would just lend atmosphere.”

As for “Roll Along with Me,” Brosseau recalls his cues coming from a slightly more abstract place. “I was playing the guitar while I was watching a documentary on baseball, and it opened up some ideas to me that had nothing to do with baseball,” he says. It’s a song — and a video — that almost perfectly captures Brosseau’s soft-spoken, often cinematic storytelling style. “These days, I’m interested in making the records I like listening to, and a lot of those records are simple, modest recordings,” he says. “I just find that there’s so much mystery in that kind of work.”

On Wellness

Meal Deliveries Endorsed by Lena Dunham and the Like

Food

By Laura Neilson

January 13, 2015 9:00 am

Marissa Lippert, a registered dietician and owner-chef at Nourish Kitchen + Table in New York, offers a little perspective to those hoping to reset in 2015: “The new year gives us the opportunity to set intentions, rather than unattainable resolutions. Diving into a restrictive detox isn’t sustainable, and it’s certainly not any fun.” These four NYC-based meal services, including Lippert’s own, are designed for a less punishing post-holiday recovery than juicing alone. And for those strictly shopping for a little motivation (or not within delivery range), each company below has its own blog full of inspiring meal plans and recipes.

Nourish Kitchen + Table

Since opening in 2013, Marissa Lippert’s West Village eatery has become a popular hotspot for healthy eaters with discerning tastes and aesthetics. The new “Curated Cleanse” meal program there offers up seasonally-inspired menus, customized for individual clients’ health and wellness goals. Along with a fresh-pressed juice or morning smoothie, expect composed plates of protein-heavy quinoa, fiber-rich legumes and roasted root vegetables — and, of course, salads.

Three-, five- and 20-day plans available, with pricing starting at $310 and delivery available throughout Manhattan and areas of Brooklyn, nourishkitchentable.com.

London Men’s Fashion Week: Burberry Prorsum Fall/Winter 2015

Men's Fashion

By Roberta Ridolfi

January 12, 2015 5:00 pm

Scenes from the London Fashion Week photo diary of Roberta Ridolfi.

Complete Coverage: Fall 2015 Men’s Collections: London

Three's a Trend

At the Golden Globes, Beauty Looks Got Matchy-Matchy

Women's Fashion

By Renata Mosci

January 12, 2015 4:30 pm

At last night’s Golden Globe Awards, the stars seemed to be feeling riskier than ever when it came to hair and makeup. And a few celebrities even embraced what might be considered a faux pas — coordinating the colors of their hair, makeup and nails to their fashion choices. The “Homeland” actress Claire Danes reproduced the palette of her Valentino gown with an off-pink nude lip and a soft royal-blue eyeshadow (which also matched her earrings). Jessica Chastain chose the exact metallic bronze color of her Versace dress for her nails, while Zosia Mamet wore a gray dress and silver jewelry to echo her dyed gray hair.

On the Verge

Meet Martine Rose, London’s Rising Men’s Wear Provocateur (and Rihanna’s Go-To Label)

Men's Fashion

By Alex Tudela

January 12, 2015 3:30 pm

Since her debut collection in 2007, the London-based men’s wear designer Martine Rose has searched for and celebrated what she calls “an awkwardness that is beautiful in its entirety.” The punk, skinhead, ’90s raver and ’70s S-and-M scenes, to name a few, provide references for her odd proportions (outrageously oversize trousers paired with super-cropped or tight tops) and unexpected fabric combinations. The fashion world has taken notice; so, too, has Rihanna, who has worn Rose’s designs on multiple occasions.

Last summer, Rose made the bold move to show just one single look in her spring 2015 presentation. “Sometimes,” she explains, “that’s all that needs to be said.” So in an effort to generate just as much buzz and confusion during the London men’s fashion shows this week, Rose has collaborated with the street-culture savants and fashion collective Been Trill, a group whose members have worked with top names in music (Kanye West and Lady Gaga) and street fashion (Nike and Supreme). Though Rose herself is not new to collaborations — she’s worked with Timberland and CAT — she took a rather unexpected approach in conceiving her fall 2015 collection, which debuted this weekend in London. Its wide-legged trousers, irreverent graphic tees and boxy leather jackets take cues from past seasons. “We reworked the archive in different fabrications and the result is something familiar yet fresh,” the designer says. Read more…

Culture

Retrospectives of Balthus and Brian Weil, Graham Little’s Renaissance Redux and More From the Art Calendar

Culture

By Johnny Magdaleno

January 12, 2015 2:30 pm

T’s list of happenings worth visiting in the week ahead.

WEDNESDAY, PARIS

The controversial founder of “timeless realism” gets a retrospective

Gagosian Gallery’s upcoming Balthus retrospective marks the first time the work of the Parisian artist, who passed away in 2001 at the age of 93, has had an exhibition in his birth city since 1984 — even though the following 17 years found him experimenting with new mediums like the Polaroid camera as the frailties of old age prevented him from painting.
Opening reception from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., on view through Feb. 28, Gagosian Gallery, 4 rue de Ponthieu, Paris, gagosian.com

THURSDAY, NEW YORK

Timely, powerful works by one of 2014’s biggest names

Although his work surged in popularity last year in tandem with national protests over police violence against people of color, Titus Kaphar’s paintings have always been a platform for searing, intelligent commentary on race and power throughout Western history. Jack Shainman Gallery is hosting shows at two locations to commemorate his work: “Drawing the Blinds” at the gallery’s West 20th Street location, and “Asphalt and Chalk” at its West 24th Street location.
Opening reception from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at both locations, on view through Feb. 21, Jack Shainman Gallery, 513 West 20th Street and 524 West 24th Street, New York, jackshainman.com Read more…

The Scene