D & G men's Spring/Summer 2012 - That 90's show?

When I clicked on the D&G show, I really wasn't expecting an array of paisley and  baroque, Versace-like patterns adorned in every which way on everything from shirts, pants, shoes and hats. But there ya go.

 All images copyright GQ.com/Conde Nast

-The Scandal

Salvatore Ferragamo Men's Spring/Summer 2012

Ever walk by a some poor schlub in the summer wearing a dark wool suit, and simply cringe upon thinking how hot and uncomfortable he must be? It's therefore refreshing to see a spring/summer collection that's actually weather-appropriate.  Although by no means unique (e.g., YSL), the Ferragamo design team expand the typical male silhouette, but not to absurd proportions (e.g., Junya Watanabe). The collection has a very "organic" feel to it, with an array of light earth tones, and loose woven fabrics, all the way down to the Huckleberry Finn-ish straw hat.
Mint julep, anyone?

All images copyright GQ.com/Conde Nast

-The Scandal

Roberto Cavalli Men's Spring/Summer 2012

With a few exceptions, I am not finding much inspiration in Milan this season. This  RC collection was not particularly avant-garde (nor was it expected to be), but it did deliver the usual glamorous opulence that one can expect from RC, albeit with a bit more simplicity this time around.

-The Scandal

Tommy terrific

Taking a page out of the Sartorlialist's playbook, GQ photographer Tommy Ton posts fantastic galleries of some of the most inspirational men's dressers in the world. The pictures are usually snapped outside one fashion event or another. 

                                          *All images copyright Tommy Ton and/or GQ (Conde Nast)

The most recent gallery is from Pitti Umo in Milan. I really urge you to browse.

-The Scandal

MK = ?

I grew up in Montreal. I also grew up eating kosher. The main local certifier of kosher food in the city is by the Jewish Community Council of Montreal ("Va'ad hair") who  label products that meet their kashrut standards with an MK.

If you live in Canada, you may notice the MK symbol on the back of many food product labels (COR is also another popular Canadian kosher certification).

How is this in any way  relevant to a style blog, you ask? Well in the past years, I've increasingly noticed many young women wearing accessories adorned with this same symbol, especially shoes and handbags.

I'll bet you're thinking these are simply Michael Kors products, but I'm not so sure. We've seen orthodox Judaism fashion before, so maybe this is yet another instance??

Or maybe not.

P.s. My all time favourite--and smartly dressed kosher symbol-- is from Calgary:

-The Scandal

Weirdest Mannequin Ever

I was shopping in the Cours Mont-Royal shopping centre in downtown Montreal when I noticed a truly odd mannequin in the window of a  boutique.

The mannequin looks like the bald  guy from Tenacious D (Kyle Gass)

I'm not actually sure what the boutique is called.


-The Scandal

Mad Max Beyond Collarbone

I couldn't help but notice Mel Gibson's gaudy shirt collar display at his recent Court appearance.

There has always been a special hatred in my heart when a dress shirt collar is  spread outside a suit jacket (or blazer).  Unlike most other fashion rules, there is no compromise or exceptions to this one--it always looks awful.

I'm not quite sure where this style originated, but based on my (unscientific) research, it appears as if long, open, pointed collars originated in the 1920's.  I have seen the style referred to as the "Barrymore collar",
apparently after it was made famous by the actor John Barrymore (1882-1942), shown below.

My own opinion is that the style has its most direct origins in zoot suit fashions in the 40's, which lingered into gangster clothing culture, even unto this day, in some form or another.

I submit that the most famous proponents of this collar style in the 50's--Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis--owe their sartorial origins to zoot suit culture.

Needless to say, the "Barrymore collar", has become most widely associated with  the 70's era when it became mainstream. Eccch.

As a curiosity,  this style existed in Israel well into the 90's for formal occasions. As a Westerner, this always appeared funny to me, and people I knew explained it as a strange relic from the 70's. But, as I pointed out above, the collar style had existed before.  I actually think that the Israeli collar resulted from its adoption by Zionist elders in the 50's.

David Ben Gurion

Unfortunately, like an unwanted weed, the collar still seems to crop up every once in a while. Mr. Miyagi wore it in the Karate Kid (1985); but a lot of older men become sartorial time capsules, in this case, from the 1970's.

I don't quite know why Pacino wore it in Scarface since the storyline takes place well into the early 1980's.

I suppose Tony Montana is getting his style cues from both gangster culture and Studio 54, both of which embrace the Barrymore collar.

I was aghast to see the collar in a Ralph Lauren show on a couple models a few seasons ago, but thankfully, it otherwise very rarely appears  on the runway or in mainstream designer collections.  If you wear a suit jacket/blazer without a tie, the collar should always be worn inside the jacket, preferably with a high stiff collar. I mean, would you rather look like him

or him

?

-The Scandal