OUTRAGE | Male Body Image: Thom Browne and Hedi Slimane

A male model at Thom Browne Spring/Summer 2015 feeling the pump

The Spring/Summer 2015 menswear season has just ended, and may be one of the most radical - unusual yet intriguing styling, unorthodox headwear and a general flurry of graphically blinding prints filled the collections of London, Milan and Paris designer labels. But, it seems as though two designers, who are vastly different from each other, has tackled two sides of male body image and confidence head on.

There is no denying that a health and fitness revolution has struck the general population, and this has certainly been targeted by the blatantly obvious bodybuilding parodical designs of Thom Browne (as above). The Spring/Summer 2015 collection featured a myriad of padded blazers, jackets and pants exaggerating the muscle groups bodybuilders aim to pump up. It's plain and simple: Thom strikes at the heart of the resurgence of bodybuilding by conveying this physique as nothing but a fleeting trend, and how it correlates with the coming and going of trends in fashion. It's ridiculous to see clothing that reflects the body image, but that's how Thom is - he always strives to shove it in your face. Always an advocate for the avant-garde and risky, Thom has definitely challenged the realness of what dedicated muscle men are really striving for.

On the other hand, the comparatively small frames of the male models within Hedi Slimane's Spring/Summer 2015 collection for Saint Laurent Paris created a stir. An ode to a time when a man's natural physique was glorified, Hedi has also challenged the ideal male body image today. But, seeing these delicate men walk down the runway forces us to question whether the strive for thinness that is rampant amongst female models is being placed upon male models too. Whether or not these men are naturally or forcibly thin, I don't know, but at least there was a modern-day Jimi Hendrix to clear the air of shock (below).

Jimi Hendrix, is that you?

As a man, the pressure to become your best physical self is popping up everywhere. No doubt, these two designers have given us something to think about - male body image. Speaking as a young men adept to the rapidity of marketing, I believe men should be proud of their body no matter if they are striving for a better physique and health status or comfortable where they are. C'mon guys, stand with pride!

Images courtesy of Style.com

Paris Men's Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2014

Umit Benan, designer for his namesake label, protesting against racism

The deeper meanings behind what is presented by most fashion designers the world over are sometimes, or even most of the time, overshadowed by people's preference to disseminating what they'd like to wear and what seems weird and unattractive from that collection based on superficial reasons. Fads come and go within trends of fashion, but clothing is also a self-expression of yourself and what you believe no matter what is seen as vogue, and quite a few designers in the Parisian scene have done so throughout their Autumn/Winter 2014 collections. Besides this, designers have decided to tweak their aesthetic in interest of diversifying - an interesting accompaniment to the messages conveyed.

The Raf Simons "Fathers" jumper, aimed at America's powerful influence today

Raf Simons was the first designer to present a protesting collection, blatantly obvious that what was in question was America's reign of supremacy. In collaboration with artist Sterling Ruby, the pair presented a runway decorated with stars and stripes banners tied clumsily, and clothing baring pop culture symbols, surface images of the Moon defaced with fabric swatches and the word "Fathers" slapped mockingly throughout. It seems as though Raf is making clear how ridiculous it is that most people praise what America offers and not what their own culture does, and in essence, this collection is also mocking those who leave their homeland to pursue "The American Dream", whatever that is to that person. The combination of his expertly tailored garments with derisive symbols and words are true Raf Simons, but this time a more political stance has been taken.

Rick Owens' signature leather shoes

Rick Owens decided to show an appreciation towards traditional Middle-Eastern culture and acceleration of the unisex fashion movement that he propelled forward at the beginning of the 21st Century. Models wore headdresses reflective of the Hijab (or even Hindi or Christian religious headwear), a gender-bending element that is contrary to the fact that these are men, and possibly a stab at beautifying this cultural headwear that has stupidly offended narrow-minded people who believe that this is a sign of a terrorist. To finish off the looks, the men wore high knee leather shoes that are masculine, despite the common association of this style to women's fashion. Cutting gender stereotypes in fashion is tough, and sometimes is an acquired taste, I mean, look at J.W. Anderson's menswear collections. But, Rick has pulled this off with consideration of the fact that masculinity overshadowing femininity is more appealing to the mass. With an already complex vision that Mr. Owens holds, a collection that manages to reflect what men's fashion is nowadays - against the norm - is just what many fashion enthusiasts would've expected from this designer.

Paul Smith used Middle Eastern patterns throughout his collection

 Another designer that expressed their fascination with Middle Eastern culture is the kooky Paul Smith. Popular amongst young fashion conscious men who don a highly tailored but want comical elements throughout, the British designer has merged this identifiable design ethos with patterns derived from Kilim and Turkish rugs. Paul's signature eccentricities are also apparent, with a pieces of footwear and panelled garments featuring iridescent sequins. This collection is a incredibly reminiscent of Kenzo Takada's work - a mixture of iconic cultural pieces to celebrate multiculturalism and racial acceptance.

Thom Browne makeup

Issey Miyake's psychedelic patterns

Two designers that always stand out amongst the Paris scene are Thom Browne and Issey Miyake - the first consistently showing artwear collections that prove avant-garde is not limited to Haute Couture and womenswear, and the latter effortlessly executing minimalism with stylishly outrageous detailing. For Fall/Winter 2014, the two have somehow bounced off each other unknowingly, with pieces within their collections representing the modern hippy. The regained fascination with nature and its wonders in health, which has sparked the movement of veganism, is shown through Thom's ethereal florals and makeup. The visual culture that is associated with vegan, hippy and new age beliefs is seen in Issey Miyake - with a surprisingly more psychedelic collection than previous ones. 

Givenchy fashion show finale

View the complete collections on www.fashionising.com or www.style.com

Images courtesy of Fashionising and Style.com

Vogue Hommes Japan #9 Preview - Day 3

Thom Browne's creature like shoulders complement the fierce growl at the viewer

Fashion is always moving forward, or in this case moving back and forth, with the first of the Digital Covers for Vogue Hommes Japan # 9! The best of the men's Autumn/Winter 2012 collections are given life through a stop motion editorial, allowing men to see the garments from different angles and perspectives as opposed to still photography and the speedy movement of runway models, before they are released in boutiques worldwide!

Dries Van Noten's playful and artistic suits come alive

Burberry Prorsum's metallic jackets become more lustrous 

Riccardo Tisci's signature androgynous designs are swept up in a Marilyn Monroe-esque breeze

Louis Vuitton's poncho pin knits can be viewed in different angles

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL PREVIEW OF DAY 3

All images courtesy of Models.com

Day 5 - End of Paris Men's Fashion Week

It's the end of the Menswear FW runway shows for another season!

Paris ended with shows from Songzio, Rynshu, No Editions, Qasimi Homme, Arnys, Bill Tornade, and Agnes B. The main show of the day were Acne, Thom Browne and Lanvin.

The stand out collection for me was the one and only, Paul Smith, one of my favourite designers.

Paul Smith FW12

Images courtesy of Fashionising

Neon accents were what brought me to love this collection! I think neon colours are hard to incorporate into an outfit without looking tacky, but Paul Smith made the outfits with the neon accents. Something as simple as changing the front panel of a coat neon, replacing the handle of a man bag with neon leather or toning down the brightness with a woody neutral has influenced me to wear daring neon colours this coming season.

Finale, Dior Homme FW12

So it's time to say goodbye to another season of Men's runway shows, and await the day the pieces will be available for us to wear!

Au revoir Paris!