More Pattern Placement

In Europe we saw patterned suits dominate the tailored category for S12. New York brands take patterns to a new level with a casual selection of patterned shorts. Plaid and ethnic motifs are noted.

Destination: Spring 12 Menswear

Of all the places to go in Spring 12, designers in Milan and Paris fall generally in two camps: cultural escapes or beachy locales. Of course these destinations are divided into several expressions, positioned far far away or just maybe right in your backyard. Here’s a glimpse of my favorite travel-centric themes from Milan and Paris. Dive into these and many more on Fashion Snoops.

GLOBE TROTTER. Perhaps the furthest geographical theme, Globe Trotter takes an abundance of various cultural references for a rich look. D&G does it best, fashioning an entire collection based on silk scarves.

D&G, Acne, Etro, Canali, D&G

SAFARI HOLIDAY. Luxury brands stick to a given commercial winner with a safari inspired theme. As I mentioned during runway, the safari jacket is a key takeaway.

YSL, Corneliani, Ferragamo, Louis Vuitton, Ferragamo

RIVIERA. And now onwards to beach destination. Designers in both Milan and Paris escape to the Mediterranean with some beautiful ink blue and white patterns and tidy blazers. Side note: there’s also a strong nautical current in the air, with all the classic seafarer references in tow.

Etro, Kenzo, Z Zegna, Etro, Agnes B

HAWAIIAN TROPICS. Set to an island breeze (and frozen drink in hand), tropical patterns whisk designers away this season. Of note is Givenchy’s bird-of-paradise motif, which I’m sure we’ll see more of (hint: S12 womenswear).

Givenchy, Jean Paul Gaultier, Givenchy, Jean Paul Gaultier, Kenzo

BLUE HAWAII. Here’s a Hawaii that’s slightly less tropical and more campy. Prada is the major force that reflects the Elvis film of the 60s which bares the same name. Part golf inspired and part Americana, cheeky Hawaiian prints take on an ultra bright color spectrum.

Prada, Enrico Coveri, Prada, Prada, Moschino

MALIBU. Welcome to the Hotel California. Fashion Snoops insiders will know that we forecasted a California theme in the not-so-distant past. In Paris both Wooyoungmi and Adam Kimmel referenced a laid-back SoCal lifestyle with subtle surf references.

Wooyoungmi, Adam Kimmel, Wooyoungmi, Wooyoungmi, Wooyoungmi

What’s Doin? Men’s Summer Retail

In case you missed last week’s May Retail Overview on Fashion Snoops, here’s a glimpse of my favorite trends for guys this summer. Ever since Spring 11 merchandise hit retailers, it has been a extremely commercial season. It certainly continues into summer with leading directions including utilitarian – a hybrid of safari/military reference – and sweat box which extends well beyond sweatpants. Ink blue is THE must-have base color; not to mention a nice shift away from black. Items stick to familiar territory such as cargo bottoms and plaid shirts. Screens consistently add interest such as new skull applications and industrial references. Discover these and a total of 33 trends here.

Your Art Here, at H&M

In the time of graduation fashion shows and a few indie designer lawsuits, it’s nice to hear that H&M is embracing artwork and recognizing artists. H&M held a contest called Your Art Here, which encouraged students to submit their work. Using crowdsourcing, the top 25 pieces with the most votes were selected and then judged by fab bloggers like Allison McNamara from FabSugar and WhoWhatWear and BryanBoy, who needs no introduction. 5 winners were then chosen and their artwork will be printed on t-shirts and displayed in H&M’s NYC store on 5th Avenue and 42nd later this summer. The selection also marks the beginning of H&M’s Your Art Here t-shirt line. For more graphic inspiration, I encourage you to explore the HUNDREDS of pieces of artwork on the website.

Hair by Kevin Fuhrmann

have heart by Rockie Nolan

Nat in Blue by Jordan Tiberio

Untitled by Beth Zimmerman

Watch me glitter in the limelight by Myla Angela Cruz

Who Killed Bambi by aleXandro Palombo

I can’t stop laughing. Leave it to aleXsandro Palombo to keep the fashion industry amused. Here at Fashion Snoops, we’ve been a fan of his work ever since we first spotted the collaboration between him and Parisian brand ELEVEN PARIS, depicting our favorite editrix and designer friends on graphic t-shirts. Some of aleXsandro Palombo’s newest “Humor Chic” work portrays everyone’s favorite Disney deer – Bambi – in a series of illustrations from “No Fur” Fendi ad campaigns to The Day After Bambi Is Dead (shot by Karl Lagerfeld), Anna Wintour in Bambi Is Dead, André Leon Talley in I LOVE FUR and more. Hysterical! Someone please tell me that these graphics will show up at the next Bread & Butter show.

Bonus: See all the Bambi illustrations HERE plus a very special Bambi series on Pippa Middleton.

Marbleing at Liberty F11

Eeeeee, it’s here! The Fall 11 menswear shows kick off tomorrow in Milan, although we’ve been at Pitto Uomo in Florence all week long.

Here, a glimpse of Liberty of London’s Fall 11 collection shown in London, which features a Middle Eastern reference by way of dropped crotch pants (more commercial than last season’s dhoti’s) and beautiful marbleized prints.

Jonathan Adler for 7 For All Mankind

Interior design powerhouse Jonathan Adler joined forces with 7 For All Mankind for a limited edition collection. The men’s and women’s denim and sportswear collections consist of three cheeky themes: DELUXE, RUSTIC and POP, though there isn’t much visible difference from each – aside from one stemming off the color tangerine, another with geometric prints and the other with polos. The denim isn’t really the focus here, rather iconic patterns such as bamboo and Acapulco prints take center stage. The line lands in 7 For All Mankind boutiques this week and is also sold on the brand’s website.

Rock On

While rock n roll imagery is nothing new, a new brand called Archive 1887 has some pretty rad tee shirts headed to a Barney’s near you. The brand is the brainchild of Sony Music and its in-house merchandising company, The Thread Shop. So how exactly is this different from say House of the Gods or any other band tee shirt in your closet? Well, Sony being Sony has never-before-seen photos and artwork dating back to 1887. A few of our friends like David Bowie, Janis Joplin and Santana are featured in the lineup.

The line launches in Barney’s New York next week and retails from $49 – $58. There are also a few add-ons, like a code placed on hangtags that can be used online to access a streaming playlist of the artist or a key sold with every tee that can be worn as a charm.

Tim Hamilton Messes With Karl and Friends

Because we have not yet tired of a good ironic fashion tee (thank you Henry Holland for starting it with Fashion Groupies), Tim Hamilton has joined forces with L.A. artist Victor Antonio for the artist’s REDUX label. The result is a paparazzi-style play on fashion icons with scribbles and such. The collection is set to debut this Fall.

Rogues Gallery x John Bartlett

For the second time, Rogues Gallery has teamed up with John Bartlett for a capsule collection known as RG/JB. The summer collection is said to be inspired by gladiators and baths of the ancient Mediterranean, as opposed to grizzly bears from last season. The line will consist of vintage tees, tanks and accessories, ranging from $55 – $75. The collection will be sold in Bartlett’s Greenwich Village store. While we have yet to see photos, the idea of steamy gladiators in ancient baths sounds just right for summer.