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Argentina

Spring/Summer 2014: Fashion Week Faves in Men’s Shorts

by Greg Serebuoh

dsquared2 campaign

dsquared2-spring-summer-2014-campaign-marlon-teixeira

It’s officially spring, and though the weather on the east coast isn’t quite reflecting that, I figure I might as well give Mother Nature a gentle nudge in the right direction with some wishful thinking. In preparation for the inevitable coming of warm weather, I wanted to take a look at shorts in this year’s Spring collections. I’ve pulled together a list of some of the designers that caught my eye.

Nautica

I’m starting with Nautica for those of you who are looking for something stylish but not too crazy (because if you’ve read any of my past articles, you know I love a little crazy). Its nautical aesthetic is totally compatible with Spring/Summer fashion and makes for some great shorts.

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The Spring collection has a classic, relaxed feel but still manages to add a bit of edge with longer capri-style pants, colorful prints, and some subtle touches, like asymmetrical lines and pockets.

nautica ss 14 10nautica ss 14 6nautica ss 14 3

Nicholas K

I really enjoyed Nicholas K’s Spring collection. It has the sort of otherworldliness that I love, as I mentioned in my Future Fashion article, and the shorts feature a long, slender cut, unconventional lines, and a muted color palette.

Nicholas K SS14 3Nicholas K SS14 1Nicholas K SS14 2

Versace

Versace’s Spring collection brings sophistication, elegance, and flair to its shorts with bright hues and fine fabrics. I’ve also been noticing a tendency towards shorts well above the knee this season, which I’m liking.

versace ss14 1versace ss14 1versace ss14 3

Kenzo

I’m not 100% sure that I would personally wear the shorts from Kenzo’s Spring collection, but I like what they are doing visually, and I sure would love to see someone else rock these in a creative way. This season’s shorts capture the eye with lively prints and flowing fabrics.

kenzo ss14 1kenzo ss14 4kenzo ss14 2

Dolce & Gabbana

I am loving Dolce & Gabbana’s collection this season, particularly in the shorts department. Maybe it’s their Sicilian mythology theme (I am a huge mythology nerd), or perhaps it’s the fact that the collection makes me think of flashy, European beach style of the 1970s (one of my favorite decades in music and style).

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I’m also really loving the prevalence of warm hues and the sheen in the fabrics, which have me feeling like it’s already summer.

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And if you have the balls (literally and figuratively) to wear these “zungas,” as we’d call them in Argentina, I fully encourage it.

dolce ss14 4dolce ss14 5dolce ss14 2

 Sibling

Ok, now most of Sibling’s line is a little wilder than what I’d normally wear, but I love the playfulness and the energy of their work: exaggerated proportions, distorted lines, intricate knits, and pastel colors. At the end of the day, I appreciate an interesting aesthetic concept, even if I wouldn’t necessarily wear it, and I often find inspiration in work like this. I’d also live to model some of this stuff.

Sibling SS 14 7Sibling SS 14 9Sibling SS 14 4

I was (pleasantly) surprised to find what appear to be “sweater shorts,” which are probably completely impractical but also kind of amazing, in their Fall/Winter collection. It all seems very fun and free.

Sibling FW 14 1Sibling FW 14 4Sibling FW 14 2

I also think it’s great that they obviously encourage their models to smile. I’ve been asked to smile on the runway before, and it ain’t always easy, but it’s definitely a welcome departure from the usual pomp. In any case, the spring collection has a few pairs of shorts that I’d actually consider wearing myself.

Sibling SS 14 6Sibling SS 14 3Sibling SS 14 5

Phillipp Plein

Phillipp Plein’s Spring collection has some of my favorite shorts this season. The collection draws its inspiration from the casino world.

phillipp plein ss14 8phillipp plein ss14 3phillipp plein ss14 9

The German designer’s line merges elegant high fashion, sexy urban swag, and a fun, sporty functionality.

phillipp plein ss14 1phillipp plein ss14 7phillipp plein ss14 2

Viktor & Rolf

The Spring Lookbook for Viktor & Rolf got my attention because the collection and the model are giving me Sexy-Harry-Potter-Hogwarts-Upscale-Prep-School Realness in the best possible way. The shorts are cut longer and are designed like dress slacks with fine fabrics.

ViktorRolf SS14 3ViktorRolf SS14 2ViktorRolf SS14

Dsquared2

Dsquared2 is probably my favorite collection this season in terms of shorts. Their aesthetic always feels very New York chic to me, and nothing gets me hot like New York chic!

dsquared2 ss14 2dsquared2 ss14 5dsquared2 ss14 7

This season’s theme was “Island Paradise,” but the collection still manages to feel very urban upscale. It also features several well-fitted, high-cut shorts, which I have been fancying lately.

dsquared2 ss14dsquared2 ss14 3dsquared2 ss14 8

So think warm thoughts, make a spring wardrobe shopping list, and imagine yourself lounging on some warm beach in a pair of sexy shorts. Soon enough the seasons will actually change, and your bare legs will once again see the light of day!

Filed Under: FASHION, LIFESTYLE, STYLE Tagged With: Argentina, art, Beach, beachwear, capris, creative, Dolce & Gabbana, Dsquared2, fashion, Germany, island, Italy, Kenzo, model, mythology, Nautica, NEW YORK, Nicholas K, paradise, Phillipp Plein, season, shorts, Sibling, spring, ss14, style, summer, swimsuit, swimwear, Urban, Versace, Viktor & Rolf

100% Sexy: When Pride Becomes a Fashion Statement

by Greg Serebuoh

Power Is Sexy Shot

Tom Middleton

What do I love so much about 100%G?

Ever since I’d first heard about it, I had been trying to find the answer to that question. I met Peruvian photographer César Mansilla Sialer on a photo shoot for a swimwear campaign I was modeling for, and he was, as I like to say, the answer to all questions, so we stayed friends. It was César who first hipped me to 100%G (or OHP), a designer from his hometown of Lima.

Its design concept was straightforward. Skillfully cut, limited edition T-shirts made from soft, Peruvian cotton with simple words printed on the front.

G Shirt     Grey Shirt

Its online presence [NSFW] and marketing were equally straightforward. Witty and irreverent posts about boys, sex, and fun, pics of guys around the world sporting their gear, and campaigns that had a raw, DIY quality, like stealthy captures of those genuine, private moments, of modeling a new favorite outfit or dancing with total abandon in front of the mirror before a night out on the town (you know you do it too). Still, there was something more that drew me in.

It certainly helped that the face of its campaign was my old friend Tom Middleton, one of the former stars of Fuerza Bruta and current cast member of Hombre Vertiente. Tom’s devastatingly handsome looks, radiant smile, and tangible kindness made the shots effortlessly steamy.

Tom Middleton Campaign

 Tom Middleton Campaign 4     Tom Middleton Campaign 2

The fact that the shirts framed the male form perfectly didn’t hurt either. And yet, there was more.

I still hadn’t figured it out, but I knew I had to be in on it, so I reached out to 100%G and ordered a couple of shirts from its latest campaign, “Party Animals.”

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As I pulled my new shirts out of their packaging, reveling in the feel of the soft, smooth fabric against my fingers, my eye caught the writing on the inner printed tag: “One Hundred Percent Gay. One Hundred Percent Love.” G is for Gay? Apparently I had missed something key.

Pool Shot

I took a look at its website: “Made 100% for the gay community. In Lima, we noticed an absence of trendy, fun, cool clothes made with the gay person in mind. That’s when the idea for 100%G began. We make our shirts using 100% Peruvian gay cotton, some of the best fabric in the world.”

Wish You Were Queer Shirt     Screen shot 2011-12-23 at 7.41.20 PM

First of all, clap clap clap and snap snap snap for the use of the term “gay cotton.”

But seriously, as I got a glimpse into the thinking behind the brand, everything began to come together for me, and I found my answer.

I love 100%G because it is deliciously sexy. If you know me well, you know that I love sex, not only as a physical act in which to partake (often…very often) but also as an idea. Sex or sexiness for me has to do with a lot more than just naked bodies and dim lighting or indeed marriage and heavy promises. It is a basic energy that courses through all of life, and 100%G taps into that fundamental energy in order to encourage a different kind of (gay) pride, more human, more inclusive, more complex, less complicated.

Party Animals Campaign

The irreverence. The unabashed, playful sensuality. The unapologetic attitude, free of rigid definitions and precarious binaries. And the beauty. Real beauty. The kind that comes not just from a pretty face and a hot body, but from an easy smile, a mischievous nature, a relaxed poise. Beauty that isn’t afraid to get messy, silly, or frisky. Beauty that doesn’t take itself too seriously because it knows that it’s here to stay.

100%G says that it is “STRAIGHT FRIENDLY.” Of course it is. Because the sexiness that it ascribes to is the kind that Idris Elba can wear just as easily. Or James Franco. Or Legolas Greenleaf (proud geek here). Or Lupita Nyong’o. Or you. It’s the guys and girls that turn you on, not just with their looks or what they say, but with the titillating ease with which they live in their own space. An uncomplicated confidence that is flexible, free, and universal.

Damian Fox      Loverboy Shirt

At the base of the blog entries, the campaigns, the aesthetic, and the fashion design is this basic principle. I interviewed 100%G to get a bit more insight into their vision.

Tell me how 100%G began.

OHP was born out of a design project created by El Cartel Design Ghetto, out of a need not only to create a product that was commercially viable but also to communicate an idea. We strive to use skillful design to represent a lifestyle. We want to represent the gay lifestyle in a fun and light way.

Party Animals 2     Party Animals 3

Your campaigns and your branding seem to have a very specific intention. What inspires your choices in that regard?

We openly celebrate gay lifestyles and the idea of facing everything with a positive attitude. It has been an interesting task since we are based in Peru, which is a really conservative country. Even so, we’ve been noticing an incredible trend in the country, thousands of guys are coming out of the closet, and we obviously wanted to do what we could to make sure they were well represented.

What does it mean to be sexy?

Sexy is being exactly who you are. It’s being true to yourself in words and actions. It’s being part of a multifaceted, global community. Sexy is being proud of who you are.

Red T-Shirt 1      Power Is Sexy Shot

Tell me about your current campaign.

Our current campaign is in dialogue with the issues that face our community today. We’re using it to support 100% Equality.

 One Hundred Percent Summer

 

Filed Under: FASHION, LGBT, LIFESTYLE, STYLE Tagged With: Argentina, Cesar Mansilla Sialer, Coming out, community, cosmopolitan, design, designer, Equality, fashion, Fuerza Bruta, gay, Hombre Vertiente, Idris Elba, james franco, Latin, Latin America, Legolas, lgbt, lifestyle, Lima, lord of the rings, love, Lupita Nyong'o, nightlife, Orlando Bloom, party, Peru, queer, sensuality, sex, sexuality, style, t shirt, tee, Tom Middleton

Fashion Flash-Forward: The Future in Fashion

by Greg Serebuoh

Ulrico - The Visitors - G7 3

Manhattan Psycho

I am admittedly a sci-fi nerd. The other day I was reading about jazz musician, performance artist, and Afrofuturist philosopher Sun Ra and his iconic work Space Is the Place.

Sun Ra Head Dress 2     Sun Ra Head Dress 1

It got me thinking about the fact that futurism has continued to find its way into fashion and aesthetic concepts, from Jean Paul Gaultier’s costume design for The Fifth Element to singer Janelle Monae’s Metropolis cycle.

Janelle Monae - Electric Lady     Fifth Element - Gaultier

Fifth Element - Ruby Rhod     Janelle Monae - Archandroid

Something about the distant future inspires us to imagine new possibilities and make bolder aesthetic choices. When I was researching for my performance piece about an extra-dimensional traveler, Arken: Searching for Wonder, I sought out images of futuristic fashion for inspiration. Here are a few images and designers that excite my mind.

This editorial from Numéro Homme called “Manhattan Psycho” effortlessly merges classic style with a sci-fi sensibility.

Manhattan Psycho 7Manhattan Psycho 6Manhattan Psycho 3

Coco and Breezy’s entire line of edgy accessories has futuristic overtones, but its “20/20” campaign is all about what accessorizing will mean in the future: “‘Planet C &&B’ is a world that consists only of fresh air and extreme sunlight where normal eyes cannot stand to view without being covered.”

Coco and Breezy 2Coco-and-Breezy-20-20-The-949

Kay Kwok presented some out-of-this-world design concepts at his FW14 fashion week show in London. I don’t know if I’d wear this stuff on a regular trip to the grocery store, but I wouldn’t mind owning one of those visors, and I’m sure I’d cause a splash if I received dinner guests in that ET two-piece.

Kay Kwok AW14 1Kay Kwok AW14 2

Lee Roach’s line has a much more subtle sci-fi flavor as he makes use of shiny materials and contemplates how our evolution will result in more streamlined fashion, by eliminating collars and lapels, for example.

lee roach fw 14 3lee roach fw 14 4lee roach fw 14 6

Nasir Mazhar‘s FW14 collection updates men’s sportswear by exploring geometric shapes, distorted lines, quirky accessories, and shiny space suit sheen.

Nasir Mazhar AW14 1Nasir Mazhar AW14 2

In the “Warriors” editorial, Holly Fox-Lee imagines how modern-day hip hop style might evolve, fusing  it with an ancestral tribal aesthetic and taking it to extremes in terms of shape, scale, and materials.

Holly Fox Lee 2     holly fox lee

Holly Fox Lee 3     Holly Fox Lee 1

This editorial called “The Visitors” in G7 magazine features my buddy Ulrico Eguizábal, who I met while I was modeling in Argentina. Not only does it use the concept of alien “visitors” to play with size and shape, but it also imagines a future style that challenges our current gender norms in fashion (thank goodness), using elements typically associated with femininity, like shoulder pads and long flowing fabrics, to highlight the male form in a fascinating new way.

Ulrico - The Visitors - G7 3Ulrico - The Visitors - G7 2

Some of my favorite futuristic designs (and the ones I’d be most likely to wear in day-to-day life) come from Skingraft, which makes nuanced use of a lot of the earlier-mentioned elements, geometric shapes, extraterrestrial mystique, and interesting combinations of materials.

skingraft 1skingraft 4Skingraft 2

skingraft 3skingraft-collection-automne-hiver-2012-2013_80597_w460Skin Graft AW 12 Draped Shirt

Finally, INAISCE is one of my personal favorite designers right now, in part because it incorporates futurism into its larger design concept to create clothing that is arresting, undeniably unique, and totally wearable. Not only do I absolutely love the campaign for Fall/Winter 2013, but I’m also ecstatic to see another tall African model, South Sudan native Ger Duany, take center stage with his beautiful, otherworldly features. Africans unite!

INAISCE 2INAISCE 3INAISCE 4

INAISCE 1INAISCE 7INAISCE 5

 

Filed Under: FASHION, LIFESTYLE, STYLE Tagged With: Africa, Afrofuturism, alien, Argentina, Arken: Searching for Wonder, artistic, Bruce Willis, catwalk, Coco and Breezy, creative, Editorial, ET, experimental, extraterrestrial, fashion, Fashion Week, futurism, FW14, G7, Ger Duany, hip hop, Holly Fox-Lee, INAISCE, inspiration, janelle monae, jazz, Jean Paul Gaultier, Jona, Kay Kwok, Lee Roach, London, Milla Jovovich, Nasir Mazhar, Numero Homme, NYFW, performance, runway, sci-fi, Skingraft, South Sudan, Space Is the Place, style, Sun Ra, The Fifth Element, The Ones 2 Watch, The Visitors, Tribal, Ulrico Eguizabal

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