As waiters presenting flutes of champagne and other hors d’oeuvre drifted in and out of the Les Hommes boutique at Via Bergamo, 6 – 20135 Milan on 20th June, the crowd observed the stellar debut of Tom Notte and Bart Vandebosch latest collection .

The design duo’s Spring 2011 collection for the brand was a solid outing in tailoring with pieces include safari shirts and jackets, a black tuxedo jacket with sleeves that held a certain sheen. Printed t-shirts were paired with drop-crotch trousers. Other standout pieces included snakeskin print shorts and a shirt as well as a waxed tuxedo jacket with a golden metallic finish. Even more interest was added with pipping in colorful shades added on other neutral separates.

The wardrobe of the Les Hommes man is in an interesting palette filled with tones of sage green, brown, and khaki among others. It wasn’t all neutrals at the brand’s Spring 2011 presentation, however, there were vibrant pops of orange, purple, yellow, and other perfect-for-the-summer shades. Along with the clothing, there was an array of shoes and other accessories including ties and belts that were a great addition to the rest of the showing.

The menswear brand also showcased a lovely array of clothing to suit your other half. The women’s clothes kept the same color palette as the men’s, which made for a beautiful collection of looks. These looks included pieces like a clear trench coat, perfect for brightening up a rainy day, to an orange dress with masterful draping topped off with a velvet bow, great for date night.

While it’s always nice to see a collection coming down the runway on live models, Les Hommes did a superb job managing to keep us just as happy in a presentation setting.

Les Hommes Spring 2011, taken by Homme Times

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In their second season after making their runway debut back in January, Dominic Nutt and Andreas Nøhr walk Milan fashion week for the first time. Their first shows in Italy’s fashion capital being, Costume National.

Backstage, the men are prepped before their first steps out onto the runway, after the initial walk-through prior to the show.

Baring a slightly saddened nonchalant expression on his face, Dominic Nutt hails from Models 1.

Walking Christopher Shannon last season, and Z Zegna in Milan this season.

Also known as Andreas Nøhr Christiansen, the Danish model with naturally pursed lips comes from Unique in Denmark. Making his first catwalk appearance in Paris a few months ago, walking edgier designers such as Julius and Juun.J.

This season Andreas has walked Damir Doma, Julius, Shirt by Comme des Garçons, as well as Costume National.

Both certainly hold interesting looks, piquing your eye’s interest.

What do you think about them?

[Images by Homme Times]

“Taking creasing, like creased garments, and extreme creasing them, so that they will last a lifetime. They already looked like they were creased, and they will be there as if you shoved them at the bottom of your bag for a lifetime”, the words of Neil Barrett on his breathlessly light, yet strong, Spring 2011 collection.

Boldly highlighting the transition from the darkened power of Fall 2010 by displaying his most recent works in a very spacious and serene venue, set with no more than 2-3 rows per section, Barrett further expands on his aesthetic and noted use of graphic colors. In high contrast, black takes to white when classically collared cotton shirts are fused with black strips of leather, and collarless shirts become loosened, paired with settled trousers.

Stating that he was to create “something a bit more easy, more loose but at the same time trying to create loose, but something that doesn’t look like a sack”, relaxed singled-breasted and doubled breasted suits were re-worked in lighter fabrics, shrunken to create both new proportion, silhouette and feel. While, transparencies gained hard-edge by the addition of supple leather patches at shoulder, topping padded trousers that aided in capturing the designer’s beloved message of hard and soft.

The collection’s classic strength is gained through the timeless militrial influences of well-tailored jackets, still light, and multi-buttoned pieces often featuring military-styled buttoned shoulders.

The shoulders in which also played a vital role in the strength of the women’s looks that featured leaner and sexier silhouettes, strong, gaining an edgy softness through transparent legging worn with heels.

By far creating some of the most outstanding footwear personally seen this season, Barrett describes his arrival at the cut-out shoes by mentioning, “we’ve taken a lot of types of shoes and chopped them together…taking for example, a jellybean sandal in leather, then chop that up and put it with a desert boot”.

Truly, astonishing.

Neil Barrett Spring 2011, taken by Homme Times

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Designer’s Maurizio Modica & Pier Francesco Giliotti delivered a fun and cheeky collection for their Spring 2011 outing at Frankie Morello.

Frankie Morello man’s wardrobe now consists of pieces like a t-shirt that reads “F*** Me I’m Frankie Morello’s”, colorful scuba gear, and even more colorful prints that translated onto suits and jackets.

Realizing that scuba gear won’t cut it in the city, the brand offered up some more reserved pieces, including things such as two-tone blazers, pinstripe shirts with bow-ties, and a bomber jacket complete with red and white pinstripe detailing. The standout piece for me, however, was the black bolero made of leather and ringlets paired with the dark denim jeans. At the end of the show, the models strolled out in swim trunks, as the per the usual for Morello showigs.

I give the designers behind Frankie Morello credit for showing us one of the most entertaining collections of the week, but also for managing to throw a little wearability into the mix.

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After bidding adieu to the constraint of traditional runway displays for the house’s menswear line, back in Spring 2009, Marni designer Consuelo Castiglioni continues to find strength and control within presentations.

Extending the Marni man’s very minimal wardrobe to include more graphic patterns in recent collections, For Spring 2011, Castiglioni marches forward with familiar shapes, restructuring age-old basics to form a fresh and youthful look.

Using a play in proportion to carry out the task of complimenting the Marni aesthetic of a natural approach to dressing, tops come bonded together as one, both in different lengths to make for a feeling of ‘layering for comfort’, as jackets are shorted with sleeves rolled up.

Going strong after quite a few seasons of not presenting a non-slightly cropped trouser, the length of your standard pant, now featuring double-buttons at crotch, still remains reduced, yet cut to achieve the right meeting of comfort and professionalism. Producing lengthier shorts than what appears to be the norm in Milan, pleated shorts reflect the designer’s love of contrast by appearing with a check pattern and ombré effect.

Fully taking the Marni man to new leaps and bounds.

Tomek Szczukiecki & Matthew Hitt at the Marni Spring 2011 presentation, shot by Homme Times

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