S H O W 2 0 1 3

This weekend I attended the Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts' Fashion Department graduation show. As you may know, the Antwerp Academy is regarded as one of the most influential fashion schools in the world, and alumni mostly end up at the helm of major fashion houses or acclaimed labels of their own. From first-years to master students: everyone who survives this tough course gets to show what they're made of during a  high energy runway show, lasting for over four hours. I decided to focus on the menswear that was shown, but it goes without saying that the womenswear was of a most outstanding level as well. 

Seeing this show is like shuffling fashion tarot cards. Trying to find out which designer is going to be so maj one day that you can smugly be all like: 'Yah, I saw his/her graduate collection 5 years ago, I knew that shit was gonna pop off'. Shows like this may be all about the talent of tomorrow, but I must say I already loved much of what I saw today. 

EMMANUEL ANTOINE RYNGAERT

Emmanuel must have been the busiest queen bee in the hive last weekend. Not only did he put out his own collection, since he's signed with top modeling agency Dominique Models he also walked the runway for just about every other designer that night. His collection 'Welcome to the Park' smacked the gender binary right in the face with towering cage heels, purple croc and fur jackets and logo-spraypainted headscarves. His lace trousers confirm the statement that men's lace - also championed by London designers Astrid Andersen and J.W. Anderson - isn't going anywhere. 

CASPER WERNER

Casper Werner's 'Bad Education' collection was one of my favourites of the night. The boiler suit bustiers paired with turtle necks, the trainers and the cinched waists gave these looks quite  a minimal feel in comparison to the other collections, but that didn't make me notice them less. The styling was very on-point, and even though Werner is only in his second year, it's clear he already has a very distinct sense of where he is headed. 

JANINA HOFFMAN

Outerwear to die for. Janina Hoffman combines texture and silhouette in a dramatic but instantaneously likeable way. The puffiness of the sleeves, the roundness of the shoulderline is paired flawlessly with vibrant prints and high-gloss fabrics. 

MARIE-SOPHIE BEINKE

Beinkes highly covetable snapbacks paired with contrast-print long coats give her 'Villagetown' collection an interesting streetwear nod, juxtaposed by references to religion (a wooden cross harness and rosaries) and a play on gender norms (the lace detailing and sheer long skirts). Decidedly current and very well-executed.

BENJI WONG

The internets have come to play with this one. Benji Wong's 'That Paradise Would Be a Meme' collection is Tumblr come alive: the silver platform sneakers, the TNGHT soundtrack, the caps and tabards lined with strips of pink, yellow and metallic silver. It's a kick up the arse and I am so here for it.

ERAN SHANNY

The bold metallics of Eran Shanny's 'Cabinet of Curiosities' are a visual treat. Showing skill in tailoring (the billowy draping of those stiff fabrics), cut (the suiting and lilac mohair trousers) and embroidery (the beetle jumper and brooch appliqués); the Israeli-born designer has created an army of liquidy smooth men that look like futuristic royalty.

YENS CUYVERS

For the 'Bravo Foxtrot' collection, Cuyvers' men walked fiercely and without reserve. The studded moss-coloured rubber sleeves, the fur hats and cross-emblazoned kilts herald quite a visceral darkness that is equal parts kink and regal. 

Shout-out to my man Mike for crawling down the runway on all-fours and to the amazing Mr. Walter Van Beirendonck for sitting right across from me.

DEVON HALFNIGHT LEFLUFY

I already knew Devon Halfnight Leflufy had great taste when he cast my boyfriend to be a fit model for his master's collection earlier this year (insert winking emoji here), but 'True Believer' just made my jaw drop. With gospel hands in the air I saw the most amazing coats with laser cut leather appliqués, intricate embroidery  on jumpers and pastel palm tree sweatpants. Inspired by L.A. teen queens, hip hop (the Trinidad James soundtrack just brought it home) and matched with artwork by Brian Kokoska, Leflufy's graduate collection just leaves me dizzy with excitement. I know my fam over at KNOTORYUS loves Leflufy as well, so be sure to check out their upcoming interview with him.

DIMITRI ARVANITIS

Pony hair shorts in the richest of hues, glossy prints of contorted faces, oversized clutches and shift dresses paired with calf-length boots lend this collection an air of sophistication that is anything but crude. The neckscarves, cut of the pink trousers and shift dresses gave me slight AW13 Raf Simons meets J.W. Anderson vibes which indicates a mindframe similar to the industry greats. I'm quite intrigued to find out what Arvanitis will put out next.

MATTIA VANSEVEREN

Vanseveren's 'Play Time' collection was the most ready-to-sell of the evening. With an intelligent play on colourblocking and outerwear tailoring, the commercial viability of these garments is quite evident. The yellows, blues and greens of the collection had a naïve appeal that ran all the way through to the shoes co-produced with Sacha.  

Shout-out to Maarten Convens, the young androgynous male model that I was enraptured with all night. He's going places, for sure.

All images by me.

LC:M SS14! IT'S FASHION CODE, Y'ALL.

What the what, tomorrow it's time for London Collections: Men again! The last edition was pretty stellar. Remember those Sibling giant mittens? The all-dalmatian-everything Joe Turvey designs or Bobby Abley's spacey teddy bears? Matthew Miller's 'Born To Fail' jumpers? The list goes on and on, there was so much to marvel at. No doubt there'll be some seriously gorgeous stuff this time around as well, so for the fourth time now you can enjoy all the action right here! The schedule is more jam-packed than ever (which isn't always a good thing), but the least you can say is that London menswear is officially no longer overlooked. Enjoy!

THAT CARRARA LIFE

I'm still quite strongly in my 'all marble everything' phase that planted its seeds with SS09 Jil by Raf, peaked in that great AW12 KENZO collection and has now led me to my latest azzezzory: a new iPhone case, inspired by Izzy. The ever so kind Bram of Fotocover had this made for me, and I love it. Peeps be like: "Why is he using a rock to make phone calls"? 

I have fooled them all.

JAY FOR A DAY

2013 is quickly proving to be the year of The Great Gatsby. With the much anticipated cinematic reinterpretation by Baz Luhrmann coming out next month, fashion's all agog about the Art Déco Roaring Twenties style that defines the novel and weaves are being torn out due to the extreme amazingness of the film's soundtrack curated by Jay-Z. If you haven't read the book - you really should, it's quite thin and an excellent summer read - this is the plot in one sentence:

It's the summer of 1922 and this guy from the Midwest, Nick, moves to Long Island and his neighbour is the mysterious Mr Gatsby who throws massive parties but never attends them and there are other characters and then something happens to his mistress and it's all about the emptiness of the upper class and there's a green light and yay symbolism! 

So when Eurostar invited me to pop down to Jermyn Street in London for a day in the life of Jay Gatsby, I was quite tickled to accept. Fashion field trip! Watch what happens when five bloggers (I was joined by Gilles, Jonas, Karen and Bram) get together for an outing across the Channel (spoiler alert: lots of staring through a lens / at a smartphone). Like Japanese tourists, only worse and at least the Japanese get to wear those cool beige fisher hats with the chin straps. Are you ready? Let's do this!

Early on a Saturday morning this tiny group of bloggers boarded the Eurostar Business Premier carriage to St. Pancras, acting precisely as a group businessmen would on a serious excursion: yapping excitedly, taking instagrams of everything and debating whether or not to embezzle the tiny jam pot that came with the lovely breakfast ("But it's so tiny! So bloody tiny!"). Karen and Bram fell asleep before we even got there. It was a very refined affair, if you must know.

Upon our arrival we took off to Jermyn Street, where our first stop would be the grand shirtmaker's house of Turnbull & Asser. Famed for their high quality shirts with a signature coloured body and prim white collars and cuffs; they were Gatsby's favourites. We chatted to Mr Steven Quinn, who personally holds the Royal Warrant for the brand, and he showed us around the plush store. Turnbull & Asser dressed the likes of Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan, Charlie Chaplin and more recently Daniel Craig in Casino Royale and even Marc Jacobs. 

Mr Steven Quinn, who fondly remembers Robert Redford's visit to the store when they were fitting him for the classic 1974 version of The Great Gatsby: "He came into the store in a simple black t-shirt, I'll never forget that. You immediately knew he was a star, he just looked so cool."

Mia Farrow simply could not hold in 'all the feels' when Redford would throw his £200 Turnbull shirts at her. We fondled the fabrics some more but then it was time to head down to Favourbrook, for a look at their Gatsby suit selection! 

Favourbrooks take on the quintessential Gatsby summer suit. It's all about the white linen, you guys. But only the smart tailored kind that doesn't make you look like a retired flower child on a patchouli-picking pilgrimage.

After all this sartorial jolliness, it was time for a delightful lunch at Franco's. They had created a custom Gatsby menu for little old us, with a special rose-infused Gatsby cocktail. Which was highly appropriate, for old Jay was all about the drink. 

After a delectable lunch, we simply crossed the street to Bates, the hatter responsible for that archetypal Gatsby 'newsboy cap'. That cap was introduced in America by Irish immigrants and was Gatsby's way of connecting to his past. The newsboy caps he wore were rich in fabric, but working class in heritage. So we got our heads measured up, knit ties were purchased and Binks the taxidermy cat added just the right amount of unsettling Old World class every hatmaker should aim for. The staff was pleasantly accommodating and seemed to take genuine pride in their job, a fact I noticed in most of the Jermyn Street stores we would saunter into that day. The way the Bates salesmen addressed eachother ("If you could pass me a size 50 Panama, please, kind sir?") was really quite endearing. 

Ah, not quite pulling that off now are we, Immi? No time to waste, on to the last stop! So we have our suit, our shirt and our hat. All we still need are...

Exactly. So we headed over to Foster & Son, founded in 1840 and London's oldest established shoemakers. Making bespoke shoes for any client with the time (and funds), these craftsmen- and women use the same age-old techniques they have since the 19th century. You literally stand on a piece of paper, they draw the outline of your feet and then they get to work. Again, it was fascinating to see young people show such dedication to an ancient skill. Reassuring, even. 

As we left the store, a heavy rain started pouring down. Ah, London, you cold mistress. I love you.