Sweetness and light

FINANCIAL TIMES MARCH 27/MARCH 28 2010
LIFE & ARTS 7
Style
Not afraid of the dark
It’s the epitome of cool or the colour of mourning: whatever your view, black has always appealed to men. By Josh Sims
I
t’s spring with pastel colours
bursting out all over, from florists and Easter baskets to
women’s fashion boutiques, but
there is one corner of the fashion
industry that is yet to see the light.
Men’s wear is staying firmly in the
black, and not for the first time. From
the monochrome spring/summer collections by Yves Saint Laurent, Hugo
Boss and Jil Sander to the trench
coats by Paul Smith and Dries Van
Noten, black is most definitely back.
Black has been the linchpin of men’s
fashion since the early 19th century,
as is revealed by the Masters of Black
in Fashion and Costume exhibition at
Modemuseum, Antwerp’s fashion
museum. Kaat Debo, the show’s curator, says: “What’s fascinating about
the colour is that it has had such
extreme connotations. It has, for
example, been the colour of sophistica-
tion – in the women’s wardrobe it’s
the Little Black Dress. But it has also
been the colour of mourning and, especially in men’s wear, of rebellious club
cultures, from goths and punks to
beatniks and existentialists.” The exhibition, which opened this week, celebrates black through painting, costume and contemporary fashion,
focusing on the work of designers such
as Chanel, Givenchy, Ann Demeulemeester and Olivier Theyskens.
For most men, black is simply a safe
colour to wear. Heti Gervis of Hargreaves-Gervis, who create colour palettes for the likes of the Gap and Marc
Jacobs, says: “Men are definitely getting braver in their wearing of colour,
but the call for black never quite goes
away. A quality black is hard to
beat.” As are its cultural references,
from Johnny Cash, to Will Smith and
Tommy Lee Jones as Men in Black
(1997). For, according to Debo, black
still makes a statement against fashion frivolity.
London-based tailor Nick Hart of
Spencer Hart, which a decade ago
launched on the premise of the “perfect black suit”, says, “There is little
Statement Man in black Johnny Cash
denying that black clothes are mysterious and slightly sinister, which men
are drawn to. But they also like it
because it’s easy. You can put black
clothes together without having to
think about it too much, and somehow look intellectual with it.”
Alexander Brenninkmeijer, designer
of cult fashion label Clemens en
August, says black is by far his bestselling colour.
Ermenegildo Zegna, the Italian
men’s wear label, has even developed
a high-performance fabric to address
one of the few bad things anyone ever
has to say about black: its tendency to
trap heat, not so good for the warmer
months. Zegna’s “cool effect” treatment allows darker woollen fabrics to
reflect 80 per cent of direct sunlight,
rather than the usual 20 per cent. The
result, says the company, is “impeccable appearance in hot climates”,
which means the opportunity to wear
black all year round.
But not all are convinced. “So sad,
so dead, so monotonous,” said French
poet Théophile Gautier in the early
19th century when black was similarly
in vogue. “So dull and tedious and
depressing,” said Oscar Wilde. Fast forward two centuries and some of those
sentiments are being echoed today.
Jeremy Hackett, founder of the eponymous brand, says: “I’ve never understood the appeal of black in men’s
wear, especially since these days you
can’t go into a restaurant wearing it
without being mistaken for the staff.
But what’s astounding is the number
of men who still like a black suit. It’s
safe, it suggests fashion without being
at all radical but is just so boring.
Maybe it’s fine if you’re twentysomething but it looks drab the older you
get. We had a salesman who used to
inform customers politely that the
only time for a man to wear black was
for a dinner suit or morning dress, and
I think he was right.”
On the other hand, as Brenninkmeijer of Clemens en August points
out, “The connotations of a man in
black are so rich, it’s always cool.”
‘Masters of Black in Fashion and
Costume’ at ModeMuseum Province of
Antwerp, Nationalestraat 28, B-2000
Antwerp
Details
www.clemensenaugust.com
www.hackett.com
www.momu.be
www.spencerhart.com
www.zegna.com
Sweetness and light
Need to know: spring’s delectable pastels
Versace
What? Think of a delicious teatime treat,
and then imagine what would happen if it
became one of the biggest catwalk
influences for spring. The macaroon may
be a mere Parisian petit-four to some, but
to the style world it is, apparently, a
beacon of sartorial enlightenment. Blush
pink, lilac, peppermint, lemon, vanilla –
you name the cake colour, they’ve applied
it to clothes. Yum.
Why? Maybe it was head-in-hands
boredom with those dismal recessionary
colours (black, black and more black);
maybe it was the perfect antidote to
military Balmania or the cult of Céline
Nina Ricci
Calvin Klein
Viktor & Rolf
Pringle of Scotland
Peter Pilotto
utilitarianism; or maybe designers just
spent too much time snacking on
macaroon-man Pierre Hermé’s chic little
cakes. Whatever the stimulus, shades so
saccharine they’ll give you a sugar rush
are inescapable this season, from
Burberry’s violet trenches to Tod’s
lavender totes. Wispy tulles and
feather-light chiffons only contribute to
the effect, and with frothy fabrics come
frothy silhouettes. Think Kirsten
Dunst-as-Marie Antoinette, lounging on a
settee amid mountains of pastries.
Where? Michael Kors and Christopher
Bailey at Burberry have the sweetest
teeth in the business, judging by their
predilection for ice-cream shades. At the
latter, pistachio, lavender, coffee and
vanilla were flavours of the month, as the
traditional trench and delicate twists of
tulle on short skirts and dresses were
given the gelato effect; at the former,
every shade between baby blue and sea
green had its spot on the catwalk, from
simple aquamarine shifts to easy-breezy
lime cardigan dresses perfect for a
weekend break in the Hamptons.
At Versace, Nina Ricci and Viktor & Rolf
floaty fabrics abounded, and
peachy-purples were ubiquitous, though,
admittedly, sometimes this look needs a
little toughening up as Versace
demonstrated with chunky wooden
platform sandals in primary shades, Nina
Ricci with a thick black patent belt
(kapow!), and Viktor & Rolf with a
crew-cut-sporting model. Though that may
be taking it a little far.
Should you invest? Pastels are a good
alternative to another big spring trend:
nudes. While the latter is hard for anyone
measuring under “olive” on the skin-tone
scale, pastels evoke a similar sense of
pale and interesting, just without the
related complexion challenges. The
problem is, done cheaply, pastels can
Christian Dior
look . . . well, cheap. In other words, if
tempted by a high-street fix, stick with
bridge brands (those with a slightly higher
price point), such as Whistles, Ghost,
Hoss Intropia and Hobbs (particularly their
hip NW3 line); you’ll be rewarded with
better shapes and fabrics. Jane
Shepherdson at Whistles, for instance, has
created a pale blue ruched dress with
quasi-Burberry fabric twists and turns, but
at £150 and in 100 per cent silk, it’ll leave
money for shoes. Which ones?
The patent lilac ones at Christian
Louboutin, where else?
Nicola Copping
Michael Kors
catwalking.com
Burberry Prorsum
Christopher Kane