Table of contents for Style Fall/Winter 2018 in Da Man

Change in the fashion industry is as inevitable as the march of the seasons. Naturally, this also goes for the people whose talent and vision have literally shaped our perception of style. While changes in personnel happen all the time even in the most storied maisons, it’s hard not to feel as if we’ve just witnessed a major shift in talent across the entire industry. And as a result, this fall/winter 2018/19 season sees the last creations of Kim Jones for Louis Vuitton, Kris Van Assche for Dior Homme, Christopher Bailey for Burberry and many more. This is not the first time that the top talents of these houses have changed, and it won’t be the last, but it’s still a bitter sweet period. Of course, making up for this…

Of the four world capitals of fashion, Paris has the “luxury powerhouses,” as does Milan. New York, in this sense, is a “city of lights” in its own right. But London—well, London is perhaps the most expressive of them all. And at the forefront of this city’s sartorial story is London Fashion Week Men, which for this season offers an astounding range. Christopher Ræburn, for instance, came out with a deep dive into the big blue. Inspired by the beauty and fragility of the oceans, his collection was aptly named “Immerse” and stands as a call for responsible design and sourcing to protect both the planet and the wearer. Of course, Ræburn is no stranger to these ideas, having established his eponymous brand with sustainability in mind and a focus…

Nowadays, any serious discourse into British fashion would simply have to include a long, hard look at Ted Baker. The 30-year-old brand is now considered a no nonsense heavyweight in the industry, thanks mainly to its classic silhouettes and superior quality, to say nothing of its loyal cadre of high-profile clientele. Driving this success story is the brand’s enigmatic, visionary and quirky founder: Ray Stuart Kelvin CBE, who is also known for never showing his full face in any official photograph and sometimes—for example in this interview—refers to himself as “Ted’s best friend.” DAMAN: First and foremost, congratulations on Ted Baker’s 30th anniversary this year. What does reaching this milestone mean for the brand? Ray Kelvin: Thank you very much! I could never have imagined, just three short decades ago,…

How do models stay in shape? Most will, of course, have their own workout routines, mostly centered around routine visits to the gym and the latest fitness trends. For Argentinian model Mariano Ontañon, staying in shape means running. In his case, however, running means 40 miles a week on average, ultramarathons and—in the near future—a nonstop 100 mile run. Of course, Ontañon is quite at home on the runway as well, having walked for Givenchy at the start of his career, as well as for Bottega Veneta, Dolce & Gabbana, Emporio Armani, Giorgio Armani and many to more, to say nothing of his editorial features, campaign shots and other works. DAMAN: Hi Mariano, thank you for making the time for us. How are you doing? Mariano Ontañon: I’m doing very…

Paul Frederick Paul Frederick is a New York based fashion stylist. After working with Joe Zee and his team at ELLE Magazine, in 2012, Paul helped to launch DuJour Magazine, a luxury lifestyle quarterly. He joined the team as Associate Market Editor and rose through the ranks to become Fashion Market Director. At DuJour, Paul had the pleasure of styling celebrity covers and stories including Henry Cavill, Renee Zellweger, Ansel Elgort, Chrissy Teigen, and Josh Hutcherson. He has collaborated with notable photographers such as Boo George, Mary McCartney, Alex John Beck and Peter Ash Lee. His work has also appeared in other publications such as The New York Times Magazine, TIME, Vogue Mexico, V, Essential Homme, Hello Mr and The South China Morning Post. Ovidiu Buta Ovidiu Buta, stylist and…

1 HOW SHOULD AN OVERCOAT FIT? Before trying on an overcoat, make sure to try it on with a suit. Don’t just try it on while wearing a T-shirt, as you would most likely end up with a size that’s too small this way. Moving on, the two most important things to look out are the shoulders and the length: Shoulders Be extra careful when you check your shoulder fit, because a tailor cannot provide extra room there. The best way to describe the perfect shoulder fit is to see if the coat sits squarely on your shoulders. To test it out, lift your arms and see if it restricts movement. If it’s a good fit, then the shoulder seam should fall right at the edge of your shoulder, not…

The world of fashion has always loved surprises and shocking twists, even in the traditionally-rigid menswear industry. There’s the runway sets that has nothing to do with the collections being paraded on it; background stories of collections that—surprisingly—complete each other; and, of course, the sudden announcements of top personnel leaving. In other words, with its eye-opener moments, the fall/winter ’18 runways shows of Paris emphasized a season of change. Of particular note was Louis Vuitton, with Kim Jones on his last stint at the helm of the maison’s menswear division. At the time, however, the fashion world was still reeling from his announcement to leave Louis Vuitton—and that was only a couple of days before the show. “It’s about clothes that can change, about fabrics that can travel on the…

Things escalate quickly in New York. After the last spring’s lineup, which was somewhat of a letdown, New York Fashion Week stepped up its game in February by presenting fall collections filled with theatrics—and new notable names like Tom Ford and Bottega Veneta. There’s Calvin Klein 205W39NYC, who buried their show with 50,000 gallons of popcorn to make it look like a snowstorm, Coach's “Blair Witch Project” themed runway, Raf Simon’s feast-of-a-show decorated with red wine, bread and fruit that guests are encouraged to enjoy as well as Phillip Plein’s snowy blizzard atmosphere, complete with a spaceship and Irina Shayk walking with a robot. And these are just a few examples of what happened during that particular fashion week. Quite naturally, the clothes, too, reflected this season’s more forceful energy.…

EARTHY FOLDS FROM PARIS TO NEW YORK, BROWN HAS BECOME THE SHADE DU JOUR FOR THIS FALL/WINTER. PERHAPS IT’S ONLY NATURAL FOR FASHION TO REVERT TO FIFTY SHADES OF BROWN FOR THE COLDER SEASON, BUT IT MAKES FOR A WONDERFUL CHOICE IN WARM, NEUTRAL LOOKS TILL YOU DROP SHOPPER BAGS HAVE BECOME ONE OF THE MUST-HAVE ACCESSORIES FOR FALL 2018. COOL AND PLAYFUL, THIS MODERN TAKE ON THE CLASSIC DISPOSABLE PLASTIC BAGS DISPOSES WITH THE IDEA THAT “IT BAGS” HAVE TO COME IN LEATHER EIGHTIES’ SHADES ONCE ASSOCIATED WITH FLUORESCENT GYM GEAR AND RAVE ATTIRE, ’80S-STYLE NEON IS MAKING A STRONG COMEBACK. WHILE THESE GARISHLY BRIGHT HUES ARE NOT FOR EVERYONE, THEY DO MAKE QUITE THE FASHION STATEMENT FLASHY CLASHES MIXING AND MATCHING COLORS IS OH SO LAST SEASON. THIS…

STRIPES SPLASHY ON SET OR AT RED CARPET MOMENTS, “CRAZY RICH ASIANS” STAR HENRY GOULDING LEADS THE WAY. HIS STATEMENT LOOKS COMBINE UNUSUAL COLORS AND A FITTED SILHOUETTE, TOPPED WITH DASHING SHOES. SMOOTH STYLING AMONG THE COLORFUL TREND THIS SEASON, DARKER SHADES OF BROWN HAS THE STRONGEST FALL/WINTER VIBE. RYAN GOSLING ROCKED THE STYLE BY PAIRING A BROWN SUIT COMBINATION WITH A CONTRASTING PATTERNED SHIRT UNDERNEATH. CHECKY CONCEPT YOUNG ACTOR NICK ROBINSON PULLED OFF A SIMPLE VINTAGE LOOK BY PAIRING A CHECKERED SHIRT WITH CHINO AND SPORTY SNEAKERS. A PLAYFUL CONCEPT, IT’S PERFECT FOR THE SEASON. GREEN SCREEN MULTI-COLORED ENSEMBLES REALLY HELP YOU STAND OUT. CASE IN POINT: MULTI-TALENTED PERFORMER TREVOR JACKSON IN A GREEN JACKET, BLUE JEANS AND BLACK SHIRT.…

Let’s all take a brief moment to say farewell to normcore. The trend made a brief comeback over the last two seasons, specifically at fall/winter 2017/18. But now, it’s surely on its way out; or, at least, that’s the case in Milan. Earlier this year, Milan Fashion Week previewed fall fashion that is anything but basic. Even more minimalist fashion brands like Giorgio Armani gave their outfits a utilitarian edge to make it look more military-dandy. So much so that the fashion world has come up with a new word to replace normcore: warcore. And who can blame them, with all the news of an upcoming geopolitical crisis, it’s about time we are dressed for the occasion. Non-minimalist brands, like Gucci or Versace, meanwhile, displayed clothes that are the exact…

British fashion designer Stuart Vevers described the set of his last fall/winter runway show for Coach using the phrase “Gothic prairie.” And somehow, this feels like a most apt description for the collection on display as well. In a way, it feels very much like a Coach collection deeply rooted in its DNA, but there’s also the notion of constant change interwoven into the pieces. Of course, bringing change in the best possible way is nothing new for Vevers, who now leads all creative aspects of the Coach brand, from designing both men’s and women’s products, developing the brand’s image and managing store environments. DAMAN: Let’s begin the backdrop of Coach’s fall 2018 runway, with its dark and gloomy feel, decorated with green-less trees. Are there any particular sources of…

There are usually plenty of telltale signs that you’re looking at the Instagram account of a professional model. That’s not the case, though, with Philippe LeBlond’s. No runway shots, no backstage photos or campaign images. In fact, last time we checked, we had to scroll way back to February to see a post showing LeBlond doing some actual modeling. And after that, it was back to photos of him surfing, kayaking, climbing, snowboarding, hiking, trekking and—most prominently—enjoying stunning natural vistas from the back of his van. It’s not for nothing that he identifies himself as “The Van Man.” It wasn’t always like this, of course. As the story goes, LeBlond’s life used to look a lot more like the stereotypical professional male model, complete with a big house in Beverly…

How does one “make it” in the modeling world? For British model Edward Wilding, it was a combination of hard work and persistence (which, as a model, includes a readiness to go to casting after casting) plus a professional attitude and punctuality. To that list we could perhaps add the secret ingredient that is almost always present in the careers of so many top tier models: a good helping of luck. Or perhaps “being in the right place at the right time” would be a more accurate description. Wilding was discovered in his home city of Manchester and in a short while—in early 2013—he walked in Versace’s fall/winter runway show and appeared in the brand’s spring/summer ad campaign. In the latter, he worked together with legendary photographer duo Mert and…