gone for a minute/now I'm back again

HAIIIII GUIZZE!!!!

(HI GUYS)

Please forgive my epic blog neglect, as I've been swamped with the daunting burden "getting my shit together". This quest has led me into many  hectic days and  sleepless nights. And the days I wasn't doing anything.....I was doing just that.

But anyway.........I'm back.....and I promise that I'll never neglect this blog(Or use the word "neglect" that many times in one sentence) ever again.

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Also maybe we should discuss that little name change situationzzzz....When I first started the blog all of those many years ago I was kind of  young and dumb and instead of naming my blog something that means something to me, I decided to name it after this movie that I was watching on TMC--The Hound Dog Man....and I never actually liked it sooooo.....yeah, now the blogs name is FUTUREPLANS.  
I'm doing it the ghetto way, meaning the URL is gonna stay the same for a while........but its coming soon.......just you wait and see!!!Also I'm gonna start doing more outfit posts and stuff!

Anyway while on NeglectFest2011 I some how missed the entire FW11 season(well almost).......Here are some of my faves from FW11
(I know the SS12 shows have already started.......but has that ever stopped me before?)
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Personally, I'm not a big fan of this collection. There was only a few looks (four, to be exact) that caught my attention during the show and that was these bad mofos:

They stole the whole show in my opinion!Stopping me in my tracks to ogle them for more minutes that my ADHD-riddled brain could stand!!!
The rest was just kinda.......blah....I didn't really like anything else. Those little dalmatian-spottedfur hats and the Buffalo plaid coats that had everybody going ga-ga (Remember when we could say that word with out having it misconstrued as some type of reference to a certain....Lady) just seem super juvenile and they kind of aged the collection 2 or 3 decades, pushing the 70's reference into the 40's and 50's.
(The kind of reminded me of "Road To Perdition") And was it just me or was that fur really tacky and cheap-looking??
Well maybe it wasn't bad....It just felt like anybody could have designed it......It didn't seem like the genius that designed SS11 or even FW10 designed it. It felt like Christopher let the reigns loose a little and made room for other in-house designers influences....... (Plus it was a HUUUUGE Prada rip-off!!)
 *le sigh* but anyway, I digress......

Christopher Bailey's main inspiration for Fall/Winter 2011 was "a coat for all seasons" according to Style.com. Supposedly Bailey looked to the archives while designing the collection, he was inspired by a vintage ad campaign that featured a different weather condition in every image, and that spoke to him.
I definitely felt the archival London influence of the collection, but towards the end of the collection,more specifically I felt it had a very peculiar Mod/Northern Soul/early 1970's Motown kinda vibe to it.
With the endless color scheme and the spotted fur Kangol-esque caps and slick raincoats, I get this feeling that none of it would be out of place in some Marvin Gaye liner notes.

plus Bailey is like a total Gangster! Lil' Wayne and Fat Joe need to take notes from this guy!! He's the master of "Making It Rain"
(And speaking of "A coat for all seasons" I could really use one right about now dealing with Atlanta's bipolar ass weather.No, seriously the weather here is actually bipolar. One minute it'll be 97 degrees/crystal clear and within the next 20 mins it will start raining cats and dogs!!! I've never seen anything like it.......)
Just so you guys know I'm not exaggerating, this is next weeks weather forecast!!

HOW THE HELL DOES IT GO FROM 90+ DEGREES TO A GAHDAMNED THUNDERSTORM???HOW?? FML!!

I wasn't really feeling the rest of the show**** but I really dug the awesome 1950's Boy Band/Herman Munster/Rockabilly Prom vibez towards the end of the show......

****(I haven't been feeling anything Dolce & Gabbana has been doing lately......including D & G . I'm sorry Domenico and Stefano but its true.......After SS10(Which was awesome!!) you guys just kinda dropped off.....and I know that its probz because of stress caused by that little scare........but now that that's over I bet you guys and the line(s) will be back in tip-top shape!!!:))
Also, Freddy Krueger made an appearance.......

 Kean Etro has assembled the Etro brand a lush little alcove built on what the heritage brand is known for---loud colors and vivacious prints(namely paisley). An Etro collection without (or with a dearth of)(sorry, I've got SAT words on the brain)  these quintessences would just be a blasphemous disaster, right???........WRONG!!!

In a collection based on Mountaineering in the Tyrol, super-luxe hides(PONYSKIN!!) and ultra-buttery leathers took the spotlight. The whole collection had slight cheesy western movie vibe to it but it was sooooooooo rad!! I mean look at that trench in the middle, even though you realize it might take 2 or 3 cows to make ITS STILL SO NECESSARY!!!! AND DUUUUDE LOOK AT THOSE QUILTED PANTS!!!YES!!QUILTED PANTSSS!!!
Like a 2.55 for your body!!! GIMMMMEEEE!!!   

I loved  the way dark blue kept making an appearance!!

I'll bet its a nod to the cold cold nights on the Outback Mountain(Or the Brokeback Mountain.......if you're into that type of thing......)

(I recommend you guys click the picture and get a closer look at all of the AMAZING details!!!)

Wow.

Gucci has been showing me a different side as of late.......a real 180° from the Gucci I'm used to.....

I was a  hard-core Gucci hater after i perused a few seasons of Tom Ford-era Gucci  and realized that the bombastic tackiness that was Frida Gianni's Gucci would never live up to Ford's Gucci.  Gianni's Gucci was just so meaningless (stupid) and loud  compared to Ford's edgy, meaningful, luxurious, beautiful Gucci (lotttsss of adjectives for Mr. Ford)

But this is different.

Gianni kinda has a thing for this laid-back opulent 70's look.

She has this amazing way of taking SUUUUPER-luxe materials like Velvet, Mohair and Cashmere and mixing them with SUUUUPER-luxe furs and hides like Croc, Rabbit, Pony, Mongolian Lamb, etc. and still making it all look so bloody casual!!

And those muted, dreamy tones showcased on those maximalist 70's silhouettes is so romantic and proverbial--yet not cliche in the least.

And every little detail was on point!!

The way the pants flared at the bottom and gave all the models that little swagtastic walk. The color combinations!! The fluidity of the tailoring! THE BAGSSSS!!

 (fyi: this season marks the launch Mens edition of the famous "Bamboo" bag.) (Which Tom Ford did first, back in the 90's but stopped when he left)

Gianni's creating this character at the house of Gucci that is exactly what it needs.

A  dramatic and super-sensual yet stoic rockstar in his prime.

But not only does Gucci need this......Fashion needs this. Mrs. Gianni you're amazing!!(I'm sorry that i ever doubted you....)

JPG seriously needs to be the costume director for Bond 23***!! 

Because this is soooooo perfect!! I mean only Gaultier could inject this much crazyfunfunfun into a character we already know and love and still make it instantly recognizable!!

Although it was basically a statement on the tuxedo, I think it was very smart of Gaultier to make Bond his inspiration, a character thats synonymous with "black dinner tux" and throw in the classic "Gaultier Shtick".

The looks with the wet-suits were my favorite. It was such a cinematic touch and it added a bit of adventure to the whole thing!!! It felt like I was watching James Bond swim up to some top-secret mega-villains party on some top-secret island and rip-off his wetsuit only to reveal a perfectly pressed and dry tuxedo!!

The last few looks, I'm guessing, were a nod to GoldFinger....because they were all gold.....(just using mah context clues......)(also: more QUILTED PANTS!!!)

oh and I have one more very important sentiment about this show....

ANDREJ-FUCKING-PEJIC!!!!!!

(last photo on right in above collage)

uuuughhh!!! If that man isn't perfexion I don't know what is!!!

His ability to be perfectly and simultaneously masculine and feminine  at the same time is GODLY!!

He's my favorite model (male and female) atm

(I will admit that when I first saw him, at Raf Simons SS11, I was a mite skeptical about his longevity and that I actually kind of hated his whole look, and wrote him off as cheap......WTF WAS I THINKING!??!)

***(who else is like suuuuper excited to see Javier Bardem is gonna be in a James Bond movie?)

Similar to Burberry and Gucci (and may others this season), Lanvin also showcased the pimpin' threads of the rockstars of a previous generation. But unlike those two, Lanvin's ode was to the exaggerated big city gangsters of  the 1930's.Wide-brimmed fedoras (tipped to the side to cover one eye), trench coats and bouble breasted suit jackets obviously could only belong to some member of the Mafia, named Pauly. or Vinny.) 
EDIT:(LMAO!!!!OMG!!HONEST TO GOD, I wasn't even thinking bout them, when I came up with those 2 names!!!lol!!!BUT I"M SO EFFING EXCITED FOR THIS NEW SEASON!!!!!!!GAHHHHH!)

I like how its also kind of a continuation of last season with athleticism, technology, luxury and crazy prints/colors/textures mixing (one example: the trench coats didn't button, they were magnetic:))))(NEXT LEVEL SHIT, MUCH??) to create another fantastic adventure. Last seasons adventure felt like cave-diving and tomb-raiding, this season feels like mountain-climbing, with hiking boots and puffer coats being shown. The combination created this realllly awesome atmosphere! It felt soooo clean and futuristic and foreign while at the same time you could immediately grasp the familiar roots of it all. 

Lanvins classic, sharp-as-a-tack tailoring was back (hey, that rhymed!!I'm so damn clever!!) from its absence at the very "interesting" SS11  show. I  really liked how the very structured pieces played with the very fluid ones (a diagonally-hemmed sweater over a boxy shirt and pants/an awesome printed trench with matching blazer/zippered leggings combo)  
THE MOST PERFECTEST WIDE LEG PANTS EVAAARR!!!!

AND THE MOST PERFECTEST ALL-WHITE LOOK EVAAARR!!!!

With so many random references coming together you'd think this collection would be a hot mess but Lucas and Alber just don't play that shit!!!!

P.S. why is Alber sooooo damn aborable?? I mean, seriously, am I the only one that wants to pick him up and hug him and love him and take him home and have tea and cookies and take him to the park and run around and lay in the grass with him and sing songs to him and call him Alb E. Sure?? no.......just me?? 
ok moving on.......

From a "wearable" menswear perspective, this is one of the best collections I have ever seen!!!
Every look is just sooooo sexy and modernly classic. 

Some of the stand-out pieces of the collection were military-inspired and based on the idea of reworking unorthodox material into new forms/clothing (Two jacket (below) were sleeping bags attached to the inside of patchworked army blankets.....uhmmm...GIMMEE!!!), 

And the rest is based on the 70's(I'm sensing that gonna be a trend come Fall/Winter 2011......)

This is my favorite look. (below)

That coat is AMAZING(check out the placement of the buttons!:)) and needs to come live in my closet NAO!! and the way those slightly cropped pants play with the white Doc Marten-ish boots is soooooooooo good!! 

Basically just consisting of easy-going, played down tops and bottoms framed by AMAZEBALLS outerwear with the occasional Margiela-cool piece, the collection was great....but a tad lacking compared to the foot-steps left by its intellectually subversive namesake designer. 

But where the collection lacked, the presentation made up!!! after numerous boring showroom "presentations" the house opted for a legit runway show.....only nothing is to be taken for face-value over at the crazycraze house of M.M.Margiela!! 

The team took the audience backstage, as a phantom runway show proceeded in an attached room to witness those precious, volatile pre-show moments as  video monitors displayed the ‘realtime’ show next door as music pumped through the walls and the Margiela team hair'd/makeup'd/style'd  the models to perfection.
P.S./FYI/JUSTSAYING:
To me, Margiela Menswear has always had this almost inexplicable Nonchalant New York/London/France cool guy vibe about it. Its always sorta crazyballs but super-tailored and conceptualized. I call it "Stuff Vincent Gallo would wear" or "What the characters in a Guy Ritchie movie would wear", A little dirty and debaucherous but slick and stylish and also very personality driven.

I'm still kind of gathering all of my thoughts regarding "The New Mugler".

I think Nicola Formichetti is the perfect person to helm a line like Thierry Mugler.

It kind of seems like all of his work with Vogue Hommes Japan/V Magazine/Another Magazine/Arena Homme+ and Lady Gaga (aka PERFECTION) (No, I'm not one of those annoying "Little Monsters" but I can't lie SHE CAN DO NO WRONG!!) was leading up to this! He has this amazing imagination and is super creative.....but..............he needs a bit more practice.......

With more practice, a little wrangling of his big visions and wide range of reference and a few more notes from the Mugler Menswear archives and he could very well be THE CHOSEN ONE!Hes going to be the one to bring Mugler out of its campy 80's image while still keeping all of the pomp, farce and theatrics the label is known for, I know he has it in him! I can tell! #MissCleo

(Yes, I'm fluent in Hash Tag Rap/Talk)

For this to be his first outing at a major fashion house he did a great job!!!

there were plenty vomitrocious looks and a few WTF moments (Those fisting gloves???why? and those plastic aprons?? no thank you!!) but in between those were some of my favorite looks of the season!

Both of the two pairs of pants in the above collage are absolutely positively PERFECT!!!!

Actually that whole first look needs to make its way to my house IMMEDIATELY!! I love doing Minimal/Maximal at the same time and that is the best example I've ever seen!

In love with this blazer/puffer combo!!//this whole silhouette is very Givenchy aka GIMMEEEE!//These pants are so good!!!!

(I know its weird that I'm reviewing Mugler and not even mentioning Rico Genest AKA Zombie Boy, Nicola Formichetti's skeleton-tattooed inspiration and although I think hes a rad person, his look just got really gimmicky after a while........ :/ )

Urban Nautical/Maritime Working Man vibes ruled the first 2/3 of Neil Barrett's Fall collection. Neoprene scuba pants/wetsuits, pea coats in blue, black and gray and Marine-striped sweaters in blue (worked into a really cool collage-y print). Paying homage to his Father and Grandfather (who were both Military tailors)Barrett created a  forward thinking collection based on Military uniforms.

 He has this way with commingling an ultra-urban street-wear vibe into every collection and still making it look polished and respectable thats kind of amazing! with the chunky, Doc Marten/Timberland-ish boots, fingerless gloves and biker jackets. (Kris Van Assche, another of my faves(def in my top 20)also has this very awesome fashionsuperpower) 

I reeeeeeeeeeeally like theses sweaters, but I'd like to get up close and personal with them bcuz I'm wondering if there actual knit or manipulated pieces of Neoprene....either way would be great but the latter would be kinda awesome and I'd have to have all 3 of them!!!

 I'm a sucker for any designer that can effectively use scientific fabrics and use "uglybootz" (Thats what I call the big chunky boots that I use to tone down any outfit thats way to precious) and make skin-tight pants look super masculine so basically I'm already all over this collection,

BUT THEN

as if that wasn't enough, at the end of the show he delivered four of the most PERFECTEST looks EVERRRRRRR!!
Anybody that actually knows me, knows that theres nothing that I love more than a good piece of outerwear. NOTHING.

Total RunawayNarniaWoodlandPunkPrep-vibes AKA Everything I'm gonna be looking too this coming F/W season in IRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The first 2 are totally putting me in the mind of CdGFW09(#stillnotoverit) (#SOOOONECESSARY)

like.....there just so perfect..... #nowords......

(I'm gonna try to totez DIYall of these.)

(They weren't really coherent with the rest of the collection but who tf cares??? THEY'RE AMAZING!)

Very cool, super eclectic 70's rockstar vibes (The Steven Tyler/Ozzy Osbourne to Gucci's Rod Stewart).
Inspired by space travel and rock music, the collection was full of the usual pieces of a Paul Smith rebel/prep puzzle but with galactic bohemian inspiration.
I like all of the metallic stuff (ESPECIALLY THE PUFFER!!!!!!!!!!)and the multi-animal mash-up print. Also the black looks are super awesome!

Phillip Lim is one of those designers. One that has never actually had a bad collection, is always taking risks (while simultaneously staying reasonable) and knocking it out of the ballpark EVERY SINGLE TIME!!!(Richard Chai, Junya Watanabe and Decarnin at Balmain Homme are 3 other examples of designers who are perfect at this!) from the Peacock-ish Rockstars of last season to Fetishistic Adventurers of the season b4 to the retro business men of this season, Lim just doesn't lose!!!


Youthful Elegance is the idea Lim was trying to get across this fall.
The idea that you can be a jetsetting 20 year old and wear impeccably cut monochromatic suits and sophisticated outerwear. 

Appropriately sprinkled with minute allusions to bikers and the retro-futuristic side of the 1950's(I'm guessing the marled/static-y grey looks are nods to the first tvs of the 50's and those pompadours speak for themselves!:)) The collection is giving off this experimental minimalist businessman vibes and he temperament and execution  is damn near perfect! 

This is the jacket in the above far right hand side.The braided leather detail is beautiful. Simply amazing.

As a well balanced injection of color these 3 looks featured a beautiful progression of an acid green tribal print.

More 70's inspo, but this time a super sexed-up, Shaft-esque version.


The sensual creamy beige looks had me humming this.
Everything was just so reminiscent of a super masculine/mellow man of the 70's without being to costume and very much so "in the now". (I'm in love with that short sleeve turtle-neck)(IN LOVE)

And then came these really awesome blue/green looks. Currently saving up enough to make that leather paneled sweater in the third picture mine!!!
The jacket in the 2nd pic is MEGA-DREAMMYYY, but I'm sure its gonna cost like a kabillion dollars so I'm just not even gonna get attached to it.....kinda reminds me of the now infamous Balenciaga FW04 "Aviator" jackets (my hommeboy Poliopoliopolio of HLSH is totez werqin it here!)

(There was a few brown and pumpkin orange looks in between...but I didn't like 'em much......)

DOOOOODZ! I looooove TbAW!The urban/suburban high school mallgoth vibez are exactly what I need right now!! EXACTLY!!

(The look is kind of like what the 3.1 Phillip Lim man would look like if he was 17 and going through a goth phase.......)

(AND THIS SEASONS 3RD INCARNATION OF QUILTED PANTSSSSS!!!!!!!!!GIMMMMMMMMMEEEEEEEEEEE!!!)
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SOOOOOOOOO happy to be back you guys!! so much stuff planned/in the works and hopefully more things coming my way!! :) 
STAY TUNED FOR MY GIVENCHY FW11 REVIEW (plus a few random FW11 thoughts)
ciao,
Taj