Dude Watch: Asian Design

The best of the East.

Miharayasuhiro

I am really enjoying what menswear designers are pulling out of their hats right now. Raf Simons used In the Mood For Love for the Jill Sander show and here, Mihara Yasuhiro takes the beloved book, "The Little Prince" and makes it into a stunner.

One of the reasons I really like Mihara Yasuhiro so much is that he is really good at crafting a narrative. The shows always have a good story to tell and there is so much cohesiveness.

Normally I don't like utilitarian looks, but here, with a splash of red, like the rose in the book, and some good draping and layering, the military looks are softened and romantic.

I think this cardigan is my favorite.

If only all men could dress like these little princes.

Great image of the designer himself. Mihara looks like my dad. Seriously.

Julius

"Blessed people living amongst gods" - Tatsuro Horikawa

I like a good designer who knows what he/she is doing and knows what he/she is talking about. Horikawa takes us all over Asia, from Southeast Asian Buddhist monasteries to the streets of the Middle East where devoted Islamic women practice hijab (the practice of covering the body except for the face and hands).

I had a friend tell me that in the Islamic world, a women's hair is so powerfully sexual. It had to be covered or it would drive men crazy. Perhaps the combination of the head wraps and leathers (something that dominates the wardrobe of most fetishists) was a statement about our perceptions on sensuousness and sexuality.

I love the combination of the organic, soft draping with the hardness and shine of the leathers.

These make me want to go back to temple.

Juun J

There doesn't seem to be any storytelling here. Just good fashion.

I definitely noticed there is a lot of sheer fabrics this season. Somehow, on these models, the fabrics don't look too overtly feminine. Doing so looses it for me. A lot of designers are dressing men up just like women, which is fine on a certain level. It seems that gender-lines are blurring more and more (notice the open toe boots, a trend that is really coming strong in women's wear). But the charm of menswear is that it is masculine, structured, well-tailored and subtle.

I'm glad that guys have the option of wearing short shorts now. I always thought they should show off their legs!

I'm especially smitten with the color palette used here. I think I'm going to incorporate more cream shades into my white, black, gray, red dominate wardrobe.