You know you want them. LOOK AT THEM!!!

Yes, they’re by Asos. No, they’re not on sale til next year… Logic dictates that the online powerhouse that started as humble ol’ As Seen On Screen should be turning into some homogenous mass (as it sells the like of Gap and now River Island, and seems poised to swallow the entire high street whole), but it just gets… weirder and better and more stuffed to the brim with delights.

They recently had one of their legendary press days showing us the new collections and WHAT new collections they are. I’m not gonna blabber on, but rather show you some of the highlights. And there are MANY highlights, including the new Asos Marketplace… more on which later.

Obsessed with this slightly Glasto ’93 parka plus a wonderful Seil Marschall backpack.

God knows who this is by but the bag is Porter and they have loads of lovely new labels signed up QUITE LITERALLY stolen from under the noses of other ‘webshops’

Jewellery AMAZING.

Those boots (again)

This suit is actually neon lime. SICK!

Someone at ASOS HQ has been watching dances with wolves

What’s this…?

Only MENSWEAR’s must-have bag of next season. GIVE IT!!

The styling’s great too. ‘Loving the psychedelic vibe’

This backpack. Is it too much? Or is it really quite not enough??

Just me or does this remind you of the SASQUATCHfabrix skull trousers on LN-CC?

So Asos Marketplace: basically Asos is launching a mixture of eBay and Etsy sometime this month. People will be able to set up their own boutiques or sell things that they’ve made, vintage clothing, new designers… Asos will do all the sending and boring stuff, even (if I remember rightly) editing videos you take of them. If this doesn’t sound exciting, have a look below. All these pieces will be going on sale within the first few weeks…

HIYA!

Moschino innit…(back when they used to do good prints)

VERSACE print shirt.

SOME RANDOM print shirt!

PENDLETON cardie… I am obsessed. Asos marketplace is coming and it’s a very, very good thing already. MENSWEAR can’t wait to be wasting our hard-earned pennies on it soon. HMM.

 

Believe the hype

You’re gonna have to excuse my gushing on this one.

But it’s here… the collab of the year… the collab of the decade… the collab of the CENTURY (so far)! I can’t think of many more brands than H&M and Lanvin that I love, but together… WELL.

Last week I popped along to the launch and was, quite frankly, blown away. As a (frankly quite feeble) wannabe Lanvin collector I want to get all of it. The pieces are strong enough in themselves, kind of like a Lanvin’s greatest hits though strangely (or cleverly, depending on your point of view) without the sneakers that have made Lucas Ossendrijver’s work so universally admired. There’s cuffed tracksuit trousers harking back to A/W 08, bibbed shirts and satin bow ties, backless waistcoats… I may as well just use caps lock words like AMAZING INCREDIBLE MAJE ad infinitum and you’ll get the same thing. Ahem.

Spring/Summer 08- ring any bells?

This t-shirt’s a version of one from last Summer (10) that I really wanted (despite not liking tiger prints at all). Somehow thoguh the diamante eyes have put me off…

Tie-back waistcoats and a bibbed-front shirt. I think these are both inspired by A/W 08′s collection…

This washed tux jacket, for me, is the star of the show… apologies for the dodgy iPhone pics but I had to make sure that it really was only £79.99 and I wasn’t dreaming…

And after about a billion other blogs, here’s the lookbook images for your entertainment too…!

So there you go.

Yours truly…

A few months ago I was lucky enough to be the subject of a wardrobe feature on the amazing website StyleLikeU. It’s just gone live, with a heavy dose of cringe and a side order of pretentious, but what they hey. Regular readers will know my love for this site, which every day takes you on a fantastic voyage through the weird and wonderful closets of some pretty awe-inspiring people across the world. Started by stylist Elisa Goodkind and her daughter Lily, they do videos and photographs  has recently had the likes of Uffie and RZA on it alongside lawyers, fashion designers, bon viveurs… in fact anyone and everyone who refuses to follow conventional rules of style. I ought to be incessantly modest and say I’m not worth it etc etc but instead I’ll just guide you to look at their site which is just a joy to read.

Flatmate’s vintage jacket (20p!!!), Vintage shirt and eBay shorts, Doctor Martens boots.

Vintage jeans and Church’s shoes.

FYI.

The *amazing* Katie Eary’s Spring 11 collection VELVET MACHINE lookbook just in. Beautiful plaids. Amazing leathers. And some very wearable boxing shorts, hats and gloves. Bejazzled. This literally came into my inbox about 5 mins ago.

 

 

Last year…

Just browsing and found this again. So cute. My heart fizzles. They’re doing a collaboration with Giles this season. PLZ say Pac-man socks.

 

Press Day higlights: oki-ni Spring 11

Strange how fashion can transform a landscape. Only a year ago oki-ni began really pushing its unique combination of Vans/Nike/Adidas sneakers, technical backpacks and repurposed, loose designerwear from the likes of Damir Doma and Rick Owens. Now the same look has somehow, subconsciously, simultaneously spilled over my local streets of Camberwell, South London (those tags about the new Shoreditch seem to be coming true).

The same Vans, the same technical backpack, maybe a beanie and a designer-ish looking parka or cagoule. Wide jeans or trousers cuffed low with bright socks. Oversized shirt-jackets and slightly ethnic accessories. After the dapper, skinny and vintage looks, perhaps the oki-ni ‘look’ is one that’s going to eventually dominate the mainstream. But where do they go from here? Earlier this week, the new team presented their Spring 11 buy. Since the departure of many faces at the men’s online store, it seems they’ve had a good ol’ re-think.

There’s been an emphasis on colour, wardrobe and more ‘wearable’ brands with 30 new labels added to an already-impressive roster, including Thom Browne, Kitsune, Band Of Outsiders, exclusive knits from E. Tautz (a brand that I’m not sure really fits but what the hey) and the return of Raf by Raf.

Spring also sees the return of YMC, a brand I’d not normally get so excited about were it not for this charming nautical-meets-navajo print on an espadrille and t-shirt….

There’s some very direct buys from Raf’s retina-burning Jil Sander collection, which look great together.

Elsewhere, J.W. Anderson’s ‘The Devoured and I’ collection comes on sale, with oki-ni buyer Tim telling me that they’ve worked with J.W.’s studio to customise certain pieces for market- whether it’s scaling back some of that hi-sparkle Swarovski detailing to lower the prices a teensy bit to mere mortal standards…  if they can only make a way to lower the cost of those £1900 crystal-toed boots, I’ll be a happy boy.

Kitsune sneaker and J.W. Anderson monkey boot with knitted tongue. Amazing.

Never been a huge hoodie fan, but this tie-dye meets Liberty print number is so ostentatious it can’t be ignored…

Graphic applique trousers from Lou Dalton…

And a rather fine, preppy shirt from Band Of Outsiders with a lovely red cardigan. Just the kind of basic anyone could wear…

Finally, this top from Raf which zips at the back. Almost so Raf Simons it’s bordering on parody, the zip for the back has to be seen to be believed- it’s almost as long as the top itself and can be replaced (oki-ni will be buying the replacement zips too). A cardigan with an oversized zip and a blazer with ribbons hanging across the back added some surprises to this collection which sadly I didn’t see in person. I can feel my bank account getting very worried.