CANDY CRUSH
IT’S (NOT) JUST A LITTLE CRUSH: THE MENSWEAR INDUSTRY SEEMS TO BE CRAZY IN LOVE WITH CANDY COLORS
MENSWEAR TREND
Spring/Summer 2020 menswear collections have been infused with a palette inspired by nature which, until recently, had been relegated to womenswear: peach, apricot, carrot, banana, mint and many others. Moreover, flower motifs – another staple of female summer fashion – have now made it into men’s collections too.
Bright details have been appearing in menswear over the last few seasons, but S/S 20 collections are all about total looks brimming with color. At Louis Vuitton, Men’s Artistic Director Virgil Abloh takes his inspiration from flowers: multifaceted symbols of metamorphosis and constant change. Nature takes center stage at Jacquemus, too. The brand’s ‘Coup de Soleil’ collection was presented in Provence, in the lavender fields of Valensole. Natural materials, soft colors and relaxed silhouettes are at the core of the new masculine elegance.
At Salvatore Ferragamo, in the first men's collection under the creative direction of Paul Andrew, a palette of natural colors is punctuated by explosions of candy pink, mint green and blue. These shades are set off by a mix of jersey, nylon, linen, gabardine, wool and mohair; and are the result of meticulous materials research. At Givenchy, Clare Waight Keller explores delicate and refined colors inspired by vintage jacquards, pairing them with comfy and relaxed silhouettes that evoke the mood of Charles Baudelaire’s flâneur. This is a nod to Hubert de Givenchy’s love of antique fabrics that he developed in his childhood due to his family’s connections to the Gobelins Manufactory and Beauvais tapestry.
Similarly, Kris Van Assche, Artistic Director at Berluti, is looking into a combination of nature and heritage references. Presented in front of the Orangerie in Jardin du Luxembourg – a place where nature and culture meet – his collection reinterprets nostalgic elements in a fresh way. Key colors: fluorescent orange and terracotta, bright yellow and mustard, cobalt blue, navy and deep purple that come together in an exuberant saturation.