Alexander Wang for H&M

H&M have done it again. Yet another designer collaboration was debuted this week, and while there has been plenty of hype surrounding the Alexander Wang for H&M partnership, I must say I was a little disappointed. While I’ve always quite liked Wang in the past and was eager like everyone else to see what the collection would look like, now I’ve seen it I can probably say I will not be frantically cuing outside H&M stores for hours to be the first to get my hands on it.

 It’s an interesting concept; Wang describes the collection as being designed to be worn ‘on the street, in the gym, at the club.’ And while I think versatility in fashion is brilliant, the actual practicality of this statement seems a bit iffy. Maybe it’s just me, but I thought the gym and a night out are two very different things that require two very different dress codes... It seems the collection is more for those who want to look like they lead an active lifestyle, with actually minimal activity or athleticism. 

And while it’s tapping into the current move towards sportswear and the influence of R&B in fashion, I personally found some of the items to be pretty ugly. 

Like the black crop top with the slogan ‘this is an Alexander Wang crop top’ embedded on the chest which just seemed utterly unnecessary and ruined the piece. It was probably an attempt at being ironic and funny, yet I just found it looked cheap. Likewise with the sweatshirts with ‘Wang’ plastered across the front of them. I mean really, do I need to be parading where my clothes have come from. I’d feel like a walking billboard. Saying that though there were a couple of pieces I did quite like. 

The mesh jumper for example I found to be wearable but still have that signature Wang flair (without being plastered in his name), and the leather
jogger style trousers that I actually love!

I think much of my negative opinion about the collection is probably down to the fact that I’ve never much embraced the sport/chic look, I tend to be a bit more classic in my taste. Now the Isabelle Marrant collab was something I really did enjoy.Mixing up prints and colour, variations of fabrics, cuts and occasions. 

More classic but still fun, that’s more me. 

High end vs high-street - where do the similarities lie?

High end brands reflect the high-street, and the high-street reflects the high end. This is how fashion has always worked, an overlap of inspiration regardless of price tag or designer credits. Whether it be on the catwalk or sidewalk, fashion is telling the same stories using similar narratives, attitudes and lifestyle aspirations, but just for different market sectors. This is known as Market Level Translation. 

Tasked with identifying the common language that link two brands, I chose to look at the crossover between Chloé and Jigsaw. 

Modern Femininity: taking natural and etherial elements, and throwing in the disclaimer of structured shapes and smart tailoring. With a less is more approach and a concentration on a neutral colour palette, this ensures the focus is more refined as opposed to too girlie or fairy princess. 

JIGSAW

Chloé

I then went on to select my own two brands, using the same thought process. 

Super Chic: a wardrobe for the modern woman, elegant and refined inspired by masculine cuts and tailoring. Keeping it simple, with less is more being the key and investing in timeless, classic pieces and that perfect fit. Concentration on solid colours and classic prints: black, white, navy, neutrals; pinstripe, leopard, check. It’s about stealing from the boys and glamourising for the girls.

Yves Saint Laurent

Zara

While it's always interesting to see how designers influence high street brands via the catwalk, it also poses the question as to how designers cope with the pressure of having to keep on top of the high-street and their reactions to the imitations then found in most high street stores. However from a consumer point of view, I will always be thankful of the designer replicas on the high-street. They allow people with modest budgets like myself to not feel like they have to settle for looking crap just because they can't afford that designer price tag. As for myself, I will always be a high-street devotee. 

Up close and personal

Close up photos of the prints and patterns I've found within my own wardrobe.

 My favourite is probably the bird print, showing that monochrome doesn't just need to be depicted in the form of just straight forward black and white, but instead uses an image that would work in full colour, and washes them with a grey scale effect. I also enjoy the symmetry within the flower pattern on the right. It's clean and defined up close, but from a distance the repetition of the motif almost makes the images look blurred. The palm trees show the versatility of a monochrome palette by using an image more commonly associated with tropical or bright colours, and replacing them with black and white. The very top centre image embraces a trend all of its own: monochrome aztec, a craze that seems to permanently be present within affordable online fashion brands. Type into Google 'Monochrome Aztec' and the first page of results bring up websites such as Boohoo.com and Missguided. It seems it's a staple trend amongst lower end brands. Perhaps its an attempt to add a sense of playfulness to an otherwise very refined, simplistic colour palette, thus appealing to their more adolescent audiences. Whether that be the reason for it or not, it appears to be a trend that is not leaving anytime soon.

I guess that is something that can be said of all spinoffs of monochrome though. They're using colours that are timeless, classic and extremely simple to wear. And whether it's on the high-street or catwalks, monochrome will exist forever. And thank God for that, because I love it!