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The Bottega Veneta S/S 2011 show portrayed that fashion is about an experience, an emotion, an illusion and, above all,  fashion has a story to tell. Models appeared on stage with moist hair, traffic sounds surrounded us, cars were hooting like there was no tomorrow. In the meantime a calm Johann Sebastian Bach escorted the ladies down the catwalk. It’s not a clear story, but, like fashion, it’s all about your imagination.

The Bottega Veneta show was the result of Tom Meier and his team working on a, let’s say, puzzle. A fashion puzzle that existed of oddly shaped parts of materials, music, styling, make-up and hair. But when put together, you get an extraordinary result. Leather patchwork, sheer fabrics, asymmetric cut dresses and tunics and the use of feathers gave me the feeling of a thouroughly constructed collection. Tom Meier experimented with shapes and fabrics which extract this edgy feeling. He puts together sheer materials, silks and feathers; then, a beautiful tunic is born. The interesting shapes of the ostrich leather bag and the black  patchwork shoulderbag apply to this emotion as well. True must-haves.

The motorway sounds of Michel Gaubert’s soundtrack made me think that the story behind the collection was about a city girl. One that wears luxurious Italian designs, listens to Bach, struts down the street focusing on her goals. This show made me wish I was that girl, in my imagination that is.

Philosophy, bankruptcy and ancient ruins come to mind when we think of Greece. But young Greek fashion designer, Dimitris Petrou, is breaking this cliche by highlighting Greece on the fashion map.

Petrou celebrates the opening of his new showroom by presenting his all grey collection, ‘sur mesure’ in an Athens gallery. His Fall 2010 collection contains a great mix of classic and modern pieces, which can all be ordered made-to-measure (which stimulates my personal addiction of well fitted trench coats).

A well-tailored jacket with an unexpected cape attachment shows that traditional fashion can still surprise us. Petrou’s love for interpreting details from traditional womenswear into the menswear line translates throughout his collection. Although clear to see by the fashion-trained eye, this androgynous element is minimal and will not set off commercial prospects.

A thick metal door opens. 50 Degrees, steam, machines, muscles and sweat. Their bodies are tense. Their skin covered in dust and oil. Asger Juel Larsen’s men work in a 1930’s warship boiler room. His Spring/Summer collection ‘Weldingman’ is alternative, technically advanced and fashion forward. After his highly acclaimed first two collections, the Copenhagen born designer is still going strong.

His love for masculinity and iron craftsmanship is mirrored in his use of materials. Burned wool, Napa leather, raw-cut silk, quilted pvc and rubber build up a perverse masculinity feeling. This is no collection for the weak and sensitive. This is meant for real hard working steel-bending men.

Protective shields of leather cover pulsating skin. Cropped and sleeveless tops expose the worker’s masculinity, strength and sex. The use of different shades of black, grey and nude in combination with the overwhelming testosterone, got everyone at Mykromag on its knees. Truly in touch with his masculine side this man is even styled with hand-crafted accessories and jewelry. Golden skull necklaces and earrings and a limited edition of glasses with protective fluorescent lenses. We cannot go anywhere without those.

Just when you think you’ve seen it all… That everything has been done… An underground 22-year-old fashion designer comes along; an avant-garde designer that embodies newness.

Asher Levine is fascinated with organic forms. His exaggerated interpretations of his daily infatuations are put into his design. The idea behind the conceptual statement pieces can come from a worm on the street to a 70’s style hat. Even some single-celled organism he watched a documentary of can be a source of inspiration.

His pieces are extremely unconventional but  highly desirable for those with untraditional taste. Nicola Formichetti got him designing custom-made garments for Lady Gaga. The queen of extreme fashion, was photographed by Terry Richardson wearing Asher Levine’s motor jacket in a spread in Rolling Stone magazine. Levine is a designer focused on creating new silhouettes. “It’s about the uniqueness of the individual.”

In a world where design has to meet our new green standards, the Flux chair is right in it’s place. ‘Flux’ refers to change and the words flexible and luxury. Industrial designers Tom Schouten and Douwe Jacobs founded Flux in 2009. These Amsterdam-based designers are making it their goal to create a new generation of furniture.

The Flux chair combines the practical advantages of foldable furniture with the looks of a classically designed chair. When folded it is like a giant envelope which only takes ten seconds to unfold. Weighing no more than 4.3 kg, you can bring this piece of art to the beach or park. The minimal weight and small size make it portable. And therefore it is possible to send it by mail, reducing unnecessary CO2 emissions when transported efficiently in bulk. Coming in original black and original white, among other colors, there isn’t a chair more Mykromag than this one.

Dolce & Gabbana’s latest menswear show was a tribute to the legendary gentleman of rock music, Mr. Bryan Ferry. Sitting front-row center enjoying himself, Ferry was joined by Amanda Sheppard to watch the “Eccentric Tailoring”-themed show. Like so many other fashion houses lately, Dolce & Gabbana decided to pay tribute to classic fashion.

As one would expect, the show consisted of everything that represented Italian menswear: masculine fabrics, pin-stripes, denim, painted leather and velvet. A typical look from London’s East End was the dropped crotch pants holstered up by thin suspenders above creeper-inspired black leather shoes..

Domenico and Stefano are masters in menswear. They know exactly how to balance their new inspiration and sticking to their famous Italian signature. Personally, the Dolce & Gabbana show made me proud to be Italian.

If we have to believe Dean and Dan Caten, the creative directors of Dsquared2, all men will be wearing hats next fall. And why not? The identical twins went looking for inspiration in 19th century America, the time where men wore hats almost every day, and came up with a Catholic-influenced Mexican western look.

Fall/Winter 2011 by Dsquared2 has a major Zorro-esque feeling to it. This time around, Dsquared2 served a more skin-covered collection. The almost identical models were boys interrupted; it looks like they were working and had to hurry somewhere while still wearing workclothes. A forgotten apron or denim jacket still tied on waists and huge black leather working gloves still on their hands. The use of black and white leather jackets above thin black ties and white high-collared shirts and nerdy glasses triggered a feeling reminiscent of a Catholic priest. These workman were clearly missioned to spread the word of Dsquared2.

The latest menswear collection by Jean-Paul Gaultier was a small trip down memory lane, with the designer’s latest visions added, proving that ‘Don’t change a good thing’ is so overrated.

Classic 80’s and 90’s Jean-Paul Gaultier looks as seen as back in the day, including anglomania print on anglomania print suiting – this time in lovely, sheer fabrics – and the world famous navy sweaters on sexy shorts, were referring to the designer’s retrospective exhibition in the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

The l’enfant terrible of fashion showed us reworks of his greatest successes. Beside these living memories, I think the new designs by Jean-Paul Gaultier have great potential as well, individually, and will be a guaranteed commercial hit. I can see, not only myself, but a lot of other men as well, rock those pleated black bermudas.