F/W 08-09 Trend Reports: Eastern Promise

Dries Van Noten, John Galliano, A Peace Treaty, Bally, Tom Ford
This ensemble only looks like it belongs on a countrified gent. On closer inspection, it becomes apparent that the Bally pants are jersey fabric, not tweed, and the elastic ankles and drawstring waist are more appropriate for a Nepalese mountain man—either that or a rich kid who knows his way around a bordello.
Dries Van Noten blue striped cotton shirt, $700, available at saks.com; John Galliano cotton vest, $1,280, available at johngalliano.com; A Peace Treaty cotton scarf, $109, available at apeacetreaty.com; Bally gray jersey trousers, $395, available at bally.com; Tom Ford boots, $1,990, available at tomford.com


















Harmon, Alexander McQueen, Dries Van Noten, Tim Hamilton, Dior Homme, Louis Vuitton
The Andean look of the geometric prints on the trench and cardigan suggest a confident world traveler, and the luxurious fabrics make it clear that this guy's pockets are as deep as his connections to old Pootie Poot.
Harmon coat, $2,375, available at Assembly NYC, (212) 253-5393, assemblynewyork.com; Alexander McQueen shirt, $650, available at Alexander McQueen L.A., (323) 782-4983, alexandermcqueen.com; Dries Van Noten cardigan, $595, available at southwillard.com; Tim Hamilton pants, $250, available at bergdorfgoodman.com; Dior Homme belt, $285, Dior Homme NYC, (212) 421-6009, diorhomme.com; Louis Vuitton shoes, $795, available at louisvuitton.com


















Z Zegna, Ann Demeulemeester Men, Dolce & Gabbana, Tim Hamilton, Gordon Rush
You may not be in the market for a $19,000 cardigan, but there's no point in being born into fabulous wealth if you're not going to blow it on clothes that are at least a little over the top. Nor is there any point in buying a $3,900 Mongolian-lambswool-lined bomber jacket if you're just going to wear it with a white shirt.
Z Zegna leather bomber jacket, $3,900, available at zegna.com; Ann Demeulemeester Men button-down, $783, available at anndemeulemeester.be; Dolce & Gabbana tweed pants, $1,050, available at dolcegabbana.it; Gordon Rush Telluride boots, $645, available at gordonrush.com ; Tim Hamilton silk scarf worn as belt, $175, available at tim-hamilton.com


















Missoni
Ever wonder what a $19,000 sweater looks like? With this ludicrously luxe, Persian-lambswool-lined piece, Missoni answers a question no one thought to ask. Worth the price? That's not for us to say, but budget shoppers take heart: Wait a season or two, and many of the design flourishes found here are bound to make their way into the $3,000-cardigan market.
Missoni cashmere sweater with Persian-lambswool lining, $19,035, available at missoni.com


















Brioni, Trussardi 1911, Spurr, Robert Talbott, Michael Bastian, YSL, Dsquared², Acne
Other designers may play around with volume, but—as with these plaid trousers—YSL's Stefano Pilati has the chops to make it wearable. How? It helps that he gets the difference between fast and loose and just plain loose. (The ascot and Brioni shearling only augment the point.)
Brioni coat, $7,295, available at Brioni NYC, (212) 486-0500, brioni.com; Trussardi 1911 cardigan, $2,061, available at barneys.com; Spurr shirt, $285, available at barneys.com; Robert Talbott ascot, $195, available at roberttalbott.com; Michael Bastian vest, $640, available at michaelbastiannyc.com; YSL pants, $695, available at ysl.com; Dsquared² shoes, $540, available at saksfifthavenue.com; Acne necklace, $69, available at acnestudios.com


















Cartier accessories
Should these aviators prove too subtle for your tastes (and for the record, that leather patch is croc), the fine folks at Cartier have also seen fit to offer these silver-and-onyx, Bengal tiger–themed cuff links as part of the same line. Wear them together at your own risk.
Santos de Cartier eyewear, $1,900, and Cartier cuff links, $560, available by calling (800) CARTIER or at cartier.com


















Tom Ford, Ermenegildo Zegna, Viktor & Rolf, Richard Chai, Costume National, A Peace Treaty
The shearling coat from Tom Ford may be flashy, but the red pony-hair boots from Costume National are both flashy and user-friendly: They zip up in the back, making them extra easy to slip off. (Handy for those all-too-common nights when your valet gets even more drunk than you.)
Tom Ford coat, $8,970, available at tomford.com; Ermenegildo Zegna Couture velvet blazer, $2,995, available at zegna.com; Viktor & Rolf shirt, $680, available at bloomingdales.com; Richard Chai wool and linen pants, $395, available at odinnewyork.com; Costume National pony boots, $1,062, available at costumenational.com; A Peace Treaty cotton scarf, $109, available at apeacetreaty.com

Diesel's 30th birthday

In strict accordance with the ‘work hard, play hard’ mantra that so many of the creative industries abide by, Diesel’s 30th birthday party was more than just a few cocktail sausages and a glass of bubbly. Renzo Rosso’s big-thinking brand set the stage not just at the company’s HQ but in 18 different countries across the world.










From Amsterdam to Beijing and São Paolo to Tokyo, the world partied hard on Saturday 11th October. Celebrations included golden oldies like Chaka Khan (New York) and bright young things like Sam Sparro (Tokyo) and even a gladiator fight (Paris) and hula-hoop extravaganza (Helsinki). The entire event was an exercise in party planning on an unprecedented scale and, come Sunday, 18 cities simultaneously felt the after effects of one of the biggest parties in history.










It’s not just clothes and parties that Diesel do well though. Central to the brand’s enduring success is its notorious creative direction, which has often gone beyond the hackneyed remit of advertising a model as clotheshorse. Notable boundary-busting stunts from the past include launching a newspaper, The Daily Africa, creating an imaginary country rock star and producing a reality TV show online whose stars wear only pants and lingerie. Anyone wishing to relive the best moments of Diesel’s creative direction can get their hands on an anniversary tome, ‘XXX Years of Diesel Communication’ (published by Rizzoli), available globally at premium bookshops.

Be it parties, ad campaigns or just a good pair of jeans, Diesel’s not about to rest on the laurels of 30 years’ work and play. And, as partygoers across the globe return to work, the countdown’s already begun to their half-century milestone celebrations

Books: Unified Design

Over the decades, Arup have acquired something of a reputation for backroom brilliance, the engineering firm that ensures that starchitecture stays up and high profile names keep their record sheet clean. But now that some super-engineers are emerging into the spotlight - Cecil Balmond being the most obvious example - this truly global design company is realising that it needs to make more of its own design strengths.

Ove Arup didn’t just bestow his name on the 10,000-strong firm; he made it his ongoing legacy. As the bridge between the aesthetic aspirations of the early modernists and the materials they wished to put to use, Arup was at the heart of modern architecture, the facilitator who did more than anyone else to shape the modern world.

As a result, the studio is now well placed to push through a sustainable approach, and Unified Design sets out a manifesto for a coherent strategy, underpinning everything from Himalayan Schools to vast transport interchanges.

Rendez vous de mois SEPTEMBER: Michael Keute

This month hottie-man-date is a gym trainer Michael Keute from New York, photographed by Rick Day. Lets have a drink or dinner or...? ;)

Ben van Berkel: profile

Utrecht-born Ben Van Berkel is one of the architecture world's most active star professionals and one of The Netherlands' most well known contemporary architects. He studied architecture at the Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam and at the Architectural Association in London, before co-founding the independent practice Van Berkel & Bos Architectuurbureau in Amsterdam in 1988, with colleague Caroline Bos.










The practice immediately made a strong impact with their work, which received international critical acclaim. The Moebius house, and the NMR facilities for the University of Utrecht stand out, alongside one of their very first projects, the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam. This is also one of the architect's favorite projects: 'I was young when I designed it and I never really thought that it would become such a symbol for the city,' he explains proudly.











Following their success and the practice's growth, the two founders decided to establish a new firm in 1998, and thus UNStudio (United Net Studio), a network of specialists in architecture, urban development and infrastructure. UNStudio's completed work includes the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, a facade and interior renovation for the Galleria Department store in Seoul, and a private villa in up-state New York.











Their current projects count the Graz Music Theatre (MUMUTH), which we presented on this year's Architects Directory shoot, and the highly anticipated, luxurious Five Franklin Place condominiums in New York's Tribeca district, which the architect discusses in more detail in our latest issue, W*115.











Today, the Director of UNStudio is overseeing the firm's 36 ongoing projects, varying from masterplans, to buildings, products and studies, while currently getting ready for the launch of their Venice installation as part of this year's Architecture Biennale headline show, curated by Aaron Betsky.

Comme des Garçons collaboration

If the adage is true that two heads think better than one then the creative commingling of Louis Vuitton and Comme des Garcons should be something very special. And indeed it is.









Louis Vuitton caused a stir last year setting up shop inside the LA MoCA during Takashi Murakami's retrospective. The temporary store within a store (or museum in that case) was clearly a success though because this is what they’ve done again. This time they’ve taken on retail guerrilla masters Comme de Garçons, opening a temporary store within their shop on Kottodori in Tokyo’s Omotesando district.

Kawakubo has redesigned the entire store in honour of Louis Vuitton’s monogram, celebrating the brand’s 30th anniversary in Japan. As well as an installation of the historic trunks in the middle of the store, Kawakubo has designed six one-off bags, inspired by her love of the brand, to be revealed exclusively in W*115, on sale on Thursday 11th September.


More than just an irreverent poke at the brand that made guerrilla cool, it’s the realisation of Comme founder Rei Kawakubo’s dream. The indomitable Kawakubo, one of Wallpaper’s Guest Editors for W*115, speaks of her time in 1978 when as a fledgling designer she witnessed Louis Vuitton’s first store opening in Tokyo. She was astounded by the level of French craftsmanship and historic luxury that she saw in the brand.

Speaking of the collaboration Kawakubo said: 'These are party bags to celebrate the 30 years of Louis Vuitton in Japan. it has been a remarkably exciting opportunity for me to have been able to participate in Louis Vuitton's traditional design and heritage.'