Vogue Hommes English Version 25

— Mario Testino probably doesn’t need any introduction. Star photographer and photographer of stars, he is lionised in his native Peru. His photos transfix the readers of Vogue (and other prestige titles) and have been shown in galleries and museums the world over. He’s the go–to photographer for celebrities and royalty because he shoots to glorify — his portraits of Princess Diana also contributed to the legend. Above all, though, he is a true gentleman who would outshine the sun if given half a chance. He stopped off in Rio to shoot the cover story this issue of Vogue Hommes. Here’s a short questionnaire, Brazilian style. VOGUE HOMMES What are your earliest memories of Brazil? MARIO TESTINO I discovered Brazil when I was 15, and I felt exactly the same…

— Collectors of Japanese photobooks — a sub–species of obsessives within the greater assembly of fanatics — are generally unaware of this book, Olele Olala. Could it be because of its garish cover, a tad OTT? When talking about its author, Kishin Shinoyama, those collectors generally prefer to cite Nude, or 28 Girls. And why not? They encapsulate what Shinoyama did best at the very end of the 1960s. As a photographer who had built his reputation mostly in the worlds of fashion and advertising, he already had a unique way of displaying the female body. Less graphic, less in–your–face than Nobuyoshi Araki, he above all seemed to enjoy subverting his commissions by injecting curves and distortions into Japanese photography that came straight out of the big book of surrealism.…

— It’s no accident that Vogue Hommes chose to put down in Brazil, and more precisely in Rio, where dreams ignite. Looking beyond the sizzling temperatures and postcard landscapes, the cult of the body beautiful is extreme and body confidence seems second nature. Witness the uninhibited sway of the bronzed locals, sashaying along in Speedos. That self–confidence seems to be the starting point of style — style construed as a system of individual deviations from, among others, the more jaw–dropping offerings of the menswear collections. Because you need chutzpah to flaunt the outrageous shoulders sent out by Demna Gvasalia for Balenciaga (slated to spread contagion to all catwalks next season), Alessandro Michele’s strident gender–bending for Gucci, or Haider Ackermann’s at Berluti and Raf Simons’s for Calvin Klein. Not forgetting the…

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DRIES VAN NOTEN because he never puts a foot wrong. Witness the perfect cut and roominess of the trousers, the rehabilitated tank tops, and the oh–so–subtle colours. And no more skin on show than absolutely necessary. A perfect ten. RAF SIMONS knows all about men and fashion. Those fabulous, quirky volumes, those reinvented wardrobe basics, his references to Robert Mapplethorpe and Genêt’s Querelle of Brest: the Belgian designer knows that where he hangs his clothes, there lies the meaning of life. VETEMENTS Unmissable. And how! All that velvet, those bootees and that seventies fun! Those floor–sweeping Vetements oversized belts. The entire show the epitome of cool. Even the skin–tight leather crotch seemed so… right. Hail Demna! GUCCI because Alessandro Michele is fearless. He’s not afraid to dress us males in…

1. Backpack, Karabiner, Parka, check. Boots and sandals to die for, check. Trekkingto impress, Miuccia Prada gets it right all over again. 2. “Fashion goes in cycles.” You don’t say. The 1990s are back, and with them, MTVgeneration streetwear. 3. Create complex constructions, subvert classic lines, boldly hybridise where none have dared, and blend the utilitarian with the romantic. Craig Green has taken a metaphorical chainsaw to the male wardrobe. The young conceptual designer is the toast of London, restoring our faith in humankind. 4. Caps are wizard. 5. Satin shorts: we thought they’d been banished forever after Wham! Not so. They’re back and they’re angry. See Fendi, Comme des Garçons, Gosha, and Rubin. 6. Get noticed for very little outlay: use string for a belt in these times of…