Flowers Make Everything Better

Diet Butcher Slim Skin
Spring 2010 Collection

My relationship with Diet Butcher Slim Skin started several months back with a longing for their behemoth-sized sneakers (preferably in black with studs or distressed red leather), which oddly enough stemmed from a certain fascination with contemporary motorcycle boots (read - those futuristic looking pieces, not the leather Terminator ones), which is no doubt the topic for another post. Anyhow, whilst DBSS has remained on my radar for their footwear design, their clothing did not particularly make me stop in my tracks to any great degree in order to simply enjoy their design. Admittedly I found their last look book, using bird headed models, quite interesting, but after which the label happened to slip my mind. I am glad to say however that their latest collection and look book surprised me and I found myself rather intrigued.

Spring shall always be about florals for me - it is as intrinsic to the season as snow is to Christmas (sorry Australia). However whilst floral colour palettes and floral patterns are easy to incorporate into women's clothing, the application of such an inspiration into the realm of menswear is perhaps understandably somewhat significantly harder to achieve. Flowers tend for the most parts to have the cultural association with the female sex, unless of course one counts men buying flowers in order to give to women. Yet, I happen to have rather a passion for flowers, not just in the botanical sense (but really, what is better than waking to the smell of fresh flowers?), but also for how they can be interpreted for fashion and clothing. Indeed as such the DBSS collection caught my attention at first for the simple fact that flowers did play such a visually dominant role within their look book, but also playing some part in inspiring their clothing.

Were there an absence of images to accompany this post, I am sure questions would have been asked as to how flowers and men's clothing work together - no doubt retro floral print shirts would come to mind. However in this collection flowers actually play a more conceptual role, as opposed to having been used in the literal sense, which I found quite wonderful. One only need note the soft and worn finishes of the garments such as washed and faded trousers, or else the delicate jersey t-shirts. The subdued colour palette alludes perhaps more to the idea of dried flowers, however there is certainly a charm to the washes of greys with tints of violet and blue, as well as the actual blue and violet pieces themselves.

Of course the most visually dominant reminder of flowers within the collection is undoubtedly the printed shorts suit. I found the cut of the jacket to be quite androgynous in truth, and quite enjoyed the play between the masculine and feminine. Cut just above the hips, yet slightly taken in at the waist and with rolled shoulders, I certainly found the shape fascinating. I was also particularly taken by the decision to have the revers extended fully towards the bottom of the jacket and the apparent absence of buttons. The jacket appears to have been designed to be worn open, and this lends a sense of casual comfort, which combined with the decision to pair them with shorts works well for Spring. I was pleased to see that the shorts were actually layered, giving them quite a sportswear inspired feel.

My favourite outfit is however perhaps the most simple and comfortable looking of the collection, that of the grey jersey top, black sweats and white trainer boots. The absence of colour, not taking into account the scarf, works well, and although the look is perhaps simple in concept, the finish of the garments more than makes up for it. I suppose one would call it yet another feminine influence, however I liked the ruched detail along the front of the soft jersey raglan top. I also liked the simple but visually interesting composition with the pockets of the trousers. The fact that they are given a prominent position in the design, rather than being hidden into the trousers with simple jet pockets, makes for a nice touch. Oh, and totally diggin' the flower gloves.

Please do bear with me with regards to getting around to all of your wonderful blogs and comments!

Currently playing: Heart Full Of Soul - Graham Gouldman

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