SHOP.CASE — a.PRESSE

Fashion

The shop of a.PRESSE, the Japanese brand that is currently making a lot of noise amongst menswear enthusiasts, is located in a nondescript concrete building in upper Jingumae, in Tokyo, a ten minute walk from the hubbub of the winding streets above Omotesando, which have been taken over by mainstream streetwear brands.

But walk into the semi-basement space and that is where all the anonymity ends. The walls and columns are clad in a compound made of soil, straw, sand, and cement, giving them a texture somewhere between concrete and Venetian plaster. The furniture is a mix of mid-century Brazilian and Danish, and the speakers are vintage JBL. The brass clothes racks and even the oak wood hangers, are custom made for a.PRESSE. Such minute attention to detail adds warmth and makes the sparseness of the space an asset in itself.

Dolce & Gabbana at Grand Palais, Paris

Culture, Fashion

When future historians will examine the list of crimes against humanity of our time, the work of Dolce & Gabbana will feature prominently, or, as they say in fashion, boldly. The current exhibition of the dismal duo’s oeuvre at Grand Palais in Paris drives this point home with such ferocious force as to make one’s eyes bleed from all the ludicrous pomposity on display. Mistitled Du Coeur a la Main, it should have been called The Kingdom of Kitsch, because that’s what Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have built, both at their brand and with this show at one of the world’s most venerable museums, whose stones are undoubtedly groaning with shame at having been burdened with so much bad taste.

PARIS MENS FALL / WINTER 2025 SHOWROOM REPORT

Fashion, Features/Op-Ed

Last year I promised to lean into supporting smaller brands, and I have valiantly tried to visit as many showrooms as possible, so much so that I have not seen much of Paris this time. Each season I receive an avalanche of invitations, but I am just one person, so I am taking an opportunity to offer my apologies to those I was not able to visit. In general, many of the brands I’ve seen have stuck to their guns. This is fine, but it also does not provide much food for thought. Quite a few are struggling, but I hope that now that the so-called luxury is in tailspin, it’s their time to come in and offer a superior product at a better price. There is certainly a contingent of men and women ready for it. And I see it as my job to connect these brands with a new audience. So, here it is.

MEN’S FALL / WINTER 2025 PARIS FASHION WEEK REPORT

Fashion, Features/Op-Ed

This January Paris greeted us with rain and more rain. In the seven days I saw sun only once – proof that god hates fashion. The weather put a damper on a season that was already decidedly mid. If fashion is supposed to reflect our culture, what it tells us is that our culture is mired in mediocrity. Note that I did not say that it was an awful season, nor am I particularly disappointed, which means that I got exactly what I expected – mids. Pretty much all the editors I’ve spoken with this season did not expect much either. We’ve capitulated to fashion in the say way the American left has capitulated to Trump. We shrug our shoulders because we know what to expect. We troop from one show to another without much joy and without much anticipation. We are tired; what was once fun is starting to look an awful lot like work.