Rick Owens. Men's Fall 2019 – Paris Fashion Week

(Images from Vogue.com and wwd.com the public domain. All rights. Used in promotion of the designer.)

Rick Owens has stripped down the excess of the Spring 2019 showing, with a more cleaner and somewhat restrained array for his Men's Fall 2019 collection.  Yet, the devil is in the details, and within the sleekness that is of Owens masterful ability.  You'll see the tweaking of his processes in all the various collections on display.  So, it is important to view these variants and their sentiments in Owens's collections.  As they move between subtle to the more blunt of affairs, becoming an interesting coalesce of movements that are seen as the highs and lows of expectation.

Owens Fall 2019 regalia is in tune as a homage to the costume genius, yet somewhat unknown Larry Legaspi, whose rise to fame was the reworking the science fiction inspired disco of the 1970s, so that it was able to befit itself as the artistic director for the mega group KISS of the 70s and 80s.  Glammed up, yet, futuristic (Afro-futurism) styled arrays, to which Owens will be completing a written biography of Legaspi in conjunction with the release of this Fall 2019 collection in October this year.

There is no doubt at this point in some shape, form or another, as far as the creative arts, we are all searching back to popular culture of the last three decades that, yeah, it was a significant time; but, it's long gone.  What maybe occurring from a simplistic viewpoint is an attempt at trying to determine what our future is evolving into, by sourcing past events and trends.  Particularly in popular culture, as the fast paced digitalized networks have distorted information and within its proximity of interaction, has lead to an overconfidence of seeking notoriety.  When on the most part, ideas have become so fleeting via a cut and paste mess.  In other words, what may seem new has actually already been done.  But, Owens is smart, he has made a name for himself as a stalwart original fashion designer, ensuring there is an ambiguity to mask the labeling of his brand and his approach to fashion design.  And that's what is appealing about his projects.  As it is the study of art and popular culture history that he does so well, which many fail to do and study of the past is important - it removes the romanticism. Revealing the reality.  And sometimes, that reality has a darkness engraved into it.  

The late 1970s blazer trend which started last year (2018) in all of the seasons is carrying through into 2019, clearly drawing from the early punk days before 80s leather jackets. The blazer, it works, because the traditional fit can be remodeled over any style – and yes, a conservative male look, can be worn by both sexes, with its slightly frayed stitching, symbolic patches and added  fabrics.   Owens, has amalgamated the muted, uniformity of the sleeker punk styles, mixed in with the puffed out extravagance of over sized jackets, long coats, faux fur ensembles, ala Legaspi's 'space' fusion.   It's a eclectic mix of 1970s and 80s right into a spectrum of 21st Century originality.    The color palette for Owens Fall 2019 collection is toned back under a darkened runway affair, with the flair of reddish and gold hues illuminated throughout.

An amazing collection.