Gareth Scissorhands

January 27, 2009

Admittedly, men's fashion weeks come and go with barely a glance. I think it's got to be a tough gig creating new menswear every season that men will actually want to wear, and then anything that breaks out of the realm of 'normal' can turn the runway into a walk of shame for the models.

Surely, I've missed many great things by being too embarrassed for them or fearing boredom too much to watch, but Gareth Pugh didn't get by me. As soon as his first menswear show, in Paris, came up in my Google reader I immediately clicked - I'm fascinated by him (despite his final product being the antithesis of what I am naturally drawn to) and was curious whether he used the same starting point as he did for his women's spring collection, namely the Predator/sci-fi influences. (Again, not my 'go-tos' as I'm a grounded, terrestrial girl but his take on all of this just does it for me.)

The feeling is familiar but for the guys he seemed to also draw from that goth hero, Edward Scissorhands. I haven't seen this confirmed but it seems to be undeniable with the white pancake and grey-shaded faces, wet-black hair, those boots with the skinny trousers and shredded detail - though with Pugh it is always precise - and the fitted, black and silvery grey jackets and coats. And look at the hand ornamentation above, yeah?

Looking at these photos, I can't help but hear the track for the Insensate film that was inspired by his designs. And it works.