the new pornographer

Here's an article I wrote for Surface Asia Magazine based in Singapore on Korean designer Han Dongwoo / 한동우 and his label Irony Porn(o). I love the masculine feminine mashup in his collections and was lucky enough to model for him a few seasons ago in Seoul - check out some backstage shots from his FW10/11 show HERE.

xoxochadchad

seoul fashion week fw12 highlights

Seoul Fashion Week has come and gone and for the second season in a row I wasn't able to make it over to Korea to see it for myself :(  Big time sad face for that.  I sometimes just want to stick my head in the sand and pretend that my life there never really existed so I can make the best of London, but Korea keeps on creeping into my life so forgetting about it is impossible.


Korean menswear, as I've said plenty of times before, is SFW's most successful player.  However this season some of the womenswear designers upped their game and presented really strong collections as well.  Below are a few of my FW12 favorites from the week.

Resurrection by Juyoung Lee added a military twist to her standard rock goth garments this season.  The almost floor length olive green jacket with leather sleeves above is mouthwatering perfection.

Irony Porn(o) designer Han Dong Woo presented another monochromatic collection of grey, black & white under the title 'Subversive Sexuality', showing us a mix of tailoring and somewhat unisex apparel. 

Choi Bumsuk presented a very sporty & streetwear feeling collection for General Idea this season under the theme 'After Games', inspired by hero's of the 1960's Winter Olympic Games.

Groundwave is always a favorite and again presented a modern version of traditional Korean outerwear.  The quilted jackets were exceptional and the models looked heavenly as they walked barefoot amongst the clouds.

Roliat's FW12 collection was based on a functional mutation of woolen jackets and padded jumpers.  The military inspired outerwear was styled with wide trousers cropped above the ankle along with hiking boots.

Leigh, another strong menswear label, presented under the motto "Brightness co-exists with darkness, and the darker it gets, the brighter the light shines".  I love how he paired cropped coats over a longer suit jacket, something that can easily look awkward but here wear quite well.

pushBUTTON presented a loud and proud collection of pattern, oversized shapes and vivid colour.  Gotta get me a pair of those round mirror lens frames that Noma Han is rocking on the left.

Inspired by the western film 'Bandidas', Johnny Hates Jazz presented an urban cowgirl collection in mainly red & blue tones.

Opening the 3rd day of Seoul Collection, one of Korea's most celebrated designers Lie Sang Bong sent models down the runway with a large black dot on their face echoing the stone like patches found throughout the collection.  Dyed fur, sheer fabrics and lace were also dominant.

Known for their fun and light hearted presentations, Steve J & Yoni P have accumulated a large fan base in Seoul including many a celebrity who were seen in the front row.  This years 'Functional Futurism' collection was a mashup of color, pattern & texture including some fun detachable leather peplum overskirts.


xoxochadchad

men in skirts

Check out my article on 1883 Digital by 1883 Magazine about the prominence of skirts in menswear SS12 collections from around the world including shows by Commes des Garcon, Givenchy, J.W. Anderson, Rad by Rad Hourani, Rick Owens and Korean labels Resurrection and Irony Porn(o):


Modern European & Western male dress sense has long dictated that outside of Scottish weddings or Marc Jacob’s closet, skirts on a man are a total faux pas.  Taking a look back in history however, gives a glimpse of men from ancient Egypt to Biblical times to historical figures such as Alexander the Great and Christopher Columbus all depicted wearing skirts.  For the rest of the article, click HERE.  


xoxochadchad

want 1.2: ivan curia nunes

I've been researching some fresh, young designers for an upcoming menswear shoot that I'm assisting on for 1883 Magazine and I came upon recent Central Saint Martins graduate Ivan Curia Nunes. I was interested in & excited by a lot of the other graduates runway debuts but in the end Nunes mainly linen collection was the stand out star and I WANT it all. The muted color palette and exaggerated silhouettes were slightly reminiscent of some of my favorite young Korean menswear designers like Groundwave, Alani and Irony Porn(o). And just how effortlessly cool are those sunglasses?










photos taken from http://trendland.net/


xoxochadchad

irony porn(o) ss12 by han dongwoo

Korean designer Han Dongwoo / 한동우 presented his latest Irony Porn(o) collection last week during Seoul Fashion Week, breaking an extended hiatus from the catwalk after his FW10/11 collection in April 2010 when I had a chance to walk in his show. From the images I've seen of this collection, Han has continued presenting a tailored look with a twist once more using a simple palette of black, grey & white. He pushed the boundaries of menswear by extending collared shirts into long dresses and taking a three piece suit and transforming the trousers into baggy harem pants. The pinstripes added a classy feel and styled with wide brimmed hats, this collection looked all sorts of cool.





























Irony Porn(o) designer Han Dongwoo.


xoxochadchad

chadchad of the day 0.6

grey & black vest / Irony Porn(o)
black & white checked shirt / vintage
grey shorts / Raf Simons
sock garters / handmade
black studded shoes / Giordano Concepts (reformed)
feather army man brooch (necklace) / Burger Kim

It's Thanksgiving in the States this weekend and since both of my roommates are from America we thought we'd have a turkey/potluck dinner at our apartment. I always have images of dressing up in our Sunday finest to see the grandparents and relatives during Thanksgiving back home, which is part of the inspiration for this look: my Sunday best.



The vest was given to me by Korean designer Dongwoo Han after walking in his Irony Porn(o) FW 2010/11 Collection last season.  The black cut out shapes sort of have a pilgrim vibe perfect for Thanksgiving and the grey is a nice thick wool for a windy fall day like today. The checked shirt is also a warm wool and was yet another Dongmyo find for only W1,000 ($1 US). The one of a kind army man/black feather brooch was handmade by my friend from London - the gold chain can also be used to hang it lower as a necklace. I'm going to post some more of his accessory designs soon if I can get my hands on some good photos.



The black wingtip style sneakers were bought in Hong Kong about 3 years ago at Giordano Concepts - they have a much trendier selection of clothes than the Giordano stores found in Korea. I added each of the studs to it myself using crazy glue and tweezers, which took quite a while but was so cheap to do. I think a small bag of those studs (which can also be ironed onto clothing) cost maybe W2,000 ($2 US). I made the sock garters for the first ever WhiteNoize party way back in April '09 out of old black suspenders (miss you WhiteNoize!). The socks are just cut up women's panty hose. ;)

xoxochadchad

gift from irony porn(o) designer han dongwoo

This is the vest I wore in the Irony Porn(o) F/W 2010 Collection.

click here for pics from backstage at the show: 
http://www.thexoxokids.com/2010/04/irony-porno-fw-201011-by-han-dongwoo.html

xoxochadchad

boys 3.1

Martin-Christopher Harper




Editor in Chief OAK.A.ZINE / www.oakazine.com / stylist / www.martin-christopherharper.com

blue cardigan / Henrik Vibskov
colorful shirt / vintage
black pants / Acne
red shoes / Commes des Garcons
Aztec patterned bag / Pendleton
black glasses / Grey Ant
black watch / Tendence
button badge collection / vintage


Bear Smith


27 / www.oaknyc.com

denim shirt / vintage
black hoodie / Oak
striped shirt / Club Monaco
plaid pants / vintage Kenzo
white shoes / Nike
black sunglasses / Spitfire
star hat / Bernard Wilhelm


Sung Su Jang / 장성수


26 / designer

black leather belted jacket / Dominic's Way
black & white shirt / handmade
black pants / handmade
black hat / brand unknown
black boots / brand unknown
black studded glove / brand unknown


Tony


Harvey Nichols buyer

teal blue jacket / brand unknown
black denim / Dior Homme
black boots / Zara
black attache case / brand unknown


Dong Woo Han / 한동우


Irony Porn(o) designer

grey 3 piece suit / Irony Porn(o)
white shirt / Irony Porn(o)
grey tie / Irony Porn(o)
black shoes / Irony Porn(o)


Sang Hyun / 상현


designer

khaki trench coat / Mihara Yasuhiro
blue shirt / brand unknown
black v-neck sweater / brand unknown
black pants / brand unknown
white shoes / brand unknown


June Kim / 김준



26 / student

grey jacket & burgundy vest combo / no brand
blue shirt / Tailorable
khaki pants / no brand
shiny blue shoes / Lanvin


Ho Young Kim / 김호영


musical actor

white leopard print fur vest / no brand
black jacket / no brand
tiger shirt / no brand
black pants / no brand
tan boots / no brand
black bag / no brand
black fedora hat / no brand


Steve Wong


teacher

brown jacket / vintage
blue shirt / vintage
white tie / vintage
khaki pants / H&M
white shoes / vintage
brown glasses / Tom Ford


Jean Romeo


Showroom Romeo / www.showroomromeo.com

black jacket / Giuliano Fujiwara
pink jacket / brand unknown
khaki pants / brand unknown
grey fedora hat / brand unknown
black shoes / brand unknown


Geunho Ko / 고근호



20 / student

denim jacket with puffy sleeves / vintage
black tee / no brand
denim / Cheap Monday
white shoes / George Cox
colorful bag / Bernard Wilhelm

xoxochadchad