Well here's a name I haven't heard for eons. Well, nearly two years, anyway. Remember those layered trousers I was all about when NJAL's The Shop was still shiny and new? Well, Fashion156 today reminded me of their label, being Ethosens from Japanese designer Yui Hashimoto. I seem to think that they didn't have a website up and running when I was pining after those trousers, since I don't remember all those scrolling lookbooks, or the fact that each year has one name for both the A/W and following S/S collections. It's rather a good idea, I think, as it allows the designer to just work with one theme for the year, and yet be able to make season appropriate pieces within that construct. Anyway, the title or theme for the A/W 10/11 and S/S 11 seasons is 'Cover of Life', with the tagline 'What wraps you?'. Both seasons are full of minimalist pieces that are everyday wearable, especially for the more laid back gentlemen who can pull of wearing a pair of sweats in public. What I enjoy so much about Ethosens, however, is the unexpected reconfiguration of the suit to create new basic menswear pieces. For instance, the trench onesie. Now, I think it would be horrible to ask a guy to wear it with a pair of tights or leggings, like in the above picture on the left. However, when paired with a pair of pants underneath like on the right, I think it takes away at least most of the unflattering aspects of the onesie, and makes it conceivable that someone older than ten and not on the runway or at a fashion week would wear it.
Not convinced? Yeah, I'm not really either. But I think you'll easily enjoy the other pieces pictured here. For instance, the outfit on the left that, at first glance, seems to include pants with a layered top portion, but then upon closer look reveals itself to be a bit of trompe l'oeil on the bottom of the shirt. Or the mid-length coat/structured smoking jacket that was a suit jacket and pair of pants in a previous life. The pieces below are pretty sweet too. But I really hope to never again see a guy in tights off the stage/ice/bike.
