ahlam1399
02-12-2019, 01:45 PM
ON JULY 18, 2018, Chadwick Boseman wore a white, chest-spanning leather harness over his cream-colored tuxedo to the ESPY Awards. Months later, Timothأ©e Chalamet showed up at the Golden Globes in a glittery gothic version of the harness and Michael B. Jordan, not to be outdone, strapped on a floral embroidered one for the Screen Actors Guild Awards. This trio of body-crossing contraptions, all from Virgil Ablohâ??s first collection as Louis Vuittonâ??s menswear designer, have confounded awards-show followers. Are the harnesses bedazzled gun holsters (https://twitter.com/Reel_Insight/status/1082104273910026245?mod=article_inline)? Sparkly black lederhosen (https://twitter.com/juliamaynot/status/1082345839463419904?mod=article_inline)? Toddler reins for adults (https://twitter.com/_JDBurroughs_/status/1089923306722086914?mod=article_inline)? For my money, they most resemble lopsided seatbelts.
Even Louis Vuitton seemed unsure how to classify the devices: In an email to me last month, the French label described Mr. Chalametâ??s as an â??embroidered bibâ?* then, weeks later, termed Mr. Jordanâ??s an â??embroidered mid-layerâ?*. On Louis Vuittonâ??s website, where the harness is listed for $2,530 (https://us.louisvuitton.com/eng-us/products/monogram-embossed-leather-cut-away-vest-nvprod1270335v?mod=article_inline), it is described as a â??cut away vestâ?*. Stylists for Mr. Jordan and Mr. Boseman (Mr. Chalamet does not employ a stylist) declined interviews for this story, as did Mr. Abloh.
https://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/B3-DD012_GETTYI_574V_20190211115352.jpg
Mel Gibson showing some early harness style in 1981â??s â??Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior.â?*
Photo:
Corbis via Getty Images
</p>
Whatever you call it, the harness-holster-bib doohickey has emerged as this awards seasonâ??s most head-scratching phenomenon. Reporters from media outlets as varied as Elle (https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a26065178/michael-b-jordan-harness-trend-red-carpet-virgil-abloh/?mod=article_inline) and â??The Today Show (https://www.today.com/style/male-harnesses-are-officially-celebrity-fashion-trend-t147600?mod=article_inline)â?* have all snidely dissected it. Iâ??ve found it surprising that any one item should provoke so much kerfuffle, especially in menswearâ??s current â??look at meâ?* moment, defined by maximalist style. See Gucciâ??s garish floral suiting (https://www.vogue.com/article/gucci-floral-suits-runway-to-real-life?mod=article_inline), Balenciagaâ??s Wonder Bread-sized shoes (https://www.wsj.com/articles/yes-these-sneakers-are-ugly-thats-the-point-1508167909?mod=article_inline) or the big-graphic, big-ticket hoodies from Off-White (https://www.off---white.com/en/US/men/t/seasons/ss2019?utf8=ï؟½ï؟½ï؟½&f[categories][]=804&mod=article_inline), also designed by Mr. Abloh. Celebs and athletes alike have been wearing such extreme statements to award shows or NBA games (https://www.wsj.com/articles/whats-in-those-funny-little-bags-nba-players-carry-11549387466?mod=article_inline), pushing loud menâ??s fashion into the mainstream. Even the political world has not shied away from attention-grabbing style: the derangedly dandified outfits of Roger Stone, the recently indicted, onetime Trump campaign adviser, have preoccupied late-night hosts like Seth Meyers and political commentators.
https://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/B3-DD013_GETTYI_1000V_20190211115402.jpg
At last yearâ??s Oscars, figure skater Adam Rippon became the first star to wear a harness-inspired suit on the red carpet.
Photo:
Getty Images
</p>
Rhonda Garelick, a professor of fashion studies at New Yorkâ??s Parsons School of Design, noted that as far back as the 1970s, British designer Vivienne Westwood was selling harnesses to male customers, while in 1981â??s â??Mad Max 2: The Road Warriorâ?* Mel Gibsonâ??s macho action-hero wore a strappy holster-like garment. The professor also saw an ancestor of todayâ??s male harnesses in the BDSM-inspired Jean-Paul Gaultier corsets that Madonna wore in her envelope-pushing â??80s days. Ms. Garelick attributed the resurgence to a â??mainstreaming of queer cultureâ?* and â??another form of gender fluidity.â?* Itâ??s worth noting that figure skater Adam Rippon, the first openly gay man to compete on a U.S. Winter Olympics team, wore a more explicitly S&M-inspired harness-suit by Moschino to the Oscars last year. Mr. Chalamet, the only actor to acknowledge the fetish connection, made light of it on â??The Ellen DeGeneres Show,â?* days after wearing the bib: â??I had a friend send me a thing that, like, sex-dungeon culture is a thing where you wear harnesses. I didnâ??t do it for that reason.â?*
For many, these harnesses are an eyesore. â??Generally, theyâ??re kind of ugly,â?* said Hunter Harris (https://twitter.com/hunteryharris?mod=article_inline), 24, an associate editor at Vulture (https://www.vulture.com/?mod=article_inline), a website run by New York magazine. She took particular issue with Mr. Jordanâ??s efforts, arguing that, on the brawny actor. â??The outfit wouldâ??ve looked so much better without it,â?* she said, speculating that these celebrities may have worn the harnesses simply to show that they were chummy with Mr. Abloh, or at least aware of his work.
Mr. Abloh, with 3.6 million Instagram followers (https://www.instagram.com/virgilabloh/?hl=en&mod=article_inline) and a side-gig as a DJ (heâ??s set to appear at Coachella later this year), is the rare fashion designer whose fanbase rivals those of the celebs he dresses. His personal popularity somewhat upends the usual red-carpet dynamic, whereby attention-seeking brands dress celebrities to align themselves with a marquee name. Alexander McQueen, for instance, garners valuable press when Emily Blunt repeatedly namedrops the label when pestered to confess â??who sheâ??s wearingâ?* on her way into the Golden Globes. In the case of Mr. Chalamet and his harness-wearing brethren, perhaps, the celebrities are leaning on Mr. Ablohâ??s profile to appear cooler. It may not matter if the harness looks like a piece of mangled rock-climbing gearâ??since Mr. Abloh designed it, itâ??s well worth being photographed in it for millions to see.
https://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/B3-DD011_GETTYI_574V_20190211115341.jpg
In the 1980s and â??90s Madonna (seen here on her â??Blonde Ambitionâ?* tour) frequently wore S&M inspired get-ups by Jean-Paul Gaultier.
Photo:
WireImage
</p>
Thatâ??s not to say that the harness has been universally disliked. â??I thought, â??What a nice little touch,â?? said Shaun Proulx (https://www.shaunproulx.ca/?mod=article_inline), 50, who hosts a weekly talk show on Sirius Radio from Toronto. In his view, the backlash was a â??typical, lazy, knee-jerk reactionâ?* to men taking a style risk. â??I have felt for a long time that men get shut down and repressed with fashion,â?* said Mr. Proulx of Mr. Chalamet and crew. Heâ??s no stranger to style risks himself, confessing to having hazarded capes, ponchos, tunics and other eccentric garments in public. â??Iâ??m a confident enough guy to always express myself,â?* he said, adding that he applauds Hollywoodâ??s harness trio. â??Individuality is needed more than ever right now.â?*
Write to Jacob Gallagher at [email protected]
</p>
Source link (https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-hottest-new-fashion-trend-for-men-is-harnesses-11549904966?mod=WSJ_GoogleNews)
More (http://ahlam1399.i234.me:8888/m/2019/02/12/the-hottest-new-fashion-trend-for-men-is-harnesses/)
Even Louis Vuitton seemed unsure how to classify the devices: In an email to me last month, the French label described Mr. Chalametâ??s as an â??embroidered bibâ?* then, weeks later, termed Mr. Jordanâ??s an â??embroidered mid-layerâ?*. On Louis Vuittonâ??s website, where the harness is listed for $2,530 (https://us.louisvuitton.com/eng-us/products/monogram-embossed-leather-cut-away-vest-nvprod1270335v?mod=article_inline), it is described as a â??cut away vestâ?*. Stylists for Mr. Jordan and Mr. Boseman (Mr. Chalamet does not employ a stylist) declined interviews for this story, as did Mr. Abloh.
https://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/B3-DD012_GETTYI_574V_20190211115352.jpg
Mel Gibson showing some early harness style in 1981â??s â??Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior.â?*
Photo:
Corbis via Getty Images
</p>
Whatever you call it, the harness-holster-bib doohickey has emerged as this awards seasonâ??s most head-scratching phenomenon. Reporters from media outlets as varied as Elle (https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a26065178/michael-b-jordan-harness-trend-red-carpet-virgil-abloh/?mod=article_inline) and â??The Today Show (https://www.today.com/style/male-harnesses-are-officially-celebrity-fashion-trend-t147600?mod=article_inline)â?* have all snidely dissected it. Iâ??ve found it surprising that any one item should provoke so much kerfuffle, especially in menswearâ??s current â??look at meâ?* moment, defined by maximalist style. See Gucciâ??s garish floral suiting (https://www.vogue.com/article/gucci-floral-suits-runway-to-real-life?mod=article_inline), Balenciagaâ??s Wonder Bread-sized shoes (https://www.wsj.com/articles/yes-these-sneakers-are-ugly-thats-the-point-1508167909?mod=article_inline) or the big-graphic, big-ticket hoodies from Off-White (https://www.off---white.com/en/US/men/t/seasons/ss2019?utf8=ï؟½ï؟½ï؟½&f[categories][]=804&mod=article_inline), also designed by Mr. Abloh. Celebs and athletes alike have been wearing such extreme statements to award shows or NBA games (https://www.wsj.com/articles/whats-in-those-funny-little-bags-nba-players-carry-11549387466?mod=article_inline), pushing loud menâ??s fashion into the mainstream. Even the political world has not shied away from attention-grabbing style: the derangedly dandified outfits of Roger Stone, the recently indicted, onetime Trump campaign adviser, have preoccupied late-night hosts like Seth Meyers and political commentators.
https://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/B3-DD013_GETTYI_1000V_20190211115402.jpg
At last yearâ??s Oscars, figure skater Adam Rippon became the first star to wear a harness-inspired suit on the red carpet.
Photo:
Getty Images
</p>
Rhonda Garelick, a professor of fashion studies at New Yorkâ??s Parsons School of Design, noted that as far back as the 1970s, British designer Vivienne Westwood was selling harnesses to male customers, while in 1981â??s â??Mad Max 2: The Road Warriorâ?* Mel Gibsonâ??s macho action-hero wore a strappy holster-like garment. The professor also saw an ancestor of todayâ??s male harnesses in the BDSM-inspired Jean-Paul Gaultier corsets that Madonna wore in her envelope-pushing â??80s days. Ms. Garelick attributed the resurgence to a â??mainstreaming of queer cultureâ?* and â??another form of gender fluidity.â?* Itâ??s worth noting that figure skater Adam Rippon, the first openly gay man to compete on a U.S. Winter Olympics team, wore a more explicitly S&M-inspired harness-suit by Moschino to the Oscars last year. Mr. Chalamet, the only actor to acknowledge the fetish connection, made light of it on â??The Ellen DeGeneres Show,â?* days after wearing the bib: â??I had a friend send me a thing that, like, sex-dungeon culture is a thing where you wear harnesses. I didnâ??t do it for that reason.â?*
For many, these harnesses are an eyesore. â??Generally, theyâ??re kind of ugly,â?* said Hunter Harris (https://twitter.com/hunteryharris?mod=article_inline), 24, an associate editor at Vulture (https://www.vulture.com/?mod=article_inline), a website run by New York magazine. She took particular issue with Mr. Jordanâ??s efforts, arguing that, on the brawny actor. â??The outfit wouldâ??ve looked so much better without it,â?* she said, speculating that these celebrities may have worn the harnesses simply to show that they were chummy with Mr. Abloh, or at least aware of his work.
Mr. Abloh, with 3.6 million Instagram followers (https://www.instagram.com/virgilabloh/?hl=en&mod=article_inline) and a side-gig as a DJ (heâ??s set to appear at Coachella later this year), is the rare fashion designer whose fanbase rivals those of the celebs he dresses. His personal popularity somewhat upends the usual red-carpet dynamic, whereby attention-seeking brands dress celebrities to align themselves with a marquee name. Alexander McQueen, for instance, garners valuable press when Emily Blunt repeatedly namedrops the label when pestered to confess â??who sheâ??s wearingâ?* on her way into the Golden Globes. In the case of Mr. Chalamet and his harness-wearing brethren, perhaps, the celebrities are leaning on Mr. Ablohâ??s profile to appear cooler. It may not matter if the harness looks like a piece of mangled rock-climbing gearâ??since Mr. Abloh designed it, itâ??s well worth being photographed in it for millions to see.
https://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/B3-DD011_GETTYI_574V_20190211115341.jpg
In the 1980s and â??90s Madonna (seen here on her â??Blonde Ambitionâ?* tour) frequently wore S&M inspired get-ups by Jean-Paul Gaultier.
Photo:
WireImage
</p>
Thatâ??s not to say that the harness has been universally disliked. â??I thought, â??What a nice little touch,â?? said Shaun Proulx (https://www.shaunproulx.ca/?mod=article_inline), 50, who hosts a weekly talk show on Sirius Radio from Toronto. In his view, the backlash was a â??typical, lazy, knee-jerk reactionâ?* to men taking a style risk. â??I have felt for a long time that men get shut down and repressed with fashion,â?* said Mr. Proulx of Mr. Chalamet and crew. Heâ??s no stranger to style risks himself, confessing to having hazarded capes, ponchos, tunics and other eccentric garments in public. â??Iâ??m a confident enough guy to always express myself,â?* he said, adding that he applauds Hollywoodâ??s harness trio. â??Individuality is needed more than ever right now.â?*
Write to Jacob Gallagher at [email protected]
</p>
Source link (https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-hottest-new-fashion-trend-for-men-is-harnesses-11549904966?mod=WSJ_GoogleNews)
More (http://ahlam1399.i234.me:8888/m/2019/02/12/the-hottest-new-fashion-trend-for-men-is-harnesses/)