IS IT SA-WRONG?

Thai sarong in hot pink and blue

Victoria and David Beckham, David in his infamous sarong

In my previous post i touched on the topic of the difficulty of holiday clothing (i'm hesitant to call it resort wear).

I always find that, during holidays where the only exercise involves walking from the pool to the fridge for another glass of peach iced tea, my love for clothes sort of flys out of the window. 

The ease of instantly wrapping yourself in something comforting is the largest contributing factor, yet trying to find a sarong that isn't too displeasing to the eye can prove a challenge. I wanted to see if this look could ever appeal as more than just a pool-side aesthetic, and possibly with a tight black t-shirt this could work (for both men and women). 

My sister's initial reaction was that i looked slightly like Bex, shown to the left- i think as a man, in a very 'typically male' profession, David Beckham has taken some huge masculinity risks and pulled them off. I'm not saying i am the biggest fan of this look, or his days of long hair, but as a male exposed to the public's scrutiny i can applaud his bravery. 

Although, if going into public with this attire one would have to carefully consider how the fabric is tied.. because any accidental flashing could prove fatal- or illegal. 

LAST-FASHION-WEEK

Last February, aged 17 I worked as an intern with Japanese designer Toga at London Fashion Week. During this time I also worked backstage with a PR firm for esteemed, conceptual designers such as Jamie Wei Huang, Xiao Li, Ashley Isham and Pam Hogg. 

For this Septembers London Fashion Week i have been invited back by Toga to help backstage once again.(Sunday the 14th). I was extatic to find this out, and will be posting photos as soon as i'm home from London. 

Here's a small collection of photos from last LFW, mainly from Toga, i've posted other photos on my instagram @jamiehugo_

Jamie Wei Huang

Insane shoes at TOGA

TOGA

SHORT SHORTS, DO WE LIKE THEM?

Japanese-esque public bathroom, self-adjusted h&m patterned shorts, birkenstocks, basic white t-shirt and french market hat

curtain light

This summer involved some hectic toing and froing around the south of France. I somehow find 'holiday clothing' impossibly hard, i guess i have some deep set psychological issue with resort wear.
Its hard to find a balance between comfort, style and the non-tourist-look.
I found this black wool hat at a strange morning market near Tournon in France. The inside label says 100% wool, but in four different languages: this includes Italian, which translates as 'Lana', i think it was a sign.

French style is debatable, to say the least. The French seem constantly torn between impeccable, sharp, style and looking as if they are 10 years behind. I found that the style for older men is similar to the look i am sporting in the photographs above, except the shorts are often denim, a lot shorter, and they are wearing wife beaters (white vests).
So not a lot like my outfit, really.
Modern menswear is featuring many a short short, though. This is evident in collections by Dior (homme), Raf Simons and Juun J. I want to consider this in more depth in a future post. But this is some food for thought.

As a young male, it can be difficult to leave the house in what one man described as "panties". The short-short can strip an outfit of typical 'masculinity', but wheres the fun in looking masculine anyway?

The younger males seem to be sticking to the knee-length short.. something i just cannot work with my height. But i believe this is all about to change for them, just give it ten years.

AND CUT

 A few months back I visited the Tate Modern with my good friend Zo to see the Matisse ‘The Cut-Outs’ exhibition. As I will be applying to art schools in the autumn I was scouring the exhibit for the next theme for my upcoming work. Not only did I find inspiration hanging from the walls but from the people around me: living in a small city in the east of England does little in providing street style, and the open minded opulence of a city like London. If I had had more time, and possibly more than an IPhone camera I would have stopped some of the people I saw to steal a photo of their outfits, although I did manage to take a few shots when no one was watching- to serve as a fashion reminder. I noticed two Asian men wearing the infamous Issey Miyake neon yellow Bao Bao bag- but in a smaller purse version, rather than the more common tote (I hadn’t seen this bag before so I had to do some research on the train home). I also noticed that London’s population has seemingly gone tote-crazy, which inspired a textile project of mine which I will cover soon.

The exhibition proved Henri Matisse’s devotion to art, a sense of awe rippled throughout the white rooms of the Tate. One of my favorite stories from the exhibit was that a ship builder wanted to purchase Matisse’s entire studio wall to be displayed under glass on an upcoming luxury boat. Matisse declined not because of the wall, but because he was worried about how humidity could effect the paper. Instead he had each work individually sectioned, mounted and framed.

I was surprised to see a film, in an artistic rather than documentary style of the him producing his work- this emphasized the stray from Matisse’s traditional works. As I have created some art films my self, this struck a more personal chord.

Not only the rich colours but the organic shapes of Matisse’s cut-outs inspired some instant sketches and later some photographic tests, but also a theme I am working on for my textiles to do with imposed order on nature. But the Tate is not only an art scene, the Tate modern is a definite location for fashion inspiration, be that the people watching from above, or the annual Topshop Unique shows held in it’s great turbine hall. I had to take a photo of the ant-like people sunbathing below the balcony.

Some of Matisse’s greatest works are these cutouts. What started off as an inconvenience, spurred on some of the greatest works of modern art to date. Matisse has mastered this temperamental medium and created complex art with the curiosity of a child’s eye. Just as Grayson Perry told us in his Reith lectures, Matisse was playing. These pieces look as timeless as when Matisse picked up his scissors and began to draw.

Street-style: A woman with woven hat, tote bag and birkenstocks // Matisse Film // initial sketches and fashion illustrations

ONE-TO-WATCH?

So, this is my first time blogging- other than three plus years on tumblr. As an avid Susie Bubbler and katelovesme reader i want to follow in the footsteps of the greats, and document my experiences in the crossover between fashion and art.

My name is Jamie (James) Hugo Sutherland, I am 17 and I live in the UK. To quote Lana Del Rey-

“I had a vision of making my life a work of art, and, I was looking for people who also felt that way” I guess thats a pretty good mantra, I think its worth seeing life as an art form- why not see life as a Wes Anderson film?

raf simons ss14

I dream of studying fashion and or fine art at Central St. Martins in London or Parsons in New York in late 2015-2016.


I chose the name: hommehugo, as primarily my aim is for this blog to be based around fashion, and as you may know 'homme' translates as 'man' in french, and is often the term used for menswear collections of major fashion labels. For example; Raf Simons homme ss14 - a favourite of mine (and hugo is my middle name). I believe high fashion menswear is a slow growing market due to restrictions in what is deemed as 'masculine', but with everyday traditions being challenged, this is all about to change, and i want to be in the forefront of this mayhem. My blog has no strict direction as of yet, so i hope you'll join me for the ride, with caution.