Julius F/W 2011 – (halo – urban renegade in the cathedral city)

A perfectly placed presentation from Julius this year, which saw his renegade models thumping through the affluent and historic heart of Paris a stones throw from the Louve.  A very literal setting for his collection that I will grudgingly admit suited the work acutely and put to rest my grumblings that his work belongs in the concrete of Tokyo.  A clear shift for the designer Tatsuro Horikawa, and as much as I maintain that his work is born of Tokyo, the chilly hall in Paris was perfect for his clean dystopian presentation.

This collection saw Julius far removed from the street punk post apocalyptia of 2009-2010 that culminated in a Tibetan cult infused vision for S/S 2011.  Gone are the cluttered hanging fabrics, distressed leather and strong metal detailing, they are replaced with an altogether smarter and futurist simplistic uniform.  If previous collections were what the men on the street were wearing in Julius’ future, this is what the avant-garde are wearing.

As you can see compared to the claustrophobic presentations of the past, this was open (photographer friendly) and the soft lighting and haze very complimentary  to the smoky whites that were used heavily throughout.

Continue reading for an excruciatingly close look at the collection but seeing as I am only going to cover about a quarter of the show I recommend you head on over to the wonderful NowFashion to see more of the outfits or to the Julius homepage for the video.

Oh and a final recommendation would be for some grinding industrial as a soundtrack to viewing the collection – enjoy.

We start with what I regard as the most traditional of the collection.  Broader drapes, but that hang lower on the body.  Tight lower silhouette, loose upper.  Very wearable and accesible.

And a similar silhouette captured in shearling – stunningly ostentatious for Julius that genuinely surprised me when it was stomped down the catwalk.  However, you really have to take the time to appreciate the volume and the shape that this creates on the model, this is not just a bloody expensive slightly bulky coat (as most shearlings are), this is working with a notoriously difficult material and taking advantage of its natural structure – very impressive.  (Horikawa fans can also note that this is Tibetan long haired lamb – no collection would be complete without a nod to Tibet)

Now we are into the newer elements of the collection – notably the champagne gold colour, but also the drapes getting lower and lower on the body which we also saw at Rick Owens’ show.  I am certainly a fan of it on the models, but personally a fully wrapped round structural look like this can look too much like a skirt – if it was me I would wear it with a more pronounced gap on one leg (but that is just me).

The entrance of the obi/cummerbund!  I really like this look and it almost recalls the cinched wastes of S/S 2011 Julius in silhouette.  I think it is on this kind of coordinate that the theme of “global dresscode” is brought out – unifying elements of formal dress of various origins into something quite unique yet the sum of its parts identifiable.

Higher tighter collars seem to be the flavour of the moment and I personally prefer them worn open as above rather then the tight neck that Rick Owen’s was sending down the catwalks.  Oh and how could I not mention the smoky white and the drapes in the above – simply perfect.

Now, the arrangement of the drape on the lower half of the body is spot-on as far as I am concerned.

Lovely inarticulated wool coat and the high waist on the trousers give ample room to toy with proportion.

Again, something with less form than we are used to from Julius.

It would not be a Julius collection if there was not some kind of breathtaking take on a classic riders.  This time the lapels are the source of subversion and I am taken with the movement of the drape being taken lower down on the body without being a feminine waterfall effect.

More of that cold gold colour – very nice.

This has to be my stand-out coordinate from the show.  I love everything here and especially the formation of the waist drapes – this is the kind of look that I would dig seriously deep for.

This is the one element that almost reminds me of the titular “halo” slumped as it is over the body.

Wonderful lower hung drapes with slightly smarter trousers.

This took my breath way – so masculine yet flowing.  Only Julius…

Hope you are not bored yet, I just though I would round things off with a couple of close-ups on my favorite items.

As you can probably tell I am something of a fan, however, as much as I appreciate this as art and will no doubt be wearing elements of this later this year I don’t think I will ever leave the grimy street punk that drew me to Julius in the first place behind entirely.  Don’t get me wrong, I am delighted that Julius has taken on a formal collection without putting a foot wrong, I just am not ready to say goodbye to my excess, distressed leather and studs just yet.  I always find Tokyo as a city sitting on that line as well, at times you are overwhelmed with simplicity and the broad shapes that the city is carved into and at other times all you can see is the worn mess of it all.  With this collection Julius is clearly aligning himself with the former, having done the latter so damn well in the past.

If you have liked what you have seen here, and why wouldn’t you – definitely check out the StealthProjeckt for more of Julius’ contemporaries.  As for me, I think I am just going to watch it again…