Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Givenchy Men's 2010 Line Includes Legwear

men.style.comWhile we don't style ourselves to be fashionistas here at The Nylon Gene, we do pay attention when we get word that some of the leading names in the Paris fashion world are incorporating legwear into their men's line. I was given a 'heads up' to check the Givenchy Spring/Summer 2010 lineup and sure enough, here it is...

We've seen legwear, sometimes even in the form of sheer 'pantyhose' in past fashion shows for men's lines--such as Jean Paul Gaulthier. But those tend much more toward the bizarre end of the fashion spectrum, and don't always do anything to advance the concept of men's legwear in the direction that we would have it go here at The Nylon Gene.

And, of course, none of the outfits you'll see at the linked site are likely to be showing up on the streets in your hometown anytime soon either. On the other hand, at least these outfits are in the same universe that we live in. So, the interesting item is that at least six out of 36 of these outfits feature some sort of legwear. Photo 9, which appears above, has some sort of semi-opaque tights paired with knee-length shorts. The others (see Nos. 14, 17, 24, 26 and 36 of 36 on the linked site) all have opaque black tights worn with some sort of knee-length pants. The overall trend of the entire line seems to be leaning heavily away from the ultra-baggy look that was in vogue for so many years, and towards a leaner, more form fitting style.

Now, before you start pointing out my utter lack of credentials for commenting on high fashion, just let it be said that I'm only making layman observations here. It seems that the fashion world is a 'leading indicator' of the general style of things many of the rest of us might be wearing in say, five years or so. That being said, it would appear that legwear such as tights and the like may become much more evident even without what we are doing at ACTIVSKIN, and talking about here on The Nylon Gene.

P.S., While visiting the men.style.com site to see the Givenchy pics, it might be of interest also to check out the Duckie Brown line, too. Probably a third of them feature knee length shorts and footless black tights.

13 comments:

  1. What is interesting is the last picture in the series is usually the designer and even he is wearing hose.
    SPSRS3

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  2. Yesterday, I said hello to a young man wearing striped nylon tights with shorts, a fun hate, button up shirt. He was a 20-something. I said, "I like your tights. I wear them often, as well." We chatted a moment about them, where he bought them, reactions, etc. It felt nice to see someone else besides myself who wore them with confidence. I believe it is important to compliment men when being pioneers with this garment. By doing so we are supporting each other.

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  3. Anon1: Yes, that last picture is the designer, and you're right--he's got some sort of tights on, too.

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  4. Anon2: I imagine he appreciated the complimentary comments on the legwear he was wearing. BTW, in the interest of being a pioneer in furthering the men's legwear trend, you might want to consider posting comments using a name, so we can get a sense of the train of thought of our readers--i.e., from one post to the next, you begin to get a sense of one another's personality, which helps form community.

    Not required, mind you. Just an observation...

    Feel free to continue to post anonymously. I'd rather have that than discourage anyone from posting.

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  5. The styles with loose shorts and opaque tights strike me as a fashion version of what men already wear for sports. In the picture with the blog, #9, if the model were wearing Under Armour tights and some kind of sports shoes, then in any situation where being dressed for sports was a possibility, what's he was wearing would be unremarkable. Activskin A866 and A876 tights could work as well. From that point of view, it wouldn't be much of a "stretch" for men to start wearing tights that way for fashion as an extension of the sports style.

    On the other hand, it's hard to know whether a fashion designer's new style will ever be adopted by men. The best example is fashion designers showing men wearing skirts and garments which are not shorts or pants. In spite of fashion designers showing those styles for years, they've never caught on.

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  6. True enough about what you said about fashion designer work sometimes never catching on. However, I think we can see from our experience with actually wearing tights and sheer hosiery out and about, that this type of look is not too far beyond that. I've seen firsthand that very obvious legwear does not attract all that much attention because people are already primed for accepting this kind of look--even if not just like what's depicted herein.

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  7. Often when I see photos from a fashion show I am left wondering who the designers are expecting to wear the clothes that they have created. In my view there are several outfits in this photo set that this sentiment applies to. Interestingly, however, the ones that I believe ordinary people may actually find an affinity with include some of those that feature tights, notably the photo that you have highlighted (number 9).

    Still, any exposure the general public has to the concept of men wearing hosiery in a non-sexual manner has to be a good thing, so this display has to be welcomed.

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  8. I posted earlier about the young man I complimented wearing tights and shorts. Here is my name. Michael Therrien

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  9. Hi Michael. Thank you for your contributions. Keep 'em coming.

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  10. The tights/leggings are cool, but the stupid head covering that makes some of the models look like subjugated Muslim women is just ridiculous. I wonder if it is some lame attempt at being "muslim chic?"

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  11. I am men wearing men'tights from Russia. My name Ivan (vinteross@yandex.ru). Male in tights it's very normal stile. My favorite tights - Comfilon with fly opening for spring and summer and ERGOLAN for winter. Best wishes for men in tghts!

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  12. wow really a nice step but the thing here is the person feel comfortable or not by wearing the leg wear anyway it usually depends upon the choices of the persons who are willing to buy the pair of leg wear.
    let me share a site that is really more suitable for the sports lover so check this out,,
    http://www.treds.co.uk/manufacturer/etnies/34/1

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  13. I looked at the site, but it apppears to be selling footwear, not legwear. Did I miss something?...

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