iPhone | iPad
Android
Huawei
KT APPDOWNLOAD
The Sherlock Holmes Effect
Sherlock Holmes, the fictional detective for hire, conjured up by the imagination of Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle, whose brilliant powers of deduction and science spurred five novels, 50+ short stories, TV programs and films, provided the creative backdrop for many F/W 2009 collections — notably Alexander McQueen’s men’s collection.
Doyle’s Holmes character had a penchant for wearing suits, vests, a dual-bill cap, nursing a pipe, a Scottish highlands-inspired cape/coat, as well as on occasion, sporting a walking stick. Many of these Holmes-esque pieces showed up on McQueen’s runway in one form or another.
There were the bowler top hats that Doctor Watson, Holmes’ constant companion wore, walking sticks, gloves, three piece suiting, layers, herringbone vests, watch chains, fitted double-breasted plaid suits and plaid separates, fur and an ever-present ghastly palour and scowl. One surmises it represented Holmes’ serious manner and cool exterior, as well as his nocturnal nature.
McQueen modernised the Holmes character with head scarves/do rags under the bowler hats; fingerless gloves replaced the typical leather gloves that may have existed in the 1800s; fur overcoats loosely worn over the shoulders as capes; silver skull-tipped walking sticks that Holmes would surely have carried in The Hound of the Baskervilles; along with iridescent materials; mohair wools; opulent sweaters; a modern moody colour palette and his signature: tailored, cut and fit.
McQueen was prescient with his SH F/W collection as another remake is on its way for 2010, this time with RocknRolla, Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels director Guy Ritchie at the helm. In this remake, Robert Downey Jr plays Holmes to Jude Law’s Watson, with martial arts, cunning, off-colour humour, feminine wiles and McQueen-esque fashions in tow.
Similarities between the runway and celluloid can be witnessed in the bowler hats, the caps, the three-piece suiting, the vests, plaids, and the muscled Alexander vest played out in the flesh with Downey Jr’s bare chest in a fight scene and Watson’s perfectly turned out suiting.
It is one of the best collections of the season, both in its concept, tailoring and execution. The collection played to McQueens’ dark, moody side with brilliant effect, highlighting his innate ability to entertain, captivate and titillate.
Look of the Week
If a suit makes the man, then Fall/Winter 2009 and Spring/Summer 2010 are the defining seasons. From New York to Milan and Paris to as far flung as Japan, suits reigned supreme. There were double-breasted; single-breasted; three-piece varieties; casual cool offerings with suit jackets, shirts and ties paired with denim; patterned; classics; slimmer silhouettes; varying pant lengths and fresh colour palettes.
One of our absolute favourites? Bottega Veneta S/S 2010. One part Milanese gentleman and one part American Gigolo, with its sultry colours and refined tailoring and fit.
More news from
A sedan rammed into a white car, destroying its trunk and causing it to spin out of control on a five-lane highway
Mount Etna is one of Europe's most active volcanoes and is the tallest active volcano in the region
Companies caught violating the rule will be fined Dh5,000 for each employee found working outdoors during the midday break
The compound in the industrial zone was completely gutted and trees in the area were torched
Indian tourists stay in the Southeast Asian destination for an average of eight nights and spend $100 per person per day
Omar Al Marzouqi, who won silver medal in individual showjumping at the Youth Olympics in 2018, will serve as the country’s flag-bearer during the Opening Ceremony