HUGO @ Fall 2013 Men & Women Collection

BOSS Fall 2013 Women collection uses artistic luxury with the shapes of Surrealism with clean cuts, playful prints and Art Deco details. Man Ray was a quintessential man of the modern age. His photographs, paintings and films comprise dizzying dreamscapes and masterpieces of Surrealism. The presentation of women in his work appears contemporary, unconventional, overdrawn. The world of Man Ray and the attitudes of his women form the basis for brand new silhouettes in this season’s collection.

Structured cuts meet organic details, womenswear classics are updated with menswear elements. The sleek design of a black corsage dress is disrupted by a buoyant strip of leather. Undulating from shoulder to hip, it seems to flow even further onto the over-the-knee boots. The razor-sharp cut of a tuxedo jacket also comes with a new twist: the waist is accented by wide stripes of satin that resemble a cummerbund.

The infinite virtuosity of the artist Man Ray echoes in the season’s prints as well. Think Surrealism: skinny pencil skirts and sleeveless silk dresses show off layers and layers of dots, lines and blossoms that recall the brushwork of watercolor painting. Everything is naturally harmonized with the collection’s color story: gray and black, beige and bordeaux.

Notwithstanding the full exercise of artistic license, BOSS Womenswear remains feminine, elegant and well-dressed with touches of Art Deco flamboyance. The backless to-the-floor shift with its knee-high rear slit shows off vintage clasps at the waist. The collar of the minimalist dress shirt is adorned with period-style beading. The ultra-soft leather jacket with its Tuscan lambskin collar draws on twenties’ flair as well, implementing golden fastenings. They recall the buckles on a suitcase from a bygone age when travel was truly a luxury. 

The Men collection is a modern homage to the timeless sense of style on the Thames. Smart, Perfect, London. No less than a perfect sense of style. For centuries the Savile Row suit has been synonymous with a flawless fit and a consummate cut. The city’s Heathrow airport is home to the highest density of impeccable business looks and new BBC series such as “Sherlock” document how Britishness has stayed en vogue on the fashion front. From Savile Row to Baker Street, London is the starting point for the new BOSS Menswear Collection. Here traditional English elegance meets modern Brit chic and disciplined creativity meets the demands of today’s business and eveningwear.

The principles of Savile Row memorability and masculinity join a hallmark shoulder construction and are enhanced by bespoke details. BOSS businesswear banks on luxurious, innovative materials ranging from cashmere to stretch flannel; it sets stock in micro-prints such as mini-herringbone and the contrast collar as a collection keynote. The near-forgotten Piccadilly collar is back on the fast track; collar straps function as fasteners on jackets. Business suit coats cleverly integrate smartphones: the earbud cable threads elegantly through a loop in the lining. This, too, is London: unconstructed jackets with Alcantara detailing on the undercollar and lapels, paired with soft-washed denim shirts and wool neckties. Or the double-breaster with easy shoulders and wide lapels in a slim-fit style.

Sartorial ingenuity is emblematic of the BOSS-meets-London story. The printed jacket lining always echoes in the pockets so they can double as perfectly matched handkerchief squares. Perfection is also paramount in every detail of the eveningwear: velvet-covered buttons enrich a jacket, lapels are crafted of silk, and stand-up-collar shirts display black glass buttons. The season’s colors reflect the foggy London fall. A rich medley of grays joins velvet jackets in burnt orange with Chelsea boots!