Men are just so underrated...

As I was looking through the Chanel Resort 2010 collection on style.com, ready and prepared to do a post on the Venetian luxury of the pieces and the common threads of underwear as outerwear, sheer and lace, I was distracted by the handful of menswear looks. I think that male models and generally speaking menswear as a whole is an underrated area of the fashion industry that receives too little attention. I'm sure if you asked most fashion conscious individuals to name a few female models they could list them off without hesitation, but male models? I am ashamed to admit that I probably could only name one or two, and that's after giving it a lot of thought. I think that menswear requires a very different skill to the making of women's clothing due to the inevitable extent of sharp tailoring involved; but I think that the talent and impeccable craftsmanship required to make a good suit is a feat of fashion genius which needs to be better appreciated.

I love the cut of the long white shorts, its sharp, clean and could be made into a casual look as seen with the light patterned jersey in the first two images, or a more formal look with a tailored jacket, as seen in the third image. I think the nautical style is far easier for men to pull off without looking like they are playing dress up; whereas women are restricted to a breton striped top on its own, men can wear multiple striped items without looking like they are ready to board a cruise ship and work as a deck hand. I love the final men's look too: the slight sheen of the fabric, the gold fastenings and the high neck white collar. It is a very strong, stylish and formal look that only a certain type of man could pull off with aplomb.

I have to draw your attention to the male model who is in the two images on the left: I recognised him from the Lagerfeld documentary I watched yesterday (albeit in the DVD he was wearing very little clothing...). His name is Brad Koenig and he is signed to FORD models agency. I think he looks more striking with longer hair...