Ute Ploier

High Quality, Ute Ploier Fall-Winter 2009 . 2010 Mens Backstage Pictures

I love Ute Ploier’s work. She is one of the few female designers who manages to do stylish, yet approachable menswear collections. She bases her work on her perception of the contemporary man, creating minimalist pieces which border the thin line between rock and rave. And that’s pretty much what her spring 08 line is all about: exploiting the rock ‘n rave look while presenting elegantly-proportioned minimalist pieces.

During her training, Ploier was taught by Jean-Charles Castelbajac, Viktor&Rolf and finally Raf Simons, where she wisely absorbed not only Raf’s magnificent appreciation for minimal aesthetics, but also Castelbajac’s lunatic vision. On her latest work, both influences were present making it her grand collection to date. I specially liked the use of nylon-like fabrics and the subtle colors as well as the layered scarves which seemed more than adequate for a spring line. In addition, I would like to remark the way in which the printed t-shirts balanced the collection; meaning that they add more dynamism to a line which would have looked too black and white without them. I still wonder who is the person behind those big terrifying faces, since it would help us to truly understand the concept of Ploier's line and if she is trying to evoke certain iconic figure.

Picture source: the celebrity city

Ute Ploier is one of the designers I have fallen for lately. Her collection's Euro chic structure and prominent taste for a minimalist character, make me wanna "lala" her garments on the runway floor.

Her menswear line is the of the adventurous idea of becoming one of the few woman who designs exclusively a menswear collection. Her lines depict concepts; there aren't formal style guidelines to be follow. For example, in her Fall-Winter 2008 line we see the idea of mixing different socio-economical "modes". A collective vogue line is then elaborated, and multi-origin outfits are exposed.

Her perception of masculinity is vastly grand, and she does not only feature dress codes from different social groups, but she also picks some concepts from various fashion scenarios - and/or diverse designers.
The Bernand Wilhem frenetic view of artsy urban wear and Raf's aesthetics appear on her latest line. This is not exactly bad, as you might assume, since by such event she expands her understanding of the stylish male persona and therefore creates a more refined line with more appropriate pieces.