Men of Moscow

I had to save these shots from last trip to Moscow until they appeared in my GQ page.
The  thing that impressed me about men's style in Moscow is that it's really unlike that of any European city.
This young Moscow generation is really pushing againist the city's image of blinged-out Versace-ism and is looking to make a new statement for themselves.  The  haircuts are different in Moscow too, I mean, when was the last time you saw a guy wearing an updated Beatles shag that actually looked pretty cool?

I think this push against bling has most affected the young designers in Moscow.  It seems that fleece has replaced cashmere as the primary fabric of choice. I saw it worn colorblocked (as above) and mixed with leather (below).  With fleece as a core fashion fabric, young designers can afford to take more chances with design, color, and assortment.  


It was great to see the high-end fashion boutiques in Moscow hanging collections of small, local designers next to the big international brands.

It was also funny/cringy to see Amercian West done as a fashion statement in a super cool shop like Kuznetsky Most 20.
I'm betting the Moscow retail scene will become one of the best and most daring over the next ten years.  Rents are still low, the people are hungry for fashion and there is a deep history of great artistic expression in the Russian people.  

Now if they can just get a few more cool hotels and restuarants.