The Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week S/S 11 backstage odyssey continues with this encounter at Pier 92 with the Diesel Black Gold S/S 11 presentation Monday, 13 September. The Ford Models Blog was fortunate enough to get backstage with the help of Idris Rheubottom, one half of Idris + Tony, the brilliant photography/casting duo who cast Ford’s Valerija Kelava, Ford Men’s Paolo Anchisi, Ethan James, and Christian Brylle for the presentation of Diesel Black Gold spring 2011 collection by Sophia Kokosalaki. The production alone for this show was impressive not to mention the casting. Tucked away in Pier 92, a facility long enough to accommodate the Queen Mary 2, the collection was given the sort of unveiling befitting of an ocean liner. Ford Men’s Paolo Anchisi, who is also the face of Diesel Black Gold F/W 10, turned out for the first show of the day in his ALMOST SINGLE T-shirt that would later feature in backstage shots from another show later that afternoon, RAD by Rad Hourani S/S 11.

Please visit the Ford Models Blog to see more the looks from the Diesel Black Gold S/S 11 presentation.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week S/S 11, the gift that keeps on giving and none more so than for the Robert Geller S/S 11 presentation at Exit Art, Saturday, 11 September. It was the fourth show attended that Saturday after Loden Dager, Patrik Ervell, and Mik Cire, and in many ways was a fitting culmination to a very busy third day of the week. Casting by COACD saw to it that four boys from Ford Men including Christian Brylle, Isaac Carew, AJ Abualrub, and Aiden Andrews presented looks by the 2009 recipient of the GQ and CFDA Best New Menswear Designer award. Inspired by German student protests of the late 1960s the collection exhibited a certain confidence and improvisation entirely befitting of youth in the face of authority.

Please visit the Ford Models Blog to see more from the Robert Geller menswear S/S 11 collection.

Credits include: Art direction / styling, Yuji Takenaka; Hair, Kenshin Asano at L’Atelier NYC; Jewelry, Driftwood for Robert Geller; Headband, Snug; Shoes, Common Projects x Robert Geller; Hat, Weave Toshi for Robert Geller; Graphic Design, Ryotatsu Tanaka at Studio Newwork; Set production, Katsunori Takeuchi; Video, Lessa Millet; Casting, Douglas Perrett at COACD; Music, Scott Mou; Press, LaForce + Stevens, M Inc.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week S/S 11 ended late Thursday evening, but it will take several more days for this event to completely shake out of the Ford Models Blog‘s system. Nearly all of the shows proper have been posted to this page — ninety women’s, twenty odd men’s — which has conveniently left time in our schedule to post photos taken backstage by Ford Models Blog editor Damien Neva at a handful of men’s shows including RAD by Rad Hourani S/S 11.

Monday afternoon at Milk Studios saw the presentation of the second RAD by Rad Hourani unisex ready-to-wear collection. The casting of Ford Men’s Aiden Andrews, Ian O’Brien, and Paolo Anchisi provided an opportunity for the Ford Models Blog to go backstage to witness firsthand the preparations that went into presenting what this author considers his favorite collection of the season. Much has been written about the Jordanian born designer’s eschewal of time, season, and sex when it comes to his collection, but to dwell solely on these conceptual pronouncements would be to overlook the power and grace of the pieces when actually worn by people.

Please visit Rad Hourani online to see a video of the entire RAD by Rad Hourani S/S 11 collection #2 presention. Please also take a visit the Ford Models Blog to see looks presented by Aiden Andrews, Ian O’Brien, and Paolo Anchisi.