London- Although London has a long history of creating what can only be described
as unique menswear trends – think back to the 18th century dandy, to the
bowler-hatted civil servant of the mid 1800s, to the pinstriped stockbroker
of the 1950s, to the 70s safety-pinned punk in bondage trousers – the
notion that men can and should pay close attention to personal appearance
is still relatively new but is on the boom. As the menswear market in the
UK continues to grow at a faster rate than its female counterpart, the
biannual men’s fashion week London Collections: Men was buzzing this
season, with a mixture of young, fresh talent and older, more established
brands taking to the catwalks and showrooms to present their vision for
Spring/Summer ’16.
During the opening reception for the seventh edition of LC:M, Dylan Jones,
Chair of London Collections: Men and editor of British GQ noted: “As the
world grows more interconnected, London’s relevance as the epicentre of
menswear design grows stronger. Fashion design – a great celebration of
creative freedom – is a global language, and it’s here in London that the
designers are so varying and diverse that they speak to the whole world.” His
words held truth throughout the extended four day schedule, which saw two
main design ethos emerge that are said to be reflective of the change going
on within UK menswear market. One being developed among the new generation
of designers, who offer a culmination of streetwear, sportswear meets
suiting and the other the century-old traditional gentlemen suitors, with
traditionals suits and boots and a hint of a contemporary twist.
“Here in London the designers are so varying and diverse that they
speak to the whole world.”
But one designer who was sure to stand out amongst the crowd during LC:M
and whose designs have earned him something close to cult following, is
Craig Green. Although he is still relatively young on the catwalk circuit,
his unique designs portray his personal style aesthetics and ideals. Some
may have been confused by his large sheets of fabric which covered the
models behind, save for a hole made in the torso, or his fine-knits with
elongated “nipples” of fabric billowing around, but they reflect Green’s
intention of concealing and wrapping the human form in fabric, whilst
revealing certain areas of flesh.
His signature shapes, such as the square-cut padded jacket and wide-legged
trousers, reminiscent of a martial arts uniforms were presented in bright
shades of yellow, green and orange, next to shrunken sweaters and cropped
pants. With more designers leaning towards wider pant legs during LC:M, it
seems as if the heyday of skinny jeans for men may be drawing to an end as
well. Topman Design, who was given the honour of opening the men’s fashion
week on Friday once more, presented a number of high-waisted flare pants
and baggy suit trousers, as well as bomber jackets and short shorts in a
throw-back to the 60s and 70s collection named Bombay City Rollers. Aimed
to appeal to its audience of 16-25 year old men, the collection tapped into
the mixing pot of British youth culture references, including Northern Soul
dance.
A first for LC:M was the presentation of Coach’s foray into men’s fashion,
which featured androgynous prints, skate-inspired outfits mixed with loud
prints. Creative director Stuart Vevers revealed to the Guardian that he
wanted to do “pieces, you know, but I’m trying to do something different
with them so they could only come from Coach.” This resulted in chunky
sliders with bright acid prints, parkas with faux fur lining and boxy
shirts with psychedelic prints. He added that he wanted to shake up the
“old money Kennedy thing, with counter culture,” referencing Sixties surf
culture, classic Americana and Nineties hip hop as points of inspiration.
Another first witnessed during LC:M was the debut of Henry Holland’s
menswear collection for his eponymous label House of Holland. The British
designer, who launched the collection simultaneously with the presentation
on Sunday, in select stores including Selfridges, Opening Ceremony and
Galeries Lafayette, imagined the collection as “building [a] wardrobe” for
men. Holland tapped into his roots for inspiration, as well as “ street
culture tribes — like rave, casuals and terrace culture,” which resulted in
a range of sporty, yet minimalistic designs, like football shirts with
slogans such as ‘Lad’, that translate the designers feeling for fun in
fashion.
Revisioning fashion for Spanish label Loewe, plus investment from LVMH,
appears to have help designer Jonathan Anderson hone his own vision for
his eponymous label JW Anderson, which presented a new softer look during
LC:M. Known for his quirky subversions and androgynist tendencies, the
designer presented a more rounded and gentler look, with an easy wearable
appeal that some of his previous looks lacked. Silhouettes were loose and
soft, ranging from cropped trousers to wide knits and polo neck shirts.
His ideas for the show appeared to be as different as the collection shown
on the catwalk.
Anderson told the Guardian his SS16 collection stemmed from his desire to
“slow the tempo down, and reduce fashion to things like calico,” which is
the type of material used to clothing prototypes. His use of high-end
materials, including raw denim, hand-knitted cotton and soft leather for
the collection hint his move into the luxury-end of the fashion spectrum.
However he also referenced to a “boy in space with his naive take on doing
his own thing,” mentioning both a youth’s bedroom and a shed full of
trinkets as his inspiration as well. “You arrange them to something that
means something to you, adding value to something that has no value,” he
said.
Patrick Grant, creative director at Savile Row tailoring brand E.Tautz,
sought to defy the traditional conventions of Savile Row by showing wide
legged jeans and hooded anoraks in neutral tones with pop of lime green and
aqua blue accents. The traditional two and three piece suits were absent
from the catwalk and replaced by tailored shorts, boxy-shirt and front-seam
trousers. Finding inspiration in modernism, London’s Skylon tower, the
1950s and tensegrity, the designer hoped to reflect the hopeful atmosphere
emerging during the post-war era. “It’s the story of a country determined
to shrug off the drudgery of austerity and look forward” he wrote in his
collection notes, which is fitting for the century old tailor looking
forward to connecting to the future.
One of the most secretive highlights from LC:M had to be Tom Ford’s
impromptu ‘catwalk’ show on Sunday. Although the designer was scheduled to
present his collection Monday, curing a cocktail evening held at his store
on Sloane Street, Ford decided to hold a walking presentation for the first
time in eleven years. His collection included sharply tailored suits,
printed silk evening jackets for evening and leather jackets paired
striped sweaters and shirts and slim denim jackets paired with macs in a
throwback to the 60s look for daywear. “It’s very Warhol’s Factory 1963.
Like, a lot,” said the designer on his collection to the Financial Time.
Other references included the Thomas Crown Affair and Steve McQueen mixed
with Paul Newman.
“You have to be careful,” he added. “You have to stick to your identity.
Men come to us for suits and tailoring. We didn’t want people to forget
that.”
Images: London Collections:Men – British Fashion Council
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