Primary links
The debut London Collections have landed. It was the first ever Menswear London Fashion Week, named the Men’s London Collections. Men do get some slack over here in Blighty, but our blokes are catching up with their Parisian and Italian counterparts. British menswear is a tight-knit community. A resurgence of vintage style and sportswear luxe, suits the Brit man down to the ground.
The Collections - a mishmash of the classic, refined tailoring and the urban, progressive new kept us longing for a vibrant 2013 summer ahead. The rules are simple: vibrant colours, microscopic textures and a trace of vintage nostalgia. There were well-known names including Hackett, TOPMAN Design, and Jonathon Sanders, alongside E Tautz, Orlebar Brown and Rake.
Richard Nicoll went for an electric look, with clean white and bright sea shades. A tennis vibe with short shorts and see-through shirts made for a collection which mixed an English sensibility with Italian confidence. E-Tautz had a masculine/feminine look going on with boxy shapes and simple lines. Bright pink and yellow were juxtaposed with black and navy.
Nicole Farhi opened the show with a topless model, no surprise the designer behind the label is a woman. A Twenties Brighton theme prevailed with neutral tones, textured blazers, double breasted jackets and brogues. A similar vintage vibe shone through at Hackett, my absolute favourite show of this new London Collections season. The surroundings of the Royal Opera House, a nod to The Great Gatsby and the Brideshead Revisted, made for the perfect backdrop to this collection. Dapper creamy three-piece suits, tweed, flashes of silky pocket squares, horn-rimmed spectacles and heads covered in either a monochrome cap or a woven hat. There were casual looks too, printed trousers, corduroy and leather.
Katie Eary went for a completely different look, all Californian bling and girlish touches. Models marched out clinging into their skate boards. They were dressed in crocodile prints, gold and jewelled colours.
