16Sep

FLASHING FORWARD, LOOKING BACK, A/W NOTES.

Carolyn Massey A/W 10

Why should girls have all the fun? London Fashion Week’s jam packed schedule now features a day solely focusing on menswear for the second year running. Whilst there are few heavy weight men’s designers prepared to show presentations (whether static or catwalk) in London, the event does reflect the sartorial enthusiasm of the London male and the capital’s penchant for giving young creatives their first breaks. Through the rise of online retailers, men have ditched their fear of shopping, especially as they can do it via a computer. Combined with the rise of the male fashion blogger, men have come into their own, and are becoming studiously as aware and interested in their personal dress as their female consumer counterparts, if not more. In response, London’s designers are now attempting to be more than small design studios, marketing themselves as ‘brands’ through the breadth and ambition of their product range. These small designers can be taken on by internet retailers and reach a market in a way that was unthinkable five years ago. A.M

So while we are preparing ourselves for London Fashion Week S/S 11 and  digging out the knitwear and coats of last winter, its an ideal opportunity to consider what this season might look like, heres our pick of the mix of styles, textures, colours and proportions.

Illustration: David Poole

CAROLYN MASSEY, mixes the romantic and the militarian, a combination she is honing as her signature from season to season. Her a/w 10 show was beautifully  styled, and coloured in a range of dusty pinks and refined greys, this is a collection still working out a balance between literal historical influence and the needs of a modern man. A confident array of knitwear, from gigantic scarves to elongated striped crewnecks were a high note – catwalk worthy but with real world desirability. Here, the shine of a subtle lurex blend, or the offbeat styling of a fishnet stocking under three quarter trousers (in Massey’s hands more fishermen’s net than transvestite), gave the collection a luxurious, individual feel; all the better to add polish to her mainline work, and distinguish it from her popular Topman diffusion range. A.M

JW ANDERSON. Imagine the Sex Pistols going on a mountain ramble and you could connect the fashion dots quite simply. This means tartan jackets complete with picnic blanket fringing, slashed denim, and a series of covetable studded climbing boots. His is a strong, cohesive style statement, though one that barely strays from the references it worn on it’s sleeve. For s/s 10 Anderson showed a different, uncompromising view of androgynous, tribal masculinity – as brave in it’s vision as it was uncommercial. Since then his direction has changed considerably, with a perspective certainly focused on garnering sales. He has already begun to prove this: several of the pieces from this collection were made exclusively available on retailer Oki-ni.com on the day of  his catwalk show and sold out within hours. A.M

JAMES LONG, caters for a more exhibitionist persona. Fur biker jackets? Check. Leather motor-cross pants? Yep. Boilersuits in a hi-viz all over print or shaggy jumbo cord? Both present and correct.  Elements that could have descend into camp are surprisingly butch, though more to Gianni Versace’s interpretation. Long has a winningly creative way with textile applications: embroidery, that apes the ribbing of his cord trousers, grow like moss over a sheer vest. A show stopper oversized belted, motorcycle jacket, containing juxtapositions of boucle wool, quilted leather and yet more corduroy, sums up his rebellious, maximalist aesthetic. A.M

TIM SOAR: Easy, classic, English, simplicity – Tim Soar produced a collection of individually archetypal pieces for Aw 2010. A cashmere chesterfield under a perfecto-style bike jacket. A camel DB under a bellhop jacket. A bright blue wig to match a bright blue turtle-neck, under a DB jacket of course.Yes, I know, Soar can never really play the straight-man. He does seem to be shedding the conceptual approach of former collections, however this collection of finely honed classics is styled with a juxtaposed eccentricity of notion. Top-layering, plays havoc (in an interesting way) with tailored formality. The understated directness of Soar’s collection is offset by leather cuffs, gloves and sou’wester hats, oh and an umbrella. Like an eccentric hotel concierge in the rain on Jermyn street, ‘How do you do?’ F.K

Words by Alex Mein and Frankie Kane.

JW ANDERSON A/W 10

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