The Sartorialist may have crowned New York as the centre of street style but Paul Flynn has written an eloquent piece on why London style is among the most interesting in the world, as part of the G2 London fashion special in the Guardian today. It explains why, although we don’t get the commercial glory of New York or the couture kudos of Paris London is still a force to be reckoned with:
“If in Paris you could take an educated guess at someone’s salary from their wardrobe, in London, Manchester or Glasgow you could probably pin down the last record they bought, their political inclinations, and the places they most like to get drunk in. British street style is delivered with a spirit of invention, not regimentation. It doesn’t replicate, it innovates. Much to our credit, there is no shame in busting a look, which is why we gave to the world punk in the 70s, acid house in the 80s and the micro-niches of both (electro, nu-rave, elegantly wasted indie kids).”
Topman’s Spring Break collection is about to hit the stores and it’s a poetically downbeat affair. Set against a backdrop of blustery coastline and caravans there’s more than a touch of ’80s era Morrissey going on here.
The clothes are retro, but not excessively so, modern cuts and and neat tailoring give an up to the minute feel.
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Another item which is made for women but who gives fig when they look as good as this? The Liberty X Nike collab hits the Liberty store when else but this February 14th for a limited time, and when they’re gone, they’re gone.
They have a plain blue pair named Nina, and an orange pair named Phoebe, but the nicest by far are the Patchwork Dunk, a mix showcasing the best of Liberty print. If you should be lucky enough to be slight of foot head down to Liberty and snap up a pair, at £70 for the plain and £85 for the patchwork they’re fairly reasonable and will go wonderfully with the new season pastel pieces making the rounds for Spring/Summer.
How could we have missed the boat on this one? We heralded the age of the ‘medge’ aka the male wedge and we all witnessed the explosion of guyliner, manscara and what have you but somehow the ‘mlutch’ evaded us.
Charlie Porter‘s been gadding about town sporting the BOT (Bang On Trend) accessory but everybody knows that the trend started with Kel Knight of Kath and Kim fame and his manpurse, a vision in grey leather. I’ve picked out a few women’s clutches that you could happily pass off as a mlutch, jump through to find out more.
Spotting the familiar face of Yu Masui on NYT’s site brought back some good memories. We snapped Masui last year out and about at Graduate Fashion Week (right) in a great Balenciaga neckpiece and cropped trousers. Elizabeth Spiridakis (aka White Lightning), talking up her holy trinity of boy-fash crushes interviewed the Japanese fashion writer who said this about borrowing from womenswear:
“Clothes are getting more and more borderless, like the new YSL unisex collection. Women’s wear always takes ideas from men’s wear, so why can’t men’s get influence from women’s? Anyway, the biggest reason is men’s wear is more boring than women’s wear!!”
Sometimes online shopping can be as exhausting as a trudge round the real shops (remember them?) So whilst all the coolest backs in town seem to have an old-school canvas rucksack slung across them, tracking said item down online is more tricky. ASOS had the most perfect option by Cuckoo but are now out of stock. If like me you lack the patience to request a restock, what else is out there? Foregoing the sometimes-scary world of army surplus sites (gas mask anyone?) there are still some options online.
Although it might not seem like it right now, spring is on its way. Take a leap into next season’s trends by clicking through the summer collection by stellar H&M offshoot COS.
The collection is made up of up-to-the-minute pieces in a palette of soft shades with COS’ characteristic timeless touch. Standout items include a grey jersey blazer which will be as comfy as it is smart, and carrot leg, the new shape for men’s trousers, following on from the womenswear trend.
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Given the snowy conditions out there you might not be thinking about your spring wardrobe just yet, but fashion waits for no man and what better distraction from the ensuing chaos than some internet shopping? ASOS are fully stocked for summer, with some great options in chambray and seersucker. This dark chambray, unstructured blazer (similar to the Acne/Lanvin collaboration) is a great staple. Seersucker has been building popularity over the last few summers and a pair of slim-fitting pants with that charming fine stripe is a great use of the fabric. The denim barrel bag is a snip at less than £10. Finally this short-sleeved chambray shirt with polo-type collar and the desert boots in lovely soft tones are both steals.
ASOS are promoting this look through a themed video called Bistroteque – a name many Londoners would associate with Hackney’s trendy bistro/drag cabaret venue rather than ‘Riviera chic’ but it certainly sets the tone.
“Rake-thin, 12 year-old-looking, alien-eyed lady-boys”- this is how one of my friends describes the male models of today. While I don’t quite agree with his overly-harsh and rather sweeping statement, I have to admit that there are times where the men plastered over magazines and high-fashion ad campaigns just seem completely out-of-touch.
Gareth Pugh‘s first menswear show was greatly anticipated but having seen it I rather feel a bit of an anticlimax. It was exactly as I could have predicted with wetlook finishes, goathair epaulettes, and Margiela-style .He carried on the aesthetic from his last womenswear show, taking his origami facets onto puffa jackets and trousers, and accessorising with studded boots and feather headpieces.
Part two in our Milan menswear rundown, this time Versace, Prada and Marni get the Isabelle patented Photoshop Mad Skillz® treatment, click to enlarge.
Let us know who your favourite was, or if you’re waiting for Paris before you make any decisions. Speaking of which, the Paris shows kicked off yesterday so stay tuned for more catwalk news from Brandish.
This the first in our Milan Menswear rundown, it’s not exactly cut out and keep, but you can keep up to date with the trends at a glance. Click on the image to see in its full-size glory. Alexander McQueen was definitely my favourite but here is the lowdown from some of the other designers, which one is your fave? Stay tuned for part two, and check out the Jil Sander catwalk vid after the jump.
2009 looks like it will be a defining year for menswear, it’s already a given that designer high street collaborations will include a men’s line and Gareth Pugh will be bringing us his men’s collection in Paris in a few days.
Tonight all eyes are on LCF MA graduates as they show us their graduate collections and for the first time the menswear students outnumber the womenswear. Take a look at the ones who were tipped for success, and stay tuned for a full review tomorrow! If you’re interested in seeing some of the womenswear graduates click over to CQ where we posted a preview.
The standout show at Pitti Uomo was, in my mind, Alexander McQueen’s “The McQueensberry Rules”. Where most Milan designers literally translated the gloom of the economic crisis McQueen added a murderous glint to the proceedings with aristocratic eleagance and a glossy nostalgia for a pre-Thatcherite Britain.
Sending models down the catwalk with fingerless gloves, silver-topped canes and darkened, bloodshot eyes it seemed that McQueen had gone the safe route of pairing outlandish styling with conventional clothing, but on closer inspection everything about this collection gave off a menacing whiff.
Referencing some of the most aggressive or manic male archetypes everyone from the majestic to the deranged got a look in. Skinheads’ oxblood 10 hole DMs, teddy boys’ draped jackets combined with Jack the Ripper menace and Clockwork Orange swagger for a collection that was admittedly theatrical but anchored by impeccable tailoring. Trousers were tight, and a strong upper half was emphasised with sharp suit jackets, thick coats and beefy woollens. Chainmail vests, butcher’s aprons and boxing gloves alluded to traditional facets of men in the workplace in a proudly aggressive and vital assertion of masculinity.
Jump through to watch an impressive video of the show, with thunderous music and songs by the Specials and the Stranglers, you can watch part two here.
Topman has revealed their latest ‘trend’ (read: mini theme-based collection) and with a name like ‘Berlin Wall,’ I was expecting rough skinny jeans and a fusion of This Is England skin-head with a kind-of Soviet, military cool. As always, the high-street label has delivered and the bleached skinny jeans are accentuated with textured trench coats and monochrome hoodies. I don’t quite see where the comic-strip boxers and novelty socks come into German reunification but I’m not complaining!
I have my eyes on the ‘Vintage Blue Skinny Jeans’ and the ‘Grey Marl Stitch-Line Hoody.’ Check out this link for the Trend video and full collection.
From:What David Gandy Can Do For Your Style