- VADA @ London Collections: Men – Day 1 - 7 January, 2014
- The Man Month – Fashion – January - 4 January, 2014
- See it, Like it, BUY IT - 9 November, 2013
The good, the bad and the brilliant.
Espressos were ordered, pencils sharpened and cameras fully charged. We were ready for London Collections Men. If you’re unsure about what LC:M is all about then let me tell you.
To put it simply, it’s a celebration of talented menswear designers. A chance for British menswear designers, and some foreign/European designers, to show off what menswear is all about – brilliance. Evolved and nurtured by British soil, menswear has really gone from strength to strength. Having a platform such as LC:M really gives it the “force to be reckoned” with aesthetic.
Kick starting the event was Topman design. Having become a powerful force in the world of menswear this design house decided to show the majority of their models sporting a scruffy bowl haircut with silk cowboy shirts detailed with intricate patterns. These came in mainly white, black and gold. Metallic belts with white stitching complimented these ensembles as well. Sleeved and sleeveless bomber jackets dripped into the collection along with mirrored eyewear. We also saw fitted knitwear with blocked floral patterns and baggy silk trousers.
We then move on to the brilliance of Alan Taylor and Bobby Abley for MAN , sorry Craig green but your designs really didn’t do it for me. Bobby used teddy bear silhouettes and humming bird prints and complimented them with basket woven printed trousers. Also shown were oversized shorts with a giant spade logo on them. Alan decided to create a collection of blackboard effect blazer with knee length shorts and a chiffon blazer as well.
Jonathan Saunders and agi & sam really stole the show. With Saunders brandishing a collection filled with winkle picker, neon bombers, plastic like monochrome shirt and metallic nylon shorts he really outdid himself. The key piece – for me personally – within this collection was Saunders’s sky inspired jacket. It was absolutely beautiful and people went mad for it. With the leather colour panelled satchels and laptop cases it’s no wonder this show was a big hit. Agi & sam on the other end of the scale really impressed everyone by closing Day 1 by featuring oversized colourful woolen coats, psychedelic panelled suits and a black spotted blazer.
Astrid Anderson produced her first collection away from MAN and gave us velour tracksuit bottoms with matching sportswear jumpers. These came in lime green and gold. A mesh and white lace top along with a disgusting but beautiful paint smudged bomber jacket with white sleeves. What struck me most about this show was how humble Anderson was at the end of the show. Very refreshing.
Finally the most beautiful piece I have found is this gorgeously cut, Lee roach leather jacket. If you are looking for a statement jacket for next S/S you really need to invest in this. I could cry at how beautiful it is.
See you all tomorrow for Day 2 !
