Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large
This weekend, London got its first ever dedicated menswear shows. Prince Charles, Tinie Tempah and David Gandy among others were out to show that British menswear is as exciting and as relevant as ever. What other city can you think of where traditional tailored attire seems just as linked to its history and culture as mad, experimental and verging on the unwearable looks?
We've picked the three shows from the weekend's line-up which we not only adored but also show the huge variety coming out of London's menswear scene....
#1 J.W ANDERSON
Mr Anderson is a hands down LFW fave - there were queues round the block at 7am on the day of his show in February, many hours before it was due to start, and the same was true this Sunday morning for his 9am show. This collection with its lace tops and suits, cartoon tees and oversized pink Samurai coat was squarely aimed at the directionally- minded fashionisto, but delve a bit deeper and the perfect white shirt, cool and quirky prints and a fine selection of neat trousers are in place. Something for every man actually, styled in J Dubs's particular brand of avant garde cool.
Images from Catwalking.com
#2 MR START
Mr Start, the menswear label from East London's favourite designer store Start, designed by the stores owner/founder, the multi-talented Philip Start, showed a slick collection which gave a modern twist to the Savile Row look so entrenched in London's menswear history. It takes the fuddy duddy out of of that tradition while keeping the sleek lines and formal lines which would make any man look irresistible. These are the clothes I'd like to see my boyfriend in.
Mr Philip Start with models wearing Mr Start
Images from Mr Start
#3 MEADHAM KIRCHHOFF
We appreciated the setting for this presentation - the morning after the night before at a rave, in a squat. It immediately brought to life what Ben Kirchhoff and Edward Meadham are always showing us in their inventive catwalk spectacles; namely the kind of louche creative squalor beloved of art students. A kind of uncompromising freedom from everything in "normal" life. This presentation provided total immersion as models reclined on collapsed beds, surrounded by empty bottles and discarded pizza boxes. With their dip dyed shaggy hair dos, the models genuinely looked like the kind of guys who might end up hanging here after a night in Vauxhall. As for the clothes, there was much to covet including proper boyish jumpers and sporty pieces as well as embellished sheer tops and floral pieces which have gone straight on the wish lists of lots of fashion girls as well as boys. Oh, and form an orderly queue now for the fluoro high tops.
Pepto Bismol boy
Images from Meadham Kirchhoff
