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.
It's been a long but thoroughly fascinating and jam-packed week here at FEAL HQ- we were at Graduate Fashion Week for most of the start of the week and came up for a quick breather yesterday before the start of Menswear mini-week today. Of course, we couldn't let the weekend come without bringing fashion news back after a two week absence...
GQ Editor Dylan Jones, Prince Charles, Harold Tilman and Caroline Rush at last night's event (image from dailymail.co.uk)
The spotlight is on London's menswear designers this weekend as London Collections: Men gets underway with three days of shows and showrooms at the Hospital Club. There was a fancy launch party last hosted by Prince Charles at St James' Palace. Incidentally, HRH has begun looking rather more dapper of late- maybe he's been taking style advice in advance of London's first run of dedicated men's shows. He was certainly keen to hear Tom Ford's tips on nail care, as Derek Blasberg tweeted last night. Also in attendance were Tinie Tempah and David Walliams, both known for their suave ensembles. However, Prince Charles' closest rival in the style stakes was BFC chairman, Harold Tilman who was as exquisitely turned out as ever. It'll be a varied few days with everyone from brilliantly bonkers Meadham Kirchhoff to Savile Row stalwarts Hardy Amies showing collections.
Wintour inspects SJP's house in advance of the party (image from dailymail.co.uk)
Not be outdone by London's show of the marriage of fashion and state affairs, America has seen Anna Wintour transcend her role of Vogue Editor to become one of Obama's major fundraisers. In her latest quest to secure the President a second term, Wintour teamed up with Sarah Jessica Parker to hold a dinner at the actress's home last night. Solange Knowles and Meryl Streep were among those who attended. Mr and Mrs Obama even popped in to greet the attendees. Rumour has it that Wintour might be rewarded for her efforts- which have seen her raise $500,000 so far- with the role of American Ambassador to London. How extraordinary would that be?
Maison Martin Margiela AW12... Now for H&M too (image from cat walking.com)
There has been much excitement about the announcement of two pretty major new designer/ high street collaborations this week. First to be revealed was H&M's latest venture, this time with Maison Martin Maison Margiela- a big surprise which sent fashion-savvy tweeters into a frenzy, imagining what might come from the collection and discussing whether Mr Margiela would ever have allowed this. After all, he left the business in 2009, leaving the design in the hands of long term colleagues while Diesel's Renzo Rosso gained ownership. I, for one, hope the collection- out on 15th November- will offer some immaculately cut trousers and jackets, a few dramatic curveballs and a smattering of bags and shoes in the vein of the spacey hi-tops currently on offer in the main collection.
In the mean time, H&M have released this teaser video to show what the collection could look like...
The next announcement was less surprising but equally exciting- Topshop let it be known that their next designer collection would come from one of the hottest kids on the London block right now, J.W Anderson- or J Dubs as he is more affectionately known. The collection will comprise the key ideas from Jonathan's design career to date. There are also plans for a second drop early in 2013. In a bit of a twist to the collaboration idea, the range will also include items which the designer himself has picked out such as books, rubik's cubes and memory sticks. J.W Anderson themed life, here we come!
J.W Anderson AW12... Now for Topshop too (image from catwalking.com)
Louboutin's signature red soles (image from www.scwimmerlegal.com)
Christian Louboutin's battle to retain his red sole trademark took another sad turn this week when he lost his case against Zara. The high street giant had produced red soled heels similar to Louboutin's YoYo style. However, the French courts ruled that the trademark was too vague and ordered Louboutin to pay £2,000 to Zara as compensation. An awful outcome for Louboutin whose name is extricably linked to the red sole, no matter who else tries to copy it- don't we think?
Kate King walks the catwalk at the Louvre for Ferragamo (image from style.com)
Seasoned fashion week attendees will know that Paris's Louvre museum complex has in the past hosted Paris Fashion Week (it's now a quick walk away in the Tuileries Gardens). However, there has never been a show which takes place amongst the precious works of art which hang in the Louvre's galleries. Until this week that is, when Salvatore Ferragamo showed their Resort collection in the Denon Wing. It looks like a grand affair complete with celebrities (Hilary Swank) and one of Paris' longest ever catwalks at 140m. There's little doubt that its affiliation with the La Sainte Anne: Leonardo Da Vinci's Ultimate Masterpiece takes the Ferragamo brand's already considerable glamour factor up a notch or ten.
Muhammad Ali for Louis Vuitton (image from vogue.co.uk)
Louis Vuitton unveiled the latest star of their Core Values campaign this week. Muhammad Ali is pictured alongside his gorgeous grandson Laila Ali at his Arizona home. The image is tagged with the line "Some stars show you the way". According to Yves Carcelle, Louis Vuitton's Chairman and CEO "this captures the idea of transmission, which is of great significance to Louis Vuitton". Annie Leibovitz took the shot which shows a bag from the Core Values travel collection open beneath Ali's leg.
Lady Gaga on the first cover she did for US Vogue in March 2011 (image from WWD)
Get set for a peak in Lady Gaga mania come September when her first ever perfume is set to launch. Rumour has it that she has already been shot for the cover of Vogue's September issue by Mert and Marcus. Images of the perfume, which Gaga previously said would smell of "blood and semen", have also been leaked this week. It's been noted that the leaked bottle images look remarkably similar to Mugler's Alien bottle design. The super sweet perfume from Mugler, a brand Gaga has often worked closely with, is about as far from bodily fluids as you get so maybe the similarity ends at the bottle?
Gaga Fame vs. Mugler's Alien (image from Huffington Post)
Finally, if you enjoy horses, great eyeliner and stars and stripes hot pants then you will adore Azealia Banks' video for her new single Liquorice. It's directed by Rankin and styled by Nicola Formichetti. Apparently it was filmed in Paris- if anyone can tell me where the rugged, cliff- enhanced outback is around Paris I'd love to know- nevertheless I love it. Happy Weekend!
OK, its hot and its payday week. What better reason do you need than to go buy some amazing summer fashion? I've got a reason: sample sales. The five best possible sample sales EVER in my humble opinion are on this week in London.
UPDATE:... TODAY 10am-7pm....Zadig and Voltaire at 182 Westbourne Grove, W11 2RH
Here they are:
MCQUEEN
ALEXANDER MCQUEEN: Tues 29th May (12-9pm), 30th May (10am- 9pm), 31st May (10am-9pm) and 1st June (10am-8pm) at TheWestminster Rooms, The Old Sessions House, 22 Clerkenwell Green, EC1R 0NA
KANE
CHRISTOPHER KANE: 31st May at The Mercer Street Studios, WC2E 9QE with prices starting at £5.
ERDEM
ERDEM: Tues 29 May (9am-8pm) & Wed 30th May (9am-6pm) at Future Gallery, Covent Garden. AW11 & previous seasons + accessories
J.W
J.W ANDERSON: June 1, 5-9pm, 73-75 Shacklewell Lane, Studio A007, E8. Cash only.
Oh and one for luck:
JOSEPH:
Tues 29th May (10am-9pm) and Weds 30th May (10am-8pm) at The Music Rooms 29, South Molton Lane- Alaia, Lanvin, Balenciaga, Givenchy, Celine and more at 80% off!!!!
Bright eyes... Meadham Kirchhoff beauty looks from AW12 (image from www.lloyd-evans.com)
Maybe it's the sudden turn in the weather from bright to dismal, or perhaps it's the amount of time the FashEd and I spend looking at the specifics of colour in our consultancy projects, or it could be that walking into most stores at the moment involves being confronted with such powerful, undiluted palettes. Whatever it is, my eyes have become addicted to complete overdoses of rich and saturated tones, whether it is the tangerine neon of the jumper I bought the other day, or the bloody rich maroon in J.W Anderson's AW12 collection, the picture of which I just cannot stop looking at. I feel like the pastel trend which so dominated the SS12 catwalks hasn't quite hit my consciousness yet. In fact, in a few weeks time these could become a diluted antidote to the intensity which is pervasive in my mind right now.
My colour obsession... JW Anderson AW12 (image from catwalking.com)
It was on a visit to the Royal Academy's David Hockney exhibition (a few days before it closed) a couple of weeks ago that I felt like my colour channel was properly attuned. The only way I can even begin to describe the feeling of looking at a Hockney painting is that it makes your eyes dance, so vibrant are the colours and the ways they're combined. The images which I have included here do not even begin to visually describe the effect of seeing a Hockney original. I would love to know how he achieves this insanely concentrated bouncing-off-the-canvas-it's-so-bright effect. His eye transforms the gentle browns greys and greens of the natural landscape into cyan blue leaves, lilac roads and pink skies. They're delicious and unexpected combinations.
And the book I most want to read right now? A Pantone Colour Book. Odd, I know given that I'm more often found with my nose buried in classic literature but the thought of looking at that faded, brownish paper and uniform black type just makes my heart sink, especially when I could be poring over seven pages of 'pink' representations.
I like to think that this new found colour obsession might be my version of patriotism, given the upcoming Jubilee, bear with me here. One of the highlights of this month's Vogue is the back page on which the magazine charts Her Majesty's colour choices over the course of a year. It looks to me like The Queen might also be a fan of the Pantone book, so considered are her head-to-toe choices of hue, from the palest of lemon curd yellows to the rubiest of Wizard of Oz reds she seems to have worked her way through them all. I can imagine her handing her circled colour choices to her dressmaker Angela Kelly as reference guide to her latest outfit creation.
Devastatingly, I don't have my own Angela Kelly to rustle up something in my latest colour whim so I will amuse myself a while longer looking at my new favourite Tumblr, RAINBOW C-O-L-O-U-R-S
The Queen in colour (image from www.dailymail.co.uk)
Recent journalism graduate Joshua Drew has been interning with us at FEAL for the last fortnight, and in that time his flair and passion for menswear has been so infectious, I just had to assign him the task of covering Men's Fashion Day in London on Wednesday. So while I was in the recovery position following London Fashion Week, Mr. Drew hit town.
Guest Post for Fashion Editor at Large by Joshua Drew
J.W Anderson fuelled the fire of menswear on Wednesday, and boy was it a scorcher! As the first menswear designer to showcase his new collection, entitled ‘Chamber of Isolation’, the venue was claustrophobic to the backdrop of heavy industrial beats. A spooky start to a theatrical collection. Fitting considering Anderson’s background in theatre.
A fitting venue for a show entitled 'Chamber of Isolation' in the old Central St Martins building.
If the music didn’t have you shaking in your boots then you were most certainly moonwalking, as footwear, in collaboration with Aldo Rise, came in white or black leather mixed with plaid wool. Trousers came in the form of flares, a trippy throwback to the 80s with zip detailing, a theme throughout menswear which we’re loving this season.
J.W Anderson AW12 (photos: catwalking.com)
“I keep asking myself, does menswear exist anymore?” said Anderson in typically rhetorical form backstage. “Everything seems so sartorial nowadays. Menswear is dry. It needs a certain awkwardness about it.” Anderson seemed like just the right candidate to shake things up a little. His gender bending designs steered far away from any sartorial references and instead injected quilted skirts over leather flares. Potentially not every man's dream wardrobe staple and not a new concept for Anderson. Yet it was his knitwear pieces with their rope detail embellishment which proved most wearable this season. You wouldn't have to be a typical Anderson man to pull off one of these statement items.
J.W Anderson AW12 (photo: catwalking.com)
Inspired by the idea of bad taste and good taste he certainly left his collection open to criticism. His man was futuristic, moody and isolated. Yet Anderson, true to form, struck a confident and rebellious collection. Who doesn’t love a rebel?
Upon arriving in deepest Dalston (all young designers live in this district of east London) I ring the bell of a large factory building and after a few minutes a fit looking intern arrives slightly out of breath to the door. When I am lead up two sets of stairs, then downstairs, around a corner and down yet more stairs I see what took her so long. If any daring fashion thieves decided to plan a heist in this building in order to steal what may be be the most anticipated NEWGEN designer collection of the season, they wouldn't get far with it.
This shot of model Kirsten Owen is the hair and make-up inspiration for today's show
In the lair of J.W Anderson, London's most talked about young designer at present, things are quiet and appear very organised. It is a week before the show, which takes place today within the now empty former legendary St Martins School of Art building on Charing Cross Road building "I didn't go there, so this is my way of being where creativity used to be," says Jonathan, as he is better known. It seems amazing that the Irish literature graduate who started out doing jewellery, followed by menswear before being persuaded into doing clothes for girls, has come so far so soon, but he is nothing if not ambitous.
All the precious samples..
I can see his new collection (above) glistening and mutedly colourful on a rail in the corner. Stiff flared plaid skirts that appear to be Tweed, but turn out to be felted neoprene jostle with some slightly disturbing mid brown vinyl trousers and a matching V neck top and also fantastically hued bobbly fisherman-style knitwear. On the wall I spot a photograph of the Nineties most quirky supermodel, Kirsten Owen, with a very choppy asymmetric blonde bob. So far, so fashion.
The new FW/AW12 collection
Then Jonathan plops himself down. He is buoyed by his current success, (sales quadrupled after the last show, American Vogue have featured him in six recent issues) yet is allowing the pressure to produce another hit collection propel him further down the path of creativity. "I am pushing my ideas as far as they can go. People didn't expect it last season [he means they didn't expect a show so chock full of new ideas] and I got attention. So I'm taking that to another level with this collection. Its difficult top crop up as new in London and stay new; it takes a lot of stamina.
"I think we have overdosed on print, so I am using texture and shape to create a new form of decoration. Print from texture, I guess. I'm using pinstripe, quilting, the felted neoprenes and thick knits, and am working with car fabric manufacturers to develop padded fabrics. I am shuffling my vocabulary to make something the same but different; I guess my main message is the idea of monolithic shapes; you only need two pieces to make a look. An old shape meeting a new shape."
He gestures to one wall, which has the looks for today's show drawn up; sure enough it all about two-piece looks. Jumper/skirt; trouser/top. Colours are in single blocks of burgundy and beige, cream and red with plaids and padded fabrics thrown in. The knits will become fashion hits in five seconds flat. I don't fancy squeaking around town wearing JW vinyl, but I know a few girls who will.
The imagery created by stylist Joe McKenna and photographer David Sims dominates the J.W Anderson moodboard
We look at the other wall (above) - oh how I love wall-gazing with designers! - and begin to ooh and ahh over his main visual inspiration the work of the stylist Joe McKenna and photographer David Sims. "Its the idea of conflicts,"he says, but as a fan-girl of their work myself, all I see is the beautifully off kilter intelligence of the imagery. It suits Jonathan.
The spring summer collection of J.W Anderson is available at www.brownsfashion.com among others.
There are fashion staples and there are Fashion Week Staples. This post is about the latter. In 10 days time the New York fashion shows start, neatly followed by London Fashion Week and onto Milan and Paris. I've never been one of those women to dress up deliberately for the cameras at the fashion weeks; I do get snapped occasionally if I'm having a particularly photogenic day at the shows, but I dress for myself really, experimenting as I go. Of course, there are people out there who organise their outfits in advance, borrow clothes from designers and make a big and fabulous show of themselves to fan the flames of their online careers and web fashion fame. Hello Anna Dello Russo, Susie Bubble, Kristin Knox, Fran Burns and co, not to mention the hordes of fashion-obsessed students trying to get noticed. I wish I was more inclined to play the fashion game their way, but I'm not. No matter. Fashion-paparazzo not withstanding these are the clothes I want for fashion week.
I've been logging into all the major fashion websites everyday over the last ten days to see what is on their respective New In pages, and to see what makes my heart beat faster. For the high fashionista that I am right down to my marrow, Brownsfashion.com is hands down the best place to shop right now. Their edit of Kane, Balenciaga, J.W Anderson, Erdem, Carven and Alaia is inspired and I love the way they find labels that even I haven't heard of yet. I respect that their buying team, including Ruth Runberg and Francoise Tessier have the nous to order the printed Erdem trousers, say, not just his signature dresses which all the safe department stores buy. Browns have even bought into Dr Martens exceptionally cleverly, and the white-soled tassle loafers are truly edgy fashion shoes (even if, to you, they look like something a nurse at Broadmoor might wear). Designers trust Browns and looking at their edit of Spring/Summer 2012, I can see why. Now, I have to choose which one of these is the most worthwhile to have in my wardrobe. What would you choose?
