Menswear You Can Actually Wear
Menswear You Can Actually Wear from LFWM
London Fashion Week Men's (or LFWM, for those counting characters) has come and gone. At press time, we are already deep into the Paris Men's collections, and nearing the end of Men's Fashion Month. Yet I'm still here unpacking all that was fashion week in London. There were some big brands notably missing from the schedule Burberry, Tiger of Sweden and Christopher Kane (the first two are now showing Mens and Womens together, the latter will no longer be showing menswear). As previously mentioned, I kept my schedule light and mainly stuck to my favourites with a few wildcards thrown in for good measure. But even with the heavy weights missing and my pared down itinerary there was still so much to see. Lots of catwalk action, plenty of filler and a few "What the?!" moments.
There were men in skirts (not kilts, skirts!) enough neon to bring on a rave revival and one memorable show in particular that involved a a giant paper mache blob chasing dancers (clad in nude leotards and mud) through the show space. A show it certainly was, fashion it most definitely was not. I received plenty of question mark responses to my insta-stories (???) so I figured I'd put together a little list of some of the wearable fashion this time around. One part praise for all the supremely talented designers in the city, one part shopping list for myself for fall when all this glorious fashion will be available. Or in the case of Oliver Spencer, it's more of an instant wishlist as his entire collection is now available through see now/ buy now technology.
First up is this super casual look from Christopher Shannon, a simple tee and denim are elevated with side snaps that are oh-so-90's but also pretty wearable! The 90's get another clever nod with this logo tee which is a clear homage to the master of 90's minimalism, Calvin Klein.
Moving right along, Agi & Sam brought us this grown up bomber and trouser look. Strip away the scarf cum face mask and crazy eye-makeup and were left with a very wearable look. Slim cargo pants, beat up boots amd a statement printed bom
Vivienne Westwood
With it's blown up wallpaper prints and matching shirt, this look by Vivienne Westwood teeters on the borderline of wearable. It's dark red tones ensure you'll be a standout at your next function, while the crisp white shirt (with matching wallpaper print) and plain black derby shoes ensure you err on the right side of wearable. Bravo Dame Vivienne!
T-shirts are the new way to make tailoring cool, as seen at TOPMAN DESIGN. I am loving the neon graphic tee under the more somber tweed suit, the elongated scarf and box fresh white kicks round out the outfit, that'll look great in summer or fall!
Camo is one of those prints that never goes out of style in menswear, this season it got an update in the form of Christopher Raeburn's new lizard motif, appliqued here over a wool toggle coat. Forming an interesting abstracted camo, it's the ideal show-stopper coat that's sure to turn heads in a sea of black and grey next winter.
Another piece of standout outerwear came from Father and Son designer's Casely-Hayford, the puffa jacket over topcoat is a lesson in layering (and possible DIY) we can all borrow from. The hybrid coat will bring a little fun to the office, or add a formal element to your next streetstyle look.
Topman Design AW17
Yes this is the second look I'm featuring from the TOPMAN Design show, but let the record state The Topman show is the hottest ticket in town, and I set myself a personal goal to get invited to the show this season and result! My jaw dropped when this coat came striding past me, I'm not sure what it was that got me; the colour of the moment (pink) or the nubby tartan, or the 90's throwback or a combination of all three! If I were to adopt this look, (And chances are high that I will, given it's *reasonable* pricepoint) I would of course ditch the flooded denim. Picture this coat over a grey pair of trousers, and smart shoes and you'll be picturing me next fall. Bonus points for the fact that it's from high-street king, Topman, which means 2 things A) It'll definitely be going into production, unlike most of the other catwalk shows B) It'll only be slightly pricier than Topman's most expensive outerwear.
Taking a turn into comfier territory, comes this camouflaged tracksuit from Christopher Raeburn. Brilliant as a superluxe loungewear set, It'll also be cool as separates, imagine the camo jumper worn with skinny black denim.
The next two looks come from Oliver Spencer, realistically his entire show could be filed under "Masterclass in Wearable" but these combos really caught my eye. I love the mixtures of pattern and texture (a striped tee, under wool aviator jacket with wool trouser) and the arresting colour combos; pink with shades of grey here, and elsewhere rust, burnt orange and forest greens were paired together in velvet, wool and knits.
Casely Hayford
Closing out my list of top wearable looks, comes this one from Casely-Hayford. I am obsessed with the 3D textile seen here on the trousers. The embellished fabric showed up elsewhere in the show as a full suit - but I felt that in the interest of keeping things wearable, I should stick to just the trouser look. The double-collar is also noteworthy, as is the grey melton wool topcoat, a pared back look that screams luxury and quietly whispers personality.
What were some of your favourite Men's look this season?
Day 1 at LFWM Wearing Christopher Kane shirt, Earnest Sewn Denim Jacket, Reclaimed Vintage Kimono, Asos embroidered denim, Dries Van Noten necklace, Links of London Bracelets, Lanvin trainers + Sunglasses, Bottega Veneta clutch