London Collections Men: Day 2

CHRISTOPHER RAEBURN

Christopher Raeburn is the champion of sustainable fashion, and for his commitment to marrying aesthetics with ethics he has stolen this Scandi bloggers heart. Raeburn’s invites hinted that the theme for his AW14 ‘Polaris’ collection would revolve around his environmental allegiances, and as ever the British designer created a beautiful collection of functional garments constructed from versatile fabrics. Clothing was made from 100% Merino wool promoting the natural warmth, comfort and protective qualities of the knit.

Spearheading the remake and reuse trend, oversized coats resembling Polar bears were fashioned by reconstructing old Siberian officer’s coats. In addition, technical fabrics were employed to create light weight padded parkas that could be layered on top of more padded pieces. Chunky boots, neoprene details, practical drawstrings and roomy backpacks make up the perfect uniform for the urban-dweller-come-explorer. As always, Raeburn’s collections are always the most inspiring of educations.

HUNTER GATHER

huntergather was an intimate affair enjoyed over freshly brewed coffee with the likes of David Gandy. Inspired by Ryan Gosling’s character in Drive, collars were worn flicked up and neon bomber jackets were streamlined. Ankle grazing, earthy coloured chinos were paired with Creepers, and hoods concealed 80s hair for a bad-boy aesthetic. Over dyed denim, washed out wool and distressed leather were paired with Pollock inspired prints in garish reds and yellows.

JAMES LONG

Inspired by primitive sci-fi, James Long’s AW14 collection centred around an abstract urban future. With slick blue hair, an alien-inspired army of models stomped down the runway to ‘Galactic Lover’. Texture played a huge role in this collection, with quilted padding with compartmentalised fabrics featuring heavily. Reversible quilted bomber jackets, ribbon woven through leather mesh bombers and mesh layered over jersey material created other worldly surfaces. Jogging bottoms are paired with sweatshirts, crewnecks, poloneck knits, leather jackets and the distinctive quilted outerwear pieces. Panels of denim, interweaved satin and pony skin are integrated into a palette of blue, white, black, red and grey. In Long’s press release he notes the absence of shirts and draws attention to the futuristic baseball boots created in collaboration with Kurt Geiger. This is a collection I can’t wait to squeeze, stroke and hold.

COMMON

I was particularly excited to watch the COMMON presentation as I’ve been reading a lot about the Swedish brand since my move to Stockholm. Entitled Tech-Noir, this collection fuses London-edge, Parisian-chic and Scandinavian-minimalism, drawing inspiration from science fiction and film noir. As was the case with James Long, COMMON transformed their audience to a futuristic world where sportswear is the sartorial arsenal of choice, and the bomber and quilted jacket are style staples. Reinforced by UV lighting and an industrial show space the mood was modern and metallic, with garishly coloured digital prints featuring on techincial sweaters and outerwear pieces.  COMMON did not however abandon the classical, and a tailored wool overcoat in double faced wool injected a polished feel to the collection. The classic shirt was updated with a logoed zip and models wore knitted collars which resembled rollnecks.

NICOLE FARHI

The Nicole Farhi presentation opened at lunchtime, which meant small tubs of quinoa, carrots and champagne for attendees in an intimate and inviting setting just behind Green Park. For AW14, with Joanna Sykes at the helm, Nicole Farhi has created a collection of beautiful, relaxed clothing that the every man will want to wear. With comfort and informality sited as key to the collection, garments were worn oversized conveying a softened masculinity. Chunky knits baring voluminous roll neck collars, slouchy track pants constructed from cashmere, and loosely fitted tailored coats were stand out pieces. This is an uncomplicated collection, free of fuss and ego, that has fine British fabrics at its core. Caramel, charcoal, navy, khaki and a beautiful duck egg blue made up the highly wearable colour palette. My only gripe was that with all that beautiful relaxed clothing, at times the equally beautiful models seemed too relaxed for the occasion.

DUCHAMP

Hosted in the Royal Academy, Duchamp’s presentation demonstrated how classic British tailoring can indeed be taken with a pinch of salt. Inviting attendees to sip on gin in the Gentleman’s club, Duchamp’s interactive presentation had us circle a rather dapper poker table, partake in a light hearted lesson in fencing, and spectate a pair of sartorially suited men battling at a game of chess. Transporting us to a bygone age, the AW14 Duchamp gentleman is a man who wears luxurious fabrics and does not cower from colour. A velvet petroleum blue dinner jacket, brightly coloured and printed silk blouses, a polka-dot two piece suit and a rich, plaid suit and waist coat, were the stand out pieces from a collection that whispered luxury and quality. Fabric innovation, quality, design and fit are the key components to Duchamp’s collection, and in its 25th year its refreshing to see the brands updated take on traditionalism.

YMC

YMC are the champions of comfort, quality and durability. Like Nicole Farhi, the brand created a highly wearable collection that the every man will want to wear. YMC took the tracksuit as the centre piece for the collection, pairing relaxed, casual clothing with smart, tailored pieces to create the brands signature utilitarian style. Understated, but never a wallflower, AW14 features light hearted prints of flowers, stars, stripes and spirals in a colour palette of navy, jade, black and burnt red. Like TOPMAN Deisgn and Christopher Raeburn staying dry is key, and YMC partnered with Swedish brand Grunder to create a fully waterproof hooded mac. Trousers were slouchy and sweaters roomy for a relaxed and accessible vibe. Priding itself in locally sourced fabrics, the collection felt premium whilst retaining its fuss free aesthetic. A tongue and cheek mitten cardigan caught the attention of the audience.

CROMBIE

CROMBIE supplied the military in both the First and Second World Wars, so it was not surprising to see a military undertone to the collection. Traditional and tailored garments were updated in new fabrics with the focus on function. The broken herringbone Crombie coat with hand stitched Astrakhan collar was the jewel in the collections crown of Pea coats, Great coats and Car coats. Milano crew necks and cardigans produced in England sat alongside twill trousers and shirts in micro-checks and digital prints. Mannequins were lined up for attendees to weave in and out of, giving the presentation an exhibitionary quality – this was a collection to be admired from close-up and with time to spare, free from the boundaries created by using models. The feel was luxury, with a premium palette of chocolate, white, moss green, blackberry and granite.

SUPERDRY

As a general rule of thumb, if a party is good enough for Samuel L Jackson then it’s good enough for me. As beautiful as Mr Gandy and Master Tempah are, the Pulp Fiction star had to be my celeb highlight of LCM. Superdry put on the event of the LCM calendar, taking over the Old Sorting Office with Nick Grimshaw on the decks, a talented group of mixologists at the bar, and a heady group of fashionistas on the dance floor. The comparatively lengthly fashion show kickstarted late into the evening, and showcased the brands signature Japanese graphics, Americana influence and British design. Ever the youthful favourite, the collection had all the necessary components for the teenage wardrobe –  distressed denim, leather jackets, chunky boots, roomy parkas, fun prints and military classics. Classic sporty pieces, including the brands distinctive t-shirts and hoodies, sat amongst more tailored, urban garments. The brand also showcased their womenswear line, a fun and flirtatious collection of skinny, leather panelled trousers and sparkling minis.

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