Fashion
The Best of London Menswear Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 13/14
09:57I have come to appreciate and love menswear. But I think menswear is more relevant on the street than the runway. Unlike women, men create their own trends and hardly ever follow runway trends. Sad but true.
Menswear fashion week began in London. Designers seem to be keeping outfits low key on the runway. A few leather outfits have appeared making some models appear evil. Is Christian Grey to blame? Maybe. In fact there was a lot of leather. Black, navy and white were the main colours of majority of the shows which makes sense because winter always tends to be darker.
I couldn't put up all the photographs from the runway and discuss every show but to see more photos LIKE Zovuyo Mputa Blog on Facebook and find the London Collection: Men photo album.
Ever wanted to fashionably climb a mountain? Well now you can thanks to Topman Design. The collection that could have been made for Bear Grylls shows off a lot of white with gold accents. There are also a few cream, off white and almost khaki garments as well which are closer to adventure than the white.
A very bright orange and pink were also used in the collection. Personally I never wear colour during winter. I'm a black, grey and navy girl but colour is good to keep your mood up during the cold days.
Towards the end of the show it gets a lot darker with black snow jackets worn over navy shiny suits.
Topman Design didn't stay away from fur and wool this year. This is a winter collection so one must not only look warm but feel warm as well and the cable knit jerseys definitely gives one a warm feeling.
The designers at Topman Design obviously don't want men everywhere to go around climbing mountains in their clothes. From the way I see it, they have used functionality of hiking clothes to create a collection that is suited for all winter situations. However I'm not sure why they added a paire of shorts to the collection.
This collection reminds me of American rappers in the '90s. There is something very P. Diddy about this collection. '90s or Bear Grylls inspired, many of these garments will be needed by every man to survive the winter chill.
If you want your winter wardrobe to match the winter sky, this is the collection for you. Greys and blues were the standard colours in this collection with hints of print every now and then.
Once again this collection reminds me of rappers in the '90s. I think it's the silhouette of the outfits and the fact that these models look really cool.
Like all menswear collections, this one has suits as well as jeans, coats, beanies and even jumpsuits. There is also hints of metallic garments if you wish to shine this winter.
Once again the same bright orange that was used in the Topman Design collection is seen here again.
I like how the designers from London Menswear have given men a range of colours to choose from. As we have seen in Richard Nicoll's collection, this winter you can wear your greys, blues and all other winter colours along with prints, metallic fabrics and the brightest orange.
Ever wanted to dress like a banker? Or maybe more like Jay Gatsby or Nucky Thompson? Well now you can. Hackett London has once again created a collection fit for a gentleman who loves to emulate the 1920s.
In order to adapt this collection to your wardrobe be sure not to try photocopy each look. These looks won't work perfectly for every body type and most importantly personality. Use this collection as platform to recreate your wardrobe.
Hackett London doesn't make clothes for little boys, this is for gentlemen only.
The top hats and gloves are a favourite of mine. I also love how plaid, tweed and hints of aztec have been paired together in the same outfit. As a man it is difficult to pair different patterns and prints together and make it look tasteful. All you need to do to not make it tacky is to try dress how Hackett London wants you to.
One thing that differentiates the Hackett London collection from the ones mentioned above is the use of colour. The same colour was used in one whole outfit in Topman Design and Richard Nicoll. Hacket London has added hints of several colours in different outfits and has not give us too much to look at. We don't want to turn our heads or find sunglasses because the colours are too bright. Hackett London has chosen the right hues have been selected for winter.
From looking at several menswear collections I have seen that velvet seems to be the fabric of choice for many designers. I am not the biggest velvet fan and I'm not sure how it will work with men.
London Fashion Week, male or female will always be a lot more artistic and eclectic than other fashion weeks. Therefore I had to add a an artistic collection to this review. Christopher Shannon's collection is the only one I liked. It is not artistic at all if you compare to the other disasters I saw.
I loved the use of geometry and how similar colours were paired together. The black and white trend can also be seen here as well.
However I think the guys wearing Christopher Shannon this winter could get a little cold. Yes the shoes are built for winter, even look like the shoes men wear in The Sims.
Loved the colours used in the show, the leather pants could have stayed on the drawing board but I'll forgive them this time.
Something that designers who show at London Fashion get right is the mix of casual and formal clothes.
Matthew Miller showed men everywhere how to dress up jeans and a jersey which helps when you want to turn day outfits into night outfits.
Black was the standard colour of the collection which makes sense. Black is the new black and it is also a colour worn in winter. The hints of red and white really made a statement and prevented the show from being boring. We all know that all black can get boring very quickly. Another way to prevent head to toe black from being stagnant is to wear different fabrics. Leather was used extensively in the show and when paired with a cable knit jersey and a shirt you no longer look like a biker.
This collection is for the guy who doesn't work at a place that requires formal wear everyday. He likes to have a drink after work and listens to strange music.
Nice thing about this collection is that it will be easy to adapt, especially in South Africa. I doubt any shop here sells Matthew Miller but I am sure you could find these pieces at any retail store and recreate the collection.
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