It may still be Summer but to fashion that is already, very much, last year. Spring '14 collections have graced the catwalks and so I thought I would reel it back a bit and take a look at menswear for the coming Fall...or next week if you believe the forecasters.
In recent years men's fashion has grown immensely and new studies are showing that the XYs are increasingly more aware of their image; this is highlighted by the increased importance of menswear in fashion House collections. For this article I have looked at four: Prada, Louis Vuitton, Alexander McQueen and Calvin Klein Collection. Each has significant pull in the industry and often will have their ideas filtered down to the high street and that is what I am going to explore.
Now, many men will still just pick 'stuff' off the hanger because it looks nice. I have done that too but realised it led to a very odd mix of clothes that I soon lost interest of. I think we must all begin to realise that what we see on the rails in Topman, River Island, H&M, Primark and online at Asos are derived from the top of the fashion pyramid. Our collections of clothes then - although cheaper and of lesser quality - can still be fashionable rather than just nice and in turn can keep us interested because suddenly our wardrobes make sense and what started as just one outfit can become many.
This can't be better explained than by Meryl Streep; not as herself but as Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada. Here she confronts Anne Hathaway, the seemingly unfashionable assistant:
'This... stuff'? Oh. Okay. I see. You think this has nothing to do with you. You go to your closet and you select... I don't know... that lumpy blue sweater, for instance because you're trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back. But what you don't know is that that sweater is not just blue, it's not turquoise. It's not lapis. It's actually cerulean. And you're also blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002, Oscar de la Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns. And then I think it was Yves Saint Laurent... wasn't it who showed cerulean military jackets? I think we need a jacket here. And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of eight different designers. And then it, uh, filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic Casual Corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin. However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs and it's sort of comical how you think that you've made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you're wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room from a pile of stuff.
So what then did the Houses offer?
Sarah Burton (who for those interested designed Kate Middleton's wedding dress and has dressed the all powerful such as Michelle Obama and Lady Gaga) is now Creative Director at McQueen, following on from the late man himself. Her debut on the London Menswear catwalks was well received: beautifully cut suits with beautiful pinstripes headed up the collection but it soon became more extravagant, with stained glass print suits and velvet jackets. What interested me most about her collection however was the use of colour to highlight detail. Red was the colour of choice and put to great use - these two examples being my favourite.
Prada, too, used colour in their collection as a main feature. Miucci Prada said that this was 'one of the most sophisticated' collections she had done. Not what you would take from looking at the catwalk but her explanation is that to do simplicity right is truly hard and that it took almost three months to find the perfect shades of blue, red and yellow (This just proving the insight from Miranda Priestly!). Prada's collection, like McQueen's, used colour for contrast but Prada was intent on using more than one in each look. A beautiful blue jumper, with a red shirt underneath, worked wonderfully for the first piece and is easily transferred to the high street. This theme continued: bright colour/dark colour. Simplicity had seriously been reached.
Calvin Klein, led by Italo Zucchelli, seemed to be more interested in details with their collection. Black and grey with a backdrop of white eliminated colour. What we got was a formal sportswear collection with leather bombers and chunky knit jumpers. Herringbone, houndstooth and texture detail were key to the pieces on offer and once again this can be transferred to your wardrobe. You may not get the deconstructed patterns but you can achieve the idea that I think Zucchelli is trying to put across; that coupling textures with fabric patterns can create a great look.
Although hard to see here, this leather jacket has fantastic detailing. Smooth from a distance but with conflicting contours throughout, it creates a brilliant shape and unfortunately may be hard to find in Topman. This doesn't mean you shouldn't try and find one like it nor that it is essential you have those contours; on the contrary a standard leather bomber jacket would look great - but that detailing is what separates good from great.
Kim Jones, of Vuitton, for me produced some of the best coats and jackets for his Fall '13 collection: big collars on his puffer jackets, in a dark blue with red detailing on the zip (again red appearing as a key component), fur hooded linings on pea coats and leather jackets and large lapels on overcoats. A coat is essential for the Fall and a heavy one not only keeps you warm and dry but more often than not looks much more elegant and dare I say it...fashionable. Jones stuck to darker tones for his collection, with hints of colour as mentioned, and this creates a broody look to the pieces but clearly will compliment or match the colours you see as the leaves start to fall. Coats and jackets from online stores often disappoint me. It is quite hard to find, on a budget, a coat that will keep you warm and dry. More often than not the coats you can buy on the high st. are thin, what would you expect I guess? but spending just a little bit more on a coat - nearing the regions of £70+ you can find some really good buys. When you're on the look out for one this season I implore you to be willing to spend that bit more on your coat. Better to buy one that you can wear each day, stay warm, dry and still look good which costs a bit more than one which you realise doesn't do it's job properly and is then brought out only once in a while.
The High Street
Puffer jackets, I must admit, I found hard to source something which would look half as good as Vuittons. The best I found was a black
Superdry coat on ASOS; priced at £75 and from a good label it is surely capable of doing its job and it has colour detailing on the zip and inside of the hood. Not quite Vuitton but certainly workable.
River Island produce a
quilted gilet which is surely inspired by Klein's collection. Coupled with a
chunky knit jumper this would be perfect for a dry but cold, windy day.
Leather bombers and jackets are in their hundreds; finding ones akin to Klein's are hard but there are still plenty of options, I would opt for a very simple faux leather bomber. No frills but sleek and wearable.
Asos'
hooded jacket is comparable to some from Prada's collection but I think it's clear that these won't keep you as warm or dry. Wear it with a nice blue or contrast colour jumper and again this would create a nice cold but dry day ensemble.
River Island, H&M, Primark and Topman always have a collection of jumpers and shirts which if prowled through will turn up a good find. Printed patterns don't seem to be at the fore of this seasons collections and aztec I swear has been flogged to death by the high st. giants. I find H&M always seem to have the best staple of basics; Primark too have the basics and their quality has improved in light of their sweatshop scandal so it's worth a look.
Trousers have been left out of this article to this point. The collections have kept it simple and opt for well cut trousers. Mostly black, grey or a dark navy these kinds of trousers are available everywhere. Zara, I think, produce the best trousers for fit but this comes at a price and so going to H&M will allow you to purchase almost any colour you could desire, with a relatively nice fit and a very good price.
Here are two looks I put together from a quick online search that I think would look great.
All shoes from River Island. Coat from Topman (Stone Crombie). All other pieces from Asos.
If the United Colors of Benetton, floral print trousers are too much then you can tone the look down with a grey wool or similar look pair.
