Highlights from London Mens Collections AW13

The second London Men's Collections showcased a surge of talent from established designers to the new and upcoming. A mix of fresh and modern designs are to be looked forward to this coming autumn, along with a soft feminine edge that may make some men run to the hills or rethink their future wardrobe.

SIBLING
The knitwear brand brought oversizing to a new level by introducing extreme accessories; faces were hidden behind hats, and noses peered out from scarves and snoods. Pastel pinks, baby blues and tomato reds livened up leopard and geometric checker board prints. Extreme slogans were glorified by pretty floral patterns, such as 'Please Kill Me'.

JAMES LONG
The grandad inspired collection in browns, caramels, pewters and blacks featured distinctive pink flamingo prints. Leather, quoting, bomber jackets and V-neck jumpers were prominent pieces. Hair was side parted and slick backed to emphasize chisled cheek bones.

KATIE EARY
Prints took over the catwalk and was placed strategically on trousers, shirts and jackets. Eary's collection was a fresh take on Miami vice but with dark undertones. Lots of black, heavy chains and sunglasses toughened up the clothes.

CRAIG GREEN
Walking art installations were created by Green, planks of tangled wood removed the models identity and became objects washed up at sea. Colour blocking in navy, white and black featured geometric line patterns, layers and minimalistic shapes.

J. W. ANDERSON
Boxy silhouettes and simple tailored pieces featured ruffles in pale blue, white and camel. Femininity was a strong theme throughout; skirts and dresses were sent down the catwalk, along with the ruffles, and bandeau styles. Contrasting black PVC knee high boots added a fetish edge.

JONATHAN SAUNDERS
Colour was the emphasis of the laid back presentation, as Saunders blocked and clashed bright autumn hues with hints of black. Groups of models chatted in cuffed trousers and coats with thick stripes of orange.

MARTINE ROSE
70's themed street wear influenced the collection, showing dusty reds and khaki tones offset by brightly coloured branded poster prints on bomber jackets and skirts. Long sleek bowl cuts accessorised cropped parkas and oversized flares draped over feet.

RICHARD NICOLL
Clean cut tailoring formed the basis of the collection, with Nicoll choosing to use a minimalist colour palette of greys, whites and flashes of tangerine. Small graphic paint splattered prints dominated throughout, however it was the oversized silver jacket that surprised and stood out.

ASTRID ANDERSEN
Inspired by the NBA, oversized garments featured heavily in Andersen's collection; in metallic hues of purple, green and gold in fabrics that offer a slight sheen. Basketball jerseys and sweaters featured Andersen's logo emblazoned on the front, which were teamed with gold lipstick. Prints included watches, rings, flowers and leaves which added interesting detailing to bomber jackets and trousers.

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN
Eerie and dark, the show's theme offset the clothes by offering  hints of vampirism in the form of smart sadistic gentleman; the models wore transparent face masks which became steamy as they breathed (Christian Bale in American Psycho springs to mind). Slicked black 'painted' on hair added the finishing touch. Sharp black tailoring featured pin stripes in oversized lengths and high stiff collars. Dramatic red tones accentuated small details, whilst burgundy prints added dark glamour to suit jackets, shirts and trousers.



EMERGING TRENDS

Prints

Predicted emerging trends from the catwalks include bold prints as seen at Martine Rose, flamingos on shirts and jumpers at James Long and Richard Nicoll showed silvery black splatters.

Tangerine

Flashes of orange were seen repeatedly throughout the week; Topman Design used the hue on trousers, prints to parkas, whereas Jonathan Saunders used printed bold orange stripes to clash against the other bright colours in the collection.

Oversized

Scarves, mittens and hats in abnormally oversized proportions were shown on the catwalk at Sibling, NBA inspired jerseys swamped the models at Astrid Andersen and Martine Rose displayed oversized 70s style flares.

Colour Blocking

Solid coloured outfits were popular, with Craig Green focusing on white, midnight blue and black. Alexander McQueen kept it dark and simple with all black and burgundy tones and J. W. Anderson focused on whites, blacks and camel tones.


All photos from ID Online

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