Men dressed in lace by Burberry, Christopher Kane’s colourful tweeds, and 1980s-style footwear by Jimmy Choo: London’s men’s fashion week bowed out Monday with plenty of daring designs.
Lace was not just for women at Burberry, where the material leant a romantic feel to white shirts and finished straight-cut, mid-length coats.
But Christopher Bailey, the luxury British brand’s chief creative and chief executive officer, admitted the style is not for everyone.
Certain men would wear lace, others not, Bailey said, adding that in a fashion show there was something for all tastes, and he personally liked the poetic feel that it brought.
Burberry showed off its spring/summer 2016 collection at Perk’s Field, next to Kensington Palace, the official residence of Prince William and his wife Kate, giving the occasion a garden party feel.
Among those on the guest list were actor Samuel L. Jackson and Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton.
Using black, pale grey and even mustard tones, Bailey has reinterpreted the label’s signature style.
The Chesterfield coats boasted a relaxed and elegant feel, and bore a lace collar.
As for their famous trench coats, they are made from silk and light wool and adorned with motifs.
There were also ideas drawn from the streets, with jogging pants in cashmere, and bomber jackets with quilted panels.
Jimmy Choo
Just as at Burberry, a relaxed style that nonetheless respected dress codes was also in evidence at Jimmy Choo.
The luxury shoemaker presented its new collection at the Seymour Leisure Centre in London, in a sports hall converted into a skateboard park for the occasion.
The collection was a meeting between urban and traditional styles, said Sandra Choi, the brand’s creative director.
The geometric designs and vivid colours on the shoes and trainers were a throwback to the 1980s and the Memphis Group, the postmodern Italian design and architecture group.
Christopher Kane
The more-refined Kane showed off his collection in his new London boutique, which opened at the start of the year in the plush Mayfair district.
The fashion designer borrows from streetwear with hooded sweatshirts with coloured lines, suggesting an idea of perpetual motion.
The same motifs were used on accessories.
He said many of his designs were taken from paintings, including the textures and materials.
The Scot has also come up with almost an entire outfit (coat, jacket, trousers) in tweed, speckling the grey material with red, blue, green and yellow dots to create a style both classic and trendy at the same time.
Alexander McQueen
The Alexander McQueen label took centre stage at London’s fashion week for men on Sunday with a collection that drew heavily on tattoo art and nautical themes.
The Alexander McQueen spring/summer 2016 show at London Collections: Men showed off two-piece suits and pyjama-style outfits.
Some of the pieces had a nautical theme, with naval-style jackets.
Models wore creations with “wrestler jacquard” prints, while there was plenty of royal blue on show alongside the tattoo-inspired collection, which featured anchors and compasses on the sleeves.
Sarah Burton became the brand’s creative director in 2010, having worked alongside the label’s late founder Lee McQueen for more than 14 years.
The four-day London Collections: Men fashion week grew out of the larger womenswear event. This was its seventh edition, with 77 designers on the main programme.
