The influx of designers showing at London Collections: Men is a strong indicator of the city’s developing rank as the home of menswear. The spring collections presented this month had a well-rounded combination of established and recent talent.
Jonathan Saunders depicted a city centric preparation for warm weather. The innovation here lies in his aptitude for fabric technology, as stitching was replaced by bonding of garment pieces, made evident in the blue-white ombre sports jacket. A monochrome outfit making an appearance early in the Spring Collections set the tone for a widespread trend en route. Saunders remains bold in his color choices, using vibrant brights in a fresh way when they’ve been previously perceived as difficult.
Massimo Nicosia ventured on an exploration of Pringle of Scotland’s staples; tartan. It’s versatility in knitwear represents Pringle as consistent, but far from stagnant.
Christopher Kane’s boys exude youth, simply put. Yet the collection is laced with a clean vibe at the same time. Perhaps it’s the clean illustrations of very dated wire of framework of computer imaging on jersey and intarsia knits. Monochrome also has a strong presence in this collection.
Essentials of the wardrobe, basics exist to be accessorized and merchandised with statement pieces. None of this is necessary if you’re dressed by Richard Nicoll, who’s made it his signature to create sporty basics that are sexy and sophisticated in and of themselves. Leather, mesh, snake, graphic images; they were all there for Spring. However, it was a silky python jacquard made sporty. It was the designers collaboration with artist Linder Sterling to create a collage of snakes, birds, and gay porn. Converting kitsch components into sophisticated sporty is executed impeccably when put in the hands of Nicoll.
Panache Moss 