Live From... London Fashion Week, Day 6 - Menswear

Topman Design

Expertly reacting to current menswear trends rather than trying to push boundaries too much, the Topman Design team balances exciting shapes with a strong commercial appeal. This is especially true with some of the more challenging vintage influences running through the collection, and the continued focus on sharp and innovative tailoring for the high street.
“A lot of the pieces are of vintage origin because it's important for the design team that our clothes feel real; we're not about being wild. We want our boy to sing. You have to update authentic pieces with a new focus on fabrics, prints and silhouette,” Gordon Richardson told WGSN.
The look: High-performance mods
Silhouette: Slender single- and double-breasted for tailoring, but exploring high waists and pleated volume for shorts and trousers, offset with slim-fitting tops
Key items: Slim tailoring updated with crumpled finishes, floral collarless shirts, bright jacquard knits, and paper-bag waist boxing-inspired shorts
Colour: Functional outdoors-inspired neutrals with primary bright accents, rich berry shades of red and purple, and retro combinations of brown, mustard and orange
Fabric & knit: Jacquard knits, silk shirting, vintage-style canvas, technical lightweight nylons for outerwear, and French terryPrint & pattern: Vintage silk tie and scarf-inspired prints, Nordic patterns and fox motifs on knitwear, small-scale Liberty florals and larger painterly florals for shirting
Details & trims: Utility hardware
Footwear: Black leather monkey boots and canvas hi-tops
Accessories: Canvas military holdalls covered in pins and badges, leather belts, and Lennon glasses


Christopher Shannon

His use of contrasting textures, colour- and fabric-blocking, and airy takes on sheer layering keep Shannon's familiar sportswear aesthetic feeling fresh. The reworked inner-city-youth looks and jarring palette of pastels inject some familiar references, twisted for the catwalk with a playful eye. “Last season was all about navy and grey, which are my favourite colours, so I wanted to push myself a bit. Colour sells really well for us, and with it being summer, it's what people expect. I used the tufting effect this time to add new texture that offsets the slick sportswear finishes,” Christopher Shannon told WGSN.
The look: Youth-club trip to Nairobi
Silhouette: Simple and relaxed sportswear fits
Key items: Contrast texture and cutaway panel T-shirts, colour-blocked shirts and matching shorts, camo shirts, and lightweight cagoules  
Colour: Optic white and khaki, offset with powder pink, lemon and blue
Fabric & knit: String-vest mesh-knit fabric patchworked with cotton piqué, tufting and Aertex-like sheers, lightweight waterproof synthetics, and panelled cotton shirting
Print & pattern: A new house camouflage using blocks of text on traditional light grey and blue grounds to update the classic urban military design
Details & trims: Traditional five-pocket Levi's styling for trousers and shorts, functional sportswear hardware, and ethnic-inspired taping and appliqués
Footwear: All-white Timberland 6in boots and deck shoes
Accessories: Tourist passport holders, Eastpak collaboration rucksacks, and sun hats


JW Anderson

Anderson built on the success of his autumn/winter collection by pushing the fabric and pattern mixing further into the realms of eclecticism, while deftly managing to keep the collection feeling sharp and contemporary - even when he combines acid washes and florals with lace doilies and Swarovski appliqués.
“The road-trip inspiration for this season was a strong influence on the patchworked mixture of prints. This collection actually feels very real though, even though I'm using colours I've never even seen before. I always need a random element in there somewhere, else I get bored,” Jonathan Anderson told WGSN.
The look: Acid road tripSilhouette: Slim-fitting with cropped-length trousers and boxy tailoring
Key items: Acid-washed hoodies, unstructured blazers with unfinished seams, small-scale floral shirts, doily appliqué and sheer-knit T-shirts, bondage tops, and ethnic-print trousers
Colour: From simple khaki and mushroom neutral shades, through deep aquatic blues and greens, to hot reds and oranges
Fabric & knit: Tulle, sheer knits, cotton shirting, hand knits, luxe jersey, and silk
Print & pattern: Psychedelic acid washes and dipped treatments, Liberty florals, and larger-scale ethnic-inspired patterns
Details & trims: Bondage-style zips, straps and fastenings, hand-crocheted lace doilies, appliqué floral patches and lettering, Swarovski crystals, and rough unfinished seams
Footwear: Swarovski crystal-encrusted black and chestnut-brown work boots
Accessories: Floral Neckerchiefs, studded collars, tortoiseshell shades


James Long

Playing to his strengths of knitwear, leathers and print, James Long managed to create some of his most striking pieces yet, while producing what is also arguably his most commercial collection to date. The secret is his careful balance of wearable shapes, bold pattern, hand finishing and luxury materials.
“I wanted gradual colour changes in the machined rainbow knits, rather than stripes, so we played with reducing the number of strands. The patchwork knits use a combination of different techniques brought together by thinking about 3D texture instead of just flat shapes,” James Long told WGSN.
The look: Explosion in an Ibiza paint factory
Silhouette: Slim but with slouchy knitwear adding volume to tops
Key items: Laddered-stitch knit twinsets, splattered leather biker gilets, all-over-print knee-length shorts, spidery rainbow-knit pullovers, and cardigan coats
Colour: Beige and tan browns offset with soft washed-out summer shades of blue, red, pink and purpleFabric & knit: Incredible machined and hand knits using patchworked techniques and hand-pulled stitches to create 3D textures, clean denim, and cow-hide leathers
Print & pattern: Two key print directions, one based on a paint- and liquid-spattered artist's studio floor, and the other on a swirling, oil-on-water psychedelic theme
Details & trims: Print linings, smock-inspired half plackets, and heavy-duty boiler-suit zips
Footwear: Black, brown and tan suede ankle boots
Accessories: Fabris Lane collaboration matt metallic and plastic shades; signature all-over print holdalls

Posted in: Christopher Shannon,James Long,JW Anderson,LFW,London Fashion Week,menswear,Topman Design