Live From...Paris Fashion Week, Day 2

John Galliano

The swinging sixties art scene played muse to Bill Gaytten's collection for the absent John Galliano, drawing reference from the British artists of the time. But David Hockney and Peter Blake weren’t the only characters referenced via costume yesterday, as the final two models sporting ironed hair and headbands making sure the missing designer was still in the house to take his signature parade down the catwalk.

The look: Pop Art heroes

Silhouette: Loose and layered vs skinny rock chic

Key items: Galliano's Peter Blake character opens the show in eclectic layers of military jackets and coats, silky pyjama pants and graphic tees or Navajo knit tops; there's a bohemian hobo vibe to the T-shirts and waistcoats layered beneath flyaway robe coats and tailored jackets with rustic blanket-stitched edges. David Hockney follows, dressed in schoolboy short-suits, striped knits and shirts styled with floppy bow ties. For the signature underwear passage, Peter Schlesinger plays muse, giving rise to bird-printed silk robes, boxers and pyjamas before the tone turns sharp and sexy for the final section comprising bare-chested evening suits cut in reed-thin silhouettes. There are spray-on satin pants and undone silk shirts, satin-trimmed tuxedos, embroidered waistcoats and a DB pea coat with jet-beaded sleeves

Colour: Military red and navy; a central passage of vivid pastels including mint and pistachio with fresh white; jet and onyx black-on-black

Fabric & knit: Silk, satin, cotton gaberdine, twill, plaid, suede, jersey

Print & pattern: A host of pictorial T-shirt graphics including a horse's head, a photographic portrait and a target with a feather dart; there are bird prints in the intimates section and pyjama stripes, Navajo patterns and light-on-dark dappled effects elsewhere

Details & trims: Red piped military trims, domed military buttons, decorative gold embroideries, black-on-black sequins and beading, blanket stitching

Footwear: Soft structure car shoes, suede slippers, loafers with extreme pointed toes, snaker-boot hybrids

Accessories: Feathered necklaces, beaded necklaces; high-domed hats decorated with a single feather, squashy leather caps, baseball caps; floppy bow ties, blunt-ended ties; Navajo woven belt

Yves Saint Lauren

Stefano Pilati plundered an iconic house statement for his summer menswear offer, playing on the safari styling made famous by Yves Saint Laurent in the 70s. But it wasn't exactly a romp through the archives, as Pilati tempered the reference with an abundance of his own streamlined military-crisp tailoring and minimal detailing.

The look: Modern militia

Silhouette: Lean and crisply tailored

Key items: Signature safari looks give rise to a series of pieces featuring the distinctive criss-cross lacing, decorating pleat-front shorts and necklines, or working as drawstrings slicing through the waist of jackets. Jackets are a core focus for Pilati and variations on the theme throw up a funnel-necked zip-through blouson and matching shacket, a snake-print blouson and a couple of DBs – one cropped, the other collarless with cutaway closures sitting taught across the chest. Coats are cut with military precision, offering a smart 4DB crombie with pleated back detail or a slimline trench coat that features a shaped storm flap similar to one seen in the recent womenswear resort collection. Tailored suits comprise of sharp-shouldered SBs or high-breaking DBs often worn with mismatched pants; trousers are tapered and subtly cropped, while other bottom weights include a tailored cargo pant and wide pleat-front shorts

Colour: A clear and concise palette comprising of ink blue, jet black, white and beige

Fabric & knit: Silk mohair, cashmere and luxury wools, satin, cotton, slicked and polished leather, mesh knits

Print & pattern: A blue and black snakeskin

Details & trims: Peaked lapels, cutaway jacket closures, stand-up collars, criss-cross lacing and drawstrings, perforated cotton

Footwear: Mesh-covered round-toed boots, patent boots with buckle at side, patent or aggressively-coloured snakeskin loafers

Accessories: Cord bracelets, snakeskin belts

Givenchy

Inspired by surf and a trip to Rio de Janeiro, Riccardo Tisci made a giant leap away from his gothic dark prince persona with this collection. Running riot with white, vivid print and a glittering dose of coloured sequins, this was Givenchy at its lightest and brightest yet.

The look: Exotic sport and street

Silhouette: Largely boxy and square cut save for lean slim-legged tailoring

Key items: Tisci continues with the sporty streetwear shapes he's been pedalling for several seasons now – the wide boxy tees, baseball jackets, layered leggings and long-sleeved sweat tops – the latter sometimes arriving in new cropped lengths, but his signature wide shorts (that have popped up repeatedly elsewhere this season) are replaced with pleated A-line wrap skirts that hit the knee. When shorts do arrive they are slimmer and more tailored, while jeans and flat-front pants are straight cut and paired with long-length muscle vests tucked in to create a dipped hem or oversized sequinned sweatshirts. The boxy silhouette is further amplified by square-cut short-sleeved shirts and stiff jean jackets in cotton drill, while Tisci's tailoring took silhouette to a leaner place, with slim-fitting suits with tight narrow pants

Colour: Army greens with crisp optic white and barely there tints of mint and pink; hints of purple and blue brights via prints

Fabric & knit: Khaki drill, cotton, jersey, iridescent gazar, silky sports mesh, all-over sequins

Print & pattern: A spiky bird of paradise graphic print works in large symmetrical mirror-reversed placements that lined up across open jackets and the shirts beneath, also worked as elbow placements, occasional black stars

Details & trims: Sequinned prints, satin lapels

Footwear: Chunky rubber two-strap sandals

Accessories: Lanyards, scythe-shaped earrings, baseball caps, slim ties

Comme De Garcons, Homme Plus

Frills, lace and splashes of pink brought welcome touches of femininity to Rei Kawakubo's Comme des Garçons menswear collection, which played out as an exploration of outerwear with jackets, coats and blazers topping every look.

The look: Coordinated dressing

Silhouette: Straight cut

Key items: Jackets and coats dominate the collection – from hooded duffels and zippered biker-blazer hybrids to DB trenches and crombies, with waistless silhouettes that create a feeling of elongated proportions also echoed in the dress-length shirts that peek out below coat and jacket hems. There are also sleeveless versions of the key outerwear shapes, layered atop shirts and T-shirts decorated with crinkly lettuce-edge frills, those same frills also trickling down suit jacket sleeves and tailored shorts. A final passage of evening looks sees black suits and cutaway frock coats in lace, dressed with matching black lace shirts which are layered atop white tees for contrast

Colour: Black, grey, white, coral pink and red

Fabric & knit: Pinstripe and Prince of Wales suiting, wool blend and satin-finish suiting, gingham, cotton, plasticised synthetics, lace, squashy micro quilted cottons, jersey

Print & pattern: Overprinted chequerboard patterns and pin dots; a variety of chain links, random typography overlaid with handdrawn abstract doodles

Details & trims: Wooden buttons, string and wooden duffel toggles, lettuce-edge frills, pieced constructions, torn effects revealing jacket linings, wide turn-ups, inset shoulder details, flyfront suit jacket closures, biker zips

Footwear: Abbreviated Chelsea boots, blunt-toed casual oxfords and buckled mary janes (flat) all worn with patterned socks

Accessories: High-domed hats, magpie-jewelled crowns and crumpled hats

Junya Watanabe

If the outdoor setting didn’t give the game away, the story became crystal clear after 30 pairs of dungarees. Watanabe often references workwear and for summer 2012 it was the gardener’s uniform that acted as the starting point - complete with patched shirts, Wellington boots and waxed jackets.

The look: Gardener’s World

Silhouette: Comfy casual

Key items: The Watanabe look for next summer is a simple one. 75% of the exits model a pair of dungarees in various colours and cottons in three different styles – classic bib, lowered bib and V-shaped bib, but all with rolled trousers. Layered beneath the dungarees are long-sleeved jersey tees or collared shirts decorated with mismatched patches, a final layer arriving in the form of yard jackets, hooded utility jackets or blazers. Providing occasional deviation from the dungarees are long shorts or patched jeans, the latter in a variety of denim weights, some with white stitching and others with mended patches

Colour: A range of denim blues with pops of red and orange, khaki, stone and olive neutrals

Fabric & knit: Cotton is the cornerstone here – twill, chino, treated or waxed - as casual jersey or poplin shirting; also important is denim – washed, dirtied or raw indigo; leather, melange wools

Print & pattern: Shirting stripes, paisley, plaid and checks, micro gingham, Breton stripes, overdyed treatments

Details & trims: Patches including elbows and patch pockets, denim or corduroy jacket collars, drawstrings, utility pockets, buttoned pockets, metal clip fastenings, back cinch tabs, leather plackets

Footwear: Duck boots, Wellingtons, sturdy walking boots

Accessories: Gardener's hats, baseball caps, neckerchiefs

Read more »

Live From... Paris Fashion Week, Day 7

Stella McCartney 

It should have been Stella McCartney’s moment, her signature masculine/feminine looks perfectly chiming with the trends seen elsewhere this season, and while she sent out a mix of mannish tailoring and demure ladylike dresses, their overscaled proportions made them somehow a little wide of the mark that defines those must-have-items of the season.

The look: Masculine/feminine

Silhouette: Overscaled and voluminous, contrasted with body-con for evening

Key items: The oversized blazer was the most obvious item in the collection, coming with Incredible Hulk shoulderlines, balancing slimmer bottomweights. That same sense of volume coloured an elongated blouson jacket worked in blister-quilted gold, while a more refined look came into play for the rounded tuxedo-inspired coat in milky-white cashmere. Dresses and tops veered between deep plunging necklines to round-necked demure, covered-up looks, worked in plissé effects or sturdy knit structures with exaggerated sleeve detailing. High-waisted pants and sensible knee-length pencil skirts were the perfect anchor points for the collection’s simple shell tops, while for those after-six moments, a series of appliquéd spotted sheers in black or white, with trompe l’oeil bustier dresses sporting revealing sheer panels and flirty peplum bodices, or a standout midnight-blue bonded velvet sheath with a cut-in halter neckline

Colour: A very concise palette of black, with shades of white from optic through to milk and ivory, deep sapphire blue, gold

Fabrics & knits: Plissé organza, satin and crepe de chine, bonded velvet, cashmere coatweights, wet-look finishes, metallic blister quilting, sheer tulle

Print & pattern: A photoreal print in black and white, or black and gold

Details & trims: Fabric-blocking

Footwear: Patent loafers, high-vamp heeled pumps

Accessories: Round clutch bags to mirror the collection’s spot theme, boxy clutch bags

Emanuel Ungaro 

It seems aeons ago that the beleaguered house of Ungaro had a signature handwriting, having undergone many transformations since its eponymous creator bowed out of the fashion spotlight. It remains to be seen whether its latest creative director, Giles Deacon, will be the man to bring the house back as a force on the Paris schedule. For his second RTW showing for the house, he opted for a sexed-up vixen theme that debunked fashion’s new mood for a more demure look, with his come-thither sheers and brash silhouettes, which despite having the hand of the best ateliers in the business - Lesage embroideries and Solstiss lace - had an uncomfortable sense of bling, rather than the discreet stealth wealth that is the mood of the moment. 

The look: Sex-vixen party girl

Silhouette: Strictly body-con

Key items: It was second-skin all the way for everything from micro-minidresses to dare-to-bare all-in-ones, all worked in degrees of transparencies, from all-over embroidered sheers to lace and satin panelled sheath dresses. Whether this party girl ever sees the light of day is debatable, but if she did she would wear Deacon’s skinny leather jeans with their dimensional fringed effects and exposed-zip fly, maybe teamed with a decorative chunky knit or a bling-bling crystal-embellished sweatshirt. Alternatively, she may throw a bonded leather boxy jacket over her heavily beaded miniskirt and sheer top. And for those seriously hot dates, printed satin sculpted dresses, a peekaboo velvet sheath with feather-trimmed back and burn-out sleeves, coloured fox chubbies, and a zipped-through lace all-in-one that would be more at home in the boudoir than the red carpet.

Colour: Black, jade green, turquoise, blush pink

Fabric & knit: Velvet, bonded leather, fringed leather, satin, chiffon, marabou, dyed fox, lace

Print & pattern: A wolf and eagle motif worked in embellished crystals, a photoreal feather print, a swirling smoky effect all-over

Details & trims: Exposed zips, crystal beading, gold embroidery

Footwear: Satin mesh heeled T-bars

Accessories: Metal collars, fingerless beaded gloves

Yves Saint Laurent

After the day’s bling excesses and the plays on exaggerated proportions seen elsewhere, it was down to Stefano Pilati to lead the way and show why Paris remains the crème de la crème on the RTW schedule, with his impeccably worked collection full of oh-so-subtle 60s and 70s archival references - a timely reminder of the history of this house, with the opening of the Yves Saint Laurent retrospective at the Petit Palais on Friday March 11. 

The look: Subtle 60s/70s

Silhouette: Neatly tailored, glamorously sophisticated, and fluid for evening

Key items: Neat tailored coats and suits had a gamine boyish appeal that chimes with the season’s masculine/feminine mood, with knee-length coats and low-breakpoint DBs teamed with demure pleated skirts. Caped coats and boxy fabric-blocked jackets, knee-length skirts and cropped cigarette pants, high-necked satin blouses and colour-blocked black and white tailoring continued the theme, along with a nod to the season’s hottest dress shape - the drop-waist shift, here with a patent bodice and cobalt blue-banded Prince of Wales check skirt. Evening was a purist affair, with a perfectly tailored white pantsuit offering a masculine slant on PM dressing, offset with gently draped bustier dresses falling from a sheer halter neckline, flowing palazzo pants and sheer halter tops, and a show-stopping finale of fluttering marabou and shimmering silk crepe that was the pure DNA of the house

Colour: A focused palette of black, white and grey, with piercing accents of ultraviolet and cobalt blue

Fabric & knit: The collection was an affirmation of the importance of checks for next season, as Pilati deconstructed and reworked classic Prince of Wales plaids and dogtooth checks into myriad variations on a theme, offset with wet-look, crystal-studded patent, cashmere, chiffon, silk crepe, marabou, mink and fox

Print & pattern: Prince of Wales check worked as a print

Details & trims: Fur trims, colour-blocking, chain trims, beaded chain links

Footwear: Over-knee boots, tasselled heeled loafers, heeled shooties, vampy ankle-strap platforms for evening

Accessories: Triple chain belts, chain necklaces, white belts, clutch bags, short gloves in black or white

Giambattista Valli

Fifties and 60s couture are usual hallmarks for Giambattista Valli, but for winter the designer turned a little more graphic, with boxy structures and short, youthful lengths. His monochrome palette, injected with neon brights, accentuated the streamlined shapes, while prints inspired by Flemish still-life paintings added just the right amount of contrast to keep it all fresh and new.

The look: Graphic eleganceSilhouette: Short and boxy

Key items: Short thigh-high shift dresses were littered throughout the collection; for day they arrived either simple and sleeveless, or with clipped cap sleeves, while for dressier styling there was a printed option with a swagged one-shoulder drape, or a couple with upward-facing fan-like ruffles arching at the waist. Luxe coats were another key focus and largely they were collarless with fly-front closures, some with two-tone panels, while an hourglass-shaped broadtail coat with goat-trimmed shoulders made a statement highlight. Cropped jackets, capes and shell tops in a shorter length than seen elsewhere this season were layered atop either A-line skirts, tulip skirts or slim cigarette pants, the latter with a high banded waist. Other pant shapes included tight treggings or long straight-cut tailored trousers, both flat-front, while for eveningwear – always a core focus for Valli – we saw ovoid maxiskirts paired with shell tops or tanks for that Jil Sander-style demi-couture look, or red-carpet-worthy gowns with huge dotted tulle skirts

Colour: Monochrome black, white and grey, with zingy splashes of sulphur yellow, hot pink and bright vermilion red

Fabric & knit: Compact tweeds, wool crepe, silk twill, semi-sheer knit, satin, silver jacquard, striped jacquard, cloqué, chiffon, dotted tulle; glossy broadtail, dyed mink, white goat hair

Print & pattern: Painterly Flemish-style still-life placements – a vase of tulips in yellow on black in grade shading, a bowl of fruit in grey on black or pink/red on white

Details & trims: Raised shoulders (sleeveless) revealing jewelled shoulder pads, puffed shoulder panels and skirt peplum, upward-facing fan-like ruffles, Peter Pan collars, banded waists, high jewel necklines, panelled or banded hems, raglan sleeves, super-sheer side panels creating illusionary hourglass shaping, one-shouldered drape; black-on-black cluster beading, random splotch-like lace beaded appliqués, cluster-beaded sleeve cuffs

Footwear: Patent loafers with a grosgrain over-strap and low mirrored heel, high-heeled calf-length boots in black patent leather or black satin decorated with clusters of black beads, silver leather courts (US: pumps) with black satin heel

Accessories: Articulated bracelets and short necklaces with faceted mirrored jewels

Vanessa Bruno

 

You can count Vanessa Bruno’s Parisian counterparts as Isabel Marant and Barbara Bui - three labels that put wearability and high fashion’s dirtiest word, commerciality, before flash-in-the-pan trends and head-scratching concepts. Here, Bruno riffed on her favoured peasanty looks, twisting in a touch of the new soft grunge trend we have seen elsewhere this season, with sloppy knits and oversized coats thrown over wafting skirts and dresses.

The look: Soft grunge

Silhouette: Casual, thrown-together layers

Key items: It was all about layering here, with core pieces including loose-fit shirts and peasant blouses, draped wrap dresses and split skirts with uneven hems, chunky cardigans or sloppy jumpers, and oversized outerwear including large blanket coats, pieced-suede duster jackets, and sweeping maxi coats. Elsewhere there were high-waisted wide-leg trousers in cotton velvet, paired with snug-fitting tailored jackets with an asymmetrical closure fastened with a single tiny metal clasp, and a passage of breezy draped dresses in billowing midi lengths.

Colour: Layered neutrals - white, taupe and cream; khaki, cognac, dark slate grey with dusty pink and emerald green

Fabric & knit: Cotton including white poplin and a grey plaid, boiled wool, metallic micro-patterned jacquard, silk, warm suede, cotton velvet, fluffy open-mesh knits, chunky rustic knits, looped wool stitches, faux fur

Print & pattern: Trompe l’oeil mesh print, hand-rendered sketch print with delicate tints of washed colour

Details & trims: Blanket-stitched edges, knitted sleeves and crocheted cuffs, satin edge trims, crafty wool or fur appliqué diamond patches, embroidered cutwork borders, fur collars, paper-bag waists

Footwear: Calf-length suede boots and platform leather boots with slouchy suede leg well

Accessories: Ribbed slouch socks, casual bags in tweed or woven leather

Chloé

After making simplicity her calling card at Chloé, Hannah MacGibbon broke out of that self-imposed aesthetic yesterday with a collection that maxed out on snakeskin and ventured into new colour territories. It was a bold move, considering rumours of a contract termination are circling, and one that not entirely paid off. The colour was clunky, the snakeskin overused and her successful 70s signatures lost in all the madness. 

The look: Casual 70s stylingSilhouette: Soft and loose

Key items: The collection was full of MacGibbon-for-Chloé staples, including long-sleeved midi-length 70s-style dresses, ruffle-necked shirts, capes and ponchos, and 70s pant shapes - this season pleat-fronted and super wide. There were also a couple of pairs of questionable dungarees and a tracksuit in suede and leather. More successful were the colour-blocked sweaters, neat silk shirts, denim gauchos and classic trench coats; also notable were the vertically panelled pants, although perhaps only for their similarity to former Chloé girl Phoebe Philo’s two-season staples at Céline

Colour: Signature neutrals - putty grey, beige and mink, with rich tan and mahogany browns. New colour usage - Crayola primaries of red, yellow and blue, with a shot of jade green

Fabric & knit: Snakeskin, supple leather, warm suede, super-fine chiffon, satin, felted wool, ribbed knits in chunky and medium gauges

Print & pattern: Snakeskin on chiffon and satin, paisley on yellow ground

Details & trims: Colour-blocking, spliced snakeskin striped panels, leather whip-stitching, shirring, ruffled necks and collars, long leather string fringing

Footwear: Platform wedge mules, chunky courts (US: pumps) in snakeskin, chunky block-heeled sandals with nail-head studs, patent T-bar shoes with ribbon bow

Accessories: Tan leather bucket bags, some with colour-blocked pockets, whip-stitched suede satchels; narrow snakeskin-print scarves, leather scarves

Read more »

Live From... Paris Menswear, Day 4

Lanvin

Several of the week’s emerging trends were confirmed at Lucas Ossendrijver’s showing for Lanvin, where the designer played with dressed-up looks and mismatched proportional layering. 

The look: Retro glamour
Silhouette: Narrow, layered and reed thin contrasted with volume through the torso
Key items: Fluid wide-cut flat-front pants helped determine the new silhouette, teamed with narrow close-cut coats and jackets - best as a retro-styled DB or 1SB in soft washed brights or velvet. Elsewhere it was all about leggings or skinny pants and minimal knee-length tunics, styled with flat fronts (this is the season of hidden fastenings) or simple shell tops, both often layered under rounded puffa jackets for a mismatched silhouette and a play on proportion. There was a sense of asymmetry too in the narrow DB coats, which came with hidden magnet closures or biker-style zips - another emerging trend this season.
Colour: All shades of grey, black and inky navy, alabaster, camel, soft khaki or olive, washed brick and mallard green, taupe and aurbergine
Fabric & knit: Like many designers this season, Ossendrijver opted for bonded fabrics to create a sculpted silhouette. He offset that with luxurious flannels and cashmeres, tweed, leather, velvet and satin
Print & pattern: A grey and camel fragmented geometric pattern, teamed with a coordinating print that was overprinted in darker grey
Details & trims: Flat-fly fronts, hidden magnet closures, epaulettes, contrast facings
Footwear: Loafers in grey or tan leather or suede; pale leather hiking boots
Accessories: Striped club ties, narrow bow ties, document cases, toning gloves (newest in pale colours), felt fedoras


Yves Saint Laurent

A more youthful look underpinned the Yves Saint Laurent autumn/winter collection, as Stefano Pilati opted for a reed-thin silhouette with subtle Edwardiana teddy-boy influences, contrasted with overscaled outerwear.

The look: Young blade
Silhouette: Reed thin and elongated contrasted with big, overscaled, boxy outerwear
Key items: Tailoring formed the core of the collection, reworked as high-buttoned 2SBs, creating the illusion of a longer jacket length. Contrast trims and high-set narrow shawl collars lent the look an Edwardiana-inspired teddy-boy feel. A contrasting silhouette came in the form of lean DBs with narrow six-button placements. Pant shapes were cropped and narrow, contrasting with boxy square-cut outerwear shapes featuring Pilati’s new sloping shoulderline - a look that also transcended to his tailoring. Coloured plain-dye shirts - with micro collars - and fine-gauge knits completed the look
Colour: A palette of shaded greys, black, pine green, aubergine and tonal navy blues, from ink through to softer French navy, highlighted with accents of absinthe, old gold and pumpkin used for shirtings and fine-gauge knits
Fabric & knit: Felted wools, shadow checks, cashmere and flannels
Details & trims: Contrast velvet collars and pocket details, narrow revers and shaved shawl collars
Footwear: High-shine shoes on a heavy patterned unit

Acne

A surprisingly low-key look from Acne, with underplayed tailoring and an emphasis on the long-line coat , which when teamed with simple knits created a youthful sartorial appeal. 

The look: The Acne boy grows up
Silhouette: Long-line and classic
Key items: The long overcoat was a key feature, worked as classic DBs or even as a reproportioned duffle, layered over narrow cropped and cuffed tailored pants. Tailoring was another key option, coming as low-break SBs or with a narrow shawl collar, teamed with fine-gauge knits in winter brights. Contrasting shirt tails peeped from under sweaters or sweatshirts, baring travel-destination logos such as Rio de Janeiro, Paris and New York. Fine-gauge twinsets were another key look, with asymmetric detailing
Colour: A classic palette of charcoal, black, alabaster and camel, with accents of raspberry, bright turquoise, pumpkin and cobalt
Fabric & knit: Bonded wools, herringbone tweed, cotton shirtings, wool twill, marled sweatshirting. Fine-gauge and lofty heavy-gauge knits
Print & pattern: Travel-destination logos on sweats
Details & trims: Shawl collars, low-break points
Footwear: Chelsea boots in leather, or patent classic oxfords
Accessories: Soft shoppers, document cases

Bill Tornade

Bill Tornade was marching to a military beat this season - one with a Scottish tune, as traditional tartans clashed with army greatcoats and battle jackets.
The look: The tartan army
Silhouette: Neat but relaxedKey items: The DB greatcoat, ¾ trench and DB military battle jacket or reefer - some with luxe fur collars and a horizontal zip at the hem band. Kilts offered an alternative to the narrow cropped cuffed pants that ran through the collection teamed with novelty knits, knitted shirts, casual jackets or neat SB tailoring.
Colour: Black and grey, khaki and camel, scarletFabric & knit: Traditional tartans, flannel, waxed cottons, leather
Print & pattern: Woven plaids, a trompe l’oeil intarsia featuring braces
Details & trims: Military badges, safety pins, zips on shirts and running horizontally round the hip of a greatcoat or the waistband of jackets
Footwear: Chelsea boots, laced military boots
Accessories: Satin scarves adorned with safety pins

Paul Smith

There was an easy casualness to Paul Smith’s latest menswear offering, his signature tailoring offset with baggy cardigans and untucked, raw-edged shirts. 

The look: Thrown-together nonchalance
Silhouette: Slim-legged and casually layered
Key items: Long quilted parkas with shearling hoods; duffel coats with off-centre toggled closures; tailored crombies with zipped feature collars; baseball jackets and sloppy oversized cardigans layered atop patchworked print or collarless chambray shirts. Tailored trousers are lean and cropped or long-rise and generously cut, while casual options include motocross-style zipped pants and tapered chinos. Long, thick knit cardigan coats featuring dressy peaked lapels
Colour: Camel, sky blue, silver and a range of mid-level greys, with pops of titanium blue, sunshine yellow and vermillion
Fabric & knit: Flannel, micro-check wools, chalk-stripe suiting, chambray shirting, cashmere blends, mohair, marled yarn knits, tufted teddy furs, waffle-like textured knits, leather, suede and shearling
Print & pattern: Grayscale animal print, faded marbling, spliced and patchworked prints, polka dots
Details & trims: Shearling hoods, raw-edge shirts, spliced leather jacket sleeves, oversized popper fastenings, knee patches, triple zipped knee details, toggles, zip-trimmed shawl collars
Footwear: Lace-up boots with double-buckled contrast leather ankle strap, derby ankle boots, plain pull-on boots
Accessories: Squashy unstructured totes and holdalls, knitted fishermen’s beanies, retro goggle-like sunglasses, wishbone pendant

Thom Browne 

The 18th century is rich pickings for a designer partial to a cropped trouser or two, and as such Thom Browne revelled in breeches and knickerbockers for winter. Couple that with layered coats, long capes and pouffy leg-of-mutton shirts, and it’s a recipe for fashion-themed high jinks. 

The look: 18th century eccentricity
Silhouette: Voluminous puffs and cuffs
Key items: Historically inspired breeches and knickerbockers, floor-sweeping coats, edged frock coats and puff-sleeved shirts. High-breaking 4SB crombies were slim and neatly tailored, while blazers and jackets were short and shrunken. Sleeveless jackets and blazers with spliced or contrast-knitted sleeves were on trend; tailored trousers were cropped and cuffed
Colour: Signature red, white and blue; mid-level greys, white and black; grass green and burgundy
Fabric & knit: Mix-and-match checks including plaids, Argyle diamonds, windowpane and gingham; astrakhan, ermine and curly lamb fur; mohair, velvet
Print & pattern: Signature woven checks, double stripe
Details & trims: Speckled feather trouser cuffs, red/white/blue striped ribbon trims, contrast sleeves sometimes knitted
Footwear: Plain zip-up ankle boots, lace-up army boots, monk-strap shoes
Accessories: Buckled gauntlet gloves, cable-knitted snoods, shrunken pork-pie hats, top hats and canes, chunky knitted scarves and headbands, collegiate striped ties, wire-framed round sunglasses in two sizes

Read more »