My oh my we’re in a fashion week overdose here at The Established Man, the office resembles an archivists bureau, not touched since 1974, such is the pile of papers to be sorted, and let’s not even begin on the backlog of letters and emails to reply to…why is it that the entrée to the year must always be so chaotic. Yes Sir, fashion season kicked off in grand style last month with the men’s shows in Milan swiftly followed by Paris tickling those male taste-buds.
Boarding the flight to Milan we expected a swathe of depression and glum looks from the front to the back rows, and let’s not even discuss the standing row! Thank golly gosh such fears were quashed within a few hours of show to show on the first day. Optimism reigns supreme in the fashion world at the moment and whilst not wanting to appear like some crazed banshees we avoided temptations to start a standing ovation and cries of “Bravo” at certain shows despite the reactive nature they ignited within.
So what’s on the horizon for next season, Autumn/Winter 2009/2010? No surprise to see an abundance of outerwear. If the teeth-clatteringly chilly winter we’re slowly coming out of is anything to go by, cue deep snow and icy pavements. Never easy to make a style statement in such climes…then we’re all going to need to wrap it up a little more and we’re not talking electric blankets here, although The Established Man team must profess a dark dark secret to owning one. No, no outerwear for the next round of winter months is oversized, undoubtedly to accommodate all that layering that’s going to be going on. The big winter coat is something of a staple for fashion houses and retailers alike and next season will be awash with plenty to peruse. From big black precision cut leather overcoats at Prada to deep pile Fur jackets resting on shoulders, crook-stylee at McQueen it appeared as if a modern-day armour for the modern-day man was emerging. Adam Kimmel drafted in all his trendy, arty New York hipster friends to model his latest collection of reversible coats that morphed into further separates of there own accord due to concealed engineering…cheeky Mr. Kimmel!
As the coats got bigger so did those lapels and the catwalks of Prada, Dries Van Noten and Yves Saint Laurent were awash with big lapels signalling a loosening of the very skinny silhouette that us fashion editors and shoppers across the land alike had become used to. A very clear conveyance that things were drooping came at Dior Homme, this is where skinny began with Heidi Slimane yet this season under the creative eyes of Kris Van Assche MC Pants paraded down the runways making it all the bit more ghetto fabulous.
Expect next Autumn/Winter 2009 to be a light show extravaganza in the illuminated wardrobes of fashionable gents across the land. There was plenty a gem-like colour to brighten up one’s day. Cue ruby suits at Lanvin, yellow trousers at Paul Smith, fuchsia pinks and cobalt blue undertones at Gucci, neon pink velvet tuxedos at Dolce & Gabbana and shaggy green cashmere pulls at Marni. You might well need to keep those Ray-Bans on even if it is -20° outside and pitch black.
The colour thing wasn’t just reserved to large blocks of statement tones...it carried on over into the finer details too, look out for many a contrasting trim, cue folded lapels in blood reds juxtaposed on a slim-fitting black double-breasted pea-coat at Burberry Prorsum, oversized plaids sneaked a peak at Missoni on their looser fitting pea coats; whilst over at Raf Simons the use of colour on particular panels was utilised in a more conceptual manner, playing with the shape of the body and redefining it through the medium of “Nelly the elephant” pinks and a blue one might see on a neoprene wetsuit in a Jaws movie, tricking the eyes interpretation of shape.
Having said all that there was still a swathe of black, black and more black on the runways this season. Goth’s rejoice! Its no surprise during such a severe economic downtown as the one we’re neck-deep in that fashion houses should appear more regal and stick to simple; black is the colour that defines it. Prada’s show in a weird carpeted pit started off like a boardroom of CEO’s had accidentally ended up in front of the world’s fashion press but it wasn’t long until the Prada undercurrent kicked in with laser-cut leather pieces and studded jackets, shirts and shoes giving it the edge. Dolce & Gabbana’s show was equally as black with a distinct nod to the Rat Pack and many a cinematic reference point, a flat cap signalling trouble and strife. Christopher Bailey’s collection for Burberry Prorsum was monochromatic-fest referencing the work of Photographer Bill Brandt whose images documented a Britain in depression during the post-war years. Yet more caps, snoods, a return of the Burberry house check…chav-free this time…and many a black suit, jacket and trouser. London’s boy of the moment Gareth Pugh debuted his first men’s collection, yet again heavy in blacks but in a variety of textures and with plenty of emphasis on the shoulder.
If black's not your thing then there’s certainly no need to worry, the other big colour that gained plenty of representation from designers this season is grey. Again it’s another safe bet in times of crisis yet just lacks that harsh edge that can appear in the all-black looks. Whilst Prada may have started off in a very dark place it was grey that lightened the show up a bit, albeit rather briefly. Kris Van Assche tightened things up this time around, having previewed a couple of chilled-out collections the past two seasons, but this time around Van Assche was cracking the whip! With a show opening of a drumming and marching-fest there was a definite military vibe going on and a fair bit of the greys, often a trio of whole bevy of shades combined in a look, so a light grey jacket, nestling beneath a prison-grey polo neck teamed with bird-feather grey trousers, Over at Yves Saint Laurent head honcho Stefano Pilati dazzled us all with a conceptual interpretation of his collection via a film featuring Michael Pitt followed by the traditional runway show had a flurry of grey tones on wide-fitting trousers that were then pinched with leggings at the calves and on big sleeves.
Whilst there might well be a fair amount of military going on next season, check out Lanvin’s lux uniform of trousers stuffed in boots and plenty of army echoes in a green military jacket. Just don’t expect the British Army to be swapping their regulation get-up for some French Fancies anytime soon! But things got a whole lot smarter and there were plentiful bow tie and waistcoat antics to smarten things up. Bottega Veneta took a geek-chic take with tweedy suits, a natty bow tie and thick rim specs lending to an air of the Oxbridge to proceedings whilst over at D&G it was a luxury-binge, one had to wonder if Stefano and Domenico had been a-sniffing those Sharpie marker pens such was the orgy of velvets, brocades paired with florals and printed tees that finished Milan fashion week, again many a bow tie and also the aristocratic cravat snuck a peek too. The cummerbund also emerged as being a key item too, seen in a variety of guises from fair-isle knit at Burberry Prorsum to a fold in those M.C pants at Dior Homme to give the effect of one.
The shape of things to come would appear that many a belt buckle will be being done up for the winter, it was cinched waists galore at all the shows, creating a very specific shape. Whilst jackets and knits with a banded waist might appear harder to translate into everyday wearability, the easiest transition for this look into the realm of the day to day will be in the heaps of trenches and mac’s that we bore witness to throughout men’s fashion week. Dunhill’s first ever runway show under the creative genius that is Kim Jones was a particular highlight and had a couple of rainwear classics, as did Louis Vuitton and Dries Van Noten.
Traditional fashion reference points were never far away, with a fair share of fair-isle knits and last Autumn/Winters runaway success of Plaid still featuring, albeit this time around those checks will be larger in their scale and in a less zingy palettes, the browns and caramels at Bottega Veneta and rich burghandys at Comme Des Garçons. Plaid will not be going away anytime soon, it’s merely morphed itself into a new state, slightly more understated and as a final finish to an outfit as opposed to being coated into check from head to toe.
Ok, ok so we should all be looking forward to cracking out the summer staples, donning the shorts, espadrilles and heading for the beach but with a feast of collections as reported we’re all chomping at the bit to get out sticky fashion mitts on MC Pants, velvet jackets, military boots, a traditional trench, some bow-tied elegance and an overcoat we can hibernate in when it all gets too tough.
Check in soon for an update from the menswear collections at New York and London fashion weeks.
