We pick our favourite collections from the menswear shows so far
Living as the fashion industry does a full hop skip and jump ahead of itself, the menswear Spring Summer 2015 shows are currently in full swing, and though we might not have the discerning eye of Vogue we thought we’d share our favourite collections from the London Collections: Men and the Paris and Milan shows with you. Behold then, giant wooden frames, autobiographical shirts, 1970s details, kimono necklines and men in skirts. Plenty of men in skirts. Feast your eyes.
Raf Simons
Rumour has it that the creative director of Dior Raf Simons is an incredibly organised individual, but his most recent menswear show in Paris saw him lapse into a happy kind of chaos. Garments had an almost autobiographical double function “like mood boards you’d pin your favourite images to,” as he explains; photographs of family, Japan, roller coasters and sharks, each of this with a profound personal memory attached, featured on the front and back of jackets and T-shirts. Also, all the guests stood. Why? Because he’s Raf and they’ll do whatever he bloody wants them to. And it looks different like that, apparently.
Craig Green
If you’re not a follower of the fashion industry then this one might be tricky to bite your tongue for, but Craig Green’s first solo collection, shown at London Collections: Men few weeks ago, had the audience weeping. Actual tears. Labelled the designer’s “silent protest” it focused on purity and utilitarian details, including bare feet and loose baggy shapes tied tight with long cords that flew around behind the models as they walked. Sculptural shapes featured too, in an echo of Craig’s previous dramatic work, moulding what Tim Blanks of Style.com describes as “a repudiation of mass repetitive materialism.” Think what you like about the tears.
Prada
“Hang on a second,” you’d be forgiven for exclaiming on seeing the Spring Summer 2015 Prada collections, "this is supposed to be a men’s show, isn’t it?” and yes, yes it is! But ever one for equal opportunities, Miuccia Prada decided that, seeing as so many of the pieces in the men’s collection would work equally well on a woman’s body, she’d pop some female models in the menswear show too. Because why not? The resulting collection is dedicated to frugality, with conservative shapes and proper ensembles even finished with visible topstitching to emphasise their boxiness, in an echo of what the 1970s must have looked like for cool, quiet types.
Agi & Sam
Agi & Sam’s Spring Summer 2015 collection was inspired by the rebellion sweeping the population of young men in Japan; a context that was artfully incorporated by means of kimono-esque shapes, unstructured jackets, pleats and socks with sliders. Their colour palette of choice was restrained too, in white, blues and deep camel. Conceived as a contemporary alternative to the outdated tailored suit, the collection cemented their position among the most exciting to emerge from London menswear over recent years. Also, men in skirts! We’ve always got time for men in skirts. Go Agi & Sam!
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All images from Style.com
About the Author
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Maisie joined It’s Nice That fresh out of university in the summer of 2013 as an intern before joining full time as an Assistant Editor. Maisie left It’s Nice That in July 2015.