As the fashion telescope swivels its focus from London to Florence, where
menswear trade fair Pitti Uomo kicks off, FashionUnited takes a minute to
reflect on the shows and presentations held at the new show space, Victoria
House, in order to gauge what are some of the strongest themes men can
expect to be faced with come autumn/winter.
As the collections being presented where designed for cooler seasons,
outerwear was a predominant factor in many of the ranges. However, boxy,
oversized outerwear in an array of thick materials such as wool, shearling
and (faux) fur stood out from among the crowds. Stuart Vevers, creative
director at Coach, is said to have transformed the struggling fashion house
by making its leather and shearling products a “hot commodity” and his
ready-to-wear AW16 for men is no expection. The stand out items from
collection included over-sized furry jackets, heavy shearling jackets and
puffy 1990s inspired parkas. Other designers to showcase big furry coats
were Baartmans and Siegel, who showed their jacket on a female model, Katie
Eary, who went for a black on black look and Casely-Hayford, who showed an
ankle-length quilted parka. James Long and Christopher Raeburn favoured
shorted, boxy fitting jackets, complete with furry collar.
The reign of the slim or skinny legged pants first began within the
womenswear spectrum but was quickly picked up within the menswear scoop. As
women tentatively embrace the return of the flare, menswear also witnesses
the comeback of the wide legged trousers, with an number of designers
favouring high waisted trousers for spring/summer 2016. Autumn/Winter 2016
cements the return of the wide-leg pant with high street retailer Topman
presenting high waisted wide legged grey trousers, with a matching jacket,
while designer Craig Green favoured lower cut wide legged trousers, with
the cuffs rolled up at the end. Design duo Agi & Sam showed high waisted
70s inspired trousers in warmer hues and Jonathan Anderson, the man behind
J.W. Anderson paired shiny, baggy trousers which almost dragged on the
floor with a long, furry vest with a contrasting collar.
Flowers received a make-under this season, as designers combined the
usually brightly coloured motifs with darker tones to give floral a bit of
an edge. Tiger of Sweden gave its leather biker jackets a hint of softness
by painting on realistic looking wild flowers, whilst the ever inventive
Jeremy Scott, known for his penchant for kitsch sprayed daisies in a wide
variety of neon shares onto puffa jackets, jeans and backpacks. Creative
director at Alexander McQueen, Sarah Burton, took a more understated
approach to the theme by printing muted floral onto traditional trench
coats and smoking blazers.
Photo Credit: Catwalking.com