Continuing our exploration into next season’s menswear trends, our Part II account covers day three and four from London Collections: Men with an impromptu show from Tom Ford’s cocktail reception held in-store to an intriguing, ongoing theme of tropical tailoring.
We started our LCM Sunday with a private appointment at Thom Sweeney, presented at their eclectically decorated Mayfair store, amongst the tie-wearing taxidermy and the whiskey bar a collection on fluid tailoring took shape for spring/summer 2016. Tom Whiddett and Luke Sweeney were kind enough to tour us through the collection consisting of contemporary two-tone striped seer-sucker three-piece suits alongside a double breasted indigo raw silk jacket and unstructured coats in bordeaux and navy. Relaxed tailoring took on the form of super-fine jersey shirts while stand-out pieces had to be the evening wear with heavyweight silk jackets in midnight blue and cream.
Richard James headed away from Savile Row to an exotic destination for next season, navigated by Toby Lamb offering full-blown printed suits in all the colours of the rainforest; acidic greens coupled with neon yellow and vivid fuchsia provided a visual feast. The collection was then toned down by mint bomber jackets and khaki green blazers while key pieces included a supple suede bomber jacket and mackintosh in teal. Our favourites were of course, the raw shantung silk two-piece suits in caramel and pistachio.
Over at the Ivy Club’s Private Room, Chester Barrie held a well-executed presentation taking clear direction in the house’s iconic staples and probably their favourite season; if Richard James ventures into amazonian territory for spring/summer, then Chester Barrie’s collection would be happily spent on a weekend punting in Cambridge.
Updated pieces for spring summer ’16 took on occasions such as weekend wear with lightweight merino wool and a more formal palette for cocktail suiting. Classic silhouettes provided the backdrop whilst jovial detailing such as purple and grey houndstooth pochettes and pearl tie-pins. In true Chester Barrie style, the collection held a spring-ready palette of dusky pink, Carolina and sky blue with cream and ecru.
Tom Ford’s cocktail reception transformed into a walking presentation, one of the first ‘catwalk’ menswear shows since his days at Gucci. Ford cites his inspiration as Andy Warhol and the Factory, circa 1963 in addition to Steve McQueen mixed with a dash of Paul Newman, the resulting collection encompasses sharply tailored suits in typical Ford fashion with knitted ties and a pocket watch replaced with an Apple Watch on a fob. The casual side of spring/summer ’16 drew in striped sweaters coupled with leather jackets and all the trimmings, while outerwear still remained a key player with denim jackets and a suede bomber in cream and red.
Meanwhile, Turnbull & Asser asserted a new level of dandy aesthetic with a mix of contemporary and Edwardian styling through multi-cultural heritage and influences. Aztec, African and Japanese prints played with jacquards in true indigo cloths, rare Sea Island cottons and knitted silks in indigo and light khaki shades, alongside mulberry, apple, tulip and tangerine. Inspired by a note found hidden inside the cuff of a bespoke shirt from 1903, T&A continue with the unexpected for the uncompromising Rake.
Gieves & Hakes continued with the tropical and adventure theme we’ve seen throughout this LCM with a complete jungle makeover at 1 Savile Row. Jason Basmajian highlighted the fabric handle and texture through use of silk cotton waffle T-shirts and ‘caviar stitch’ light knitwear, lending a lightweight composition for next season and key players for an off-duty look. Navy, terracotta and rainforest green punctuate shades of cream, tobacco and rust while palm tree motifs were found on silk jacquard dinner jackets coupled with white cotton trousers. Not a single dress shirt nor tie was featured in the whole collection, surprising as it may be for the reigning tailor house, this fact validated Gieves & Hawkes step in the right direction for relaxed and everyday-wear.