The latest series of international men’s fashion weeks came to an end on Thursday with the final day of the New York event. The season began in London on January 6, then moved on to Milan and Paris. Hundreds of designers showcased their autumn/winter 2017-18 collections in front of eagle-eyed fashion critics, celebrities, clients and buyers. Runways were awash with gender-neutral silhouettes, sports luxe and bold logos stamped on every square inch of apparel and accessories. Rebecca McLaughlin-Duane rounds up the hottest trends and seasonal must-haves for the months ahead.
London
Deemed by many style savants to be at the epicentre of progressive design, London Fashion Week Men’s celebrated its 10th anniversary this season. Co-ed pieces dominated the catwalk and, in keeping with tradition, the collections mixed practicality with playfulness.
• LFWM key buys: cropped pinstripe pants, heritage tweed jackets, robe coats and luxury trainers by MCCVIII
Qasimi
A refreshingly contemporary collection was debuted by Sharjan-born Khalid Al Qasimi at LFWM. Under his label, Qasimi, he presented sociological streetwear inspired by John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s bed-in protest in 1969. Loungewear met military boxiness in pieces in mustard yellow, sage green and palest lavender. Contrasting fabrics accented short jackets, pants were cropped or cargo, and coats with exaggerated belts resembled dressing gowns. Qasimi peppered his collection with nods to his love of architecture and modern art, culminating in a range of “garments for men who seek an attitude within the conventional clothing”.
Vivienne Westwood
Following years of showing in Milan, grand dame Westwood returned to London’s calendar with an arresting collection. The show, which combined menswear and womenswear, had an unmistakable environmental and political message. Patchwork knits and bloomers emblazoned with “IOU” were followed by city-boy pinstripe suits that had been given the Westwood treatment, with jackets pointedly snipped to the waist and teamed with breeches. As the curtain fell on her show, Westwood kept things short and sweet: “Fashion is an applied art and I was very pleased, and I think the show was great,” she said.
Kent & Curwen
Heritage sportswear brand Kent & Curwen unveiled its second collection by Daniel Kearns and co-owner David Beckham. It was a one-stop-shop of easy-to-wear pieces, which would suit a London chap in the well-heeled streets of Mayfair or at a country shoot. The emphasis was on oversized shearling coats, duffel jackets, dense knits and bomber jackets – favoured by Brooklyn Beckham. K&C’s topcoats and double-breasted trenches were seasonless designs, and sports casuals for fall were elegant and on-trend. Standouts included lamb’s wool cardigans, sharp rugby shirts and appliquéd cotton-jersey T-shirts – many of which bore the flourish of a Tudor rose.
Milan
Geek chic reigned supreme, with an increasing trend towards normcore fashion in the form of unisex and unpretentious capsule collections. The concept of adaptable, comfortable clothing has come home to roost.
• MFWM key buys: statement corduroy jackets with accented pockets, velvet bomber jackets, primary-colour, straight-cut pants
Prada
The most hotly anticipated show in Milan was Prada, and it did not disappoint. Miuccia Prada breathed new life into the much-explored sports-luxe trend with a collection of highly wearable pieces for men. Fall/winter coats in caramel shades appeared in wafer-thin leather, and 1970’s-inspired belted jackets boasted shearling collars. Ever striving to make the uncool, cool, Prada presented buttery corduroy trousers paired with geometric knits in a geography-teacher-meets-folk-singer aesthetic. Pushing boundaries further, thick socks were teamed with patent sandals. The palette was classically autumnal, from russet jackets and coarse hair belts in amber to tawny tufty moccasins.
Fendi
With so many maisons slavishly slapping slogans on their clothes this season, the challenge in Milan was to do something different. One brand to succeed in this was Fendi, which steered clear of sociopolitical messages, opting to emblazon jumpers and hats with words such as “Love”, “Hope” and “Bliss”. The Fendi moniker also appeared on fur sandals, bags and jackets, as well as being sprayed onto the hair of some models for good measure. The expert furriers played with vibrant pelts, striping and clashing them,and adding exotic skin sleeves to cashmere coats. Colours spanned the spectrum from canary yellow sweaters to tangerine trousers. Did the collection say winter? Not necessarily. Did it say amusing and original? Absolutely.
Armani
Mirroring the many military greatcoats seen on the runway in London, Giorgio Armani’s fall collection was a discerning mix of elegant and insulating essentials. The 82-year-old designer gave suits a soft sheen and let pants billow and swing at ankle length. Casual velvet jackets in navy and arctic blue were accessorised with cobalt fur shrugs, and the show’s most talked about accessory, the “sleeve scarf”. A hybrid of a chunky woollen scarf and a jumper, models wore the garment looped around their necks with their hands protruding from its ends in puppeteer fashion. While Armani’s relaxed, wintry-hued collection was one of his most pleasing of recent years, the accessories could prove the hard sell.
New York
Sleek silhouettes, playful proportions and multidimensional collections typified shows by designers in New York Fashion Week Men’s. Stylish gents will be wearing boundary-pushing suits and sportswear bearing dystopian slogans and romantic prose, according to designers.
• NYFWM key buys: high-neck athleisure zip tops, glen plaid trousers, logo-embellished varsity sweaters, metallic trainers
Raf Simons
The hottest ticket in town at NYFWM was Raf Simons. While the former darling of Dior has assumed a new role as the creative director for Calvin Klein, this time around, he was showing under the eponymous label he founded in 1995. His pieces were a love letter to his new city, with “I Love New York” splashed across scarves, T-shirts and jumpers – some cropped with gaping necklines, others with voluminous sleeves. Chunky collegiate arm warmers were worn on top of coats and, while there were no stars, sweaters featured plenty of stripes. Versatile, lightweight autumnal coats were gathered at the waist with duct tape, which also pleated the back of jackets and waistcoats. The collection was a focused one which, not least through its utilitarian kurta shirts, was often stunning in its simplicity.
Nick Graham
Lest we forget that fashion is supposed to be fun, Nick Graham reminded us all with a Mars-themed collection this season. Taking a giant style leap, 87-year-old astronaut Buzz Aldrin closed the show wearing a silver bomber jacket and chrome trainers. Graham’s collection, which was inspired by the space suits Aldrin and Neil Armstrong wore for the Apollo 11 lunar mission in 1969, featured form-fitting two- and three-piece suits in every shade of silver, grey and black. The range was experimental and safe at the same time, from its mix of plucky, petrol-blue and ruby satin suits, to timeless classic cuts in Prince of Wales tweed.
Boss
Last year Boss vowed to pay greater attention to its menswear and announced it would not be showing a women’s collection at New York Fashion Week. The strategy paid off, as Ingo Wilts sent a flawless collection before a celebrity-packed audience. Loyal to the codes of house, suits were commanding, angular and oozed suave. Classic but current, outerwear included pared-down, fox-trimmed nylon jackets and double-breasted military coats with layered lapels. From softly tailored pinstripe trousers to claret zip sweaters and grey cable-knits, debonair chaps need look no further than Boss for additions to their winter wardrobe.
Paris
Among the celebrities keeping the paparazzi busy and sitting in the front row at many of the shows during Paris Fashion Week Men’s were Formula 1 racing driver Lewis Hamilton, former footballer David Beckham and model Kate Moss. Americana typified the collegiate collections in the French capital.
• PFWM key buys: belted leather safari jackets, plaid wool peacoats, oversized scarves
Louis Vuitton
The iconic maison’s collaboration with streetwear label Supreme hit the ground running at PFWM. Appealing to some but definitely not all, LV’s red-leather handbags and scarves were stamped with Supreme’s ice- white logo. The collection, in general, had an unmistakably American feel, with roomy baseball T-shirts and minimalistic caps. Tailoring was extremely fluid, with layers the name of the game. Striped shirts peeked out from beneath cashmere v-necks, and duffel coats covered classic knits and silk printed pyjama tops. The maison’s monogram adorned boxy shirt coats and denim jackets alongside luxurious leather trenches and alligator pilot jackets lined with sheepskin.
Balenciaga
In what would appear to be a collection of normal clothes for big spenders, Balenciaga sent everyday luxe down the ramp in Paris. The functional pieces were perfectly suited to the conditions of a chilly winter, with flying jackets, padded gilets and enveloping, blanket-sized scarves. Practicality was a priority for creative director Demna Gvasalia in his collection, which was inspired by Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaign. Models bounced before the crowd in trainers with oversized soles, hoodies and rain macs in beige and navy. Seeming to emphasise the pedestrian, active nature of the pieces, models carried shopping bags. Coats were grand and had questionably wide shoulders. Bomber jackets were cinched at the waist with daringly distorted arms.
Valentino
Pierpaolo Piccioli for Valentino let the clothes speak for themselves, with double cashmere coats bearing the poetry of British artist Jamie Reid on their back. They read: “Beauty is a birthright, reclaim your heritage” and “It seemed to be the end until the next beginning”. Long coats were caped; some had armholes and others an air of Sherlock Holmes about them. Heritage tweeds, plaid wool and leather featured in shades of steel grey, chestnut and olive green. Suits were sharply tailored and pants flitted from slim-fitting cranberry velvet to retro greige slacks with black stripes. Keeping things light, there were pistachio overcoats, playful grey-on-black animal prints and candy-floss pink sweatshirts.