London Collections:Men - Autumn/Winter '16

London Collections:Men brought menswear buyers, journalists, fashion retailers, wholesalers and bloggers from around the world to London for four days in January to see what the UK has to offer for AW16. My aim? To look for interesting trends and styles, to further my search for style and to see if the older man is yet being taken seriously as a potential market.

It would be impossible to cover the whole event, especially as a sole blogger, so here is my edit of what interested me as an older man in search of inspiration and style.

Grey Fox at LC:M - image by Jonathan Daniel Pryce. Shoes Oliver Sweeney. Coat/suit Hardy Amies

Conclusions? Colours are muted, with exceptions from brands such as Richard James and Thomas Pink, but monochrome can be brightened with colourful knitwear, ties, shirts and accessories. Checks and stripes remain central themes, roll-neck jumpers are legion, corduroy appeared in several collections, trousers remain generally slim, but E Tautz, Oliver Spencer, Thomas Pink, Topman and Richard James show a further drift towards more relaxed, fuller trouser shapes. I stand by my forecast last year that we will see fuller trousers being worn on the high street within a couple of years (I might be persuaded myself).

A look for AW 2016 from Thomas Pink: relaxed trousers, checks, stripes, monochromes and muted colour

The boundaries between formal and casual continue to blur. The development of more comfortable styles of suiting, with less-structured, more relaxed shapes, means that men feel at ease in a suit. As a result, with the continuing inspiration of workwear, they form a part of collections like Oliver Spencer.

Older models remained surprisingly rare at LC:M, with some exceptions which I'll mention below: well done Oliver Spencer, Turnbull & Asser and Thomas Pink (just) for recognising that style isn't restricted to a man's twenties.

Oliver Spencer AW16

Oliver Spencer's show contained his usual relaxed, casual styles. As he told me when I bumped into him during the weekend, he is blind to age and the nature of the models he uses at his show confirms this. I like his clothes, which are stylish, often made in the UK and not unreasonably priced. See Oliver Spencer

dunhill AW16

Dunhill AW16

Dunhill's show at the Savile Club was the epitome of British style and tailoring, from blazers, pinstripe suiting to leather casual jackets, this is a brand that suits men of style of any age. I'd like to explore this brand further. No older models, though! See dunhill

Thom Sweeney AW16

Thom Sweeney's show was at their ready-made store in Mayfair. The British tailoring theme pursued by so many of the best menswear retailers included corduroy suiting, blazers, tweeds and fine flannel. Young models only. See Thom Sweeney

Private White VC AW16

Private White VC's transition from makers of workwear to more tailored menswear continues apace. A well-balanced mix of casual and formal shows how this very British brand is developing fast. They make in their own factory in Manchester and, as such, we should support them as British manufacturers. Despite the young models, their clothes are for all ages. Private White VC

Turnbull & Asser AW16

Turnbull & Asser AW16

Detail from Turnbull & Asser 2016

Turnbull & Asser was a favourite for me. Another British manufacturer, T&A stand out from what is a crowded tailoring scene by playing with traditional checks, designing sumptuous English silk cloth and displaying sharply cut menswear. As can be seen, they don't see age as a barrier to style and it was good to see grey hairs on some of the models. I'd love to bring you more of this brand this year. Turnbull & Asser

Hardy Amies AW16

Hardy Amies AW16

Hardy Amies is a brand I've worn a bit this year. Their clothes fit me and I like the very contemporary yet classic approach to design. Their prices are fair (they introduced a suit costing under £400 last year). Their show displayed fairly slim-cut but classic shapes. No grey hairs at their presentation. Hardy Amies

E Tautz

E Tautz. Readers will know my admiration for what Patrick Grant is doing with this brand. Using largely British manufacturing and cloths (including cashmere and checks from Johnstons of Elgin), they produce menswear that offers relaxed styles inspired by the mid-twentieth century. Only young models at this, but, as I tried to show in a photoshoot last year, this collection should be aimed at all ages of man. E Tautz

Thomas Pink AW16

Thomas Pink AW16

Thomas Pink AW16

Thomas Pink. Sadly I missed the Thomas Pink show but the images of the collection show cranberry, mustard, turquoise and other blocks of colour framing a collection of texture and shape that is both classic and contemporary. This brand has moved on from shirts and socks and I'd like to bring you more them of this year. One of the brands that showed a few grey hairs. Thomas Pink

Richard James AW16

Richard James AW16

Richard James showed in Savile Row, their spiritual home. While short, the show brought their usual clever use of colour and shape. I'd hoped to bring more of this brand to you last year, but it didn't happen, so perhaps it'll happen this year. As with other brands, corduroy put in an appearance and there was even a glimpse of wider-cut trousers among the slim-fits. No grey hairs here though. Richard James

Gieves & Hawkes

Gieves & Hawkes AW16

Gieves & Hawkes AW16

Gieves & Hawkes AW16

Gieves & Hawkes. A crowded presentation party couldn't hide the variety and quality of the contemporary styles and tailoring on offer from this historic brand. Their design director is about to move on and it will be interesting to see if the present 'design with a twist' approach is continued. Gieves & Hawkes

Paul Smith AW16

Paul Smith. Sir Paul appeared in a small display, the size of his original shop, surrounded by memorabilia of his clothes, of music, cycling and Paul Smith design history. Yes, there was a grey-haired model: Sir Paul himself. Paul Smith

Chester Barrie AW16

Chester Barrie always stand out because of the quality of the tailoring and shapes of their menswear. More cautious than Turnbull & Asser but less main-stream than dunhill, this is yet another brand I'd like to bring you more of as it has much to offer any man of style. No older models that I saw, though. Chester Barrie

Universal Works AW16

I love the casual, layered, comfortable nature of Universal Works' clothes and still remember with a smile our photoshoot last summer when we wore some of their shorts suits for a fun, tongue in cheek feature on older men and shorts. David Keyte is leading the business all over the world and it was good to see another busy and creative presentation at LC:M. See Universal Works.