London Collections:Men SS17 - a Grey Fox overview

This summer's London Collections:Men was the opportunity to celebrate unparalleled British and London creativity as menswear brands showed their collections for spring/summer 2017. A few brands took a break this season but no doubt they'll be back. There's a trend towards presentations, rather than catwalk shows. The advantage of this is not only that bloggers, buyers and journalists can see and touch the clothes at leisure, but they generally get a glass of bubbly and a bite to eat as well. The disadvantage is that you can't marvel at the catwalk show front row characters as they compete to see and be seen.

At LC:M: seersucker suit Hardy Amies, shoes Oliver Sweeney, bag Tusting, shirt Milton Green

Menswear continues its drift towards the comfortable and smart/casual. The days of too-short jackets and skinny fits are happily receding. Looser-cut trousers are more common. One trend that's not to my taste is mid-thigh shorts (I can't bring myself to show you any images). I thought these has died out for ever in the seventies, but sadly not.

Turnbull & Asser showed their usual exciting and colourful tailoring for SS17

Turnbull & Asser SS17

In tailored menswear, it's good to see more jackets longer in the body: a return to classic shapes. Shorter coats look disproportionate and accentuate the size of a man's backside, so are not ideal. 

Richard James SS17

Richard James SS17

Colours are on the whole muted. There are exceptions, of course, but men wanting to show a colourful side to their personalities can always introduce colour and pattern in accessories: ties, socks, pocket squares, scarves, bags etc. 

Universal Works SS17

Universal Works SS17

We're still not seeing enough grey hairs at the shows and presentations and, with some exceptions (in particular Thomas Pink, see below), models are very young and often don't even fit the clothes they're wearing. I can only repeat my amazement at this shortsightedness. Even Oliver Spencer, usually reliable when it comes to grey hairs, had only one grey model.

Oliver Spencer SS17

Oliver Spencer SS17

My time was limited this time and there are a number of collections I'd like to have seen, but wasn't able to. Richard James, Turnbull & Asser and Chester Barrie always have classics with a twist and I sorry not to see them. I also usually get to the Oliver Spencer show, but didn't this time. Images from some of these brands are shown here. As usual, I enjoyed the E Tautz show (below). While not all the clothes were for me (he was one of the guilty parties when it came to very short shorts), I admire Patrick Grant's creativity and determination to support British manufacture

Chester Barrie SS17

Chester Barrie detail SS17 - colour & texture

I've not looked at very young brands simply because their styles are not to my taste. This blog is all about my search for style as an older man and I'm looking for wearable clothes; classics with something extra.

Thomas Pink SS17 included many grey hairs - well done Thomas Pink

Brands like Dunhill and Margaret Howell also offer great possibilities for the stylish older man, but I need the time and to be on their radars to be able to bring you news of their offerings - so this report is by no means comprehensive. 

E Tautz SS17

E Tautz SS17

Looking back over this post I see that I go heavily for tailored stuff, jackets and trousers, and there is little casual wear. I suppose that's the style I'm drawn to. For fuller coverage see London Collections:Men Highlights which gives detailed coverage of the shows.

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.

London Collections:Men, an overview of SS16

The diversity of styles on show at London Collections:Men earlier month showed the richness of the British Menswear market. I was looking for clothes that I like, or which might appeal to the older man; meaning good tailoring and well-made casual wear that is different, but not extreme. Most brands used young models to show their clothes, giving the older man little chance to see the possibilities, so well done to Duchamp (below) for showing models with grey hair. (See here my recent post on this topic).

Duchamp SS16

The variety of menswear on show makes spotting trends, so loved by newspaper fashion editors, very hard to do. My earlier prediction of looser cuts and the demise of skinny-fit trousers was accurate, but slim-fits (unloved by many older men) are still here. Double-breasted jackets, ties, pocket squares, Harrington or safari jackets and chunky shoes give a fair overview of the looks for next year. Evening and party wear becomes more varied. Overall, colours remain rich but muted, without the splashes of colour we saw last year - not that this will stop you adding colour in shirts, ties, pocket squares etc.

Here are a few of the many brands that caught my eye with links to their websites (I'll look at Oliver Spencer and Turnbull & Asser in separate posts). The products shown here will be for sale next summer (SS16).  For more information, see London Collections:Men.

     

Duchamp's use of beautiful fabrics made their SS16 collection stand out for me. The feel of a suit or jacket is so important and emphasis has been placed by Duchamp on the tactile nature of the materials. As usual, the tailoring is immaculate with a wide range of lapel and button styles to suit all tastes for day or evening wear. 

Duchamp SS16

Hardy Amies is one of the traditional Savile Row brands that is reinventing itself. I have heard complaints about this trend to streamline and update such labels, but to me it makes sense. A man of style needs a choice and the businesses that are moving forward and exploring new horizons provide the richness that is needed to prevent stagnation. Hardy Amies, Kilgour and a few others are part of this. They are not replacing classic tailoring, but updating it for the modern man. The Hardy Amies SS16 show did this to perfection. 

Private White VC's offering gains in maturity and style with each season. Moving away from pure workwear style, this autumn see suits and the tailoring theme continues in their SS16 collection here. Remember, these are made in Manchester, reason enough to support this exciting brand.

Private White VC SS16

Nigel Cabourn is another British-made label. The vintage military/explorer/outdoor themes rely on recreating the genuine durability and quality found in original clothing of that type. I'm keen to explore further and hope to feature their clothes in more detail later this year. No sharply tailored evening suits here - this is for practical smart casual.

Nigel Cabourn SS16

Universal Works 'Not Another Catwalk' show was one of the most enjoyable and original presentations of LC:M and typical of the creative style of this brand. The aim is to make clothes that people want to wear, retaining a British feel with comfortable casual wear which has a distinct workwear feel to it. Clothes for every man, you can wear them, rather than vice versa.

Universal Works SS16

Chester Barrie is a brand that my generation associates with grey high street tailoring, so I was quite unprepared for the superbly updated classic styles on show in their SS16 collection. Seersucker, silk blends, sharply-shaped lapels and everything from casual to evening wear interpreted in an interesting way. These themes are less extreme than Hardy Amies, so their quiet classic 'with a twist' style will suit many Grey Fox readers. One to explore at a future date. I was unable to obtain any images in time from them, so here is one I took on my phone of a rather nice seersucker suit.

Gieves & Hawkes is, in common with others on Savile Row, updating its image and styles while retaining the sharp and tailored look that we associate with this very British-style brand. The  casual look and the suit below are typical of SS16's snappy, colourful looks.