Of all the menswear weeks, London’s is perhaps the most diverse, giving space to edgy experimentalism as well as Savile Row tailoring but there are still discernable themes, especially in colour, shape and styling. Here are our Top 10 emerging trends from last week’s London Collections: Men AW13.
1. Berets
As seen at YMC and Agi & Sam and a new addition to the recent focus on headwear. YMC declared theirs to be a symbol of revolution and rebellion. Expect the streets of London to resemble a set from Les Mis next AW.
2. Overlapping layers
Agi & Sam took the ongoing trend for visible untucked shirt hems to outerwear, with waist length bodywarmers layered over longer slim coats, creating a very trim, contemporary outline. A similar look was since seen at Moncler Gamme Bleu in Milan, where the layers even incorporated kilts.
3. Small-scale pattern and print
The recent craze for all things print has been scaled down and thus tamed to an extent. Qasimi showed geometric prints in glossy fabrics, suggesting tiled luxury. And yes, Agi & Sam were leaders in this trend too.
4. Orange
Hi Vis orange was seen head to toe at Topman Design and again at Richard Nicoll, where the styling tip of vibrant orange beanies is likely to trigger a strong street trend.
5. Boxy coats
The new coat outline is boxy and square and the opposite of body conscious, with more focus on the fabrication and bulk than how well it fits the body. As seen at Baartmans and Siegel, Shaun Samson and Xander Zhou amongst others; likely to be widely copied on the high street.
6. Tartan
First seen at Lou Dalton, where Black Watch and bright red tartans brought echoes of Post Punk and later at YMC. At E.Tautz the tartans were blown up in scale on knitwear, creating an abstract take on highland heritage.
7. Capes
Designers have been nudging the cape for men into acceptance for a few seasons now. A strong streetwear trend at the shows was the shawl, layered over other, contrasting outerwear. Xander Zhou showed luxurious shrugs and capes; Shaun Samson’s Serenity Prayer-scrawled blanket shawls offered a less tailored take.
8. Parkas
Replacing the duffle as the latest classic to be revitalised, fur trimmed parkas were seen at Topman Design and in an uber-luxury version at Baartmans and Siegel.
9. Textured knitwear
The trend for tactile, knobbly knitwear, from cable knits to dense honeycombs continues apace, best shown in strong, solid colours. As seen at Topman Design, Nicole Farhi and Craig Green.
10. Chunky boots
The necessity for sturdy footwear for winter is a given, but soles are getting chunkier creating a clumpy, raised profile reminiscent of workers’ utility footwear. Lou Dalton’s brass trimmed monkey boots were an elegant version. Also seen at Martine Rose and at Matthew Miller (who developed a red-trimmed collaboration with Timberland). Now taken to the extreme with the shark-teeth ridged soles at Prada.
No.6 Tartan is exactly right, it is going to be MASSIVE this AW13 especially for men! We have so many Tartans over on http://www.glenprince.com in a variety of fabrics ranging from Cashmere to Lamswool and lightweight wool!