Top, from left: Craig Green, Casely-Hayford, Moschino, Burberry Prorsum, Nasir Mazhar.
Bottom, from left: Margaret Howell, Coach 1941, JW Anderson, Astrid Andersen, Alexander McQueen.

By
Jonathan Shia

LAST LOOKS: BEST OF LONDON MEN'S FALL 2016

The London men’s shows are, in many ways, the perfect start to a new season—and a new year—offering a burst of fresh energy and a vibrant and vital look ahead. There was a mixing of old and new at the Fall 2016 shows, with traditions reinterpreted for a modern era, as shown by The Last Magazine fashion director Alastair McKimm’s top ten collections in the slideshow below. Christopher Bailey went back to Burberry’s outerwear roots, showing sharp and luxurious coats and jackets layered over sporty track jackets for a very contemporary look, finished off with glitter eye makeup in tribute to David Bowie. Alexander McQueen’s Sarah Burton took inspiration from Darwin, contrasting subtle tailoring and the naturalist’s beloved butterflies with punk-inspired piercings for a hard edge. Father-and-son duo Joe and Charlie Casely-Hayford offered a history lesson of sorts, tracing the military inspiration from the Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper velvet jackets through rave culture to the rap of today. Stuart Vevers looked back to old-school hip hop for Coach 1941, with bucket hats, puffer jackets, and a mix of plaid and leather that felt classically all-American.

Some designers looked resolutely forward, with JW Anderson showing a very postmodern mix of ideas and inspirations, from glow-in-the-dark snail emblems and bondage studs to spotted furs and ribbed woven trousers. Nasir Mazhar presented a futuristic vision, with clothes all in stark black sliced and layered to expose surprising expanses of skin. Moschino’s Jeremy Scott emblazoned his neon-bright designs with references to the work of Gilbert & George, in a shiny, glitzy, very 2016 celebration of excess.

Astrid Andersen took her penchant for lace and fur in a more subdued direction this season, working with bomber jackets and military coats for a strongly masculine vibe. Another individualist, Margaret Howell, endowed her designs with a personal sense of quirk, with cropped trousers and clean constructions that spoke of subtleties. And Craig Green proved that, whether burnished by the glow of nostalgia or buffed to a futuristic shine, there is always a spot for taking comfort in the self. His designs were washed, aged, and faded for a lived-in feel, and were accompanied by security blankets that reminded you of home.

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Left: Craig Green
Right: Coach 1941.
By
Jonathan Shia

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