Menswear SS15: A Historical Influence on Sportswear

It seems that SS15 will bring a new dimension to sportswear for Men, with both Ancient Greek and Roman inspiration being a key influence, particularly at Versace and KTZ.

          

KTZ bought about a tougher edge to sportswear through black mesh, leather gloves and chunky gold jewellery, with the entire collection embodying the power of the wearer through prints of medals, mythological creatures and battle scenes. Despite the odd piece of body armour, KTZ have created an extremely wearable collection, where ancient influences of Greek Vases, sculptures and battle armour have successfully met a modern twist of basketball shorts, leather caps and statement jewellery.

Versace, unsurprisingly, took a more regal approach to the trend by using the Greek ‘key’ design in golden hues to edge loose fitting, white lounge pants. The use of all white looks were prominent during this collection, even down to the detail of models carrying pristine white and gold printed towels. The show did take an edgier turn though, where we saw models with leather bombers, shoes and bags in brightly coloured hues, which were all heavily influenced by Ancient figures that would have adorned Ancient Greek and Roman Pottery. 

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Menswear SS15: Women inspiring Men

We always see some designers going for more masculine tailoring or incorporating a tomboy charm into their collections for Women, but in the more recent shows for Menswear SS15 I’ve spotted several, typically female trends, taking over the catwalks. From prints and colours to clothing and accessories there is no escaping the idea that Menswear has been influenced by many of our own, more feminine trends, and not just by one or two designers either, but a whole host of collections have hinted towards more feminine trends in some shape or form. 

So, firstly you may remember that AW13/14 was the season that welcomed all of those yummy pastel shades, from lilac cashmere coats at Carven to sugary pink hues at Topshop Unique.. well that trend is about to hit menswear in a huge way for SS15. Pastel shades and candy hues are not typically associated with Menswear, a hint of it here and there perhaps, but for SS15 be prepared for head to toe pastels.

[Topman Design, Versace,Kenzo]

Or how about open toed boots? They’ve been around a while for women, but can this Balmain pair, inspired by 70’s sporting icons, make them just as popular with men, too?

Oh, and speaking of footwear for men, do you remember me blogging a while back about Jelly Shoes making a come back for women? Well, I’ve officially spotted them in a range of colours for men at the huntergather menswear show for SS15..

We’ve seen so many styles of bags for men on the catwalks, but how about clutch bags for men? 
                                  

[D&G, MAN]

The Top Five Shows from LC:M

Louis Leeman Paris gave a gorgeous shoe only exhibition. I especially loved the velvet smoking shoe, golden embroidery and jewel tones that transformed the idea of the traditional men’s shoe!

                    

With creams, browns, dark greys and blue denim, the colours displayed at the Lou Dalton show gave a warming effect for AW14, and just the thick woolen snood alone was enough to put this in my top five!

Reinventing the humble trench through vibrant colour was one thing at the Hardy Amies show, but the classic tailoring and the smart attire really won me over- there wasn’t one item I couldn’t help but admire!

I particularly liked YMC for their casual take on menswear, as most of the shows were focused on smart tailoring, but they managed to create very smart casual looks. I especially liked the use of darker denim, chunky knits and a collar as well as the lightweight parkas (as opposed to oversized wool and trench coats).

And last but not least is, of course, Burberry Prorsum with their statement scarves, autumnal prints and dark colours guaranteeing themselves a place in my chosen five best shows. I can already envisage a whole host of celebs wearing their scarves, tapestry bags and patterned coats next AW, just like this AW with that heart print blouse..

**All images are taken from http://www.londoncollections.co.uk **

The British Fashion Awards:Best Dressed

On Monday the stars of the British fashion industry came out to play at the annual British Fashion Awards, and I eagerly began trawling galleries of the event searching for the best (and worst) dressed. I thought that I would be inspired by beautiful gowns and unique pieces, but unfortunately (and quite shockingly) this was not the case.. I was actually quite disappointed! I’d hoped that I could blog today about countless best dressed celebs, but I only found a handful of looks that really captured my attention. Okay so maybe I’m being too critical, there weren’t many looks that were outright awful, but I found many of the outfits boring, maybe the celebs were playing it too safe, trying too hard to avoid worst dress lists? Despite my disappointment, here are some of the most impressive looks of the night :

Suki Waterhouse hits many a trend in this floor length lilac lace dress by Burberry Prorsum.

Lily Donaldson wows in a sheer Marc Jacobs number (and it looks better on her than it did on the runway)

Clémence Poésy rocks the moody bloom trend with a floral print black Erdem gown.

Another Erdem gown, this time worn by the gorgeous Daisy Lowe.

Rosie looked stunning (as usual) in this amazing Antonio Berardi trouser suit.

Laura Bailey in this pretty, feminine pastel pink dress by Roksanda Ilincic (and isn’t that clutch bag gorgeous?)

And of course, Best Dressed Man goes to Tinie Tempah who wore Burberry for the event.