THE MYTH OF THE ANDROGYNOUS MALE

In 2013’s Full of Fire, Karen Dreijer Andersen sang “let’s talk about gender baby, let’s talk about you and me”. It seemed that the fashion world listened to her plea; two years of discussion on gender binaries and gendered clothing ensued. The concept of a woman in “menswear” is not a new one in fashion. Chanel made it acceptable for women to wear the trousers way back in the 1930s, and YSL later coined Le Smoking in 1966, a figure enhancing take on the men’s tuxedo which snowballed in popularity and spawned countless imitations. Recent years have also seen designers attempt to repurpose the male wardrobe for women – it started with the boyfriend jean, which was later teamed with the boyfriend blazer and finally the boyfriend shirt. Essentially, the concept of a gender-bending wardrobe is not one which is particularly new or radical; if you’re a woman, that is.

J.W Anderson for Loewe

LC:M A/W 2015 HIGHLIGHTS

This weekend saw London's biannual menswear extravaganza take place, shining the spotlight on both upcoming talent & established designers in order to prove that men can be as sartorially innovative as our female counterparts. Moving away from the monochrome palettes of previous years, this season was one of the most colourful in recent memory; Moschino did patchwork, Agi & Sam did Lego and Sibling featured enough pink to give Barbie a headache. From rose-dyed buzzcuts to hot pink latex, the duo brought the fun back into fashion and, subsequently, created one of the highlights of the season. Elsewhere, brands such as Ada & Nik reworked silhouettes and played with textile innovation, whereas the chic layering at Casely-Hayford struck a new balance between smart & casual. Here, we see the four highlights of LC:M; a group of innovators trying to re-introduce fun to fashion. 

CASELY-HAYFORD

In terms of wearability and desirability, this collection was a clear highlight for a number of reasons. The first reason was the sheer number of garments on the runway; with the majority of looks featuring at least three separates, there truly was something for everyone. The second was that this collection perfectly epitomised the laid-back cool that emerged as this season's dominant aesthetic. Trousers were looser than before, often with higher waistlines, wide legs and cropped hems. Cardigans became slouchy, oversized coats and the occasional day-glo racing stripe added a touch of interest to a largely neutral colour palette. This collection may not have been the most shocking or the most progressive but, in terms of nailing a new aesthetic that has the potential to appeal to a wide audience of men, Casely-Hayford is hard to beat.

NOW & THEN

There are fewer issues discussed more frequently in the menswear industry than that of androgyny. Ever since Jean Paul Gaultier chose male model Tanel Bedrossiantz as the face of his A/W 1987 womenswear collection, the fashion industry has been bending gender roles and rewriting the rules of masculinity. It’s widely-known that, in fashion, the concept of androgyny is nothing new - Women have been wearing traditionally ‘male’ clothes for decades, ever since Coco made it OK to wear trousers and Yves introduced ‘Le Smoking’. No headlines are made when designers include masculine tailoring or boyfriend shirts in womenswear collections, and a simple Google search of ‘androgyny’ brings up countless images of stylish women dressed in their boyfriends’ clothes. Women such as Grace Jones and Tilda Swinton made it fashionable to take the lines of gender and blur them to the extreme; arguably the only well-known male equivalent to these two women is David Bowie, who famously indulged his androgynous side through a series of personas such as The Thin White Duke and Ziggy Stardust. In summary, it seems that women now have complete freedom when exploring the realms of androgyny and, now, the new school of innovative London designers are working their hardest to secure this same sartorial freedom for men worldwide.

Grace Jones - a pioneer of andr

INTERVIEW - CLAIRE LATHAM

The expansion of menswear has been a painfully slow process, especially in comparison to the rapidly-accelerating world of womenswear which welcomes conceptual designers and fresh ideas with open arms. Social attitudes and commercial restrictions are still real obstacles for young menswear designers, but the recent Graduate Fashion Week re-iterated the fact that there is still untapped potential when it comes to exploring new avenues. One of the week’s highlights came courtesy of Claire Latham, a Birmingham-based Wigan-born designer with an interesting narrative on the concept of androgyny and our definition of masculinity. Her candy-hued graduate collection was an amalgamation of lace & latex which blurred the lines of gender and challenged masculine stereotypes. In this interview, Latham talks about her first collection and the inspirations behind it, as well as social attitudes towards menswear and the challenges currently being by faced by young designers.

MOSCHINO: MAN

While the rest of the world has been frantically live-tweeting the World Cup, my own Twitter feed has been flooded with hastily-snapped Instagram photos from this week's menswear main event: Jeremy Scott's debut Moschino collection. His Warholian AW14 womenswear collection brought Ronald McDonald to the runway through a series of looks that caused a (Mc)flurry of excitement online. This excitement was fuelled by the high-profile guests invited - Katy Perry famously delayed the show by turning up late and being subsequently booed by the front row. For his menswear show, it is Lindsay Lohan that captures the media attention - although the majority of the emphasis is on the collection, there are more than a few crafty candids of Oprah's darling looking chic in the front row. In addition to the utilisation of celebrity,  Scott also revolutionised the way that we consume fashion - frequently interpreted as a commentary on today's recklessly impatient culture, the designer made the entire collection instantly available online. In a savvy attempt to quench our relentless thirst for fast fashion, he launched the now-iconic Moschino phone case, a replica of McDonalds fries emblazoned with the Moschino logo. Priced at only £40, it was a slice of high-fashion that was accessible to all; within days, the case was the accessory du jour and THE must-have item to be featured in your Instagram mirror selfie. One thing was clear - Scott understood our culture, he understood our needs and he knew how to meet them whilst sparking the discussion of our new habits. 

CARPE NOCTEM

One of the most fundamental requirements to building a successful business is branding. It is often said that an image can only become iconic if it is repeated often enough (occasionally with subtle variations) that it burns into your retinas and lingers long after the curtains close. At this point, the image becomes associated with the brand - think Madonna and her infamous JPG cone bra, or Grace Jones and her iconic flat-top. With this collection, it's clear that Ada & Nik are creating with the intent to cement their signature aesthetic; as for their iconic intentions, the 'What Would James Dean Do?' tees are proof enough that they had at least one icon in mind when crafting this collection.

LC:M HIGHLIGHTS - DAY 1

London's biannual celebration of cutting-edge menswear officially began yesterday with a series of collections that determined the way that we'll dress for the coming year. Excitement is at fever pitch for the SS15 collections and there are more questions than ever to be answered. Will Jeremy Scott bring his diner-chic aesthetic to his debut Moschino menswear collection? Will J.W Anderson put men back in platforms? Most importantly, who will be the new additions to the Rick Owens tribe? As we sit back and watch the action unfold, take a look at the highlights from day one of London Collections: Men.

Backstage at Astrid Anderssen SS15

GRADUATE FASHION WEEK

Thanks to extortionate tuition fees and the increasingly uncertain job prospects that come with a degree, more and more youngsters are choosing to eschew the traditional route of university. Instead, they're throwing themselves into unpaid internships and mentorship schemes to work their way up the fashion ladder; a perfectly legitimate way to gain industry experience. This year, Graduate Fashion Week has arrived at the perfect time - it serves as a reminder of Britain's youngest prospects doing things the traditional way and finally showcasing the fruits of their three-year labour. In an industry built on prestige, GFW was a welcome reminder that the one thing the fashion industry really needs right now is youth. Yesterday was a personal highlight of mine as Birmingham City University graduates showcased their collections, and it was a moment that, despite the months of Instagram previews, nobody could have predicted. The menswear shows in particular were an example of forward-thinking; waterproof footwear, white lace trousers and knee-length metallic blazers were amongst the show's highlights, displaying impressive versatility in eager young minds. The pictures below are just a preview... YouTube links will be coming shortly, as will a selection of interviews with the thirsty young designers preparing to make their mark on today's fashion landscape.

Claire Latham, Birmingham City University

Lauren Lake, Kingston University

Charlotte Bruton, Birmingham City University

Shauni Douglas, Edinburgh College of Art

MENSWEAR MANIFESTO

Men like clothes just as much as women. Try shopping for menswear in almost any city, though, and it hardly feels like the case. For example, a recent trip to Leeds' Corn Exchange yielded the discovery of at least 10 'vintage' or 'boutique' shops for women, yet the only two that stocked menswear contained a few leather jackets and a selection of logo T-shirts. The other shops stocked handmade jewellery, upcycled outfits and a sartorial feast which ranged from wearable to bonkers - all exclusively for women. This was even more frustrating considering that the day began with a trip to Harvey Nichols which stocked some mouthwateringly brilliant pieces; Raf Simon's amazing holographic high-tops and Givenchy's eye-catching prints were proof that menswear clearly offers a wider range for those with a fat bank balance. This was further re-iterated by a trip to Vivienne Westwood and the opportunity to play dress-up in brilliantly charismatic clothes that I would love to wear but, alas, cannot afford. I began to think about the rapid evolution of the menswear industry and the progress being made; why is this progress not reflected on the high street?

With London Collections: Men gradually becoming one of fashion's most talked about events and menswear designers announcing bigger profit than ever, it is clear there is an enormous gap in the market for young men that aren't afraid to take sartorial risks. These men are important - fashion is a reflection of society, and today's technologically-minded society is driven by youth. A brief look at the most recent Fashion Weeks reveals that the most interesting names in menswear tend to be either unknown or underrated - whereas big brands like Prada and Dolce & Gabbana stick to their commercial codes, fresh faces are busy redefining the way that we dress. This post is a manifesto - a call to arms for these young designers to kickstart the new New Wave of Fashion. From now on, the focus of this blog will be shifted to new designers, and used as a platform to promote these innovators by looking at their working process and exploring the ideas behind their collections. It will also be a place to explore the styling elements of menswear, used to stifle the immediate fear that springs to mind whenever we hear words such as 'skort', 'PVC' or 'pastel' and show that the wearability of trends is defined by the individual, not the designer. It's  an exploration of the finest minds in the industry, an advertisement for the commercial possibilities of left-field menswear and an endorsement of the young talent making a marriage between avant-garde sensibilities and commercial revenue a dream slowly becoming reality. 

Y-3

The field of fashion journalism is one littered with terms such as ‘sportswear’ and ‘diffusion’ – terms which are designed to pigeonhole collections before they are shown. Strictly speaking, Y-3 is a collaboration between the iconic Yohji Yamamoto and sport titan Adidas, and the clothes shown are designed with athletes in mind. This was a notion echoed in the graphic monochrome invitations that we received prior to the show, accompanied by a brief explanation that ‘Athletes are modern-day superheroes’. Expanding on this tagline, Yamamoto stated that he had been influenced by the couturiers of the ‘60s and had designed the collection taking into account the ‘active, fighting lifestyle of a superhero’. In summary, the collection was a high-end take on utilitarian clothing, designed to dispel the myth that practical clothing is, by default, unfashionable.

THE DARK WOLF

In an industry already saturated with designers new and old, nothing is more important than a distinctive aesthetic. Nobody, perhaps, understands this better than London design duo Ada + Nik, whose Autumn/Winter 2014 collection ‘The Dark Wolf’ premiered just two weeks ago at London Collections: Men. After both establishing themselves as prominent figures in the fashion industry (Ada has her own womenswear and couture collections, Nik has modelled for Jean Paul Gaultier as well as writing for a host of publications), the pair decided to combine their individual talents to create their own line of menswear. Combining Ada’s design background with Nik’s strong aesthetic has resulted in runaway success for the new duo, so I was understandably excited to be granted access to their Paris showroom today to delve deeper into the collection and its inspirations.

MILAN FASHION WEEK [MENSWEAR]

There are two things that Italy continue to do better than any other country, particularly in terms of fashion. The first of these two things is tradition - evident in the classically-tailored pieces shown at the likes of Emporio Armani as well as in the rich heritage of Italian houses such as Fendi and Prada. The second is luxury; only not in the way that we know it. Many Brits associate luxury with high-end basics such as a cashmere sweater or an expensive suit, but the Italian brand of luxury is a much flashier incarnation. It is emblemised by ornate colour palettes, oversized logos and heavy embellishment and best represented by the decadent looks of Dolce & Gabbana. Sometimes fashion is best when it toes the line of bad taste - fashion personalities Anna Dello Russo and Donatella Versace are renowned for their carefree approach to fashion and their penchant for excess. These two women embody the more-is-more approach to luxury adopted by the Italians, adding a touch of character to the industry with their infectious personalities and schizophrenic outfit choices, reminding us that fashion and fun are a marriage made in heaven.

Backstage at D&G A/W 2014, by Lea Colombo

MEN IN HEELS?

As the dust began to settle around LC:M, it became clear that one designer had succeeded more than most in burning his distinctive aesthetic onto the retinas of a mainstream audience. With his chunky patent platforms, lycra-tight knitwear and bucket-shaped handbags, JW Anderson had cemented his reputation as the King of Androgyny by subverting the 'slutty secretary' stereotype that we've all come to know as female. Hot on his heels, Italian provocateur Donatella Versace showed her horny Western collection, chock full of Italian studs in backless chaps and gold-studded codpieces. It was like the Village People had headed to the desert for a pimped-up shootout. If the 'androgynous' debate is one that is referenced too obviously in menswear, this latest round of shows looks set to drag up the age-old argument; can men REALLY look good in skirts? 

Image - Versace A/W '14, taken from Dazed Digital.

LONDON COLLECTIONS: MEN

It used to be the case that, when I heard the word 'menswear', my mind would jump straight to outdated clichés of a well-groomed thirty-something, sporting nothing but a James Dean haircut and a well-tailored suit. Luckily, menswear has changed recently and, although there will always be space for a well-tailored suit, young designers are using their imagination and skills to push the boundaries and redefine the wardrobe of the modern male. This experimentality and will to play with the fashion formula is never more evident than in London, the capital of eccentricity and individuality. More specifically, it was evident in the recent LCM shows which collectively unearthed a feast of sartorial delights for men worldwide who are becoming bored by tradition. In this post, I have picked my five personal favourites from the host of talent on show - some of them are on the list due to a cohesive aesthetic and stand-out pieces, whereas others are on the list for subverting tradition and creating enough controversy to fuel debate and keep the ball moving forward.

WALTER VAN BEIRENDONCK S/S 2014

As though on a mission to prove that menswear needn't be boring, Walter Van Beirendonck's latest collection was an explosion of print, colour and texture - even within 31 looks, there was not a trace of minimalism to be found . One of the original members of the legendary Antwerp Six collective, Beirendonck's eccentric collections have earned him a cult following and made him one of the most successful members of the group, which also includes fashion veteran Ann Demeulemeester.

Beirendonck is renowned for his bold colour choices and this show was no exception - named 'Home Sweet Home', the designer himself explained in an interview that he took inspiration directly from the home that he shares with his wife in Antwerp. "It's my house, the interior of my house that I took inspiration from, very literally down to the vases", he stated, proving that inspiration can be found in any area by a creative mind.

Walter Van Beirendonck S/S 2014

This concept translated into a series of silk suits that were printed with grainy hardwood floors and retro carpet tiles - more loosely tailored than the average suit and paired with raffia loafers (complete with phallic imagery), the collection was laid-back in its approach and featured enough playful touches to distinguish itself from the other menswear shows. The theme continued as the models walked the runway decked head-to-toe in soft ice-cream coloured pastels - angular blocks of mint green were interspersed with light pinks to create the ultimate summer suit jacket. 

In terms of my own personal favourites, it was hard to pick between a pair of flowing silk trousers speckled with light beige motifs and an opulent purple silk jacket printed with a vase of golden flowers which, presumably came straight from Beirendonck's own garden. Many designers speak of creating collections that are personal, yet few actually go so far as to splash their own wallpaper on a suit jacket - it is a strangely intimate move that allows us a peek inside the everyday environment of the outlandish designer and, ultimately, one which has resulted in one of his finest collections to date. 

See more photos after the jump!

MENSWEAR HIGHLIGHT #5

Although often more explicitly referenced in street style as opposed to the runway, a return to the 90s is a trend that refuses to die. However, towards the latter end of Issey Miyake’s Fall 2013 collection, it became clear that the designer had made it his mission to rejuvenate the shellsuits of our youth, although this time they were given a distinctly futuristic feel – a gold lamé number was chosen to end the show, whereas other versions were (albeit slightly) more subtle. The silhouette had also been updated – jackets were longer, hoods exaggerated to give an extra-terrestrial feel, whereas colours were bold enough to make a true statement.

MENSWEAR HIGHLIGHT #4

Better than anyone, Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto realises that fusing inspiration from different countries and being culturally aware is key to moving forward in the world of fashion. Thanks to the likes of Japanese pioneers Rei Kawabuko and the masters behind the new Kenzo collection, this season has seen eastern meet western in a new way and Yamamoto is one of the key players to spearhead the oriental movement.

                Sending down an array of models (both male and female) sporting oversized moustaches typical of the eccentric English gentleman, Yamamoto took a playful stance on the stereotype. As is to be expected, the collection featured British staples such as the peacoat and tartan and juxtaposed them with the loose silhouettes and flowing fabrics that can only be associated with Japanese fashion. In this collection, texture was also incredibly important – stiff suit jackets were paired with shaggy fur coats, whereas lightweight jersey was paired with heavy cable-knit in order to create a unique contrast.

MENSWEAR HIGHLIGHT #3

Although the emphasis was on sharp, monochrome tailoring, it was the few moments of traditional Italian splendour that made the Dolce & Gabbana show a true highlight of the week. Taking the decadent floral fabrics that were the focal point of the latest womenswear collection and translating them into menswear was a genius move by the stylish duo – as usual, opulence and religion were the two central themes of the collection.

Velvet smoking jackets embroidered with colourful florals were seen in many different colours, whereas one jacket saw a brocade print engineered via laser-cutting, showcasing a fresh twist on the traditional pattern. Elsewhere, Mona Lisas and old cathedrals were printed onto flowing grey jumpers, most of which were tightly-belted with high-waisted to create a clean, slick silhouette with a nod towards the brand’s Italian heritage.

MENSWEAR HIGHLIGHT #2

Ever since the appointment of Nicola Formicetti as creative director, the MUGLER brand has continued to grow in prominence and popularity. Consistently ahead of the curve and pushing fashion in new directions, this latest season has not failed to disappoint – influences range from Star Trek to Miami Vice (in the form of a fuchsia 70’s power suit), culminating in a collection that is as retro as it is futuristic.

         The collection is brighter than we have come to expect – bright cobalt blue and futuristic silver jumpers with contrasting green trim nod to a more playful aesthetic as opposed to the gothic look favoured in the past. Waistlines of trousers are higher than ever and teamed with skin-tight turtlenecks to create a variation of outfits more than vaguely reminiscent of Dr Spock.

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MENSWEAR HIGHLIGHT #1

Following the recent inauguration of Antwerp graduate Martin Margiela into the revered couture club, the enigmatic designer is continuing his run of incredible collections with the Fall 2013 Menswear line. Beginning with a range of stylish separates and climaxing in a dramatic leather cape, the range showed continuity and established the role of the Maison as a force to be reckoned with in the menswear field.

     The aesthetic of the collection was mainly minimalist, although shaggy colourful scarves and interesting silhouettes injected a playful attitude into the highly wearable outfits. Margiela has also always been renowned for his unusual choice of casting, often choosing to street-cast his models, and this collection was no different. Choosing a variety of models of different size and age made it clear that this was designed to be a functional collection, one that could be worn by any man with style.

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