£14.1 billion. That’s the projected figure for menswear sales in the UK this year, according to market research body Mintel. Little wonder, then, that this month’s London Collections: Men (LC:M) spring/summer 2016 showcase included over seventy menswear shows and events.
Once an awkward mix of historically conservative tailoring houses and headline-grabbing underground fashion, London is now one of the world’s foremost menswear capitals, with brands and designers that run the gamut in their creative direction and commercial viability making up the chock-full four-day schedule.
This season saw everything from overlaid neon bikinis at Christopher Shannon to nipple cut-outs at Craig Green. But jibes and jokes aside, what will we actually be wearing come SS16?
Key Fabric: Suede
One of autumn/winter 2015’s standout trends is set to continue playing a key role as we transition from the wintry chill to springtime next year. While it was shearling jackets that dominated at the AW15 showcases, the latest run of LC:M shows (mercifully) suggested lighter weight suede pieces for the warmer months.
At Dunhill’s very British affair, suede was a key fabric for casual wear, with the luxury brand showing a brilliantly slouchy suede Harrington and a smock anorak that you definitely don’t want to wear in the rain. Meanwhile, Belstaff’s homage to the Desert Rats (the British Army forces that fought German troops in 1940s-era North Africa) included a military cape and slim-cut biker-style jacket in the fabric.
But it was at storied Savile Row institution Gieves & Hawkes that suede got its most summery treatment, with creative director Jason Basmajian suggesting suede shorts suits and elegantly-cut, lightweight suede outerwear that was poles apart from the bulky jackets and coats we’re used to seeing.
Wear It Now
Although usually confined to a pair of brogues or Derbies, suede is actually the perfect summertime material – provided the skies are clear and the temperatures aren’t stiflingly high.
Throw a suede jacket over everything from a simple T-shirt to a lightweight roll neck for a look that checks the texture box.
Get The Look
- Allsaints Ocarno Suede Jacket
- Allsaints Imara Suede Biker Jacket
- Urban Renewal Vintage Remnants Suede Bomber Jacket In Black
- Edwin Sueded Jacket Panhead 2 Pocket
- Peter Werth Suede Bomber
- Selected Suede Biker Jacket
- Jigsaw Suede Bomber Jacket Khaki
- He By Mango Buttoned Suede Jacket
- He By Mango Suede Bomber Jacket
- Reiss Toulon Suede Bomber Jacket Grey
- Hackett Suede Bomber Jacket
- Club Monaco Golden Bear Suede Bomber Jacket
Key Print: Animal & Jungle Prints
Now that we’re all over the shock of designers suggesting we wear florals – and are presently proudly sporting them in our droves – it seems spring/summer 2016 will see the bar raised, with prints set to get a little wilder.
LC:M’s runways were awash with jungle and animal prints, from Coach’s punchy leopard and tiger printed separates, accessories and outerwear, to Burberry Prorsum’s frothy, gauzy low-cut tops covered in giraffe prints.
Elsewhere, British favourite Christopher Raeburn put his own distinctive variation on the theme in the form of sweatshirts swathed in a camo-like print made up of monkeys swinging from one another’s arms.
Wear It Now
Eager to get ahead of the game? Just remember that easy does it when it comes to animal print.
Keep the print confined to one statement piece, e.g. a midlayer or jacket, and build the rest of your look out with neutral pieces in black, navy, grey or beige.
Get The Look
- Asos Longline T-shirt With All Over Zebra Slub Print
- Topman Red Leopard Print Long Sleeve Shirt
- Reclaimed Vintage Shirt In Leopard Print
- Reclaimed Vintage Animal Pocket Square
- Asos Loafers In Leopard Skin Effect
- Topman Marble Camouflage Pack-away Lightweight Parka
- River Island Dark Green Paint Splatter Print T-shirt
- River Island Brown Mipac Leopard Print Backpack
- Ps By Paul Smith Jungle Camo Cotton Sweater
- Paul Smith Shoes & Accessories Jungle Camo Cotton-blend Socks
- Saint Laurent Leopard-intarsia Mohair-blend Sweater
- Saint Laurent Leather-trimmed Printed Canvas Sneakers
Key Colour: Green
Several menswear thought leaders have already remarked on the overwhelmingly sombre palette of LC:M’s spring/summer 2016 outing, but colour – namely green – was there in abundance if you looked for it.
Take Danish sportswear wunderkind Astrid Andersen, for example, whose latest batch of martial arts-meets-streetwear featured a shade of lime green that was surprisingly delicate against the designer’s signature swag-heavy silhouettes and bold logos. Or Casely-Hayford, whose pieces in sea and jade green provided a counterpoint to the collection’s other key hue: red.
Probably the most universally wearable takes on the colour came from a brand synonymous with well-crafted casual tailoring (Oliver Spencer) and a label that’s swiftly earning attention for its avant-garde made easy aesthetic (Lee Roach).
Oliver Spencer showed a military green, which was worked across trousers, shirting and outerwear, while Lee Roach applied an almost identical shade to generously-cut but exceptionally well-tailored trousers.
Wear It Now
Arguably one of the easiest trends on the list to tap, incorporating green into your current wardrobe requires minimal effort. With brands and retailers offering a whole spectrum of shades right now, it’s simply a matter of selecting the hues that work for your skin tone.
As a general rule of thumb though, darker shades of green like olive drab can be worn as neutrals, while brighter, bolder shades like jade work best as statement pieces.
Get The Look
- Asos Crew Neck Jumper In Cotton
- Asos Cardigan In Cotton
- Topman Ltd Green Slim Tapered Chino
- Topman Green Melange Ultra Skinny Fit Suit
- Topman Khaki Longer Length Chino Shorts
- Asos Shirt In Long Sleeve With Grandad Collar
- Reiss Marshall Pocket Detail T-shirt Green
- He By Mango Slim-fit Corduroy Blazer
- River Island Green Only & Sons Bomber Jacket
- A.p.c. Cotton-canvas Holdall Bag
- Ami Cotton-blend Baseball Cap
- He By Mango Suede Driving Shoes
Key Piece: The Spread Collar Jacket
A featherweight cotton T-shirt might serve well as a seasonal staple in warmer climates, but London-based designers were well aware that the British summertime calls for something slightly sturdier.
Cue the spread collar jacket: a lightweight, tailored solution to the summer outerwear conundrum. At Topman Design they came neatly cropped, striped and complete with 1970s-inspired spread collars, while Lou Dalton showed slouchier, pocket-heavy versions that had something more of the Harrington about them.
Elsewhere, Oliver Spencer showed flecked navy and grey versions that proved exactly why his name is now basically a byword for savvy smart-casual dressing, while YMC offered breathable, perforated options that would be ideal for the warmer months.
Wear It Now
Smarten up in summer weather by investing in one of these now. Remember that cropped, slim-fitting tailored styles will work almost exclusively on leaner guys, while slouchier silhouettes with a little more give will suit broader frames and casual dressers.
Get The Look
- Asos Harrington Jacket
- Polo Ralph Lauren Harrington Jacket
- Asos Harrington Jacket
- Topman Burgundy Harrington Jacket
- He By Mango Cotton Jacket
- Reiss Rocco Check Harrington Jacket Grey
- Topman Stone Harrington Jacket
- Next Grey Check Blouson Jacket
- Reiss Rocco Check Harrington Jacket Navy
- Aquascutum Brackenbury Harrington Jacket Navy
- Austin Reed Viyella – Harrington Jacket
- Dunhill Checked Wool Mulberry Silk And Linen-blend Jacket
Key Look: Lightweight Layering
The notion of layering outerwear has remained pretty much nascent. Until now, that is. This most recent LC:M outing showed designers’ admission that layering utility jackets over suits or top coats over blazers isn’t so much a trend as simply a modern – and practical – way to dress.
Hardy Amies’ collection saw 1960s tailoring spliced with sci-fi-inspired technical pieces – a lightweight panelled blouson jacket (a bit like a spacecraft interior) worn over a standard, but still sharp, single-breasted checked suit, or an outdoorsy cropped windbreaker layered on top of a double-breasted suit.
Elsewhere, Lou Dalton proffered what was probably the most sensible way to approach spring/summer layering with Harringtons and windbreakers worn on top of a shirt on top of a T-shirt. Simply add or remove pieces as needed, depending on the weather.
Wear It Now
Whether tailoring teamed with an anorak or a lightweight bomber layered over a denim jacket, your options are pretty much endless.
Although there are no hard and fast rules for on-point pairing, it’s worth ensuring the pieces you layer are lightweight to see that you stop short of channelling the ‘Michelin Man’.
Key Detail: Pockets
That function is at the heart of a good deal of menswear design isn’t breaking news, but this season – for designers in London at least – fondness became fixation.
Belstaff’s luxurious reworking of military wear featured looks crafted in premium fabrications that still sported the hallmarks of function – namely pockets. There were pocket-covered field jackets, pockets on cargo pants, pockets on gilets and even a tank suit featuring – by our count – eight snap button-closure pockets.
At Hardy Amies, creative director Mehmet Ali took his cues from Amies’ own designs for Stanley Kubrick’s seminal 2001: A Space Odyssey, layering, for example, a bomber jacket with a shoulder pocket over a blazer, or a gilet with generously sized pockets over a double-breasted, windowpane check suit.
Similarly, Danish label Soulland and East London-based brand Several also showed pieces that put pockets – quite literally – front and centre with overalls and a boxy-cut gilet respectively.
Wear It Now
A pocket-heavy piece makes for an ideal way to stand apart without straying into peacock territory.
While a shirt with button closure breast pockets worn under a four-pocket field jacket will work well, adding a multi-pocketed cargo trouser into the mix is erring on overdoing it, so don’t get too heavy-handed.
Final Word
Will you be incorporating any of these trends or looks into your wardrobe? Spot any other trends that you think are set to be significant?
Comment below to let us know.
