Frank Loves: Raf Simons FW11

I found this video through Tommy Ton's twitter a couple of days ago. He mentioned how with videos like this we wouldn't really need fashion shows. And, after watching it, you kind of have to agree with him. The shows are a great experience but if we had videos the likes of this one for every collection we could just all stay home for fashion week.
The video also reminded me how much I love Raf Simons. I would say that him, Dries van Noten and Nicolas Ghesquière are my favourite designers. I just love what Simons does with shapes and colours. Watching the video of his FW11 collection I was simply in awe of how he continues to innovate. And I'd say it's a good sign when you can think about more than just buying or wearing clothes.

Getting ready for FW11: Henri LLoyd jackets

Courtesy of Henri Lloyd

I already posted about Henri Lloyd's jacket a few months ago. I am still in desperate need for a hooded jacket and the brand seems to have some pretty brilliant pieces in their FW11 collection.
My favourite one is the Blakely jacket. The jackets are part of their 'Hybrid City looks' –sportswear turned urban. They have that feeling of bringing the mountain to the city. Afeeling that, as I've said many times before, I love in the winter.

You can still get the summer jacket I posted about here, only if you're  a big guy as only big sizes are left –I, of course, am gutted about this. But the new season pieces will be on sale on their website shortly.

Frank Loves: Edward Green for Hardy Amies brogues

MatchesFashion

I have been looking for the pair of brogues all my life. I once thought I found them in a pair from Alexander McQueen but I made the mistake of buying the wrong size when they were on sale...
But now I think I've finally found the ones. A few months ago when I previewed the FW11 Hardy Amies collection before the catwalk show I knew it was full of hits. Hits like these hand-crafted Falkirk brogues Edward Green has made for Hardy Amies.
The details are exquisite and extremely classic bit the two tones of bluish grey give it a very cool and contemporary feel. They look like a piece of art –like a one-off car design you can't wait to try because you know how brilliant it will feel.
The shoes retail for a price that's not for everyone but, well, a piece like this shouldn't be. You can get a pair at Matches here –also check out the Shannon brogue boots. But if you want the full experience I recommend you get down to Hardy Amies at 14 Saville Row and enjoy the amazing ambiance and the rest of the hit-filled collection.

Tod's f/w11: What not to miss

Last June, while I was in Milan for menswear fashion week, I attended the Tod's presentation. For the last few seasons they have been showing their collections at Villa Necchi, this stunning 1930's villa with a beautiful front garden and a dark wooden interior, which was the first villa in Milan to have its own pool.

Courtesy of Tod's

There is a lot of suede in the new Tod's collection, which I love because it's one of the best ways of introducing texture in a look. My absolute favourites were the Chelsea boots. They're going to be my first FW11 footwear buy and I can't wait until they hit the store. It's going to be incredibly hard to choose only one colour, though!
I also fell in love with the croc pieces. The Moleskin-esque notebooks and diaries are incredibly chic, as is the watch case.
The ready-to-wear pieces like the double-chested blazer make it hard to only focus on the loafers, of which Tod's is launching a new model this season. The Vadim shoe is a new take on their signature "gomini". They have a more elongated body and a suede bow detail at the front. They are also seasonless and, hence, a great classic buy.
To top it all off, the weather in Milan was amazing and the Tod's team treated us like royalty. Who could want anything else?

Iñaki C.

Frank Loves: Burberry Prosrum FW11 Moccasins

Even though summer has finally arrived to London (about time!) and I am carefully planning my holiday wardrobe for my trip to the beach next week I can't resist to start looking at FW11 items I can't wait to get my hands on.

Burberry always has the ability to reinvent classic pieces and give them a touch of coolness and uniqueness. And yet they're season-less pieces you can wear for the rest of your life.

This is the case of these moccasins from their FW11 collection. If the incredible structured coats weren't enough they also had to create brilliant shoes like these. I love how they've used very smooth leather and a very tough sole to make such an old-fashioned shoe a current item. They could work with suits and jeans and even in the rain, something us Londoners have to think about. Can't wait to get my hands on a pair!

Courtesy of Burberry

Top Man Design fw11

Top Man's fw11 collection was right up my alley. I loved all the wool and tweed grey suits and coats. I loved how they played with understated patterns the likes of herringbone and Prince of Wales check to give the greys a certain dynamism. As could be expected from what we saw in Milan and Paris, there was quite a lot of (faux) fur, which I also loved. The scarves and stoles looked somewhat battered but it somehow made them more desirable and, well, cool. They have gone to the top of my fw11 must-haves already. As have the cropped cuffed trousers, the very 70's beige suede jacket and the red coat. I very much enjoyed how the brand has focused a lot more on details this season, which give the looks soul. Take the socks, which are just about a different colour than the trousers to contract but not draw attention. The opposite effect of the printed neckerchiefs that substitute ties —very Stefano Tonchi.


The shoes also caught my attention because they seemed chunky yet light and because they were extremely contemporary but had been design based on the blueprint of the most classic lace-ups. I am particularly keen on the red-ish pair with the slightly far back buckle.
Have a look at my video of the finale below. If the collection wasn't awesome enough, the show took place at the bar room of the National Opera House, which, funnily enough, I had envisioned hosting a show.

[Pictures: GQ-magazine.co.uk, Iñaki C.]

Hardy Amies FW11 - the preview

I would be lying if I said that Hardy Amies wasn't the house showing at London Fashion Week I was most excited about. Funnily enough, it was also the show I was meant to miss because I had been anticipating it for such a long time. The turn up was so great not everyone could be welcomed to the upstairs salon. Luckily for me, I had visited Saville Row two weeks before for a preview of the full FW11 collection. I would like firstly to thank Don for being so welcoming. This post wouldn't have been possible without his kindness.
After last season's debut at ready-to-wear, Hardy Amies surely had something big coming. Not only the speed but the quality in which the house has been brought into contemporary menswear are astounding. You can see the fingerprint of the finest tailors in every piece —from the classic blazers to the down jackets. And it is precisely that marriage between tradition and modernity that I find most genius about HA. Take, for instance, the impeccably cut single-breasted blazers but add to them a fine wool and an ombré checked print and you get both a classic piece a seasonal must have.

My absolute favourite from the collection, in addition to the blazers, was the outerwear. From a trench lined with fur to a classic peacoat to a two-piece tailored down jacket to a sportswear take on the blazer made of raw wool, everything is extremely desirable. One puts on these jackets and instantly feels like a 21st-century dandy, a Chuck Bass. There is quality and design but most importantly, coolness, which is something the Row had been lacking for a while and that has not been injected in big doses by Hardy Amies. Claire Malcom, the house's creative director, has shown an incredibly profound knowledge of tailoring and has brought that young and hip element (Kanye West has been played a lot in the studio) that will take Amies back into its golden age.

[Pictures: Iñaki C.]

Milano round 1: fur is manly and shearling stays

In case you haven't heard, fashion week is upon us. As it usually does, it opened at Pitti a few days ago, which gave way to Milan yesterday. I was lucky (not) enough to miss the streaming of Ermenegildo Zegna in the morning and Dolce & Gabbana's later on. Which was very upsetting because I was looking forward to a streaming-loaded day. I did have a chance to watch Burberry (incredible) but I'll post about that tomorrow.
Ermenegildo Zegna has done an admirable job re-establishing itself as one of Italy's power houses. They have done so in only a few seasons' time. For FW11 they have done what I like to call "an Armani". If you look at the collection you'll find very traditional Italian tailoring of slimmer silhouettes and lower waist lines. The Armani reference came in through a window to the Orient, which was more evident in the formal night attire. Shiny materials in bright reds and off-golds were mixed with velvet reminiscing of the ancient oriental empires. Otherwise, it was a very textured collection. It was also styled in a way that enhanced this making the looks more homogenous rather than the usual mix of textures, which is usually more common in menswear.

Trussardi celebrated its 100th anniversary this year at Pitti. Its main attraction was leather, which made up anything from jackets and parkas (my favourite) to trousers, coats and shirts. They also showed a considerable amount of suede, which often looked like corduroy, lined with shearling very much á la Burberry. We also saw quite a bit of fur (a trend followed by Ermenegildo and Burberry), which also lined suede blazers and leather long coats.

I'm off.

[Pictures: CouteQueCoute.blogspot.com, Style.com]