Christopher Shannon FW11: Luxury Sportswear

Christopher Shannon's was one of the menswear shows I was most excited to see last season during London Fashion Week. I really loved their SS11 collection and I couldn't have been happier to have been able to attend the show.
The sort of blanket fabrics and the patterns across jumpers and shirts were my favourite part. It was as if a sporty guy from London had been travelling around Peru and incorporated the elements he found there to what he was originally wearing. I found the ruffled trousers incredibly cool, if only I had the balls to actually wear them...
There was also a lot of patchwork, be it more as we usually see it –various fabrics mixed to form a garment– or in shirts jackets or trousers made up by two wool and quilted nylon, printed and plain silk.
I will definitely treat myself to one or two of the pieces from the collection and I can't wait to see what walks the catwalk in September for the SS12 show.

You can see the full collection here.

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.]

FW11: Micro-trends to have a laugh

I have been quite bad at keeping up with FW10 shows on Fashion, Frankly. But I have every intention of making up for my big absence during the men's fashion weeks. First up is my compilation of the funniest micro-trends from the season. I will be back with more posts about my favourite looks, the collections I loved the most and, of course, a list of the trends that will dictate fashion rules next winter.


[Pictures: Style.com]

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]