Your ticket to LCM 2015: E. Tautz.

This week has seen the return of London's top fashion event, known to the world as LCM; London Collection Mens sees the likes of top couture and high street Giants rub shoulders in this awe inspiring spectacle, designed to encapsulate the world in the forthcoming trends of next season.

A favourite of mine at this show is most certainly: E. Tautz. With head designer Patrick Grant at the forefront of the collection we see the reinvention of the Saville a Row cut, expressing a combination of elegant shoulders and a suppressed waistline. From a visual aesthetic standpoint this seems well balance, well proportioned and not fussy when sporting military tradition.

The slightly odd presence of nostalgia in the collection is complimented in generous notation with the usage of models throughout the show. Most looking gaunt and ill with an essence malnutrition and prepubescence. Needless to say this is a choice which works a very sharp advantage, with the cuts complimenting those who haven't over indulged on chocolate over the month. With extra volumes of material on both the torso and thighs, this allows the tapering on the legs and cut of the shoulder to be eccentuated, leaving us not only with a model that looks although his mother has been a little optimistic on his growing potential at school, but what seems to be a new wavelength of trend emerging.

My favourite portion of the collection is the intricate balance between dark tones and ligh hues, with the prominence of the colour palette paying particular attention to the contrast between light and dark. A notion that is continuously recited, and quite often shamelessly, within the fashion industry. However this time, working to the advantage of the designer. Simple cutting a bold accents of colour pattern are at the forefront of the collection, making this overall a visually stunning, hot new look for AW15.

My mind wonders slightly with brands who like to 'experiment' with the daring and bold side of tailoring, quite often having refracting some Frankenstein-esque visualisation of what the designer had originally intended. Brands like Margiela, McQueen, Givenchy and Dsquared are still in need of some serious manufacturing and design skills when it comes to this area. My advice... Don't drop out of class just yet, a little knowledge goes s long way!

Living the life of a Russian dandy.

The world of fashion has been imprinted with the lasting effect of London Fashion week. Two weeks of runway shows, pre collection looks and long parties have left those in the industry, feeling slightly be-lingered. Most of those not in the industry seem to find it hard to distinguish between a solid AW14 outfit, and a pile of crap that just so happened to be clean for the day ahead - so here is a breakdown.

Maison Martin Margiela has been at the forefront of men's couture for decades, and although unbranded and anonymous... Season after season they're the dark horse in idealistic pret a porter. The theme behind the AW14 mainline collection was an ambiguous twist combining the dark side of coal mining in Eastern Europe and the aesthetic of a casual dandy.

The colour palette is representative of the newly introduced 'blue story' inclusive of midnight, bright blue, navy and petrol. Along with this story combines dark Browns and blacks which tie into the classic deconstruction look of the brand.

 

             

Another prominent look has been the combination of traditional  English herringbone tweed, mink and gunner jackets. All ready to wear pieces in the collection are designed to be combined with one another, in order the replicate a layered and deconstructed outfit, representative of the theme behind the collection.

All in all the collection seems bland, boring and overpriced for what you see on the rail, never the less, let us just forget that a true sense of fashion comes from the ability to formulate and style an outfit, not the critique an off the rail piece.

An ejaculation of pop art.

Its rather unclear as to whether Andy Warhol would turn in his grave, or commend Raf Simons on his beautiful line of menswear plagiarism.

Know for his prints notoriously similar to that of Jeremy Scott, Simons really tries to push the boundaries of SS menswear. This line see's two spectrums of what a man (in my eyes) can pull off. A smart but short, summery look pair with a frame hugging overlay and a splash of colour - then, keeping it minimalistic, there is a side that sees oversized tees and box tops paired with very high cut shorts. Again defying convention - in other words the models look like they're wearing dresses. Unusual but I like it, unfortunately in my current figure I'd look more like a potato sack. Let's so it's for those with a slimmer figure and eclectic taste.

I wouldn't cast it off as total crap though, in my experience, Raf Simons clothing looks and feels a lot better on yourself than OTR. For now - let's just see how many hot guys parade around the street of London with this look.

A compendium of reasons to visit the afterlife.

There are more than a few days I lay. I just lay in my bedroom, the window open only just enough to allow a cold breeze sweep across the room, yet I stay still - aroused by the thoughts on my mind. Around 11:46pm all I can see are the silhouettes of trees swaying in front of traditional London street lamps. The perfect setting for the topic on my mind - death. A constant obsession for a taste lingers at the back of my head, sometimes taking a more dominant reign of my thoughts.

Very few people in this world are ecclectic and interesting enough, to appreciate the subtle presence of the afterlife. However one who did, was Lee Mcqueen. An obsessive for dark manner and spirit, this would reflect a lot in his designs, and particularly well. Skulls, contortion and deformation were all great centrepieces for quite a few of Alexander's collection and with such a dark aura, the. Though of Lee's death still gives me chills, everytime I see his last line of work.

Just after four years in from his death, and Sarah Burton does an amazing job transcending Lee's spirit season after season. The SS14 McQueen menswear collection embodies Lee's vision of a simple yet grand style, often with a dark Victorian edge. An all over monochromatic collection and one that focuses on fine details and dark prints. Black roses were embroidered over pin-stripped suits, whilst gothic lace covered full-length jackets occasionally revealing skulls amongst the gothic patterns. Alongside the beautiful tailoring and intricate print details, Sarah Burton injected a slight grungy feel to the collection with the addition of very fine, almost cobweb-like knitwear.

An appreciation of ethereal life...

Sitting here in a quiet yet unostentatious house - in the suburbs of London, I'm reminded of a sobering fact; every minute of every hour, people are too focused on their shallow and busy lives to truly appreciate the world around them. As the summers day descends into a ostensibly winters evening, the near un existent sound of raindrops keep my mind wandering away from the objective. In a seemingly heedless world - it is only now I start to appreciate the beauty of the world beyond my window.

Most people don't necessarily appreciate the beauty of the world, but rather the distortion. They tend to focus on metrical problems and not those, truthfully poisoning our minds. Today, playing homage to Polish designer Nika Danielska - we see not beauty, but pain. She specialises in a designing a unique range of body couture...

In a world of fake hope and pretentious lifestyles, Nika Danielska uses her designs to create a truly amazing perspective on life. Her series of work 'Caged' are best described as a Macabre of skeletal braces designed to contort and restrict the body from natural and human movement. Thus giving a fetish edge to design, however encrusted with diamonds, gold and silver also gives us the impression - this is for the upper class. An almost homage to Elizabeth Taylor and Judy Garland in terms of appearance. The collection in its entirety blurrs the lines between pain and couture with it's frightening demeanour. These spindly creations can be worn peeking out from underneath a jacket, or on top of a gorgeous gown, both ways making for some eye-popping fashion statements that are sure to be the talk of any gathering. These intricately wrought pieces are lavish enough to be worn instead of other accessories and jewels.

Giving a Tim Burton feel to the fashion world, Danielska is an expert in her field, if not the only one in her field. Needless to say, these haunting designs become slightly more chilling, as the sun sets over a long plain of luscious grass, and darkness falls across the chilling London skyline.

Oh, to be a fabulous royal.

   


When it comes to a female British HRH her image is everything, with fashion being at the forefront and centre of that. Since Queen Elizabeth I right through to our own Queen Lizzie, every appearance has been sordid by an array of very smart statement frocks.  Looking back at the beautiful Princess Diana, you of course see this trend relayed with her image being based at the heart of British fashion. This idea then transcends into our fabulous Princess - Kate Middleton. Of course by no margin of comparison between the two, she has embellished our hearts with her free reign of style and amazing eye for detail, modelling some of the best in British fashion.

In some aspects she looks like she has taken style tips from Marina Diamondis and stepped out from a castle. In others she could have just given Alan Sugar the slip back in his office.

Since her wedding to William back in 2012 - we have seen Mrs M wearing worldwide designers, with a particular emphasis on British fashion culture.  If course keeping in well order and wearing only conservative and traditional piece., she still manages to add a flare to her wardrobe we haven't seen in the royal family before or since Diana.

I always feel women should dress one of two ways to be impressive. Inspiration taken from a bloodied up, cocaine wridden, NY hooker is the first, as this is the second. A great combination of flat jackets and pencil skirts that manage to eventuate a figure without looking like a pair of curtains. Not forgetting her wardrobe of dream coats by some amazing top designers, that I'm sure a lot of us are in awe of.

A true British style icon, Kate Middletpn is certainly one to look out for in the future, that is if she divorces William - or Prince George comes out as gay. On that topic, I can surely imagine Buckingham palace bedazzled with cheap drinks on a Thursday. Needless to say, she is still a princess, and needs to dress like one, but just for once, be dating and show is a nipple?