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.

Ports 1961 - A new era for mens fashion.

Ports 1961 also known as Ports, is a fashion house originally founded by Canadian entrepreneur Luke Tanabe in Toronto in 1961, specializing in luxury ready-to-wear and accessories for men and women. Since the inception of the brand, designers have endeavoured to ensure the haus live up to the prestigious name of the label. Ports has evolved from the modest business, known for importing clothes from Japan, to a renowned worldwide label.

This season shows that the brand certainly lives up to the description of 'specialising in luxury ready-to-wear and accessories for men and women' above you can see a small sample of what the haus showcased in Milan this month, for their AW14 line of clothing. Base notes of the clothing sees a very dark colour palette which really accentuates the ideology behind the designs.

Transforming from a brand that deal predominately with fine mens tailoring, the kind you would only find in London's Saville Row, to the exquisite, Avant Garde clothing you see here is truly a step forward in mens couture.  The sheer fit and outline of the clothing shows is business and formal side, while the exasperated explosions of creativity give a deeper sense of fun and exploration. These designs are those I would not expect to see in England but perhaps a suburban town in Paris or perhaps the underground Art scene of New York City, this is if course a bonus for those of you lucky enough to be blue to invest in such clothing.

This is a great collection from head to toe, the highlight for me being the deep contrast between tailoring in at mid points and eccentuating at focal areas. It's a shame Ports isn't British, never the less Canada should be proud.