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.

End of life crisis?

An amazing designer he may be, however in my eyes this is the fashion equivalent of Paris Hilton bringing out her own line... Overrun and saturated. From an advertising perspective, it's pretty unclear to make out whether the label formulates of just accessories, or whether a full spread line of clothing has been produced.

 However if you're lucky enough to wander into a Lagerfeld (brand) store by accident, you'll come across a wilderness of I sorted and somewhat misplaced garments. The mens collection is somewhat reminiscent of the back page in a Boden catalogue. Certainly not to my taste, however the shirts are embossed by a pattern I thought died at the birth of Superdry's 'washbasket shirt'

something that could be best described as a 'Darren Shirt' (inside joke).

Staring out of the window and trying to remember the last time it rained, analysing droplets run down the window creating an ever so subtle spectrum is the best way I can describe the boredom I feel with this brand. Surprisingly Karl Lagerfeld himself didn't have complete control over what was produced, his team, know as the LAGERFELD brand pride themselves on their work and never let us forget it.

Transcending into the womenswear and my heart somewhat lifts, seeing a Chanel-esque touch. Not so much the Lagerfeld era but what I feel could have been an Ode to CoCo, or perhaps Karl had no idea what was being approved, and by so doing purge himself of the ability to design freely for the brand again. Or perhaps I'm getting too psycho-analytical?

An urban feel dominates the womenswear, with a very slight sweep of class... Not much though. Although a damn sight better than the mens it could still be a campaign for a new River Island collection. It's a little odd in my opinion, to start your own brand and not tailor to the consumer, by producing a line you would wear yourself. Forgive me but I can't remember a time when Lagerfeld wore anything but an 8 year-old boys suit. 

An ever long bus journey reminds me of a sobering fact, and that is no matter who you are, investing in your own brand at a career mid point is a sure way to credit ultimate demise when it comes to your image. Never the less, who is to say this won't be the next big thing? Oh wait, me.

Still at the top: Westwood MAN SS14

Vivienne Westwood is if course the epitome of British fashion. She is the one designer you can always count on to defile, characterise and break the boundaries of current fashion trends. Short in short she hates modern day conventions when it comes to fashion. You can of course see that in her work, needless to say it doesn't always prevail, however this collection says otherwise.

As soon as designers think of SS collections, many automatically assume everyone will be out wearing shorts and floral prints. Being in the UK that isn't the case for most of us, and it's not for Westwood either. Forming to convention, Viv introduces her impeccably tailored suits, which are oversized, opulent and unique. The slightly oversized idea seems to be a key point with her tailoring this year. Of course paired with her signature MAN trousers, consisting if a slightly high rise jean and a slightly low drop belt, giving a very stylised feel to the outfit. In true Westwood fashion, Viv throws her beautiful and unique, signature jewelry into the mix. Not to mention the timeless and striking collection of shoes. The classic 'Orb moccasin' being one of my favourite pairs. 

The rest of the collection is again oversized and slightly tailored in areas. This is a slight reminisce of her 'Anglomania' collection she did a few years ago. There is an amazing contrast this year between the shoes and the rest of the outfit. She shows us all that you don't need to match an outfit in its entirety, to make it look amazing. Yet again, this is Vivienne Westwood. A light baroque feel seems to be incorporated too, this adds a little for conformity to upcoming trend for the brand, however that's about it. The overall feel for the collection dons a true British gentleman swept over by a remarkable splash of an artistic era. A contrast between colour and monotone is also important, not to forget contrasting statement pieces alongside the beautiful tailoring, that remains, forever British.

The solitary part that I don't like, is the jumper tucked into boxers look, for me this feels like a reverse Justin Bieber. Or perhaps it's an ode to all of those wanting their ass pumped in jail. Apart from that one thing, everything else is beautiful, and if I had the money, I would wearing everything. For now I'll resort to buying the odd thing and using second had stores for the rest of my Westwood supplies. Praise London!

Return of the Gentleman: Joseph Cheaney

Shoes have always been the most important part of any outfit. In particular a good pair of shoes can always tell the personality, and specifically distinguish between a man and a gentleman. The term gentleman nowadays is thrown around too much, and to fully appreciate the term. If you're reading this in sweatpants and a hoodie, then perhaps this post isn't for you.

From personal experience with this particular brand, the difference to other brands is incomparable. The first time I placed my left foot (I always try with that foot first as it's the biggest) into a pair of Cheaney Avon C Brougues/Almond Tan Grain, it felt like id placed my foot into an angels vagina. Not only the comfort was paramount, but I instantly felt ten times smarter, clean cut and respectable. If my finances could stretch, I would own at least five pairs. Below is a technical breakdown of my two favorite designs:

AVON:

Like all of the Cheaney range, these shoes are crafted of materials imported from Europe (in particular Germany and France) and are also handcrafted by the amazing team at the main factory in Northamptonshire, England. Designed as part of the 125th anniversary collection, I couldn't see a better way to honour the brand. Working for Superdry since I was 18, I've recently seen the introduction of Cheaney shoes in the flagship store. In particular these shoes, and what a difference they have made to the premium look of the brand. The colour gradient of Dark wood compliments the design of the shoes very well, giving a slightly more casual look to a formal and classic shoe.

Retails at £299.00 and comes in Almond Tan Grain/Dark Leaf

www.cheaney.co.uk

EDWIN:

Like the Avon brogue, the Edwin is constructed in a very similar manor with the same materials. The focal point of this shoe, for me, has to be the canvas detailing on the front of the shoe. This takes a leap in the opposite direction of the Avon. Being a casual brogue with a formal element, which would suit my look and lifestyle perfectly. Still conforming to the brands vision of a hard wearing and long lasting shoe, the brogue has a Goodyear wetted leather sole with an interlink rubber tip. This ensures that no water or cold with filter through the sole, ensuring you always have dry toes.

Retails at £265.00 and comes in Dark Leaf Sand Canvas/Chesnut & Navy Suede.

www.cheaney.co.uk

The whole range is of course perfection, but perhaps I'm biased, as MR Cheaney is of course a legend when it comes to my personal style. If only I could shift a payrise to buy a pair. Needless to say I endeavour to encourage all of you young and older men to purchase a pair of these timeless and lifelong shoes. They will not only vastly improve your image but they will wrap your feet in love and warmth.

Both shoes RRP at 

McQueen - No shit on British Fashion.

I'm sure we can all agree, that Sarah Burton has done nothing but make us proud since her inception as creative director, at the haus of Alexander McQueen. Burton took over the fashion giants design, when McQueen passed away five years ago, in fact two weeks before my 18th birthday, and while even she will agree, that Alexander can not be replaced, she's done a pretty good job. As we can see, her main goal is to preserve the intention if the brand, and it's signatories, whoever giving her own spin and flare to the designs. As a CSM graduate, you can see she pays great attention to details. Everything in the collection is highly crafted alongside explosions of, what I like to call, metaphorical couture. This is a phrase I feel best describes an outfit which is so intense, loud and just fucking beautiful... It's almost an emotional metaphor.

Taking a closer look at the collection, the influence of traditional British military is evident and also I think key to the pieces. McQueen has always been proud of being British, and that shows in the labels work. Small yet important factors, such as; British tailoring, manufacturing,designing and promotion are almost as important as the aesthetic of the collection, when it comes to their principal.

Looking from an aesthetic point if view, Burton infuses timeless pieces with some influence from the mid 80's which is what makes the garments look and feel so special and unique. I've chosen only a few outfits to focus on, and without focusing on just one or two, I feel the collection as a whole really does work with what Burton has been trying (and succeeding) to achieve for the haus. Red, black and gold play an important part in the colour palette, and for a good reason as I believe, especially gold will be very big in fashion this and also next season. If anything is at fault, I would have liked to see the collection presented in a slightly more adventurous way, opposed to conventional catwalk. On the other hand doing so could degrade the impact the initial collection has. Needless to say Sarah Burton really has hit the nail on the head with this one. Big love to her!