So I'm currently in never-ending job application hell due to the impending doom of graduation and this evening I finally managed to submit my application for a 6 month internship at GQ.com. I had to submit two examples of writing along with my CV so for one of them I wrote a piece on the menswear at Manchester Fashion Week which I attended while I was at home over the Easter holidays. I've actually been meaning to write a post on it for ages because I had such an amazing time. I went with my sister and we saw shows by All Saints, Ted Baker, Temperley, Mulberry and loads more. I will get a proper post up along with some shoddily taken iPhone photos soon (my camera is out of action at the moment) but for now here's the article I wrote on the menswear.
With the announcement that this June, London will play host
to a three day event dedicated exclusively to the celebration of British menswear,
it is possible that men’s clothing has never been more prominent on the
national fashion stage. Fitting then, that the first ever Manchester Fashion
Week should focus so heavily on menswear, featuring big name brands from Ted
Baker to Paul Smith.
Ranging from debut collections by up and coming designers to
new season showings from long-established brands, MFW covered the whole
spectrum of contemporary British menswear. Even Calum Best’s new range of
eco-underwear (it’s made from bamboo apparently) could be found nestling
somewhere amongst the various international designers on offer and if that
doesn’t indicate diversity I don’t know what does.
American heritage brand, Brooks Brothers offered a classic
take on casualwear, with clean-cut trench coats and neutral coloured chinos the
order of the day. Leather satchels and Ivy League knitwear added to the overall
aesthetic reminiscent of a mid-range Ralph Lauren.
Ted Baker, who have just launched their first ever bespoke
service offering everything from customised bags to monogrammed suit jackets,
showed a colourful collection that included pastel blazers teamed with polka
dot bow ties and straight-edged formalwear paired with roughhewn canvas
rucksacks. The preppy image was given a final twist with the centrepiece of the
collection: a traditional belted mac in electric cobalt blue.
Flannels, the UK's largest independent luxury retail group,
had their very own show, which featured a range of high-end designers including
Paul Smith, Nigel Cabourn and Saville Row tailor William Hunt. By far one of
the most popular events of the week, the Flannels show began with Cabourn’s Spring/Summer
12 collection: an old-school affair with a vintage feel created by muted
colours and woven braces. Waterproof jackets and lumberjack shirts added to the
practical, Rock Hudson-esque impression. At the other end of the spectrum,
Manchester’s own William Hunt brought a touch of Saville Row to proceedings
with his clean lines and sharp tailoring, while Paul Smith’s usual dapper style
was evoked through the minute details: silk scarves knotted casually around the
neck and the iconic barely visible floral lining.
With the menswear collections given almost equal prevalence to
the womenswear at MFW, it’s clear to see that the landscape of men’s fashion is
changing. With the launch of ‘London Collections: Men’ in June, British
designers will soon have a platform from which to catapult themselves into the
spotlight in ways previously unheard of in the United Kingdom. Whether Calum
Best’s ‘eco-underwear’ will be following them into that spotlight, well let’s
just say I have my doubts.
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