Photography © Asia Werbel 2012
Today is Men’s Day. Oh yes. A day dedicated to the man and his many outfits. Man only gets 1 day outta 6 (a slightly unfair proportion some might say) but by the time you do get to Man day, well, you are kind of crazy hungry for it, waiting for 5 days sharpens the taste buds perfectly! I was also enjoying the fact that here at fashion week we celebrate the Woman as muse; here they are headliners. There are so many forums where this just isn’t the case, take Wimbledon for instance. The competition so often feels as if it as all about the Men’s Final. They ARE the grand slam. With the Olympics round the corner I am already getting tired of the focus put on the men’s 100-meter sprint, as if that race encapsulated all there is about being a sportsperson. Here at LFW woman are everywhere, designing, modeling, styling and viewing. It is incredibly refreshing. In an attempt to address the balance they gave men’s fashion a day. The last day. I just love that!!
The first show I settle down to is called “Milk-Tray Man”. This day just gets better and better. Milk Tray Man. I can see those toile curtains fluttering, the only sign that the MTM has been and gone (that and a nasty box of chocolates left on the bed which I then get stuck into whilst I yearn for him to return.) I can see the torrid waves thrashing, but MTM is undeterred. He will go to extreme lengths to give me those blasted chocolates. He desperately needs to clear a bit of space in his incredibly slim briefcase, that or he just LOVES me. The end result is chocolate, so I don’t really care about the reasons. Baartmans and Siegel site MTM as a leading inspiration for their collection his “sartorial style and mystery” giving the collection a playful and slick appeal. A man in disguise. A man on a mission. A spy with a soft side. The Spy who loves me (oh I’m getting my references mixed up here but MTM has a lot of the Bond about him) So we get a man ready for action but also dressed to impress. A double-breasted suit with a puffa jacket layered on top. Or a pair of leather gloves paired with a puffa. Traditional British tailoring such a jodhpurs reinvented in easy to wear fabrics such as jersey. Cute woolly hats to keep out the biting cold with a perfectly pressed initialed handkerchief poking out of the breast pocket. Nice touches. Some of my favorite pieces were the silk and cashmere scarves, which accessorized the collection. The patterning was gorgeous, in monochrome colours with a print like atoms or snow falling, they gave the collection something that the MTM lacked.. A touch of the metro sexual man. He was too busy readjusting his goggles in his latex gloves to give a silk scarf a try. He looks even better now, with one!
Next up was “The ones to watch men” a collection of the hottest new talent on the fashion scene. This is what that Vauxhall Fashion Scout do so well; spotting and promoting emerging talents. Their tag line is “the Home of new Talent” and they have certainly earned that title. Tobefrank of England kicks us off with a gorgeously theatrical take on men’s fashion. A man in an Elizabethan-esque jacket rocks on to the stage, he holds a bunch of red roses in his left hand. I think Mercutio just swaggered into my world, A Mercutio in DM’s and startling tattoos. I notice that a lot of the models chosen for this collection share a taste for the inky art. One has a tat that grips his throat then slides down his esophagus like the advert for benylin, but a sexy San Fran version. Is that possible? Military styled shirts, utilitarian and plain, tailcoats and braces, a wax jacket. The detailing in this collection was superb. My favorite one? Putting two pairs of collar on one shirt. Magic. One was red the other blue. AND WHY NOT??? Somehow it just worked. The trousers all had a cute turn-up, some of them finished with a flash of red. The braces all had a fabric tab to clip onto. Another tiny touch but I noticed it and enjoyed it. Sometimes it’s all in the details. 
Julian Zigeni wants to take us “to Infinity and beyond” in a expedition worthy of Scott and his crew. Backpacks are integrated into the fabric of the garment, to keep us as streamlined as possible. (Although heaven knows how you would get anything out of the backpack without either undressing or having a very helpful friend standing behind you) The materials used are weather and waterproof. Cajoles are plonked on heads; the look we used to rock in the playground. Bags are accessorised with beading placed in sweet patterns, as if they were drawn on by a lovesick teenager. Yes there is something of the school kid about this whole collection. A schoolboy’s fantasy of adventure and the great outdoors.
BodyBound brought glamour back to the catwalk in a massive gold shower. The first piece is a huge gold jacket worn with an over sized gold visor. Then the collection takes a more delicate shift and gold is woven on tops and garters with a stunning criss cross beaded design. I had never thought that tweed and gold beading would look so good together. Kim Choong-Wilkins doesn’t just make it look good he makes it sexy and oh so easy.Joseph Turvey is the last of the “ones to watch” and has a coquettish delight in surprising us. His first piece is a shocking pink see-through Mac with a lace and frill inset at the back. He takes the socks and sandals look and really runs with it. Matching the colour of the socks EXACTLY to the sandals. If Jesus walked in to LFW Vauxhall building he’d be straight on to this look. Well it is kind of a miracle to rework the socks and sandals combo. Joseph Turvey uses digital technology to pattern and colour his fabrics so everything has the sheen of something beyond the ordinary. It feels hyper real and very hot in here suddenly. It must be the suit made entirely of tiny cut out flowers or the purple hologram material on the underside of the peaked cap. Or the yellow gingham shirt making me think of Dorothy in the wizard of Oz making her way down that hot dusty road. Girl by Beyonce plays us out. Here I am watching boys to Girls. An irony not lost on me. LFW it’s been an absolute delight. Thank you!
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