Dries Van Noten AW10

Dries Van Noten seems to be incapable of nothing.

His most recent collection AW10 encapsulates three of the major trends for next winter, and styles them in a way which injects eccentricity into even the most office ready ensemble.

If I was a high earning man, I would hire Noten to be my personal tailor, but as it happens, I will just try to spread his sartorial message as far and wide as I am able to reach.

Camel is a dominate feature in this understadedly gorgeous collection, as are contrasting sleeves which have also been adopted by Cerruti, Les Hommes and Kenzo [which means they are a surefire find on the highstreet as well as the luxury boutiques], tracksuit trousers were used as a quirky subsitute for suit trousers in a couple of the looks bringing an entirely new quality to the slouchy staple garment of a day off and the palette was based around city colours: grey, navy, thick cream and the aforementioned camel. Pop colours such as red and royal blue were encorporated into Noten's famed and fabulous patterned fabrics, to inject a hint of vibrancy for next winter.

James Long: The inimatable rebel.

The collection was cohesive and immediate: you just wanted to run and steal one of the distressed black woolens, to put on immediately, his ability to manipulate yarns is second to none, except perhaps Mark fast's womenswear: but that is neither here nor there.

The palette was dark and sulky, flashes of red were littered about creating a richness to the collection that the otherwise inobtrusive palette could not have managed alone.

Details: Head bands, leather: cushioned/panelled/all over it was everywhere, oversized knits, boiler suits, biker trousers, obese courdroys, shearling, denim, distressed.

I think those words summarise the collection in it's most simplistic terms quite effectively. Again shearling was sent down the runway: this time in the shape of bags and random detailing. All denim was printed with red, all courdroy was made up of FAT channeling rather than the rather demure grooves of courdroys on offer in American Apparel.

Navy was a popular colour for this maestro of British fashion and a biker/grease monkey theme was impossible to ignore: what with the leathers and boiler suits popping up consistently.

All in all, this collection stayed true to Long's menswear vision, It was fresh, contemporary and wearable.

Images by James Pinkie Terry.

Christopher Shannon shows us the slopes.

No one has ever mastered quirky leisure wear with quite the same mastery as Christopher Shannon: his trade mark icy palette remained but with neon pop colours which added a lovely retro edge and made me think of it as the wardrobe for the cast of Saved By The Bell - if they were ever to go skiing.

The formula was the same as always: Panelling, colour blocking and pattern OVERLOAD. Paisley and snowflakes are the patterning choice for AW10, appearing on knitted head bands, turtle necks, trousers and jackets: it was simply sumptious.

The tech fabrics that Shannon has the ability to manipulate with such ease were fashionably in attendance: netting and nylon the infamous favourites! Splashings of sartorial kept the juxtaposition of sportswear and tailoring going strong.

Shearling detailing confirmed this as the ultimate fabric for the colder, fresher months of 2010 and the earliest months of 2011 or now (if you are not already wearing your spring/summer concoctions in an act of brazen defiance?).

Quite frankly, I want nothing more than to go to the alps next winter in head to toe Christopher Shannon, not to ski. Just to wear it.

Tim Soar: The epitome of class.

http://www.dazeddigital.com/Fashion/gallery/34/6828/10/Tim_Soar_AW_10-11

No ones collection shouted WEALTH, quite like Tim Soars. With the addition of some of Savile Row's finiest tailors showing collections at Men's day: some of the more contemporary designers gave prestigious sartorial and infinite elegance a whirl.

Tim Soar was the most successful: leather cumber bands and rain hats, double breasted jackets and coats. Camel, caramel, black, navy and white: the palette of a gentleman, the attire of a success story.

AW 10 may just be the season of Soar. Cropped jackets and collarless shirts added a contemporary twist with the traditionalism that was flaunted in the faces of the avant-garde supporters, and there was the blue boy - he was pretty avant garde, but immaculately dressed!

Unfortuneately the camer suffered technical difficulties throughout our time backstage so the image is borrowed from Dazed Digital and the imagery talents of David Hellqist.

Carolyn Massey: Obsolete Prototype C53

And so here we have the collection that set the standard for men's day on Wednesday 24th, and what a standard. The boys reminded me of ballet dancers with their dramatically sunken eyes, prominently shaded cheek bones and slickly swept back hair.

Massey's innate talent for knits was displayed to perfection: chunky, intrusive snoods were draped around necks, and striped, forties inspired, jumpers were kepeing the boy's leather clad bottoms warm.

Leather was adored throughout, as was a delicate shade of mauve - the exact same shade that popped into JW Anderson's collection - a new shade of elegance. Wool coats were worn open, loose and long.

Trousers were cropped emphasising the detailing on the brogue ankle boots, and introducing an interesting element of femininity to the scrutinizing masses: gaping, rope like, fishnet tights: a quirky detail which complimented the sartorial masculinity of the collection beautifully.

Carolyn Massey has firmly established herself at the very tip top of modern menswear.

All photos by James Pinkie Terry

The finer details of JW Anderson AW10/11

Back stage at JW Anderson, the team were running comfortably (or should I say fashionably) late. Effortlessly causing a tangible suspense among the neatly seated audience.

The details included a whole host of picnic rugs sculpted into delectable items: bags, jackets and waistcoats were all victims of the itchy tartan look, by by God it worked well.

Sleeping mats were rolled into bags, whilst resembling their camping partner - the sleeping bag.

Studs were embellishing everything from faces to ankles, and back up to the necks. And LOOK at those JW earrings: what would you do for one of those? I would actually go camping in the highlands if that was my reward!

JW Anderson has established his name through his dramatic collections, ecclectic silhouettes and fearless flamboyancy, his interpretation of AW10 was no disapointment: perhaps punk has already been done, but the fusion of galic culture and the punk movement was genius.. it all lay in the flowers.

All images are by James Pinkie Terry