Following the final bow of the SS16 menswear week in Paris yesterday, here’s our edit of the best menswear-inspired looks from the Pre-Fall 2015 collections to carry your working wardrobe for the season ahead.
By Christopher Prince
London
London Collections: Men kickstarted the SS16 season earlier this month to the throwback sounds of Topman Design – picking up pace over four days and over 75 shows before reaching an idyllic finale inside Burberry Prorsum’s Kensington Gardens greenhouse. Streets were littered with dapper gentlemen in Savile Row inspired three-piece suits, with some mixing up proceedings with bad boy edge via ripped jeans and Doc Martens.
London put a unique twist on men’s tailoring this season which was all about a nineties revival. Green was a signature shade for the likes of Richard James, while summer appropriate suede made an appearance at Dunhill. The key silhouette was the wide-legged, high-waist trouser courtesy of E. Tautz, borrowed from the womenswear collections a season prior – but nevertheless an easy alternative to add a feminine touch to strict men’s suiting. Emulating London’s offbeat charm is an ideal excuse to implement key elements from the Pre-Fall collections. Take Christopher Kane’s bloom embroidered leather jacket piped with neon green vines, go off-kilter in a J.W. Anderson ensemble in SS16’s favoured suede and denim combination or take on the season’s nineties nostalgia in an Elizabeth & James kilt and trouser duo complete with a leather waist satchel. Rule Brittania!
Milan
Enter Milan, the birthplace of menswear and the home to some of the most luxurious brands in the world. The collections this season were noticeably more daring than ever before, with the Milanese heavyweights via Prada, Gucci and Missoni blurring gender traditions with collections inspired by womenswear cuts and fabrics. Tailoring was still an integral part of the season however as Calvin Klein, Bottega Veneta and Corneliani all took on a utilitarian approach to dressing smart in summer shades of khaki, cream and beige.
While a black pantsuit is a usual wardrobe go-to, shake things up and embrace the current trend for all things retro. In Milan playful prints were on the menswear agenda, seen at both Prada and Salvatore Ferragamo. Look to the Pre-Fall collections from Opening Ceremony and Prabal Gurung for daring suiting alternatives – even a Fendi logo sweatshirt would work. The SS16 season also made a case for silk tailoring which ran throughout the Dolce & Gabbana and Versace collections, both inspired by Japanese fashions. Channel those painterly motifs with a Pre-Fall Bottega Veneta trench coat lacquered with an artisanal brushstroke print to achieve a similar effect.
Paris
What makes the French special is their complete and utter insouciance to style despite the fact Paris is the central nervous system for fashion. This season was all about the flexibility of sportswear and workwear in the city. This was most evident at the Lemaire show on the first day of Paris. That thread continued throughout the collections. Dior Homme threw a haute bourgeoisie Frenchman onto the streets of a flower-lined show space clad in suiting and sneakers, whilst Kim Jones riffed on Japan’s interpretation of traditional American sportswear for his Louis Vuitton presentation.
Paris adopted much of what we witnessed in London and Milan. The skinny pantsuit was a reoccurring silhouette, minimally cut at the Maison Marginal show via sleek dégagé proportions. You only had to look at the cool girl stance of Emmanuelle Alt to realise its potential. Pre-Fall Fausto Puglisi offers an alternative to the trend with a straight leg suit piped with electric blue. While Givenchy’s take on a traditional pantsuit arrives in a polka dot print with a frothy chiffon neck tie to match. Speaking of neck ties, Paris was one of the major players to showcase the accessory this season. Namely at Issey Miyake where graphic silk scarves were a stand out detail, and at Louis Vuitton with neck ties paired underneath satin souvenir jackets. See Costume National for a Pre-Fall take on this attainable trend.
New York
Staging their first official menswear week this season will be New York. The business-like nature of the Big Apple will serve its menswear designers well in the future, and with a confirmed show schedule that will feature some of the city’s biggest names, such as Thom Browne, Michael Kors and Tommy Hilfiger, along with the breakout Public School who have been making serious waves over the past few seasons, New York is seriously shaping up to rival its European cousins.
There’s an unashamed tough exterior to a New York woman, and given the city’s urban landscape Pre-Fall’s conservative styles make for a perfect match. Cite an oversized and languid silhouette courtesy of The Row, take on boardroom fashion with a crisp white shirt belted at the waist a la American stalwart label, Donna Karan or riff on sportswear terrains in a thoroughly modern Alexander Wang jumpsuit, backpack optional.
