Ones To Watch - Men A/W12

I reviewed this show for Sweet and Sound:

http://www.sweetandsound.co.uk/2012/02/ones-to-watch-at-vauxhall-fashion-scout/

No show captures the celebratory furore of Man Day quite like the ‘Ones To Watch’. Tonight Vauxhall Fashion Scout hosted a wonderfully eclectic mix of four exciting new menswear designers picked by a team of industry experts including Katy England, Jessica Shackleton, Susie Lau and Marios Schwab.

First to hit the catwalk was Tobefrank. The stream of wistful looking models wore traditionally inspired menswear design and carried bouquets of red roses. The designer behind Tobefrank is Frank Philips; a hapless romantic inspired by literature (Dickens, to be precise), her English heritage and idyllic life in the country. Frank is on a mission to re-establish old world masculinity and the true English gent.

The collection included trousers with braces, blazers and peacoats, built around buttoned up shirts in strong military colours of crimson, navy and khaki. The tailoring was fairly loose fitting and easy to wear with masculine shapes that buck the slim fit silhouette synonymous with contemporary luxury men’s tailoring that Frank rejects. Details such as double flap pockets on a brown blazer with wide, oversized stitching around the collar, wide lapelles and high necked buttoned up shirts suggests a hybrid of cross class dressing. However a strip of crimson on the reverse side of rolled up trousers provides refined detail. Altogether this evokes nostalgia and fuses practicality with high fashion. 

Next up was Julian Zigali. Julian’s models looked like eager schoolboys dressed to embark on a science trip adventure. Shrunken puffa jackets coupled with beaded necklaces, anoraks and backpacks gave a sense of the nerdy. Anorak hoods worn cape like and backpacks built into jackets as though worn underneath evoked playground humour, indeed the collection is entitled ‘To infinity and beyond’. Playful, floral prints in unique Swiss fabrics clashed together on a shirt or uniformly across a shirt and trousers. The colour scheme was a varied range of earthy shades, red, white, navies and pastels. The garments possessed detailing associated with practical outdoor wear such as elastic drawstring waistbands on trousers and boots styled with warm hats and gloves constructed from striking laser cut fabric to reveal flesh. Details such as these added substance to Julian’s fun designs. Julian has created a dreamy world that is Peter Pan like in its nostalgia for boyhood.

Bodybound hit show goers with a collection that injects lust into rigid menswear design. The first model onto the catwalk dazzled in a sun bright Aran trench, lacquered in gold with a striking black lining. This statement piece was effortlessly contrasted with tailored trousers and brogues, which stylishly matched the models vintage sleeked back hair. This ensemble set the tone throughout as tailored pieces that hark to traditional menswear in check or pin stripe fabrics and classic plain white t-shirts were used as backdrops for punky studs and rich gold embroidered beading. Shirts were contrasted with gold biker jackets and models wore plastic visors. Transparent plastic was a prominent feature of the Bodybound show. It strode onto the runway wrapped around a muscular, square jawed model who wore nothing but boxers and braces beneath a plastic trench, coupled with boots and stud adorned socks. The collection sees a paradox of ideas and challenges traditional notions of menswear, so it is little surprise to learn that Kim Choong-Wilkins worked for fellow Saville Row anarchist, Alexander McQueen.

The show ended on a bright and optimistic note with Joseph Turvey.

Joseph is a talented illustrator in his own right having illustrated for numerous publications and his illustrations feature heavily, digitally printed across his designs. Indeed, they form the identity of his brand. The illustrations themselves are intriguing images of male models with cool, nonchalant expressions that are subtly sad and tenderly beautiful making it quite easy to get lost in the face of one of his portraits.

Joseph has coupled tailored shorts with jackets and t-shirts in fabrics such as broderie Angliaise and soft chiffons and uses a fiercely bright colour scheme including fuchsia, orange and lemon checks contrasted with black and white. A break away piece is the bright striped t-shirt that reveals striking bands of flesh. A true artist, Joe’s work is formed from experimentation with traditional techniques and menswear tailoring, unexpected fabrics, print and surface design creating garments that are truly unique and thus pushes menswear into exciting new realms.