Paul Davis – Polaroids from Paris Fashion Week

Berlin based Menswear designer Paul Davis recently showed his latest collection ‘no mans land’ at Paris Fashion Week. Although I unfortunately couldn’t make it over to see the range close up, these polaroid’s have given me a small taste of what’s to come and it looks like another great collection.

Continuing the themes of modernity and simplistic luxury that have run through his previous work, this collection is said to be based on “the hybrid looks and influences in this age of increased mobility”.  The range draws its inspiration from artists who have found their home abroad and as such, explores the sartorial mix of combining opposing cultures.

Asymmetrical trench coats, form-fitting parkas, crisp mackintoshes, smart dress shirts, deconstructed tailored jackets – the entire collection strives to capture this new aesthetic and this can also be seen in the diversity of fabrics that make up the collection. With wools come from the Austrian Alps, flannels from the mountainous Biella region, shirtings from Switzerland and waxed cottons from the United Kingdom, some of the best quality materials have been sourced from around the world.

The collection is made entirely in Berlin, with the only concession being a new collaboration with Germany’s oldest tie manufacturer in Hamburg. It’s a collection that’s been put together with care and attention, with detail and fabrication the utmost priority. It’s one I can’t wait to see more of it.

For more information on the label and to see the current collection, go to the website here: Paul Davis.

Kitsuné Autumn/Winter 2012 collection

More Autumn/Winter 2012 for your perusal today with a look at Kitsuné’s upcoming collection. This latest range is said to be a modern reinterpretation of the now famous British Tweed Run, but as you’d expect it’s all done with a familiar French twist.

It’s a range the French label say is suitable for either work or leisure. Indeed the image of a chic man riding his bicycle in the city, whilst wearing a traditional outfit is the reference Maison Kitsuné designer Masaya Kuroki’s drew upon whilst putting the collection together. With such inspiration it’s no surprise to see many formal items in wool, tweed and heavyweight cotton featuring.

Once again there’s a continuation of their patch pocket blazer – a fantastic piece, especially in it’s Autumn/Winter guise of checked herringbone tweed (there’s also a slightly different version which makes up the top half of a suit). Other outerwear pieces include a mac, brushed cotton overshirts and there’s also a really nice take on the hooded mountain parka.

Knitwear is always a strong point of the label and this season sees a mix of styles from fine knit cardigans, to chunky cable knit crew necks and Fairisle jumpers (and socks). Stripes and checks featuring heavily on the shirting and there’s chinos aplenty  – which as the images show, the rolled hem’s not going anywhere just yet.

The cycling reference is seen throughout with jerseys, caps and cycling gloves featuring in many of the images but at the same time it does feel slightly superfluous to what is another lovely range of well thought out smart/casual garments. One thing that’s not in doubt is the care and attention that goes into this labels garments – which in turn makes for a durable and timeless product.

For more information on the brand, or to find your nearest stockist, go to the website here: Kitsuné.

Engineered Garments Spring/Summer 2012 collection

Now that the new collections are starting to filter into shops and the Autumn/Winter 2012 range are breaking cover, I’ve been revisiting many of the lookbooks for Spring/Summer to remember what’s in store for this season. One that I hadn’t taken much notice of at the time was this one from Engineered Garments. On reflection there’s some really nice pieces here, with plenty of interesting fabrics and finishing techniques present.

As said, fabrics are always a huge part of what Daiki Suzuki does with this label and this range looks to be no different in that respect. It doesn’t feel as immediate as the previous Autumn/Winter range (which is maybe why I only glanced over it originally) but there’s plenty here with seersucker through to typical chambray and washed cottons, plus large checks, polka dots, floral prints, paisley and the odd splash of camouflage making an appearance too.

Overall the range features many decent pieces of outerwear, which I think is something Suzuki is excellent at. From their well known Cruiser jacket, to an update of the brand’s 60/40 anorak in navy blue with multiple pockets, to their take on the bomber jacket (with a ‘shoulder hoody’ under it) and two-button semi-formal blazers there’s loads of great coats on display.

The shooting jacket with the contrast suede panels is detailed up to the nines but looks great for it – for me it’s one of the stand out pieces of the collection, as is the large check baker jacket, which is a much simpler garment but at the same time bold and very wearable. In addition to the many jackets is more of what you’d expect really – a broad range of garments from jersey wear to shorts, shirts and small accessories like ties and scarves.

Above is only a small selection of a collection that’s once again huge, so to see everything else on offer, or for more information on the brand and to find your nearest stockist, go to the website here: Engineered Garments.

Margaret Howell Autumn/Winter 2012 collection

Now this is what I call jumping the gun. No sooner have the Spring/Summer collections begun to hit the shops, the Autumn/Winter collections start breaking cover. Here’s a look at the next range from Margaret Howell, which offers yet another selection of well crafted staple items.

The range offers more of what we’ve come to expect from Howell and her well made and elegantly detailed wardrobe staples. There’s plenty of classic items here with a range of formal and more relaxed items making an appearance. This season also looks to be a return to a slimmer silhouette, which is something I’m particularly thankful for, as her clothes might actually fit me again.

Outerwear is something that’s always well considered within the range and here we’re presented with macs, parkas and formal two-button blazers. As is usual with Howell’s collections it’s the knitwear I’m most interested in – the red multi-panel jumper with the big collar and cuffs is a striking piece with lots going on, and at the other end of the spectrum is the white V-neck with its perfect simplicity. Both very different and both great.

Colour is kept simple with plenty of the usual navy blue, grey and black but there are also lighter earthy tones and the odd splash of brighter colour helping to life proceedings. These initial images would mark this as yet another solid collection from one of our best designers. For more information on the brand, or to find your nearest stockist, go to the website here: Margaret Howell.

Woolrich Woolen Mills Autumn/Winter 2012 behind the scenes

From Woolrich Woolen Mills comes this short film, highlighting some of their Autumn/Winter 2012 collection. This look behind the scenes of their latest photoshoot serves as a good indication of what’s to come with McNairy’s third season as the brand’s creative director.

The actual images from this shoot have recently surfaced (I’ll feature those soon) but this gives a nice insight of the range with plenty of close-ups of the garments. For more information on the brand, or to find your nearest stockist, go to the website here: Woolrich Woolen Mills.

Blue Claw Co.

Here’s a new one on me, the Blue Claw Co. who by the look of things make some very nice bags. Named after the Blue Claw Crab of the eastern shore of America’s Maryland, the company was started by Adam Blitzer, an entrepreneur and avid traveller, who during a trip across Argentina quickly discovered that his luggage was not suited for his excursions and decided to take matters into his own hands.

Blitzer began designing the line in 2010, and has now swapped his Wall Street broker position to become a luggage connoisseur. The collection consists of durable yet elegantly designed pieces, all of which are made with the goal of providing hardy luggage that lasts a lifetime.

The collection includes a varied range of luggage – from large pieces like duffel and overnight bags through to smaller items like toiletry and shoe bags. The line’s signature piece though is the highly acclaimed Worton Weekender, which looks like a serious bit of kit.

Bags are constructed from a mix of leather and non-rip ballistic nylon, with all engineered to the highest specifications and with global travel in mind. The range is built on the finest quality American craftsmanship possible, with a keen eye on keeping things simple and elegant – wanting the bags to become timeless classics.

For more information on the brand, or to buy online, go to the website here: Blue Claw Co.

Nigel Cabourn Autumn/Winter 2012

I’ve been wanting to talk about the Nigel Cabourn Autumn/Winter 2012 collection for a while now, after being privy to seeing some of its development whilst visiting the Cabourn studio last year (find that post here). Now that it’s finally broken cover thanks to these great images of their stand at Berlin’s Bread and Butter, from the Redwing blog I can.

As with the ‘Ascent of Cabourn’ collection, everything here has been developed to coincide with a historically significant moment – this time the 100th anniversary of Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s expedition to reach the South Pole.

The day prior to my studio visit, Nigel and the team had been to the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge on a research trip and I was lucky enough to see the photographs they’d taken on the day (many of them of items that aren’t on show to the public) and be talked through some of the ideas going into the garments.

Consisting of recreations of 12 pieces of clothing worn by Scott and his party during their time in the Antarctic there’s an emphasis on larger pieces of outerwear (as you’d expect from a collection based on clothing worn in inhospitable environments) with favoured fabrics like Harris Tweed, Ventile, wool and Shearling featuring heavily.

Everything in the range will be strictly limited edition (100 pieces per item) and as with the ‘Ascent’ collection, each piece will come with a beautifully crafted hardback book – I for one can’t wait to see more of this up close in the coming months. For more information on the brand, or to find your nearest stockist, go to the website here: Nigel Cabourn.

A pictorial Pitti roundup – part two

As promised here’s the second part in my round-up of what went on at this years Pitti Uomo tradeshow in Florence. Once again the images come from the utterly excellent Men’s Reverie who’s coverage of this event is the best out there (and there’s loads more on their own site). Additional imagery comes from both UntitleDV and INVENTORY.

Monitaly

Nigel Cabourn x Eddie Bauer

Our Legacy

Pure Blue Japan

Redux

Rocky Mountain Featherbed

Salvatore Piccolo

Se By Icho

Superior Labour

RVR Lardini

Swims

Tabarro

Ten C

Trickers

TS(S)

Until the next time then…

A pictorial Pitti roundup – part one

Well it’s that time of year again, and with it the Menswear buyers are descending upon the Italian city of Florence for a look at next season’s collections. As usual I’ve done a scour of the internet and put the best of what I’ve found here for your perusal. So here’s a look at what’s in store for Autumn/Winter 2012.

Ally Capellino

Aspesi

Barbour

Barena

Bevilaqua

Buttero

Church’s

Dieme

Esemplare

Filson

Grenson

Hartford

L’eskimo

Made and Crafted

Mark McNairy

Part two will follow tomorrow morning. For more information on the show itself, go to the website here: Pitti Uomo 81.

Men’s File presents HERITAGE

Men’s File, the well known subcultural style (fashion, motorcycles, cars, bicycles, surfing, skateboarding, military, re-enactment etc.) magazine have taken the step of setting up their first pop-up shop in London, which opened its doors yesterday for a fortnight. Situated on the ever popular Lamb Conduit Street, I popped down today to take a look and photograph the space.

The shop is a physical manifestation of the heritage style loved by the Men’s File editorial team. Containing a mix of clothing and curiosities, the space is a showcase of hand picked favourite pieces by The Curator (Men’s File on-line boutique), along with brands such as Lewis Leathers, Heritage Research, Private White V.C, Union 6, Allevol Jeans, Eastman Leather, Cherchbi and Buzz Ricksons (the Ricksons pieces are especially nice).

Nick Clements, the magazine’s Creative Director and Founder has transformed the pop-up space, turning it into a segment of the magazine with his unique knowledge of revival clothing and Americana memorabilia. You’ll find interesting bits such as a 2flex deck from 1978 signed by Tony Alva (if it wasn’t behind glass I’d have nicked it), replicas of Lewis Leathers biker jackets worn by Steve McQueen and unique screen prints which are on display and available to purchase.

It’s a great, if somewhat short lived addition to Lambs Conduit Street and one that’s well worth popping in to if you happen to be in the area. For more information on the magazine, go to the website here: Men’s File.