filmed by JEJ for FACADES

Somewhere between Aztec and London graffiti artist wrapped up in futuristic packaging, is perhaps the best I can come up with to articulately describe the A/W ’14 KTZ offering. Lots of mixed fabrics and textures are employed in metallic and monochrome colours to give it a very foreword-looking and diverse image. The models were even adorned with metallic face-paints on the runway to give the new range an even more ‘out there’, ethereal aesthetic.

images shot by JEJ for FACADES

This Savile Row royal name delivered the kind of elegant, English sophistication that is nothing short of what I had expected. The presentation was a little light on garments, but everything that was displayed upheld Barrie’s sublime reputation in men’s formalwear. The stand out piece was a slate grey, wool, two-piece suit with horizontal pin stripes. This might sound, in print, like an abomination…but it just looked bold and confident – especially with it’s broad, peaked lapels, and when coupled with a crisp button down collar (injecting a touch of Ivy League sleekness).

filmed by JEJ for FACADES

Varvatos demonstrably took a lot of inspiration from rock n’ roll living legends, KISS, for his new range which hit the ruway in Milan on the first day. Items which immediately stood out were a gold python bomber jacket, and use of the Dickensian wing-tip collar. All of these nods to a gothic London aesthetic gave the whole show a very dark, ominous, yet deeply memorable, sense. The monochromatic, and fairly demonic, face-paints which are so well known to KISS fans were also used in abundance – and on occasion, mirrored in the low cut v-neck t-shirts. Needless to say, the appearance of aforementioned living legends at the Varvatos after-party, for some classic tongue popping poses was just the icing on the cake. 

images shot by JEJ for FACADES

Big, bold, block patterns jump out of Talavera’s new collection as the cornerstone of the ‘new look’. Thick stripes are used across almost all of the garments, whether as detailing around the cuff of trousers, or as the main design across the front of a sleeveless t-shirt. The new collection does remind me a little bit of clothing’s answer to Tetris, as these block shapes attempt to fit together across the whole outfit. Perhaps lacking a bit of variety, and leaning quite hard on a trouser bottom which splays over the laces of the shoes – not a trend I can necessarily see spilling out over the streets of London.

images shot by JEJ for FACADES

The main, consistent feature of ‘The Casagrande look’ this for A/W ‘14 is the use of vertical stripes, over the chest of the shirts, these are joined together by small strings, which creates an effect somewhat like a fish’s scales. The overall aesthetic is extremely textured, and when used on collar-less shirts, creates a far-eastern fusion effect. These are bold enough to make it perfectly obvious when someone is wearing one of these garments from the new range.

image shot by JEJ for FACADES

The models of the presentation were set against a heavily patterned, busy back-drop which sets the tone for a new collection making use of some prints which are so visually loud that they could be accidentally perceived as being an optical illusion. My eyes were drawn instantly to the trousers and shirt of one particular model – these two garments were both marked with red, aggressive text and flecks, giving a sort of blood-spattered effect. Across a shirt and trousers - definitely too much. However, when on just the trousers I can see a good sales angle with that kind of gritty, sharp look.

filmed by JEJ for FACADES

I’m not convinced for a second by the plastic skull caps used by James Long in his Autumn Winter ’14 collection, it feels like too much of an obvious gimmick, however the use of puffed and bubbled fabric across a very wide range of baseball-style jackets certainly leaves a very clear ‘James Long look’ for the upcoming autumn. Long also makes use of some big, primary colours in blocks across his jackets – and your focus is always there, as the dark trousers are uniform across the range. 

filmed by JEJ for FACADES

Nothing to shock and awe, but enough to get a few cogs turning. Matthew Miller’s A/W ’14 collection straddles the gap between urban and progressive, with some help from an almost exclusively black colour scheme. There were a couple of bomber jackets that stood out, one particularly, in a dark, inky green, textured with zips and studs, but not too outlandish. It would make a very easy transition from runway to store for good commercial returns. Overall the M.M. AW’14 look is extremely clean, with nothing pushing far enough to raise eyebrows for the wrong kind of reasons.  

filmed by JEJ for FACADES

John Richmond’s new range had a hard, masculine elegance which is such a hard balance to strike. The vast majority of the collection were monochromatic, with occasional dashes of red and two entirely red outfits. The range seems to sit somewhere between dark, futurism and east London attitude. Some strong, aggressive angles across the lapels and detailing of the new Richmond coats, combined with short-studded footwear really did set the testosterone fuelled tone for this new collection. The use of monochrome camo trousers with lightly detailed leather, high collared jackets does just re-enforce the strong attitude which rolled down the runway for 15 minutes of pure, Richmond gold.