London Fashion Week menswear | Fashion Trends Men

The last day of Paris men’s week and the night of the official reception at the London Menswear Showrooms, the British Fashion Council invited the core of UK menswear press to dinner at the terribly chic Derriere restaurant in Paris. It was a national congregation on foreign territory as only the English can do it (no wonder they had so many colonies) and rather a spectacular evening. The reason we were there: to witness a fashion historic announcement from Harold Tillman CBE, Chairman of the BFC. After an introduction from Mr Tillman, which included a video clip featuring interviews with a number of London menswear designers, the Editor-in-Chief at British GQ, Dylan Jones took over to make the statement. The entire congregated menswear body of London – including press, buyers, PRs, and designers – stood in silence as Mr Jones told us the following: as of next season, a standalone menswear week will be added to the international schedule of seasonal menswear weeks. The first London Menswear Week will run from 15-17 June 2012, and include initiatives from the likes of Sir Paul Smith. Needless to say, after the beautifully formal beginning of the evening, we all hit the champagne and partied till the early hours. You can take the Britons out of the England, but you can’t take England out of the Britons. It was a truly exceptional evening, most of all because it didn’t take place on British grounds. There we were, about 150 Londoners jammed together in a Parisian restaurant, all coming together in our devotion to British menswear – a concept, which prior to the launch of the menswear day at London Fashion Week not many seasons ago, almost only existed on Savile Row. When I arrived at Derriere, I was met by James Long and his sister Charlotte, the perhaps most famed menswear label to come out of London. Then I saw Cozette McCreery and Joe Bates of SIBLING, who, along with their co-designer Sid Bryan, brought niche menswear in the shape of demi-couture knitwear to London menswear. It is thanks to the likes of the Longs and the SIBLINGs that the city will now set sails for a new era of menswear. Menswear dashingly proclaims that it is no longer a tepid second to womenswear in London fashion week, launching June 2012. The show, elegantly entitled ‘London Collections: Men’ will host an array of designers, from James Long to Sir Paul Smith. Burdened with the expectation of success, London fashion week designers are putting together revelatory exhibits in order to attract buyers from across the world. BFC chairman, Harold Tillman, was quoted as saying that the collection will form a “cross-cultural programme creating a festival for menswear in what will be a truly exciting year for the UK.” This announcement has already sparked speculations of an Elton John concert at the event. With so much negative press focusing on the UK economic climate, the sale and growth of quality menswear in the UK should be celebrated. The launch of a ‘boys only’ event at London fashion week is yet another indication that the menswear industry is growing from strength to strength. The introduction of London fashion week street style shows the collaboration of vivid, bold palette with heavy-duty outfits, an example of this can be seen in Dickies workwear. The global growth of men’s fashion is indicated in the rise of sales from £2.7 billion to £21.4 billion. The notion that catwalk-led fashion is too impractical has been buried by men who have broken free of those restraints. The trends will have men going from double-breasted suits to their work overalls, slipping into sport luxe outfits to wind down their day at the gym. While London prepares for the 2012 Olympics, the dates and tickets for London fashion week present a unique opportunity to visit the capital before the crowds descend. According to Gordon Richardson, “you only have to be in London for five minutes to see that there is an energy here that you don’t see anywhere else in the world.” The buzz surrounding the men’s collection for London fashion week suggests that it is an event that shouldn’t be missed. You are in this big city but don’t feel like you are the part of the society. To gain the true sense of London and make yourself mingle better with the people, I suggest you to dress in the similar way of how they dress. There are various styles that are usually worn by Londoners. It is very convenient for you because you can pick any style that suits you the best. Here are the points that you should take onto your consideration before trying to dress like a Londoner. The first thing you have to think about is the look you want to choose. It can be sporty, casual, sophisticated, or any other option. You can check the way British celebrities or London bands dress to get the understanding of the different styles of London fashion. You can check it from the magazine or internet. You can copy the style but try to add some touches to make it match your own taste. Remember to put the comfort first above anything else because real Londoners wear the clothes that they are comfortable in. The weather in London is cool for most days of the year. That is why layered clothing is very popular among Londoners. To do the layer, you may combine your vest and sweater, blouse and jacket, shirt and cardigan, or anything else. You can also add a long scarf made from wool to emphasize the look like a typical Londoner and also remember to wear clothing items that are well-fitted to your body and do not wear loose fitting ones because it will add bulk to your shape, and it is not really attractive to look at. The colors that are usually chosen by typical Londoners are pastel shades and black. Wear your suit in navy, brown, camel, beige, white, baby blue and other subtle colors. If you want to play it safe, you can dress in basic black. Black is the signature color of Londoner and they usually have a lot of clothes in this color. The fashion items you better have to dress like a real Londoner because they are usually worn by Londoners casually are a pair of straight leg jeans, polo shirt, knitted sweaters, scarf, leather jackets, and basic tees. The new fashion is usually formed on the streets. So don’t be afraid to experiment with the style that you see when you are walking around. You can also be the part of it by mixing and matching styles, colors, length and create your own look. This is the best part of living in big cities, you can wear all you want. There is no particular dress code that you should follow. Don’t wear shorts if you don’t want to go lying on the beach. Don’t wear white sneakers. You only wear them if you want to go to the gym. Finally, I am just going to say that the point is not about what you are wearing but more to how you are wearing it. The ordinary clothes will make you shine if you wear it with style. Londoner-turned-New Yorker, Simon Spurr, started men’s clothing brand SPURR three years ago. Spurr, former designer for Calvin Klein, and Ralph Lauren’s esteemed Black and Purple labels, has created a high-end brand which is a fast rising star. With timeless design, and notably durable materials, it’s no wonder SPURR can regularly be found on the pages on GQ. Simon Spurr and SPURR alike have a strong relationship with Los Angeles. “LA is becoming a very, very important city for me and my company,” Spurr said in a recent chat with LAist. Aside from being found locally at popular retailers Barney’s, Confederacy and American Rag, SPURR’s denim is manufactured here as well. “The denim’s made in one of the better factories in LA. They do a beautiful product.” LAist recently had a chance to chat with Simon about SPURR, LA style and what the LA guy can do to dress a little better.