In the ongoing fashion weeks, we see a dash of fun being incorporated in menswear collections as designers play with various colours and fabrics. But many design houses plan on sticking to their classics with a few new elements. By Rupinder Kaur
In the wise words of Barney Stinson, “suit up” and be on a mission like the dapper Mr Bond. Maybe check the ‘most stylish’ men on the Oscar or Cannes’ red carpet and then turn to oh-so-handsome Justin Timberlake looking suave in his Suit & Tie music video with another stylish gent Jay Z puffing on a cigar. How about add in a scarf and a homburg hat for a more bohemian look like the beloved pirate Jack Sparrow aka Johnny Depp. But you may want to step away from getting caught with the Yeezy bug (rapper Kanye West’s fashion line). His over-sized knitwear, hoodies and sweatshirt in earthy and military hues were also termed as “future slave gear” and slammed by many other critics.
The autumn/winter collections by various luxury houses are showcasing their collections all over. Burberry, for example, incorporated the leopard prints. They also featured dress shirts with mirror embroidery. Salvatore Ferragamo brought in some interesting knitwear with flamingo designs. Paul Smith went back to the 70s with high-rise waist trousers and puff jackets while Emporio Armani went for slim pattered jackets and bombers with leather detailing.
Men, by and large, have been a bit more conservative about what to wear and thus have limited garment options. For the brands to create something new season after season is quite a task. Karunesh Vohra, Creative Director, louis Philippe, feels that men over the years have become far more experimental. “Today, the rules are lax. Having said that fortunately what excites men is quite different from what excites women. An admiration for crafting small changes in styling elements, fits et al., are things that differentiate men’s wear brands.”
Anupama Sachdeva, co-founder and designer behind premium shirt makers Pezalli shares, “Men these days are open to experimenting with looks and the clothes that they wear. Retailers have, therefore, starting to push a new trend in menswear. We always endeavour to provide our customers with wardrobe staples that can be worn season after season but we also love to tempt them with some really powerful, avant-garde pieces to get noticed. We want them to feel fabulous all of the time. Our collections are designed by creative designers from Singapore who are bespoke tailors themselves. From the most comfortable unfused collars button down rolled collars a current trend in bespoke shirts to shirt safaris and ombre to shirt kurtas, our innovative and radical designer men’s fashion questions the boundaries which can be worn even by a corporate man.”
For Angad Singh Malhotra, designer and owner of Mr. Fox, a bespoke luxury label for menswear and accessories, in order to keep it fresh, “different inspiration point every season” is needed.
“It begins with researching the inspiration thoroughly and then deriving designs, motifs and other sartorial elements from the research. Hence, every season, keeping our inherent aesthetic intact, we tap into different layers of our design ethos,” he added.
Moving over the standard styles and cuts for jackets and suits are what many international brands are experimenting with for their fall collections drawing inspirations from 60s and 70s as well. But many plan on sticking to the classic designs here.
“The fall 15 collection seamlessly showcased the Seventies rock ‘n’ roll references. A fur overdose, glam-rock jackets, skinny pants and velvety suits set the perfect mood for a retro nostalgia. These have been, for sure the runway trends for the season. However, our tailored wardrobe for the year seems to be a bit more on the practical side of the fashion swing. The real gentlemen will be experiencing quite the moment of glory this fall with the resurgence of evening glamour. This year, shirts are still going to be rather slim and form-fitting. Stick with that, at least as much as your body type and workplace will allow. Well, maybe not slim fit, but a tailored one is what we call it. For the fall 15, the tailored wardrobe is getting an update with a modern take on heritage fabrics, updated double-breasted suits and statement overcoats. Color code blue breaks the style theory. When we say blue, we literally mean ‘any blue’: medium, indigo, light, navy all are the part of style equation,” said Pezalli’s Sachdeva.
Mr. Fox’s Malhotra says they’ve been working with interesting fabrics, some are also water resistant. “When it comes to fabrics, we try to push ourselves beyond tradition, and consciously veer towards fabrics that have a technological edge, such as the Fresco fabric which does not wrinkle and the Aquaplan fabric which is water resistant,” he informs.
Italian luxury brand Stefano Ricci’s bespoke sales representative Paolo Rampino, too, shares that they research new fabrics for their new collections. “When it comes to jackets and suits, we usually stick to the classic style we’ve always followed but we’ve worked with 100 per cent cashmere and we have also blended cashmere with silk and wool. We stick to basic colours like grey, black and blue but when it comes to ties and shirts, we have different patterns and colours. For this autumn/winter collection, we have also worked with shades like dark green, light brown and dark purple. We will also come out with square jackets and cocktail jackets with SR monogram on the pocket,” he tells us.
The ensemble is of course incomplete without those flashing classy cufflinks, trendy pocket squares, a cool pair of sunglasses, elegant broaches, dressy scarves, fashionable tie pin and swanky watches.
Jatiin Khurana, founder of eyewear brand Mango Pickles shares, “I have worked on new ingredients for our sunglasses. The new range will showcase metallics and premium acetate. The collection will be rolled out soon in market with uncompromising quality and contemporary materials used crafted to perfection. There will be wooden, light weight, rimless, premium acetate frames in contemporarily urban shapes.”