London Collections: Men, The Report 0.2

Day One of London’s menswear extravaganza saw The Upcoming hit The Vinyl factory at Phonic Studios in Soho for the YMC’s SS13 catwalk show. YMC are one of the prime examples in putting out clothing that is adherent to that peculiarly British form of modernism in clothing design. Short for “You Must Create”, YMC have garnered a cult following amongst men for their timeless “form follows function” clothing.

SS13 will no doubt prove again to be a big hit for the label: Simple, 60s West Coast style preppy wear with hints of a modern-day Great Gatsby. The highly wearable collection is giving the YMC twist in both cut and design, with some epic leopard print thrown in for good measure, used on jackets and shirts. YMC’s offering was a mash up of colours and prints that shouldn’t work, but somehow does.

The top floor of casual wear mega brand Superdry’s Regent St. flagship served as the location for the Superdry + Timothy Everest launch presentation, the next stop on our fashion week itinerary. An on-schedule part of London Collection’s, the high street giant and the super tailor showcased The Serbio Collection, a trans-seasonal capsule collection of suiting separates designed with the intention that the pieces be mixed and matched with Superdry’s regular casualwear offerings.

It has to be said that the unlikely pairing of Superdry and Everest has turned out to be a match made in heaven. Each model looks enviably slick in these well fitted and slim to skinny cut designs. The launch range was created with four key characters in mind, The Bank Robber, The San Franciscan, The Country Rebel and The Super Spy providing plenty of scope for the male shopper regardless of his personal style preference.

Each jacket is hard to fault: the Super Spy in black sateen was a particular stand out, an investment piece that would look equally good over a t-shirt for a night on the town or over a dress shirt for more formal affairs. The line also, thankfully, features a much more subdued use of logo-ing and branding than is the norm for Superdry.

Styling made a great impact here; a heavily tattooed model dressed as a Town & Country gent, and a City Banker toting a shotgun both of whom made the clothes look so good, it was hard to resist feeling some serious fashion envy. A big thumbs up for this sophisticated new direction that Superdry has taken.

Ian Michael Turner
Photos: Courtesy of Ian Michael Turner