Illustrating Menswear Day SS11: E. Tautz

Two weeks have passed since Menswear Day but there is still so much left unsaid. Presentations, catwalk shows and film screenings all celebrated the exciting diversity of menswear design talent which uniquely exists in this capital of ours. It was exciting to see stalwarts of Savile Row sit so comfortably alongside high street regulars, established designers and exciting new talent alike. The entire schedule helped cause a sartorial stir or two whilst collectively flying the flag of menswear and tiring me out in the process. One of the most enjoyable experiences was the salon style presentation at E. Tautz in the Navy Board Rooms. It was perfectly fitting of this particular Savile Row tailoring house: a highly intimate, personal service whereby Patrick Grant introduced each look in a wonderfully personal and engaging manner. 

As you should all know by now, E. Tautz is a label which champions the notion of dressing properly and of men taking pride in what they wear. It creates simple cutting paired with bold accents of colour and pattern - cloths with scale and texture; big checks, fine flannels, and stripes. For SS11 they continued to present a modern and elegant aesthetic while fondly glancing back in time. They've cut their cloth with a modish sharpness in crisp wool fresco's, hopsacks in wool and silk, a selection of crisp linens and stiff drills. Last summer, Patrick an his team were inspired by the idea of the Englishmen on holiday but for this season they looked closer to home. There are hints of Brighton Rock with the clipped drainpipes, full collared button downs, pin tight knots and harrington coats. Both Gordon Richardson and Patrick Grant have seemingly been inspired by Greene's novel. While a stripe or two remind us of the British seaside in the height of summer. The collection manages to encapsulate all that is charming about spending the warmer months by the English coast. For me this collection celebrates a quiet but stylish summer in Blighty where you can 99s, sandcastles, beach huts, surprisingly chilly seas and so on. Of course there are moments where a North wind might blow a chill your way but Grant has taken that in to account and offers a navy fresco wool trench teamed with a cobalt blue sea island t-shirt and denim blue trousers. Just lovely. Perhaps I'm biased because I've spent so much time by the English coast but Lauren Macaulay manages to capture the essence of collection with her illustrations... 

Illustrations by Lauren Macaulay

One of Patrick Grant's main reasons for relaunching E Tautz was because he felt that there was nobody creating beautiful, chic, English menswear. He identified a desire for something handmade, beautifully cut and with English cloth at its heart. The label offers simple tailoring with a little something extra added, a bit of pomp, a bit of colour. This collection once again demonstrates chic menswear but with a sense of Englishness that has been lost over the years. The revived house strives to make stylish clothes to which a wardrobe can be built from. Grant's ultimate aim for E Tautz is to secure a position close to the one it held in the 1910s, when Europe and America knew E. Tautz as England's finest sporting tailor and their salons in London and Paris were dressing the world’s most elegant men. With each season, Grant edges closer to his goal.

Illustrating Menswear Day SS11: James Long

For SS11, James Long presents a hallucinogenic inducing assortment of psychedelic rebels, rich in colour and texture. Referencing iconic drifter and anti hero films such as Midnight Cowboys and My own Private Idaho whilst mixing in recent experiences at Woodstock, the collection celebrates a relaxed time of psychedelic living. Long offers a bright and bold collection, where the man who wears it stands alone on a deserted stretch on a highway, nonchalantly flicking out his thumb for a ride.

Long's juxtaposition of references and fabrics gives us a collection that is both sharp and clean, yet loose and elongated. Realistic but at the same time colourful, creative and almost dreamlike. Texture is always an important facet of Long's creations and there are a number of items here that begged to be stroked as they hitchhiked their way past on the catwalk. The abundance of fabric patch worked together works as a representation of the myriad of different youth cultures that make up the character of the collection. For example, we see trippy knitted patchwork in silver grey wools worn over acid bright silk and chiffon tailored shirts, paired with cobalt blue cotton and lightweight indigo mohair. Elsewhere we see hints of liquorice and tobacco coloured leathers against desert dried denim. This cocktail of fabrics and textures lead to a hazy state of mind and feeling for SS11. Now, I have spent a significant amount of time admiring the backstage shots over on Dazed Digital following Menswear Day but even they could not fully translate the true beauty of the collection. Thankfully for us, Lauren Macaulay has spent the day with paintbrush in hand and the resulting artwork manages to capture the collections wondrous sense of texture. Light mohair, trippy patchwork knitwear and acid bright silk shirts brought to life by watercolours.

Illustrations by Lauren Macaulay

Illustrating Menswear Day SS11: Topman Design

Showcased in the beautiful surroundings of the Royal Opera House, Topman Design's SS11 collection took its inspiration from the bustling backstreets of Brighton. Richardson and his design team looked to the varied shop fronts and the pieces are influenced by the bounty of vinyl and vintage stores that can be found behind the facade of this classic British seaside town. The result is a collection with duality, think Brighton Rock and Quadraphenia. Super sharp tailoring combined with attention grabbing printed shirts on the one side and a selection of colourful casual wear on the other.

Now, I have to confess that there were the odd looks that left myself and Lauren scratching our heads (the high waisted belted shorts were of particular concern) but the eclectic colour palette, ranging from apple green to dark burgundy which featured throughout playful knitted sweaters and light coats were something to get excited over. The real highlight was seeing graphics of old vinyl, Polaroid cameras and foxes applied to the bold knitwear. Everyone wants a fox on their jumper, don't they?For those of you who are unsure, let Lauren Macaulay's illustrations persuade you.

Illustrations by Lauren Macaulay

Illustrating Menswear Day SS11: Christopher Shannon

Christopher Shannon's SS11 collection references a feeling that is all too familiar. Inspired by the nostalgic feeling of never getting to go anywhere on holiday. Having waved off countless colleagues and friends as they escape the city for a few days in the sun I have instead spent the holiday season beavering away in the capital. In the midst of my own cabin fever I can truly appreciate Shannon's wanderlust of trips he is yet to take.

Holiday and festival snaps taken by friends and family combined with images from his parent's adventure to Nairobi all form the backdrop. Subtle nods to Passa Passa raggae videos, knock off ethnic tourist trinkets and raggae artist Dillinger collide to create pieces rich in depth and texture. Shannon's signature graphic prints and bold colour palette are omnipresent, be it through his experiments with camo prints on jersey and denim or the juxtaposition of optic white against sunshine friendly pastel shades. As the crowned Prince of London sportswear, the collection showcases breathable fabrics and nylons against crisp cotton shirts, while mesh shorts sit over dyed denim. Multi-textured knitwear in odd proportions sits alongside block coloured anoraks and the latest incarnation of the hugely popular Eastpak collaboration. Lauren Macaulay once again picks out everything that caught my eye during the show and brings back a real sense of the show with her illustrations...

Illustrations by Lauren Macaulay

Unpicking the seams of Menswear Day...Matthew Miller

Just as the sun was setting on 2009 we caught up with one of the most exciting design talents to emerge from the Graduate shows of June that year. As we all know by now the RCA's MA graduate show is one of the best (and most exciting) places to discover the fashion stars of the future, we found such a star in Matthew Miller. During his time at the prestigious college he won a number of awards and competitions and has worked with brands such as Umbro, Brioni and Thierry Mugler. In his standout graduate collection, Miller explored notions of masculinity with a jovial as he explored how a young man deals with the possibility of his own death after hearing the news that he will soon be sent to war. The collection saw him balance sharp tailoring and menswear staples with humour as he experimented with laser cut polka dot bombs, dancing skeleton pique bibs, cute cable knitted skulls, to name but a few interesting details. We couldn't wait to see what this young talent did next but thankfully we didn't have to wait long because he was soon added to the London Fashion Week Menswear schedule...

A look from Matthew Miller's AW10 as shot by the talented folks at Fashion156.

For me, nothing represents the diversity more than Fashion East's Menswear Installations and the latest crop did not disappoint. One of the real highlights of the space was Matthew Miller's smile inducing tailoring. Ever since the day itself we have been itching to do a more in depth feature on this young talent and are fortunate enough to offer a glimpse in to the designer's mood board, sketchbook and finished pieces.

The Inspiration

As mentioned in the previous post, we were both fans of Another's First Look series because it offered glimpses at some of my favourite labels mood boards while sharing the designer's inspirations, wants and desires. This type of coverage taps in to our inquisitive nature and really helps see the collections in a new, brighter and altogether more agreeable and understanding light light. With this in mind we just had to see the key images behind Miller's Plasticine Dreams Become Killing Machines...

Matthew Miller's mood board for AW10

The Concept...

We have been meaning to talk about the interplay between the social constructs of masculinity on men's fashion and style in a series of posts for some time now but however many posts we draft, we ultimately do not know quite where to begin. Thankfully a number of our favourite designers are posing the questions for us and the resulting collections are full of variety and interest. Building upon the techniques explored during his time as a student from tailoring to laser cutting, Miller's inspiration for his on-going work continues to look at the way in which society has been conditioned in its perception of masculinity, forming a narrative to his designs...

"Man/Boys Masculinity is under a barrage of social conditioning. Conditioning that wants Masculinity to self destruct. As children boys are constantly given objects that symbolise destruction war and death, they are taught how to kill mame and murder through the art of game. Is it any wonder these boys destroy society and themselves! The collection is a symbolic representation of these man boys! Unwilling to become men, conditioning to destroy each other with there toys of war." Matthew Miller.

Technical Drawings

As fashion consumers and obsessives, we rarely get the opportunity to see anything other than the finished look but as bloggers we are always interested to understand how the designer's sketches become reality. To help us see through the studio door and in to the sketchbook, Matthew sent through a number of key technical drawings...

The Look Book...
In addition to the technical drawings and mood board, Matthew has sent through the first round of images of his AW10 look book which we can exclusively share with you now. The collection itself is inherently British. Primarily in the sense that it is Irony in the form of Garments. The whole collection was supposed to look fun, and that’s what comes across, but upon closer inspection, you can see all the fun elements have much darker undertones...

The Video...
This short film directed by Alex Johns accompanies Matthew Miller's Fashion East menswear collection. It premiered at Somerset House as part of London Fashion Week 2010 but we were the day was so hectic that we didn't really get a chance to view it properly. Now we can...

Season after season Menswear Day gets more interesting. For Aw10 it was particularly exciting to see Savile Row sit comfortably alongside the high street, more established designers and exciting new talent. With the emergence of designers like Matthew Miller, the future of menswear design in the capital is undoubtedly bright.

Unpicking the seams of Menswear Day... Sibling

Sibling Aw10. Social Zombie Crew. Photo by Thomas Giddings

A few weeks may have passed since Menswear Day but our collective blogging mind is still full to the rafters with thoughts on the collections we discovered on that busy, busy day. For us, nothing represents the diversity of menswear design talent in the capital more than Fashion East's Menswear Installations and the latest crop did not disappoint. One of the real highlights of the day was walking around the East Wing of Somerset House uncovering the beautiful alongside the weird and wonderful. The bold and progressive knitwear label Sibling showcased both of these virtues and more. For Aw10 Sibling take us on a creepy journey for their fourth collection. Inside Somerset House's East Wing we were led down the staircase, round the corner and through the door into Dr Frankenstein’s laboratory. The label is a collaboration between Joe Bates, Sid Bryan and Cozette McCreery and it really is all for one and one for all. The trio bring with them a strong heritage of experience with top name designers and have added a sense of humour and wit to the wonderful craft of knitwear. We've been meaning to catch up with the design trio for some time and jumped at the chance to do just that while learning more about their hammer horror laboratory. Here we talk to the them about balancing the craft of knitting with humour, here about the design dynamic of the brand, the importance of collaboration and their hopes for the future...

Pixelated Frankenstein Crew. Photo by Thomas Giddings.

SS: Between you, you have worked with (among others) Alexander McQueen, Giles Deacon, Lanvin, Jonathan Saunders and Bella Freud. What have these experiences taught you?

Sibling: Well the experiences we have had collectively have naturally all shaped the existence of Sibling. Some are good, some are bad but all are to be learnt from, the main one being: don’t be afraid to go after what you want!

SS: What were your inspirations, your dreams and the driving catalyst behind Sibling?
Sibling: We are inspired by lots of different subjects as well as what is happening all around us which is no different to anyone else. We are really good friends so will chat about all kinds of stuff over tea and biscuits which may or may not turn into something. The driving catalyst is always to produce something that we are proud of, that makes us and hopefully others smile

Scary Fairisle V neck and tank top. Photo by Thomas Giddings.

SS: What does Sibling mean to you?

Sid: KNITTING – what I do best.
Joe: Fun
Cozette: Freedom

SS: What were the first and last items that you designed under the Sibling name?

Sibling: The very first was the Ram’s Head sweater (sweater… it’s more like a sculpture) for stylist Jane How and the last would be the Knit Monster for Collection Four. Both pieces have had more press than Jordan.

Scary Fairisle v neck tank top in black and white. Photo by Thomas Giddings.

SS: Talk us through the dynamic of the brand. How do the three of you work together?

Sibling: At the beginning of a collection Joe has ideas, Sid says no, Cozette says yes, Sid then says yes about something Cozette doesn’t like and all 3 of us then have more ideas… all of which we hate… or love. Sid then swatches and this could lead to something else, even to the dustbin… and on it goes. There are no properly defined titles for any of us: our characters are very similar in that ‘if it needs doing do it’ way.

SS: Hand craftsmanship is obviously a key facet of the brand. Everything is crafted and the pieces are ultimately a labour of love. Is this what makes knitwear so special to you?

Sibling: We are very lucky to be making a product that we enjoy and yes love. It’s nice that you pick up on that. All three of us have always been obsessed with knitwear throughout our lives. It’s funny when we are interviewed about our childhood or teenage wardrobes because 99% of the time the things we are most fond of have been knitted. That may make us sound weird!

Scary Fairisle scarf. Photo by Thomas Giddings.

SS: I love the balance you strike between the obvious humour of the pieces and the craftsmanship behind them. For your fourth collection you take us on a creepy journey to Frankenstein's laboratory and sees you unveil your Scare-Isle knits, pixellated Frankenstein crews and the motley silhouette. Does this balancing act come easy to you as a design trio?

Sibling: Sibling is all about humour in a very English way that may come across as being a bit silly at times. And we do get silly in our gang, that’s what life is all about isn’t it? We’ll leave those moody grey V-necks to others thank you very much because we are just not that good at it. We giggle way too much.

SS: You are pushing the boundaries of knitwear to create total looks, for example top-to-toe cashmere Scare-isle knit, complete with Long Johns and a knitted raffia-Mohican Balaclava, demonstrating that there is so much more to graphic knitwear than merely sweaters. You are making men's knitwear exciting. How does it feel to have given it a much needed knitted clad slap to wake it up?

Sibling: Knit Monster was great fun to make and yes it is the first time we have ever done a ‘total look’. Frankly we have been fighting against producing a knitted trouser since the start but only because they just never sat right within the previous collections. Here it seemed very very right. We’d been looking at lots of tribal images of people totally covered in paint and fully constructed jumpsuits as well as kid’s Halloween costumes and just went for it. We could have stopped at the balaclava, crew and Long Johns but decided that Knit Monster needed a Puffa. It took a life of it’s own. Total nonsense but it works, this we know because of the chaos he (yes he) has caused since. It’s lovely to have had such a reaction.

Scary Fairisle Hand Knit Jacket. Photo by Thomas Giddings.

SS: Have you got any anecdotes of making the collection that you can share?

Sibling: Oh we only share amongst ourselves! Anything interesting we can’t share, Sibling oath and all that.

SS: Were you able to see any other collections during Menswear Day? If so, who were your favourites?

Sibling: This season the menswear day we felt really came into its own. The quality and style of the collections moved away from club kids and that homemade whacky London trendyness which just makes us groan. Favourites would be Lou Dalton, Carolyn Massey, the shows at Savile Row, James Long… oh God between the 3 of us we’ll just list the entire schedule..! Honestly though it was a very strong day, one we were very happy to be part of.

Collaboration with Will Broome. Beware Hairy Hands. Photo by Thomas Giddings.

SS: As part of FashionEast/MAN exhibition you presented a short film that saw you collaborate with both This is Real Art and COY! and Spider and Flies. How important is collaboration to the label? Who would you love to collaborate with in the future?

Sibling: Collaboration is really important, it’s like an extension of how we 3 work anyway: bouncing ideas off one another. And it’s been really successful, the Noah Skull Breton for example sold out in a store in Japan in less than three weeks. It’s been great working with This Is Real Art as they have really upped the anti with our films. The film they produced for Collection 3 literally hit every blog going. It was like a viral PR campaign. Where next? Good question. No idea. What about Shreddies.. now there is a tie-in that would work!

SS: How do you see the brand developing over the next couple of years?

Sibling: We are relatively a new brand and still finding our feet, our plan was to take our time and to stick around. That still is our plan. Tortoise rather than the hare (Mr Hare… we like his shoes too..)

Scary Fairisle Hand Knit Jacket. Photo by Thomas Giddings.

SS: If you could go back in time and experience any moment in style or fashion movement, what would it be?

Sid: I would love to have experienced the 1920s. I have a romanticized and stereotypical vision of being permanently dressed in a dinner suit and lounging around in smoke filled wood paneled London clubs with Inspector Poirot.

Joe: I have a very rose tinted view of male homo culture between the wars. I know that the reality was hateful and dangerous but I can’t help but think of that era and picture well groomed be suited men dancing together surrounded by rouged queens.

Cozette: I would be a proper punk, well a non-political version of a proper punk. An improper one? Because of my age by the time punk hit the posh girls of Woldingham my Miss Selfridges version was rather watered down and consisted of wearing Boots Country Born hair gel and a few studded wristbands to Catherham Youth Club. If I did it now I’d want to be an expensive Givenchy or Demeulemeester one. Again the politics go out the window. I’d be the shallowest punk on the planet.

SS: Finally, would you be able to share a few address book recommendations to our readers (hairdressers, tailors, cafes…anything you like really) which we will duly add to our map?

Sid: Hervia Bazaar - 40 spring gardens, Manchester, m2 1en.
Joe: The City Cobbler, 215 city road. EC1V 1JN

Cozette: M Goldstein on Hackney Road for clothing and artifacts. Ottolenghi (Islington or Westbourne Grove) for passion fruit meringues. Solange Azagury Partridge for gothic jewels. Jeanette’s on Club Row for Richard Nicoll, James Long etc. Artworld’s Book Shop (Rivington St) and Donlon Books, Cambrige Heath Rd.

Social Zombie Scarf. Photo by Thomas Giddings.

Unpicking the seams of Menswear Day... A Minute Silence

A Minute Silence. Anna, Odile and Arthur.

Last month, before we were sucked in to the craziness of LFW we introduced you to A Minute Silence and gave you a sneak peek at their debut capsule collection of graphic knitwear. For the benefit of you who might have missed out on that post, AMS is a creative collaboration that was just waiting to happen between two good friends, the artist Danny Sangra and Style Salvage's favourite knitwear designer, Lynn Cockburn (aka Lynnda Needles). Their colourful, progressive capsule knitwear collection was officially launched during London Fashion Week. Now that a couple weeks have passed and everything has calmed down a touch, we were eager feel the soft knits and marvel at the graphic prints. So, we met up with Lynn at her studio home last night and she talked us through the collection over a nice cup of tea. Here we discuss how the label came to be, learn more about the craftsmanship of knitwear, hear about her experiences working with British heritage brand Corgi and unveil what the duo are working on for SS11...

A close up of Luc. An all seeing pyramid jacquard cardigan.

SS: How did the collaboration come about between yourself and Danny? I know you are good friends with Danny so is AMS one of the projects that you've been talking about launching for some time...
Lynn: Yes exactly. Not necessarily as a knitwear brand though. Danny and I met when we were both studying at Central Saint Martins, we both worked at the same shop during our second year and we became buddies. We actually collaborated for my final degree show of my Textiles course, I was specialising in knitwear and I wanted to do knitted baseball caps which we screen printed with one of Danny's illustrations. We were always like "Hey we should do something when we leave' and the obvious thing for a textile and illustrative collaboration would have been screen printed sweatshirts, tshirts etc but at the time we just thought that this might've been a bit boring. We came up with the A Minute Silence name and there were a couple of other guys who we were going to work with and we even set up a website but then we all got busy and started getting jobs. So it never really happened but Danny and I were both really keen on working together. He's obviously had lots of gallery shows and on a few occasions we worked together on tshirts but that is it. Until one day it just clicked. I've always been inspired by his work in a textile way so it just made sense to work on knitwear. By this point, about two years ago now, I had been working as a knitwear designer for a few years and it all made perfect sense. Since doing this collection we've realised that we are older now and the timing is right. Everything is considered. There is a real attention to detail from the name labels which are woven with Danny's handwriting to the way we package the knits themselves when they are ready to sell. So, it is has been in the making for seven or eight years but it definitely worth the wait.

Meet Anna, she is a boiled washed lace pyramid cardigan.

SS: Where does the A Minute Silence name come from?

Lynn: It comes from a Jean-Luc Godard film called Bande a Part. In the film their are real characters; Odile who is played by the amazing Anna Karina, Franz (Sami Frey) and Arthur (Claude Brasseur) and we've actually named our pieces after them, along with Luc and Anna as well because we are such huge fans. Also, we named the blanket thirty six because during the film the three characters are momentarily stuck for conversation in a cafe and suggest a minutes silence but the silence on lasts thirty six seconds in the film. Finally, we have the Madison socks because the minutes silence takes place in the Madison Cafe. Both of us are really in to new wave French cinema and both really fancy Anna Karina, haha!

A close up of Anna's lace pyramid detailing.

SS: What makes knitwear special to you?
Lynn: At this stage in my career I love the craftsmanship and I've been lucky to work with British factories from Scotland to Grimsby to Wales and worked with people who are hand making these garments. The A Minute Silence garments are all hand knitted on traditional machines, someone has to cast on the stitches, move the carriage to knit and do all of the fully fashioning by hand, all the finishing is also done by hand. I love the whole traditional side of the knitwear industry. However, I've also worked with big factories in China so I've experienced both sides of the spectrum. In terms of myself I am into my braiding which is an ancient Japanese technique and pushing textiles, not necessarily just knitwear.

Luc and blanket 36

SS: For this collection you worked with Corgi, have you worked with them before or did you specifically approach them for AMS?
Lynn: I've visited them a few years ago now when I was sourcing factories for a label called Merlin, so I was doing the rounds, calling up and meeting people. I think when you are a small label in Britain it is hard to work with companies outside of Britain because they all have minimums. So now, I have strong relationships with British manufacturers. At the beginning it was necessary for me to work with them but now I am happy when I get to work with them, I enjoy telling people that that our product is 100% British made. So, I first met with Corgi for Merlin but we didn't use them at that time but I really wanted to use them for this project. The heritage of Corgi is just amazing and the point that they've worked with amazing brands like Comme des Garcons.

SS: What is the Corgi factory like?

Lynn: It is lovely, just a little train journey from Paddington, they come and pick you up from the train station and it just feels like a family the moment you walk in to it. Plus they have an amazing sample shop, my whole family got cashmere socks for Christmas that year.

The Madison socks and blanket 36.

SS: We see your knitted creations as investment pieces, even each purchase comes wrapped with care in a hand made tyvek bag. Do you see your pieces as investment pieces?
Lynn: That is certainly how Danny and I buy fashion. We're not loaded so we can't just go out and buy loads of things every season. If we do buy anything designer it is because we've really thought about it and seen it as something that is not necessarily on trend but rather it can be seen as timeless in some way. Our pieces are something than you can buy and hopefully wear forever. I think from the quality of the yarns we use to the manufactures we work with, the standards are high and should stand the test of time. I love how knitwear ages though. Thetyvek bags just help people store it away and help protect it. We've always wanted the pieces to feel very special. Each of the knits come with an original drawing by Danny just to make the buyer feel even more special.

The all seeing pyramid graphic of Luc is one of our favourites.

SS: Obviously the debut offering is a capsule collection, how will the brand evolve? What are your plans for SS11?

Lynn: I want to push it for SS11. We don't just want to be a knitwear brand but both of us want it to be our signature. We want to expand the offering though. We've had lots of ideas as to what would work really well with Danny's patterns and illustrations and have come up with a slightly tongue in cheek idea to do a cagoule and umbrella for British Summer time. We are going to evolve the brand slowly though, we won't rush in to a full collection but instead put out the products we really fancy creating.

A pair of socks that would actually make our Christmas. The Madison socks.

Unpicking the seams of Menswear Day: Tim Soar AW10

Tim Soar AW10

As promised on Monday, over the coming weeks we aim to seek out the designs that captured our collective imagination on that hectic, frantic Menswear Day and will take the odd time out with the designers and their creations. Catwalk shows are pure theatre and rarely fail to demonstrate the emotions and themes of the collections but most of the time, both of us are left wanting more. This young Oliver feeling was particularly resonant with Soar's show because the streetcasted models had a 'blink and you'll miss me' pace. We really needed to inspect Soar's relaxed luxury pieces in more detail. We kicked off the series with a closer inspection of Carolyn Massey's Obsolete Prototype C53 collection and continue the series with a swooning gaze at Tim Soar's 'Greatest Hits of Menswear' collection...

Two of my favourite show looks.

After a number of successful seasons exploring modernism with his signature style of well made menswear that sees him fuse minimalism with sportswear and tailoring while showcasing unusual fabrications Soar was inspired to look back in order to look forward. With Soar, his music and designs are always intrinsically linked so he looked to New Wave of Neo-Victoriana, some Studio 54 disco classics and a dash of post Mod English pop with some Vaudeville accents for inspiration. Soar "wanted to produce a collection that was warm and familiar, one that would have many overlapping memories and echoes from the past." Ultimately then for Aw10, Soar condenses the last one hundred and fifty years of menswear, picking out key pieces and exploring the shifts in the social constructs of masculinity as he goes, to create a collection fit for any modern day gentleman. The focus is on making each piece desirable in its own right. So, armed with my camera I met up with the designer on Wednesday afternoon to both congratulate him on a wonderful show and to learn as much as we could about the collection itself. Be warned, the result is quite a meaty post but it's definitely worth the read as we talk to the designer about his inspirations, his thoughts on how men dress and learn that he has just been taken on to the CFE's Venture program...

A backstage shot demonstrating the different trouser cuts. Shot for Dazed Digital by Saga Sigurdardottir

SS: I love how you've described the collection as a 'Greatest Hits of Menswear' and there is a definite sense of re-imagined classics throughout the collection. What was the starting point?
Tim Soar: The starting point was for the collection to have a vintage-y feel, this suddenly felt right again after a number of seasons of no-holds-barred modernism. I have brought beautiful old men's clothes for many years, and there was an Edwardian dinner suit that I used to wear a lot 8 or 9 years ago, that drew my gaze, again. The jacket has a very old fashioned four panel cut - it has an extremely high waist with a lot of 'hip. This slightly odd silhouette was first thing that was established.

SS:How did you condense over one hundred and fifty years of menswear in to the collection we see today?
Tim Soar: We developed a mood board that ran chronologically from mid-victorian times through to the late 70s. It then became easy to pick out themes to explore. Some of the themes where about detailing, some where about fabric and some about cut and construction.

What could feel more luxurious and dandy than a velvet jacket?

SS: The overall mood of the collection is best described as late Victorian/early Edwardian but there are glimpses of 70's Parisian style as well. Looking back, are these your favourite eras of menswear?
Tim Soar: Well, yes and no. As mentioned above, I loved to mood and slightly uncomfortable silhouette of the Edwardian dinner suit. I also knew that I wanted to some sort of frock-coat overcoats. Victorian menswear is interesting because it is so tied up with their ideas about masculinity: stoic, visually discrete, not displaying strong emotions, paternalistic, etc, etc. So it still sends strong messages. Then about a month into the design process I was again looking through the clothing archive and I pulled out two exquisite hand made 70s silk dress shirts that had been kicking around for ages. They where very long and fluid, but quite precise at the same time. And I suddenly saw this connection between the Victorian/Edwardian aesthetic and classy Parisian feeling mid-70s menswear. As soon as I had made that connection, it all fell into place. And I would say, unexpectedly, this Parisian louche but precise 70s mood is the one that will probably have real legs over the next few seasons.

A backstage shot for Dazed Digital by Saga Sigurdardottir

SS: There is a definite sense of subtle luxury running throughout the collection, from the classic fabric choices (cashmeres/velvets/silks/wool etc) right through to the finishing details (for example the appliqued leather cuff details).
Tim Soar: With menswear you only have three main things to play with: silhouette, fabrics/fabrication and detailing. As the collection is not about really dramatic silhouettes, the fabric and detailing became key. And one of the themes that came out of the mood board - and it sounds obvious with the benefit of hindsight - was classic menswear fabrics. I guess I am known for using fairly unusual fabrics and fabric combinations. But this season it was quickly apparent that the only way to go was for really classic, luxury menswear fabrics. The detailing - the leather cuffs, the heavy use of piping and binding, and the subtle inside-out features - where mostly ideas that I had started to explore last season, where they where used in a very dramatic way. This season I revisited them, and made them a little more understated. I wanted every garment to have at least one or two features that would become apparent on closer inspection, and that once you knew those features where there, it would change the way you felt about, and wore, the garment.

This piece grabbed my attention on the runway and was even better up close, a beautiful knit!

SS: You are known for your unusual fabrications but with this collection you worked with British heritage knitwear company Corgi...
Tim Soar: Corgi are exactly what British manufacturers should be about, making an extremely high quality product that does not try to compete with the Far East on price. We developed boil washed cashmere sweaters, some heavy cable knits and some with leather applique. I will most certainly be working with them again.

A wonderfully cut pin stripe suit jacket.

SS: There seems to be a real focus on making each piece desirable. For me, the best menswear pieces are the ones that you appreciate initially but then you keep discovering design facets which make you love the piece even more the more you look and wear it. This collection seems to be full of such pieces. Would you say that this is a key feature of your design signature?
Tim Soar: Yes, indeed. The more you discover in a garment, the more lovely it becomes. Jodie Barnes, my stylist, and I where brainstorming the styling of the collection early on. We wanted to focus on how most men really dress. That is, men - me included - tend to buy pieces, they don't really buy whole 'looks'. This reinforced the idea of 'Greatest Hits of Menswear' - its a beautiful jacket or a beautiful shirt or a beautiful sweater. You can put it together how you please. I think that my key design signature is about mood rather than a tangible 'thing'. In all my work - fashion, music, graphics - there is a tension between nostalgia and and modernism. This collection is a little more nostalgic, last seasons was a little more modernist.

I love the simplicity of this print and the texture it creates.

SS: Proportions feel a little more constrained than previous seasons yet you've still experimented with the silhouette by combining outerwear with defined waists with a number of trouser cuts.
Tim Soar: As I said earlier, the three main things to play with: silhouette, fabrics/fabrication and detailing. The defined waist of the outerwear was a perfect example of where Victorian/Edwardian and 70s silhouettes are very similar. I also think that the whole boxy mood of menswear of the last three or four years is becoming a bit tired. Perhaps one other thing I am know for is my trousers. This season, I wanted to keep them really chic, and flares suddenly felt very chic, again.

A close up of one of my favourite leather appliqued knits.

SS: Do you have favourite look/standout piece from the collection?
Tim Soar: I think I will be wearing the leather appliqued knits a lot. And I also suspect I will be wearing the flares quite a lot, too.
SS: What can we expect from Tim Soar over the coming seasons?
Tim Soar: Well, I have been taken on to the CFE's Venture program. It should give me a really strong base for growth over the next couple of years. There are also a big project in negotiation. Usually hush-hush stuff at the moment, but provided we reach the right agreement, it will be a really interesting outlet for my lux sportswear work.

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Just before I left Tim showed me the first few designs from his AW10 t shirt range. Given that I have a mild case of Coulrophobia I was a little freaked out but despite the mocking, somewhat haunting face of the clown, I left the showroom extremely happy. Something tells me 2010 is going to be a huge year for this designer...

He is definitely mocking me!

Unpicking the seams of Menswear Day: Carolyn Massey AW10

Patterns on display at Massey's studio.

As we've said countless times in recent posts, Menswear Day was a huge success as the diversity of menswear design talent on show was both staggering and exciting. However, now that a few days days have past and countless show reports have been penned and posted across the online landscape some would like to draw a line under the day and move on. Not us. As much as we enjoyed the day itself we felt a definite need to learn more about our favourite collections by speaking to the designers themselves and by getting up close and personal to their designs. Catwalk shows are pure theatre and rarely fail to demonstrate the emotions and themes of the collections but most of the time, both of us are left wanting more. With this as our driving motivation, over the coming couple of weeks we will seek out the designs that caught our eye on that hectic, frantic day and take the odd time out with the designers and their creations. Given our well documented sartorial love affair with Carolyn Massey and the fact that she kicked off proceedings at the day itself, it is only fitting that we begin this series of posts with her.

Carolyn Massey's AW10 collection takes its inspiration from a body of military patterns sourced from an anonymous donor. A few leading critics have made a real point of Massey using this archive of pieces but after having a good nosey around her workspace last year it soon became clear that Massey is at her happiest when researching something she has found, so this comes as little surprise to us. By taking elements from pieces she has seen and found while combining them with her vision for menswear she create something new. For this collection the initial inspiration came from the patterns which were toiled and fitted them and edited into a more contemporary story. A darker military aesthetic is explored in union suits, flight suits and smocks released exclusively for Massey's research.

In addition to the delicate detailing and beautiful craftsmanship we have come to expect from the designer, this season sees the label diversify in to printing techniques. Massey developed a wonderfully deconstructed print based on Ray Johnson's postal art and worked with print designer, Sam Cotton to allow the print to repeat and fade and ultimately mirroring the 'lived in' military uniforms and the nostalgic feeling running throughout this collection. You might recall that when Carolyn recently went to Tokyo she kept an image diary for us and that one particular entry confessed her love for the Tokyo morning skyline. For the AW10 collection the muted hues of the Tokyo morning sunrise inspire the colour palette and echo the rose tinted, worn and faded feel to the prints perfectly. At the show itself we were particularly struck by the layered and textured styling of the looks and to achieve this Massey has continued to build and develop her accessories line, knitted hats and scarves were presented along with lavish knitted balaclavas. Also, this season saw her unveil her collaboration with Tabio, the Japanese sock specialist and Style Salvage favourite, which has seen her produce a stunning men's collection.

Armed with a bag full of pastries and our camera we met up with the designer on Sunday morning to both congratulate her on a wonderful show and to learn as much as we could about the collection. Be warned, the result is quite a meaty post but it's definitely worth the read as we talk to the designer about her inspirations, her love of knitwear and the collaboration with Tabio and her hopes for the future...

A rail of utter temptation; a tale of textures and prints.

Style Salvage: The collection is entitled Obsolete Prototype C53 and takes its inspiration from a body of military patterns sourced from an anonymous donor. Were the patterns themselves the starting point?
Carolyn Massey: My work is always a continuing work in progress, it grows and expands with each season but yes, it was this encounter with the donor... well, actually it's an organisation. Due to my passion for reviving things from the past and bringing them in to a more contemporary light they saw that and wanted to help me and hence the donation of the patterns. We started working on them really, really quickly, toiling them up and creating looks we could experiment with. Some were awful and I always think that you have to be extremely careful when you are looking backwards to go forwards. As I've not been going sixty years and don't have an archive of my own, I am drawing on a archive of what I know.

SS: Someone like Kim Jones for example, he has a huge archive to play with at Dunhill, do you look at him with a tint of envy in your eyes?
Carolyn Massey: Exactly, I would love to work for an old house one day and that would be the first thing that I would do. I don't understand how designers can ignore the past; I think you have to contextualise where you are in order to move forward. So, for this collection, we started toiling up very early, fitting them and looking at things and binning a few things and going from there.

One of the prints designed in collaboration with print designer Sam Cotton. Massey had been to see the Ray Johnston exhibition at the Raven Row gallery and was inspired to create postal prints. The faded nature of them is reflected in the silk twill.

SS: Did you find any interesting or novel garment constructions, like you did with the cape from AW09 (which was cut in one piece)?
Carolyn Massey: There were some really great things actually. There was a coat which had a sword pocket in the back- it was all about the positioning of everything, we discovered an ergonomic line of where you would draw your sword from.

SS: There was one coat in particular that both of us loved- the voluminous grey overcoat, was this the one?
Carolyn Massey: Yes, that was the one. For me, elements like the positioning of pockets and how that changes how you stand in a garment fascinate me.

One of the grey overcoats that we both fell head over heels for!

SS: This season sees you experiment and play with the silhouette. A lot of the looks see a teaming of relaxed and loose tops with tighter bottoms...
Carolyn Massey: I think it was more balanced in regard to the collection as a whole but in terms of the styling for the show that was definitely the case. I am quite bored of this straight up and down skinny thing and I think that we are evolving beyond that and are pushing things forward.

SS: There was evolved way of layering and a sense of the clothes being lived in and a richness of subtle textures...
Carolyn Massey: The aged and lived in look is something that I really love. It comes down from my interest of handing down garments from generation to generation. One of the first projects I did as a student was to make a suit out of one of my grandfather's and how the shapes of his body had changed the shape of the jacket. So that has always been fascinating to me.

Exquisite soft, romantic tailoring.

SS: The colour palette was inspired by the muted hues of the Tokyo morning skyline. Looking back at your Tokyo diary for us we can see a great example and can see how it translates quite beautifully in to the realised designs...
Carolyn Massey: Ha, I'm glad you remembered! Whenever I go I am just so jet lagged and this combined with excitement to be there means I am often awake at three in the morning and not able to sleep. I am always inspired by the landscape and I'm up sketching in the early hours. It is just so beautiful. The soft hues also translate to the fabrics used as well.

A quick glance at the ever expanding accessories line

SS: The textures for this season are so interesting. The Lurex jumpsuit is particularly amazing and such a statement piece.
Carolyn Massey: Well a lot of people have said that it would be great for the weekend. For me, when you are showing, you have to have pieces which are interesting and light hearted. You can take it all a bit too seriously, at the end of the day it is fashion and you should be making a statement. The model who wore that, Mathieu, was perfect. If you do those types of pieces you have to ensure that the casting is spot on.

SS: With each season you are building on your accessories line...

Carolyn Massey: Yes, we did a lot more knitwear and as you can see from the table, I love knitwear! I love working on accessories and have grown this side of the line over the last few seasons. I'm always quite obsessed with building up a silhouette around the neck with scarfs and around the head and this is something that we will continue.

Aw10 sees the second collaboration with her comrade and luxury men's jewellery designer, Hannah Martin. Hand crafted new medals and badges, these symbolic objects were given a lustrous patina for new life.

SS: This season sees the unveiling of your collaboration with Tabio. How did the collaboration arise and how happy with you with the results?
Carolyn Massey: It was amazing and I'm really pleased with it all. I started working with them a couple of seasons ago when I was just borrowing items from the shop. During my Tokyo travels I've been able to have meetings with them. They are brilliant because they are obsessed with quality of make and a huge product development section. I've always loved the brand. I proposed this to them and they were really up for it. They've never worked with designer in this way before, they have in house designers in Japan and this is the first time they've collaborated with an outside designer. So I did some designs and set them off and they looked at them and they were like "wow!" I can't wait to see them on sale!

The fruits of Massey's collaboration with Tabio.

SS: Congratulations are in order, we've only just heard the news that you've been awarded Unica's On Stage project! Well done! What can you tell us about the award?
Carolyn Massey: Thank you! I am so pleased and honoured. It was awarded by a panel of people including Vogue Italia's Franca Sozzani, and Pier Luigi Piana, Chairman of Unica. Every season they select ten designers to receive the award which involves a trip to Milan where you will be able to meet with the mills and select your fabrics and work alongside the mills. I feel so honoured because not only is it awarded internationally but across women's and men's as well. It is such a lovely thing to do so I am extremely pleased.

SS: What can we expect from Carolyn Massey over the coming seasons?
Carolyn Massey: I'd really like to build on the success of what I do with Topman and the collaborative projects that I do by working with companies that I love. The collaboration with Topman seems to be going really well. When my sales are high I am always so inspired and it pushes me forward, I am quite driven by sales really because then I know I'm doing the right thing. The bottom line of all of this is sales. It is brilliant to do catwalk shows but the real boost comes from success on the shop floor. At the end of the day we are designing for people out there. I got really excited by one of the looks in the show because it felt as though it had come 360, I tend to be inspired by the people I meet or the guys I see on the street through people watching and one of the looks is genius because I can see it walking down the streets in Hackney. For me, it is a complete validation of what I am doing, it comes from there and will go back there.

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For those eager to get their hands on a piece of Carolyn Massey we have news of a Sample Sale Spectacular. We missed out on the last one but were told tales of absolute bargains, so if you are in town over the next coming days, we suggest you swing by and take a look for yourself...