autumn/winter 2014-15 | menswear trends | FFT magazineFashion Forward Trends114

Like spring, laidback seems to define the mood for the Fall season; strictest of silhouettes give in to the vibe, inviting sartorial ease in tailoring and fit. The oversize shape, especially on outerwear, is flanked by elements which strike for their unconventional inclusion, whether for raglan sleeves or for droopy lapels on a string of formalwear separates. Shoulders, too, have been induced with a similar slackness, so has the length of the sleeve which tends to exceed the arm length. As stiffness is lifted off double breasted coats, the waist- although devoid of any fit- emerges with unfastened waist belts with visible folds of slack around the waist. Cape coats, robe trench coats, A-line overcoats and unlined coats are the many versions of the trend, all endorsing the idea of relaxed tailoring.

For outerwear, below the knee has been the unanimous choice of length for menswear designers. The overcoat, in its entire manly demeanour, has appeared in almost every collection whilst being interpreted in varied styles. Highly contoured trench coats, some zipped, some double breasted and some geometrically panelled bring back a flavour of the vintage. Printed in native patterns were the folksy variations which were mostly oversized with heavy shearling for lapels. The constant spotting of fleece and terrycloth on overcoats suggested the onset of a snug winter; the blanket-inspired long coats pushed the season further into a cosy space. Splatter print, dip-dyes and brushstroke print were all laid against dark shades and similarly, fabrics too – silver jacquards and grey tweeds – conformed to a somewhat sombre mood.

Dec

onst

ruct

Mr.

Man

Coa

t

Haider Ackermann

Dolce & Gabbana

Costume National

Dior HommeRoberto Cavalli

Maison Martin Margiela

Berluti

Corneliani

Hermès

Lanvin

It is an interesting time for menswear; in the season we left behind, designers celebrated dark florals and dandy men with a few traces of

technical elements. The experimentation has now been taken up with stronger force. Jackets, with complicated patterns and stitched in technical fabrics, have been sent on the runways unapologetically, often juxtaposed with elements of traditional menswear. Leather, of all materials, gets its due not just channelled in retro style jackets but appreciated for its effortless adaptability to ready to wear apparel.

Dandy does reflect in shrunken pea coats and short jackets but the season equally celebrates a cosy fit which draws attention to unconventional fabric qualities and fabric manipulations. Technical creativity stands out not only in terms of innovative silhouettes, but through unthinkable fabric combinations and treatments. Besides all the design enhancements, the season- in the real sense, belongs to hybrids. From fusion blazers and tailored sweatpants to shirt jackets and cape overcoats, designers did not shy away from putting forward avant-garde silhouette ideas.

Fall 2014-15 has vehemently come forth as a season where past attempts at remodelling menswear have finally been realised, the influence of which gives rise to modern yet traditionally informed menswear.

Outerwear steals the show

with hybrids making a

grand entry

Menswear Trends

MENSWEAR AUTUMN/WINTER 2014-15

autumn/winter 2014-15 | menswear trends | FFT magazineFashion Forward Trends 117116

Easily the most innovative trend in outerwear for men and women’s wear this season is that of the dawning cape. Attached to the shirt or layered over formals, they chart a casual territory when constructed in ripstop or windcheater fabric and they move on to suave work wear just as easily, when built in tweed or suit textiles. While some designers went for ghost sleeves and oversized hoodies, others experimented by cutting out the front placket of the cape to trigger off a robe effect. Hemlines were toyed around with from high low to drooping and diversity was achieved by fixing faux fur and leather plackets at the front.

The trend, in its visual appearance, is a call from the native lands; with an inherent masculinity that takes the season back to the countryside. Designers explore not just prints but render the outerwear silhouette, trims and design details in a similar shade. The interpretations are immense, the drawstrings waist being omnipresent on both formal and casual styles. A more carefree side of the trend saw faded denim capes and folksy cardigans with generous shearling lapels. Designers went a step ahead offering more than just silhouette inspirations – intricate surfaces like African cord weaving invited embroidery enthusiasts, over-dyed and flocked suiting fabrics made for an intriguing texture play and a refreshing comeback was made by the toggle switch for closures.

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e To

wn

Shep

herd

Coa

ts

Ports 1961

Antonio Marras

3.1 Phillip Lim

Balenciaga

Balmain

Hermès

3.1 Phillip Lim

Belstaff

Emporio Armani

Maison Martin Margiela

The brigade of shirt jackets on the runway could be easily credited to the streamlined fit ignited by the dandies of the proceeding Fall season. An outerwear, which imitates the classic details of an office shirt, sticks to either a contoured or a boxy fit (T-fit) and ends at the waist or just below it. Taking a toss between a shirt and jacket, flannel and heather shirts – meant to be worn as an outer layer-worked on similar lines. Designers toy with construction ideas that involve thinner qualities of woven fabrics which drape like a shirt but still account for outerwear. A similar jacket of Giorgio Armani fabricated in sharksin wound worsted fabric explored the many facets of the trend- from attaching a thin, ribbed collar on a languid silhouette to rounding it off with an elastic waist.

Explorations of last season have given leather a new face, a face which is minimal but exceedingly luxurious. This season, leather outerwear breaks from the shackles of the customary biker jacket and rather presents itself in regular ready to wear. Three styles that have emerged would be the shearling-lined jackets that strike for their perfectly round sleeves and shoulders, the aesthetically clean-surfaced jackets which tap on stiff constructional details and the boxy styles which fit considerably looser than the former styles. Given the structural identity of the runway jackets, designers are mostly exploring qualities of buff and cow leather; the cleaner ones stick to coated qualities as they rely on the gloss for impact whereas the rugged ones, to restore a raw sensibility, take their shape best in washed qualities of cow pull up leather.

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Leat

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Nou

veau

Dsquared²

Gucci

Dsquared²

Emporio ArmaniCalvin Klein Collection

Alexander McQueen

3.1 Phillip Lim

Antonio Marras

Giorgio Armani

Gucci

autumn/winter 2014-15 | menswear trends | FFT magazineFashion Forward Trends 119118

As sportswear becomes a mainstream influence, sporty staples accordingly adapt to the nature of ready to wear. Sweatpants-now easily a part of a casual or formal ensemble-have been face lifted with clever tailoring. Shunning their original slack fit, these track pants are increasingly suggestive of the tapered fit that is bound to rule this particular category. While in some cases the materials, viz., picked-stretch jersey, fleece and cotton lycra still adhere to a conventional-looking sweatpant, there is a striking difference in its construction. Borrowing its fit from the new age skinny trousers, these sleek joggers have been further delivered in soft cotton for a refined look and in leather sided by quilted kneepads. However, designers still haven’t done away with design elements which evoke familiarity−drawstring waists continue to show up together with ribbed cuffs.

Formals trousers seem to have a mind of their own, for Fall. On the one hand there are slack track pants; on the other, supremely contoured trousers spring up as the surprise silhouette. Mostly spotted under fitted party blazers or paired with dandy shirts, the trend calls out to the metrosexual man. From last year’s sectional fit, the skinny trousers now fit almost like ballet slacks, extremely tapered from the crotch, along the thighs to the calves. A classier version of the trend saw the skinny trousers accompanying a three-piece suit covered in flamboyant Milanese windowpane checks and another version, stitched in tweed, was grounded in classic Alabama style. While the colours alternated between tonal greys and wintry pastels, the tapered fit resonated in all collections, even remotely inspired by dandy.

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Seri

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pere

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Dries Van Noten

Etro

Costume National

Acne Studios

Berluti

Costume National

Balmain

Bottega Veneta

Casely-Hayford

Casely-Hayford

Hoodies are a common winter phenomenon, an almost essential extension on outerwear. For Fall, the hood has found solace in oversized, technical jackets constructed with a flair for futuristic tailoring. Most jackets play on the principle of hybrid; so while the hoods are generally kept bigger than usual leaving spacious necklines, the coat bodice is left a little more versatile. Blazers and coats laid in finer qualities of wool – yet constructed in a technical silhouette-instantly expand the potential deliverables of the trend. Heavier silhouettes-laden with eyelets, metal buttons and buckled belts-borrow from popular biker sensibility; pinstriped trench coats with fur hoods hit all the right notes of formalwear. For sporty jackets, qualities of ripstop came to the fore whereas gabardine was easily the choice for the trend’s formal counterparts.

Intimidating, high collars-somewhat a cross between a stand collar and turtle neck- have been laid on menswear separates. The detail, because of its futuristic visual appeal, comes across as avant- garde, hence designers are quick to attach it to structured silhouettes. Since the collar is stitched in a continuous pattern, it works on easy to wear, closure-free silhouettes, the only exception being zipped up necks. While the trend has been worked on sweatshirts as a high standing and generously spacious collar, there have been traces of its experimental adaptation. Its adoption as a chunky knit collar on a satin tunic, together with an effortless transition on a raw edged leather tunic, illustrates the versatility of the trend.

In T

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ood

Hig

h St

and

Givenchy

Dior Homme

Rag & Bone

Paul SmithAcne Studios

Dolce & Gabbana

Alexander Wang

Damir Doma

Acne Studios

Dior Homme

autumn/winter 2014-15 | menswear trends | FFT magazineFashion Forward Trends120

This is a particularly cosy season for menswear, traces of which can be seen in the minutest of design details. The shawl collar, otherwise a modest collar seen on eveningwear tuxedos, has now graced more casual silhouettes presenting itself in bolder, more versatile styles. On overcoats, the collar has extended to wide lapels ending below the waist or at the chest, on pinstriped trench coats comparatively thinner and on chunky cardigans, as an extension of a wrap detail. Two completely contrasting renditions of the trend have been the bold fur one on tweed coats and alternatively, on technical jacket, as a sharp one.Sm

ooth

Cur

ve

Cov

er S

tory

Louis Vuitton

Missoni

Sibling

Robert Cavalli

Rick Owens

Burberry Prorsum

Canali

Kenzo

Roberto Cavalli

Comme des Garçons

Moving on from the chaos created by dark florals and brushstrokes of spring, this season saw a series of old and new vicinities being explored. The runways at Milan were thronged with overlaid rock prints as camouflage, marbled prints, freehand scribbling, cracked effects, artistic paint splatters and hybrid animal prints merged into one. Paris, however, was led by neon colours and DNA patterns in the form of cosmic traceries, geological strata lines, kaleidoscopic pleating at Issey Miyake creating psychedelic mixes. The designs at London underplayed the perplexity with floral camouflage and all-over wood effect prints on blazers, while the experimentation with the idea of busy photomontages and textured pattern play was sighted as an interesting extension of the trend.

Taking ordinary overcoats and routine formals to a place more credulous and mirthful, designers rolled out their favourite videogame quirks. A clever play between strategy and time, tetris was deemed fit to be printed in all its puzzling shapes and sizes. While some designers used gold lame and glossy black tape to define the lines properly, others played with contrasting solids to create their own geometrical riddles. Creativity at its best, the print breathed fresh air into winter knits, long coats and fitted jackets, with boxy contours on silhouettes faultlessly complimenting the sharp perpendicular nature and form of strokes.

Cha

otic

Cra

ving

Tetr

is T

heor

y

Issey Miyake

KTZ

Dries Van Noten

E. TautzAlexander McQueen

Iceberg

Dior Homme

J.W. Anderson

Acne Studios

MSGM

An accessory that managed to make quite a statement on not only the men’s but also the women’s runway was that of a blanket or an oversized muffler. Layering up formal looks with carpet like cover-ups on shoulders and larger than life mufflers around the neck was a given backup for the chilly weather upon us. No fabric territory was left untouched as the trend pushed boundaries by including horse blankets, crocheted afghans, patch-worked blankets from mohair and yak wool, and duchesse satin in addition to the usual- velvet, fur and silk. From busy cracked prints to Aztec to vibrant tribal ones, each collection represented their prime themes through this simple add-on.