LONDON COLLECTIONS | DAY ONE : LOU DALTON, MR.START, ORLEBAR BROWN AND MORE!

1. Orlebar Brown | 2. Mr. Start 

Lou Dalton

Opening the London Collections Men yesterday was the Lou Dalton show, which not only set a great tone for the coming days but also showed why London is a great place for menswear and indeed the London Collections.

Lou Dalton paid homage to the Shetlands this season and remained true to her rebellious yet stylish sportswear with a strong attention to detail. What we saw on the runway were big knits, Scottish themed prints and a very interesting patent leather coats, teamed with the shorter, boot-revealing, trousers made for a very interesting and fashionable man. It felt like owing the AW collection would set a man up for not only a day in the city but also for a trip to the rugged and rough country side.

Orlebar Brown

Specializing in tailored swimwear, Orlebar Brown to us to Miami for AW13 for some poolside decadence. We saw some fabulous printed shorts (Brown’s signature) alongside t-shirts and bright colored jackets and jumpers. Inspired by Artdeco architecture of the 1920s, the timeless elegancy of landmark hotels and the energy of south beach the collection makes us want to pack our bags and go on a holiday somewhere sunny to hang onto the memories of the summer for a little while long

CP Company

The presentation from CP Company was not just visually but also intellectually stimulating. Opened by a reading on myth and beauty we were left to explore the collection for ourselves. Hung up around the old Vinyl Factory was the entire collection of stunning coats, heavy knits and quilted vests, gearing up men for any outside adventure that could potentially come their way.

A first glance the layering that made up most of the looks was not obvious and thus provided room to explore each look in more detail. All garments can be worn as individual pieces or as a combination, which makes them incredibly versatile. The colors were dominated by browns and greens. We saw a lot of tweet and incredibly light down coats and jackets. Particularly interesting was the idea of building in googles into the hoods of some pieces, which gave them a pilot look. No need for glasses to protect you from strong winds when wearing them. Country-adventure chic met luxury at CP Company this season.

MAN

Hentsch Man

The first thing that we laid eyes on when entering the Hentsch Man presentation were the tattooed, very edgy models presenting some of the looks. While they seemed to have fun, the designer herself was sporting double denim and we were sipping hot chocolate with marshmallows, we got to have a closer look at the rest of the collection.

The space itself was visually interesting as it reflected the collection and its inspiration perfectly. Being in black and white meant that the colorful pieces of the collection stood out, while also showing off the illustrated prints that we saw in some of the pieces. Very laid back, the collections had some interesting twists on traditional surfer boy garments. We particularly liked the sweaters with the chest pockets, as they were a great combination of easy-going, laid-back style with the idea of a more classically dressed man. The signature punchy colored trousers gave the otherwise more subdued colored collection an edge and will bring some fun into the darker months of the year.

There was, as we have seen with other designers so far, a great range of knits and shirts. Another piece that stood out to us was the great knitted hats with their matching scarfs, which rounded off the collection perfectly.

Mr Start

With its dark and sinister feel, Mr Start once again gave us British tailoring at its finest. The Shoreditch-based brand gave us great pieces in browns, burgundy and mustard colors. The two-colored suit jackets were a nice twist on the traditional suit jacket and complemented the colorful, slim trousers we saw in the collection. Numerous models were sporting turtle necks with their two-colored suits which might be bringing back one trend while bringing forth another. While we have seen more laid-back, relaxed styles through the collections so far, Mr Start gave us more traditional yet edgy looks for the fashion-conscious business man about town.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFqMV2sYUlU]