John Lewis x London Collections: Men

It seems today is the day for London Collections: Men announcements as John Lewis has just announced it will join the London Collections: Men events schedule this June. The department store, probably my favourite multi-national, will also become an official supplier for this major menswear showcase. The department store will showcase the Spring Summer 14 collection of its covetable John Lewis & Co private label, which has been a massive success for them. It will all be styled by super stylist Stephen Mann, and will no doubt include male supermodel Johnny Harrington  - above - who got the Daily Mail all a chatter with their redefinition on masculinity. Whilst I could give you a potted trend history of why; beards and Scandi influences, the launch of KIN, a contemporary edit of Scandinavian inspired staples, and the evolution of John Lewis MAN has really redefined what the brand is all about. Welcome aboard John Lewis...!

Dolce & Gabbana x British GQ x LC:M

Yesterday it was announced that Dolce & Gabbana will be showing at the London Collections: Men in June but this morning the plot thickens. On Saturday 15th June 2013, Domenico Dolce, Stefano Gabbana and Dylan Jones, the Editor in Chief  of  British GQ, will celebrate the opening of  the fourth Dolc & Gabbana boutique in London with of course, a party, where the Tailoring Collection for men will be presented. Exciting, no? The store, proposed for 53-55 New Bond Street is destined to mix both Italian and English sartorial traditions meet in a store that is fresh, creative and exclusively designed with London in mind. The current stores around the city have long been decadent and Sicilian inspired destinations so it will be interesting to see what Domenico and Stefano come up with.

Retrousse x Jonny Burt

Good afternoon, it's been a little manic at LSoD Towers of late but I had to squeeze in some time to tell you about this t-shirt from Retrousse. Just released, the artwork is by Jonny Burt, an illustrator and all round creative (an model) which through it's dark urban visual is a comment on a very modern issue. Why? Because Retrousse has teamed up with Beat to raise the issue of anorexia and other eating disorders and with 20% of profits going to the charity, the £35 t-shirt is not only a style but also social statement. Jonny Burt is quite the rising star in his field and his gritty handwriting is attracting the right attention, and you will see a bit more of him on LSoD shortly...

Jimmy Choo Mens Flagship

A lot of bloggers have a rule that they won't post about an event that they were not invited too. Well, I was invited to the the Jimmy Choo Men's launch of their new flagship store at 35 Dover Street, London last night however I was still at my desk by the time it had started. It was attended by the creme of menswear press and insiders (bar me, of course) but enjoy the shots below. A masculine colour scheme of black, charcoal and silver is punctuated with highlights of red.   Slick finishes of black marble and leather are complemented with textures of felt, velvet and tweed. Vintage furnishings provide a 1960s retro edge to the modern interior and highlights include a marble topped, antique mirror edged working bar located on the lower ground floor. The store replaces the existing Jimmy Choo men’s store in Mayfair’s Burlington Arcade allowing more space to showcase the growing collection for men across shoes, bags, belts, scarves and small leather goods and tell the brand story.

From LEft: Nick Bain of Bainser, Niel Thornton of Selfridges and Jonathan Daniel Price, photographer. 

Nick Carvell, Online Fashion Editor of GQ

Left: Luke Ross and Jenny Lau of Harvey Nichols' Social Team

Gareth Scourfield and Teo Van Den Broeke, of Esquire. 

 

Saint Laurent SS13 Shoes

 

LSoD LOVES

 

SAINT LAURENT

 

UNI-SEX SHOES

 

 

For boys and boys, or girls and girls, or a boy and a girl. Saint Laurent have just had this drop of very sleek, minimal shoes that are for boys and girls. The black and white loafer, lace up army boot or the laced pointed Derby are just the piece to lift us out of these dreadfully wet days. Just stay inside wearing them, they are too good to get wet.  

 

Cast Adrift Clothing

Regular readers of LSoD know I am a sucker for a good t-shirt from an indie label, and I think I have found one of the best so far. Started by Jon, Tom and Craig, Cast Adrift  was started in December of last year, with the combined talents of being of an art student and two graphic designers who are keen on creating high quality printed clothing made in the U.K. The Cast Adrift unique selling point is the fact they use rare, vintage images in the T-shirts, such as the wing in the Aspire T-shirt to create designs which they feel was something different from other labels out there. 

I really like both the Aspire and Fundamental t-shirts, not just because these boys are from my old university (UCA Epsom) but because they have captured something fresh and different. It manages to level between lifestyle vs fashion with a nod to the edgier brands as well as something from the higher end of the High Street. 

Oh, and the t-shirts are £13 - yes, you read that right. But who said great style had to come at a cost? Check out the website as well as their Twitter and Tumblr pages.