Image from BFC
Day one at London Collections: Men kicked off in kaleidoscopic style, and thanks to Gordon Richardson’s team at Topman, we were overwhelmed by an array of bright geometrics and hallucinogenic prints that can only be inspired by the ’70s.
The show opened to a bright backdrop consisting of vertical blocks of primary colours slotting beside each other before fading horizontally. Then, a shadow appeared – a lanky model swathed in a sheepskin jacket constructed of fuzzy squares of rust orange and teddy-bear beige. He’s followed by another model – floppy hair in a centre parting – who saunters down in a longline borg jacket and dark flares while more psychedelic prints flash in the background.
Topman Design’s AW15 collection paid close heed to the chilled-out hippie era of the ’70s, with a sashaying assortment of fringed afghans, bell-bottom flares and wickedly bright prints. Models moodily strutted down the runway in three toned oversized coats flung over patchwork detailing and primary coloured jumpsuits. Frequently featured cuts were the bomber – there’s an ecru one with black cuffs and emblazoned with a red sticker and several dark patent varieties layered over simple, printed tees, and paired, of course, with bell-bottoms and white bowling shoes – and ’60s-inspired slim-fit pinstripe suits paired with high necked polos.
After the tribute to the mod era, the tribal-printed hippies and glam were outshone by the clear-as-daylight dedication to the Bay City Rollers. Tartan was eased into the audience when it was rocked in small patches, buried under shaggy masses of stringy fur – not unlike that of an ostrich – and then righteously slapped you in the face with double-breasted two-pieces in sunny marigold yellows, hunter greens and airforce grey-blues.
In a series of pieces that transported observers to the two most prominent British style eras, Topman Design’s AW15 daringly revealed a lot in one show. But numerous as it may be, visual overload it is not. Definitely expect to see a mass revival of the ‘70s, fronted by Topman.
