The London Style Journal loves London, and London style. We are inspired by our surroundings and want to share good style with you. We're not just about images, so please click through to read more about what we post. All street style is taken by The London Style Journal and and the majority of the imagery.
London Fashion Week: David Koma Spring/Summer 2013
Revelling in the fever of the Olympics, David Koma’s particular penchant is for tennis reinterpreting and reviving its sportswear heyday for his spring/summer 2013 collection. Aiming to reclaim its iconic theatrical and feminine style after sportswear companies have become stagnant and slightly tedious.
Traditional tennis dress silhouettes are updated in loving homage to quintessential tennis dressmaker Teddy Tinling, creating a contemporary twist that is functional, interesting and sexy. From tennis mimicking fitted tank dresses teamed with pleated miniskirts, body-con jersey, double organza box shaped tees, sweaters with organza panelling to formal fitting dresses. Whilst prints and patterns take inspiration from tennis courts, rackets, nets and balls, creating reoccurring futuristic panelled stripes and woven diamonds in blue, jade mint and popping fluro peach.
London Street Style: Daybreak Gent
Autumnal layering is effortlessly styled in this minimalistic bedtime inspired get-up! Shapes are given a discrete quirky twist, from the fitted crew neck dark navy jumper styled over a oversized pale denim blue tee, exposing the contrasting blue hues to the loose fitting ankle grazing trousers. Whilst a smoky blue gloss clutch adds a considered finishing touch.
London Street Style: Modernist Two-Tone Sport
Black & white has never been more on trend. Formal suiting is given a modernist sport make over in this sleek minimalist two-tone casual suit. While colour is banished from apparel, accessories add a slither of colour pop from the oxblood sunnies to a formal teal leather briefcase clutch.
London Street Style: Highland Paisley Swirl
The scottish highlands have never looked so hip with this scottish heritage tartan and oversized bandana paisley swirl ensemble. Echoing archive J.W. Anderson 70’s wide leg tartan trousers are team with a super comfy oversized paisley placement white sweat.
London Fashion Week A/W 2012: Omar Kashoura
A melting pot of relaxed work wear casuals, deconstructed knits, panelled formal shirting, moleskin cottons and relaxed silhouettes were central to Omar Kashoura’s refreshing A/W 2012 off schedule show. This season’s show was situated in the grand apartment of the Kettners venue in Soho, stacked with old school member’s club aesthetics the venue optimised the moody spirit of the collection.
A collection is inspired by the 1950’s and 1960’s ‘Beat’ generation, specifically the documentary film ‘Magic Trip’ about post war poets Ken Keasy and Neal Cassidy. The Beat Eras simple, stylish yet understated style was key in Kashoura’s choice of materials and silhouettes using soft, draped and elegant to reflect it’s signature downtrodden natural worn in look.
We spotted some amazing pieces at the press day including a subtle panelled print formal shirt, a relaxed tweed jacket and a casual granddad contrast cross-grain stripe shirt.
London Fashion Week A/W 2012: MR. Start
After London based label Mr. Start’s tremendous debut at London Fashion Week around a year ago, we were infused to see what’s new from this very english brand. As with previous collections Mr. Start manages to create a distinct fusion of heritage savile row with contemporary fabrics and silhouettes for this season, consisting of chic gentlemen outwear, suiting, shirts and neckwear accessories.
For A/W 2012 structured and modern silhouettes are key, from slim formal and casual three piece suits, sleek single breasted blazers, tapered slim trousers to structured casual double breasted casual tailoring. This season is all about casual free spirits, subtle colour palette of earthy browns, muted bottle green, grey, and dark indigo. Best exampled through a casual dark indigo denim three-piece suit to the french art school single breasted blazer teamed with slim fit trousers and navy jumper.
This season is about 70’s vibes from the models long hair styling in the latest look book to the three-piece suiting in sandy cord and denim.
London Fashion Week Exhibition: Kabuto by masahito Kaji
Housed in the outer rooms of Somerset House during London Fashion Week was a curious showcase of unique designers from Japan. Milliner label Kabuto by Masahito Kaji whose recreation of traditional Japanese samurai armour with a contemporary twist was particularly incising. Beautifully sculpted and stacked with heritage Masahito Kaji’s collection is inspired by two things “Strong and Memorable” an underlining concept behind each collection, incorporating Japanese art and his unique deformation to create unique hats for men.
Floating on sticks amongst a minimal single tree background these exquisitely hand made sculptural hats come in a subtle earthy palette and produced in textural fabrics from ribbed cord textures, grey felt to straw like weave.
London Fashion Week A/W 2012: Palmer//Harding
Palmer//Harding is a womenswear and menswear shirts based label whose mission is to both elevate and innovate the perceptions of what the basic white shirt can be, bringing shirt design into a modern and contemporary setting. Believing contemporary shirt design to be woefully overshadowed and neglected.
Designers Levi Palmer and Matthew Harding established this relatively new label back in early 2011 after meeting while both studying fashion design at London’s Central Saint Martins in 2007. Before the label was even conceived the pair had been producing and collaborating on various projects and collections since 2009.
For their second NEWGEN sponsored season Palmer and Harding’s A/W 2012 collection is inspired by the juxtaposition of sculptural and fluid design, referencing Bruno Walpoth’s wooden sculptural portraiture as a main point of inspiration. His ability to create intricate sculptures that emote personality, tenderness and fragility inspired Palmer and Harding to infuse bold sculptural, tactile and sensual shapes into this seasons shirt designs. Whilst the photographs produced by George Platt Lynes influenced the idea of movement, ease and contrast of textures into this season silhouettes and fabrics choices.
As a white shirt obsessive we were impressed by their incredible attention to detail and skills of transforming a classic staple into something that both compliments it’s original aesthetic whilst creating conceptual and innovative designs. This season traditional shirt silhouettes and detailing were turned upside down in a series of striking updates including elongated shirt tails, dramatic double layering, obtuse long line cuts, block colour contrast panelling to contrast yoke. All produced in a subtle minimal palette of white, black and earth tones. Where Palmer and Harding succeeded is their understanding of the balance between tradition and experimentation.
You can check out more photographs from their A/W 2012 collection or buy their S/S 2012 on their website here.
London Fashion Week A/W 2012: Julian Zigerli
For Autumn/Winter 2012 Julian Zigerli was chosen to showcased his collection at Vauxhall Fashion Scout’s seasonal men’s Ones to Watch show. The Swiss born designer launched his first collection immediately after leaving University of Art in Berlin whilst simultaneously having collection shortlisted for the Swiss design prize in 2011. This is no surprise as Zigerli’s fall collection is both technically innovative, whilst maintaining stylish wearable designs.
The show opened with a whimsical marl knitted sweater and shorts teamed with matching scarf followed by a quilted ditzy floral body warmer and trouser two-piece. Fabric fusions are used widely from contrast panelled arms on a miliary-esque shirt to a sporty technical fabric statement block hem on a pair of casual brown trousers, whilst the real show stoppers are the playful hybrid technical fabric shirt and rucksacks combinations coming in white and black.
This is definitely a menswear designer to watch out for if this collection is anything to go by, its absolutely bursting with ideas from the boyhood playful print matching twin-sets, contrasting material panelling shirts to the technical experimentation of Zigerli’s designs.
Here are a few glimpses of the beautiful images from Julian Zigerli’s Fall 2012 look book. Showcasing boyhood tribes, movement and nomad adventures in a series of interesting colour and black and white editorial imagery.
London Fashion Week A/w 2012: Serdar Uzuntas
With the sheer mass of menswear designers exhibiting at London Fashion Week this season, we wanted to spotlight the majority the designers we saw during the day, so slowly but surely we will be showcasing some of the amazing menswear on display during Mens day.
First up is Turkish menswear designer Serdar Uzuntas’ fun Olympic ceremony themed A/W 2012 presentation. Inspired by mid-century work wear, Ivy league and English public school’s Serdar Uzuntas presented a menswear collection which presented tough wearable tailoring for the modern man in subdued heritage colours of smokey blue, camel and granite grey. Uzuntas modern, minimalist and loose silhouettes felt like a modern homage to the past in a series work wear hybrids from rugged corduroy blazers reworked with sporty detailing from sweater cuffs, zip-up technical roller necks and the hybrid nero collars. This is a collection that definitely broods with masculine English sporty style
London Fashion Week A/W 2012: Belstaff
Directly after leaving the very english Paul Smith womenswear show we headed around the corner to the the debut London collection for Belstaff. Established in 1924, Belstaff has stacks of heritage most notably during the twenties and thirties when it pioneered motor sports wear. Around seven months ago, Martin Cooper formerly of Burberry was appointed chief creative director he has since gone on to rework and focus the the labels aesthetics. Cooper looked to the brand’s archives for inspiration and this season was a display of his ability to fuse the past with contemporary design.
More like an grand exhibition than a fashion presentation the space had a sumptuous faux grass floor and numerous large glass cabinets housing the collection. Whilst models walked up and down a mini catwalk in 5’s, there’s no mistaking this brand mean business. The mens and womens ranges almost mimic each other in a series of luxurious leather cut biker jackets, bottle green trenches, alligator paneled casual sporty blousons and nautical cable knit roller necks. The more feminine pieces include a plush black astrakhan knee length coat and oil slick slip on.
If this is the result of seven month’s under Cooper’s creative control then we can’t wait to how the brand’s identity progresses.
London Fashion Week A/W 2012: Christopher Shannon
Set to a quirky background of thrills, dresses, real peoples legs and bin liners, this season’s Christopher Shannon A/W 2012 collection took inspiration from urban landscape of Matthieu Kassovitz’s iconic gritty french black and white film La Haine.
Urban sportswear continues to be a big influence in Shannon’s choice of silhouettes and materials this season, giving us an energetic mix of casual and smart silhouettes from blousons with leather arms, statement front pockets and zipped technical fabric joggers to black and white checked shirts teamed with fleecy jackets with exposed pockets along its sleeves.
Whilst Shannon’s use of urban emblazoned slogans, inverted graphics and oversized geo’s in a bleak palette of black, white and grey reference the stark urban iconography present within La Haine.
London Fashion Week Exhibition: Kyle Hopkins
We’re feeling like the powers above are controlling our lives, our banks and general legislation seems to be pulling un-employment up and choices down. With that grim summary in mind it was a delight to see jewellery to take us away to somewhere else funnier, cheekier and celebratory of human physiology.
Kyle Hopkins precious, carefully crafted pieces needed a magnifying glass to be studied, but their collective impact was huge.
Although the ear is a lesser celebrated part of the human body, the pieces in bright shining gold and silver stood out for their originality and humour.
London Fashion Week Exhibition: Charlie le Mindu
Mr. Hair himself, Charlie Le Mindu needs little introduction. Being a LFW regular, known for his shock factor, it was nice to see that Le Mindu has been feeling the sunny side of love.
Black and purple dominated Le Mindu’s short collection which was shown at the London Fashion Week exhibition at Somerset House. Although lightness was among the collection in comparison to previous shows, there was still an underlining element of cartoonish darkness running throughout the collection.
Big was best and sun-hats were disproportionately sized for maximum impact. Nothing sums up the collection than the Charlie Le Mindu lookbook. Click below to be understand the full vision.
Charlie Le Mindu Autumn/Winter 2012 Lookbook video starring Princess Julia
London Fashion Week A/W 2012: Holly Fulton
Holly’s prints have been mesmerising us for the last few years, with her architectural skylines dominating clean, simple shapes.
We’re glad to see her almost product-like theme continuing, but we’re also glad to see how her fun, quirky and pretty prints are developing too.
Landscapes, or should we be saying seascapes add depth, strength and volatility to her once only 2-D offering.
We love, and cannot wait for more.
