Combats have gone luxe
Put aside any associations with girl bands of the 90s. The military trouser style is back this season, but instead of the street edge loved by Shaznay and friends, it comes in a luxe guise. Marc Jacobs’ military collection featured combats with huge shiny buttons. Chanel’s came paired with tunics. Ralph Lauren marched them to the frontline of dressed-up style by reimagining them in posh khaki satin with bright asymmetric tops and slinky evening jackets. Wearing them for after dark is a very easy wardrobe game changer. It’s unrecognisable from the 90s and – for once – that’s a very good thing indeed.
Hilfiger gets nostalgic
People’s Place was the first store opened by Tommy Hilfiger back in 1969. Understandably he feels pretty nostalgic about that, and this spring he launches a new collection of the same name inspired by the fashions of those heady times. Comprising band T-shirts and 70s-inspired denim, it’s enough to make anyone feel like a rock star.
Nars goes nude for spring
As trends go, no makeup makeup is a bit of an eye roller. But this season’s catwalks offered interesting variations on the theme. There were fake freckles at Preen and bitten lips at Topshop Unique. Marc Jacobs went the whole hog: his models wore nothing but moisturiser. The makeup artist behind the look was François Nars, and if you want to attempt the kinder version – the one where you actually use makeup – then go for his spring collection. The range – fronted by Tilda Swinton, queen of the bare-faced look – is a subtle collection of nude colours and matt finishes. Apparently one of Nars’s favourite pieces is the Vent Salé lip gloss. The name translates as salted wind, and it produces the same shimmer as a sea breeze. Sounds perfect for summer.
Hermès gets a redesign
Henry Moore thought that “architecture is the poorer for the absence of sculpture”. This led him to create an artwork for the Time & Life building in London’s New Bond Street. The address is now home to Hermès’ flagship store, and as part of a majestic refit of the shop, the sculpture has gone on public display. This limited edition scarf (above) is also sold exclusively at the store.
Ami zooms from the catwalk to the skatepark
Purists may not approve but menswear brand Ami’s skateboard will appeal to fashion fans who fantasise about whizzing down a half-pipe. It’s one to decorate the smartest of living rooms, perhaps, rather than take down the skate park, but an object of joy nonetheless.
Chalayan returns to menswear
Hussein Chalayan returns to menswear this season, after eight years out. The new collection is sporty, smart and full of his trademark cut and cleverness. This minimal zip-up top makes a great wardrobe staple.
For spring accessories, look no further than Hindmarch
Anya Hindmarch’s sense of humour and kitsch references are famous, and this spring’s accessories are no exception. The best of the new season’s range is this fried egg shopper. This is what we really want for Easter.
Zadig and Voltaire get arty
Art is big at Zadig & Voltaire this season – something that makes sense when you know founder Thierry Gillier is a keen collector. For winter, that eye comes across in accessories with Jackson Pollock-like splatters, and a collaboration with Japanese artist Tsukasa Ohtake on prints. The Japanese artist known for vibrant colours and cartoonish style has created a psychedelic world – one that features cowboy skulls and exotic animals – seen on T-shirts, dresses and bags at the brand. Art and fashion are happy bedfellows once again.
Raeburn will bring out the big kid in you
Discreet grown-up bags are all very well, but at times you need a bit of cheer to carry around your keys and your phone. See this heart-singingly cute bag (above) from Christopher Raeburn. This is one time the tortoise moves lightning quick – to the top of our wishlist.
Levi’s extend Commuter collection to include womenswear
Cycling will never be the most stylish method of transport – that would be having your own driver. But for those taken with two wheels, Levi’s has extended its Commuter range to women: skinny jeans have selvedge in reflective fabric and extra stretch to avoid baggy knees, plus a higher rise to avoid knicker flashing at the lights. Not a worry for those with chauffeurs but something to make cyclists very happy indeed.
Jil Sander crosses the great gender divide
If ever a design house was linked to the minimalist, androgynous look, it’s Jil Sander. Sander, the label’s founder, left the company (for the third time) in October 2013. The man who stepped into her shoes is Rodolfo Paglialunga, formerly of Prada and Vionnet. “It is really challenging to be here right after Mrs Sander,” he says. “This brand has a very specific aesthetic based on defined codes. I’m expressing that but adding a personal touch.”
His first collection, inspired by a hero of androgynous fashion, Swiss photographer Annemarie Schwarzenbach, has an elegant school uniform feel: tailored shorts, knitted tanks and crisp shirts in navy, sky blue and burgundy. “I strongly believe in a playful, smart interplay between masculine and feminine closets,” Paglialunga says. “This first collection proves that sensuality is about attitude and not always linked to the concept of being sexy.” Which – as a template for modern minimalism – sounds very 2015 indeed.
Andre Walker is back on the (Dover Street) Market
Andre Walker is a new name to Dover Street Market this season, but the designer is an old hand at fashion. Walker has been working since the late 80s and had his first show when he was just 15. In the 90s the New York-based designer moved to Paris alongside the likes of Jeremy Scott, but when his own label didn’t pan out, Walker moved back to New York and went into consultancy in 2005. Self-taught as a designer, what he lacked in training he made up for with enthusiasm and talent. Over the years he’s worked with designers such as Marc Jacobs and Kim Jones. “I love cheerleading people on,” he says. “That was my job with Marc – cheering him on to be more ridiculous.”
Jones, meanwhile, is described as a “sweetpea”, albeit one that introduced him to Adrian Joffe, president of Comme des Garçons, who exclusively stocks Walker’s new eponymous womenswear collection at Dover Street Market. “It has given my career a boost, my CV is flashing now,” Walker says. Indeed. And that’s in no small part due to a collection that mixes sweet details such as frilled cuffs with space age shapes. “I live for the idea of creating something original,” Walker says. “That idea is a joke in fashion, but it’s what drives me.”
