Oliver Spencer AW18 at London Fashion Week Men's

London Fashion Week Men's, which finished earlier this week, has sadly shrunk over the last few editions and none of the usual classic (rather than fashion) menswear brands were present, with only Oliver Spencer putting on a catwalk show. E. Tautz wasn't there and none of the tailoring stalwarts like Turnbull & Asser, Gieves & Hawkes, Chester Barrie etc etc, who used to put on local presentations even if they didn't show on the catwalk, were around.

However, Oliver Spencer didn't disappoint; with the usual diverse selection of models livened up by the presence of a few women (including the lovely Catherine Hayward, Fashion Director of Esquire and Daisy Lowe, left and middle above).  The clothes are available for purchase online through Oliver Spencer’s Vero page.

The collection comprised a significant amount of corduroy, some velvet and sober but rich colours redolent of London, the theme of the show. Greys, pale blues, brown, mustard, burgundy and cream held no threats to men cautious of bright colour. Shapes were very Oliver Spencer, relaxed but essentially classic. Suiting all men, the collection would provide an excellent alternative to the usual unadventurous uniform of the older man, artificially distressed jeans, fleeces and unfortunate trainers. Here are a few of my favourites:

See Oliver Spencer for the current collection.

Oliver Spencer at London Fashion Week Men's

London provided the inspiration for Oliver Spencer’s SS18 Collection shown at LFWM this month. The range of colour and textures reflected the diversity of our great capital city. I show here a few of my favourite pieces. The trend towards safari and Harrington jackets continues. I love his use of a delicious tobacco/ginger brown (bottom image) which looks so good with a cobalt blue.

Every year I complain about the lack of older models at LFWM and I usually praise Oliver Spencer for his use of older models on the catwalk. While there were a few grey hairs, the models didn't this time quite reflect, in terms of age, the diverse nature of the city used as inspiration for the collection as the clothes would look good on men of any age. Oliver Spencer.

Oliver Spencer AW15 at London Collections:Men

One of my favourite British menswear designers, Oliver Spencer, rarely disappoints with his shows at London Collections:Men. This one was no exception. To a thumping live band, the energetic show displayed a collection for AW15 that was based on the works of artist David Nash by using the colours and textures of nature highlighted with accent colour - the theme of this January 2015 LC:M. 

As usual, much of the collection is made in the UK. Here is a wearable collection, from classic to bold - ideal for the older man looking for British style that is different but not too challenging.

See Oliver Spencer and search elsewhere on this blog for my previous posts on Oliver Spencer. (Images Oliver Spencer).

Oliver Spencer opens new store in London's East End

I always find Oliver Spencer stores a pleasure to enter and browse; well-designed with natural materials, light and welcoming. The new shop in London's East End is no exception. It's the result of a collaboration with the furniture brand Another Country, whose beautiful, minimalist, wooden products are almost Shaker in design.

Oliver Spencer is proud of his new store and told me:

"When the store came up at Calvert Avenue I jumped at the chance, as not only is the store very beautiful, with the triple store front, but also Calvert Avenue with Arnold Circus at the bottom is a joy! We also felt sure that we had a customer base living and working in that area."

Many of Oliver Spencer's clothes are made in the UK and he has extended this love of British workmanship into the new store. All the furniture and fittings are made in England from oak with a very modern-looking burnt wood finish.

Visit the new shop at Calvert Avenue, Shoreditch, East London. See the Oliver Spencer website for his menswear collection.

Navy blue - the colour for every man

I realised recently that the major part of my wardrobe is navy blue. For a man, younger or older, navy blue is the new black. It goes with any colour, from your crisp white shirt to the favourite acid-green trainers. My favourite pairings are to put navy blue with grey (see the image below from Crew Clothing) and with orange (here's a link to a previous post on this topic).

Overcombe jacket, grey Oxford jumper Crewe Clothing Co. - blue and grey together

Navy blue suits a wide spectrum of formality, from dinner jackets to jeans. The last few years have seen the rise in the deep blue evening suit (or tuxedo), popular because it shows up as a luxurious midnight blue under artificial light. For work, a navy blue suit is ideal. A classic of simple elegance, it looks superb with a striped shirt and silk Paisley tie. For casual wear, dark navy is the colour of raw denim jeans or of a wool or waxed-cotton pea coat. 

A navy flannel made to measure suit from Susannah Hall Tailors

The CEO of Whistles, Jane Shepherdson, has said: "When I see someone in navy, I think they are sophisticated, effortless, not trying too hard but with an innate sense of style," and she continues, "It is more forgiving than black, less harsh and carries with it a subtle whiff of sophistication. It stripes better than any other colour, and looks both classic and sharp at the same time." 

Smart: blue business coat. Hackett AW14

Casual: Navy and tan from Crew Clothing Co. Abingdon navy gingham shirt

The colour flatters a man so well that it was selected by the Royal Navy as the main colour for its uniforms many years ago. The Navy, keen to keep everything shipshape, recognised that Jack would look good in blue; and certainly women seemed to agree. The nautical look is now popular with both high street brands like Whistles (below) as well as retailers with one foot genuinely in the sea, like Crew Clothing Co, which started in water sports.

Whistles textured pea coat - the nautical look

So, navy blue is a useful colour for a man, whatever his skin tone or hair colour. It covers a range of hues from midnight blue to a cobalt or dark royal blue, so adding to its flexibility. The only problem is that, as in my case, it can become the easy option and you find your wardrobe has become too blue. In that case relieve the effect with contrasting textures (as below) or with colourful accessories; bright socks, ties, pocket squares and sweaters. Alternatively, play with different shades and tones of blue, the overall effect can be striking.

However you do it, use the versatility of navy blue as a base for more daring sartorial adventures.

Oliver Spencer SS15 - shades and textures of blue

Links to suppliers -

Crew Clothing Co. (to whom I'm grateful for their sponsorship of this post.)

Susannah Hall Tailors.

Whistles Menswear.

Hackett.

Oliver Spencer.

Style for the older man: the unstructured jacket & the rise of smart comfortable wear

The rise of British manufacture has revived skills which are bringing shapes and styles to menswear which have roots in a long heritage. Tailoring has long British traditions in producing formal suits, jackets, blazers. These are all structured garments with lining, internal canvas pieces and a construction that makes them formal and shaped in appearance.

Older man style: an unstructured jacket allows me to wear a suit, but feel comfortable, as if in jumper and jeans

But another style of jacket has been revived in the last few years. It's unstructured, unlined or semi-lined, and comfortable, with soft shoulders, patch pockets and even (as mine above) shirt-style cuffs. It's generally cheaper than a tailored jacket because it has its roots in the working coats that used to be turned out for engine drivers, bus conductors, mechanics, road repair and factory workers.

Workers needed to wear a garment that was cheap to produce and allowed freedom of movement while looking reasonably smart (this was a time when men, however humble, still took pride in their appearance). These characteristics are exactly what younger, middle-aged or older men are now looking for in their search for smart but comfortable casual wear.

The rise in popularity of this style coincides with the deformalisation (if that's a word) of menswear. Men now wear suits for both semi-formal and casual wear, encouraged by the comfort that an unstructured jacket brings. I find I now throw on my Oliver Spencer linen/cotton mix suit (pictured above), with its unlined jacket, as readily as I might a cotton jumper and pair of chinos - and I feel just as relaxed. 

Such styles are available from many menswear labels that design and/or manufacture in the UK including -

Old Town
Tender
Private White V.C.
S.E.H. Kelly 
Albam 
Cro'jack
Universal Works
Oliver Spencer and others.

Try them and you'll find a coat jacket that's immediately comfortable. The tailoring won't be as sharp or the fit as snappy as a structured and lined tailored jacket - but that's the strength of a garment that is fuelling the rise in comfortable, smart casual menswear.

Oliver Spencer SS15 video and images - a mature and wearable collection

I am a fan of Oliver Spencer's work and wear some of his clothes; they're wearable, comfortable, look good and are different without being outrageous. I didn't get to the show at London Collections:Men, but liked the look of the SS15 collection when I saw this video. 

Inspired by Mexican architect Luis Barragán (1902 – 1988), the Oliver Spencer SS15 collection features fabrics chosen for their texture and colour, engineered sweatshirts and textural linen knitwear referencing Barragán’s use of colour and textural contrasts. Performance fabrics are used for outerwear. 

I like the way Spencer had been inspired by an artwork. The colour palette makes reference to the subtractive primary colours of Barragán’s Torres de Satélite in Naucalpan, Mexico. A spectrum of blues, (indigo through to sky) and house red contrast with yellow ochre, all balanced by whites and lighter tones of oatmeal with black adding a sense of structure.

Barragán’s Torres de Satélite, image Wikipedia

As at previous shows, Spencer earns points for using older men with character as models, rather than the bony youths used by many labels, making it easier for most of us to identify with the brand. Below are images of some of my favourite looks, available for spring 2015. 

Visit Oliver Spencer's website for his current collections. All images below Oliver Spencer.

  

Getting the new Dr Who look - Timeless style?

So Peter Capaldi's new Dr Who is apparently ditching the tweed and woolly scarves and going for a mod-style red silk-lined navy Crombie with dark blue trousers, white shirt (buttoned at collar, of course), navy waistcoat and black Doc Martens (maybe more skinhead than mod?). As an honorary member of the Grey Fox Club, an older man of style, Capaldi gets our approval. He'll help the gradual rediscovery of the powerful grey pound by the fashion industry. [Edit - since posting this the BBC has changed its description of the shoes to 'sturdy black shoes'. I'm told that those in the image below are Loake, not Doc Martens. I already had a photo of Loake boots below.]

Will we be seeing many Dr Who lookalikes on our streets? Here's how you can be one too.

Image BBC

The main feature is the red lined Crombie - a coat much favoured by everyone from City gents to skinheads and mods. It's interesting how a former symbol of capitalist power can also have been adopted by rebel youth movements and, of course, rebel time lords.

Navy Crombie with red silk lining - from Crombie of course

Arthur & Henry ethically-made white shirt

Sir Plus navy wool waistcoat

Oliver Spencer navy wool fishtail Pennington trouser

Doc Martens 3989 shoe

Or...........

Loake smooth black leather boots

Oliver Spencer AW14

I like Oliver Spencer's clothes because he sells to all types of man; look at the variety of characters walking his catwalk show at London Collections:Men this month. Alex James, Gary Kemp, Jack Guinness and Chris Chasseaud, one of the many friends I've made through this blog, modelled in the show at which music was provided by Specials Drummer John "Brad". 

If you're an older man looking for something classic yet different, take a look. Oliver Spencer mixes soft outlines with traditional and technical fabrics, often using British manufacture. Looking at the clothes, worn by the models with humour and attitude, they are comfortable yet stylish. 

 See Oliver Spencer for the current collection.