Plenty of grey at London Collections:Men, but no grey hairs. Why not?

This month's London Collections:Men showed that, for AW15, menswear is going monotone. Grey, black and white sometimes relieved by dark blues was the dominant theme in the more classic collections. Some used brighter highlights as relief; orange and yellow ochre being popular. 

I approve; such tones make an ideal background for pops of colour and a fine structure for patterns like Prince of Wales, herringbone and dogtooth checks. However, the silver, titanium and steely greys were not reflected by the hair of the models showing the wonderful collections on display. Why not, I ask?

E Tautz - shades of grey, but no grey hairs (image ?Hunger Magazine)

I have no objection to youthful models, but their exclusive use in advertising and on the catwalks locks out the growing demographic of which I'm a member; older men. In fact, it also excludes anyone who isn't tall and skinny, but that's another issue.

Thomas Pink at London Collections:Men AW15

There were exceptions: Duchamp, Oliver Spencer and Thomas Pink were among the few acknowledging that older men also represent the menswear market.

Oliver Spencer

One of my favourite collections was that from E. Tautz. British-made, superb materials; checks and herringbones in greys, charcoals and silvers, all colours which go so well with grey hair. Yet there was not one older model wearing these amazing clothes. The collection would have been graced by a few grey hairs and this would have opened it up to a whole new consumer: the older man in search of well-made style. The same goes for most of the more classic collections on display at LC:M.

Duchamp

At the risk of repeating myself, older men are an affluent, settled, and growing group. They may not all be interested in style, but with a little encouragement this is a market waiting to be opened up by shrewd selling. Such marketing can start by showing men's fashions on older models. This provides the role models and inspiration that older men need to get involved in style by purchasing menswear. It's as simple as that. Come on fashion industry, get real.

Grey Fox Models 13 - Nigel Cabourn AW13

What a superb advertisement for Nigel Cabourn's wonderful Everest parka and Harris tweed jacket, from the Autumn/Winter 2013 collection. An excellent example of the use of older models to sell menswear. More of this would encourage and embolden older men in their shopping and style choices. See Nigel Cabourn.

For more in the Grey Fox Models series, looking at older models advertising menswear, click here. 

Grey hair 4 - Brighten up with bold colours

We've looked at the great versatility of grey hair in recent weeks. How about taking advantage of the neutrality of grey or silver hair to brighten up? Become a peacock for a change.

All images from The Sartorialist.

Grey hair special - grey vixens, women proud of their grey hair

In my search for images for my posts about grey hair in men, I came across far fewer of women. Their rarity got me wondering about the social conventions, pressures and influences that require women to dye their hair, when most men go grey.

Looking at these images (many of whom you will know) I'm struck how rarely we see grey-haired women in their forties and fifties; I wish we could see more.

[Ed. Since writing this post I have started a board celebrating grey-haired women on Pinterest - see here].

I don't know where these images came from originally; please let me know if I've infringed any rights.

Grey hair 1 - Enhance it with silver and grey.

If you're going grey, you're lucky. Greys and silvers are neutral, but very elegant, colours which go with virtually anything.

Generally, as I will examine over the next few weeks, the brighter the accompanying colour the better. However, as shown below by various men and Jamie Lee Curtis, a muted and very sophisticated affect can be achieved by simply adding greys and silvers in clothes and accessories. All images from The Sartorialist (unless stated).

Image origin not known

Image origin not known

Image origin not known

And here are two more images, found for me by Fred Gonsowski, the first from Dapper Lou.

Image Dapper Lou

Image Trashness.com