This London Collections: Men's fashion week, the lovely style blogger SUSIE BUBBLE reports, just for OC!
Christopher Shannon’s understanding of a specific strand of English subculture––call it chav, scally, or what you will––is always ever-present in his collections. It’s why he can dissect the nuances of British-styled sportswear so accurately, where others just scratch the surface. Perhaps it was Margaret Thatcher’s death last year or perhaps Shannon was eager to explore the roots of the tracksuit, so crucial to the subculture he often references. Either way, his collection took us back to the early years of Thatcherism and the post-punk, dub, and dance era of New Age Steppers and Adrian Sherwood. Though this era was before Shannon’s time, his nostalgia is no less authentic. Think heavy nylon and thick jersey tracksuits and fade-out shirts rendered in psychedelic florals, inspired by the idea of vibrant chintzy wallpaper seen through a rotting window frame in a rundown municipal office. Shannon combed this seemingly bleak period for upbeat positivity, with leather shirts and cagoules in bright orange and corals, tracksuit tops deconstructed into ready-to-fly caped jackets, and a final burst of retro floral––all symbols of the brighter side of the Thatcherite years. Even the cigarette packets depicted on intarsia knit sweaters were meant to be cheeky bits of cheer. The legendary stylist and jewelry designer Judy Blame, who dangled money-themed jewelry from models’ necks and off their trousers' belt loops, remembers the Thatcher post-punk period better than most. In the 80s, he was part of a style epoch that spawned creative reactions in London’s fashion underground. Shannon, too is part of a London menswear scene that is overturning the status quo. His upbeat collection rooted in melancholy circumstances proved that.
Photos by Mafalda Silva | E-mail us to be notified once the Fall/Winter 2014 collection hits OC!
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Christopher Shannon’s understanding of a specific strand of English subculture––call it chav, scally, or what you will––is always ever-present in his collections. It’s why he can dissect the nuances of British-styled sportswear so accurately, where others just scratch the surface. Perhaps it was Margaret Thatcher’s death last year or perhaps Shannon was eager to explore the roots of the tracksuit, so crucial to the subculture he often references. Either way, his collection took us back to the early years of Thatcherism and the post-punk, dub, and dance era of New Age Steppers and Adrian Sherwood. Though this era was before Shannon’s time, his nostalgia is no less authentic. Think heavy nylon and thick jersey tracksuits and fade-out shirts rendered in psychedelic florals, inspired by the idea of vibrant chintzy wallpaper seen through a rotting window frame in a rundown municipal office. Shannon combed this seemingly bleak period for upbeat positivity, with leather shirts and cagoules in bright orange and corals, tracksuit tops deconstructed into ready-to-fly caped jackets, and a final burst of retro floral––all symbols of the brighter side of the Thatcherite years. Even the cigarette packets depicted on intarsia knit sweaters were meant to be cheeky bits of cheer. The legendary stylist and jewelry designer Judy Blame, who dangled money-themed jewelry from models’ necks and off their trousers' belt loops, remembers the Thatcher post-punk period better than most. In the 80s, he was part of a style epoch that spawned creative reactions in London’s fashion underground. Shannon, too is part of a London menswear scene that is overturning the status quo. His upbeat collection rooted in melancholy circumstances proved that.
Photos by Mafalda Silva | E-mail us to be notified once the Fall/Winter 2014 collection hits OC!
