Menswear and the military is an age old marriage of dressing with defiance and if anyone can handle the age old and carry it off with contemporary cool, it’s McQueen. Their menswear offering this season didn’t make any grandiose theatrical gestures, instead Sarah Burton was partial to a more austere sobriety. In a show of fashionable patriotism the creative director keenly demonstrated that we lest forget, following in the footsteps of a number of other British institutions over the recent months to mark the centenary of WW1.
In air force ready hues, Burton created a modern uniform for the style soldiers out there and decorated it with fanciful military honours that ranged from diamanté star medals, large panels of script reading HONOUR and VALOUR and a dusky poppy insignia. The severe cuts may be a little much for some, but this was another sterling menswear collection coming courtesy of Burton’s knack for knowing just when to push something far enough and then reel it in. Though perhaps there is still a call for boxier silhouettes in such harsh political climates after all, so count us in.
When the dust had settled, AW15’s salute to keeping calm, carrying on and looking damn swank when doing so had us in rejoice. One must ask; is there anyone else who can weave such a strong narrative into such magnificent clothing so subtly?!
by Liam Feltham
Images courtesy of Style.com