Savile Row icon Hardy Amies staged a utilitarian spectacular at London Collections Men this season, introducing tailoring with a more innovative direction and relocating its catwalk show to the imposing St Pancras Renaissance Hotel in Kings Cross. A new dawn came to mind when Strauss’s grandiose Also Sprach Zarathustra blasted out of speakers and beaming spotlights illuminated the catwalk, shedding stark light on the supremely cut new forms that made their way onto the runway.
First off, the fruity workman colour palette and more timid cuts were most noticeable but retained the debonair heritage that is synonymous with the brand, SS16 was just a little more cut out for the daring debonair.
Amies creative director, Mehmet Ali, put this down to looking to the skies and experimenting with an aviation aesthetic, a menswear trope that is becoming more and more ubiquitous of late. Nylon workwear with luminescent accents intermingled with the finest suits and the complimentary concoction was taken further by rendering certain layers above completely transparent.
Furthermore Ali then decided to add a dose of sleek laser-cut trims to some jackets, forging a running theme which should attract a few more consumers to Amies for next season. Amies excelled at proving their team of master menswear stylists know just how to really finish off an ensemble, with each stylish get-up remaining as distinctive as the last. This was London menswear at its finest and also its most refreshing.
by Liam Feltham
Images courtesy of Style.com