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When it comes to designer clothes for men, we often find ourselves in dangerous territory: the realm of the conventional. Men who care about quality, tend to stick to the same tried-and-tested pieces and are not always keen to push the boat out-particularly once their teenage years are behind them.
But this has less to do with what men actually want and more to do with an industry that can sometimes favour familiarity over experimentation. The desire to experiment, take risks and express oneself through clothing is very much there. All too often, however, it is stifled by a lack of genuinely interesting alternatives.
Vivienne Westwood’s latest collection sets out to break free from this well-worn formula-and succeeds. This is designer menswear that dares to be different without provocation for its own sake.
The British brand’s history speaks for itself: a rejection of convention, but never simply for the sake of it; an ability to marry the great traditions of tailoring and menswear with street influences rooted in London and its rich history of subcultures. Cuts, fabrics, embroidery and patterns come together in combinations that are never obvious.
Looking to tradition without standing still
Standing on the shoulders of tradition’s giants is not without its risks. It is all too easy to spend so much time looking backwards that you begin to assume that men always prefer familiar styles.
Reworking the same garments collection after collection soon becomes a tired exercise, propped up by the very clichés we began with.
Yet, as Vivienne Westwood’s latest collection shows, the great tradition of men’s designer clothes can instead become a blank canvas: a foundation on which to create trends rather than merely copy them. It is possible to anticipate the future of fashion without losing sight of the principles that have long defined exceptional menswear.
A jacket may still be a jacket, of course, but that does not mean it cannot be transformed by inventive cuts, unexpected proportions and fabrics we might never have imagined seeing in outerwear. The classic orb-Vivienne Westwood’s iconic signature-can sit alongside unmistakably British references, from Scottish tartan details to flashes of colour capable of brightening even the greyest London afternoon.
Above all, a fashion-conscious male audience can be offered clothing that does more than simply dress the body. It can express a mood, a personality and an entire way of being.
No explanation necessary
Fashion is a language and, when spoken well, it needs no explanation. Nothing needs to be shouted, nor whispered so quietly that it disappears. There is no need to feel self-conscious about showing the world who you are-or who you want to be seen as.
Vivienne Westwood has always demonstrated a command not only of the language of traditional menswear.
It is hardly the safest approach, and certainly not the dullest. It takes risks alongside the people who wear the clothes, but the result is something distinctive.
For anyone whose curiosity has been piqued, discovering Vivienne Westwood’s latest designer menswear collection is now only a click away-or a visit to one of the selected boutiques.
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