22.09.10

London Fashion Week - Menswear - Topman Design SS11

Topman Design SS11

With Unique setting the bar remarkably high, Topman Design certainly had a lot to live up. The brands strength lies in its ability to fuse commercial savvy with just the right amount of design detailing. For Spring Summer 2011 this manifests in a subtle mod aesthetic – round Lennon glasses were paired with slim-fit, double breasted suits in smart charcoal grey, worn over vibrant floral print shirts.

A focus on shirting returns later in the collection, silk panelled, with a soft mandarin collar, or burgundy, overlaid with a hand-drawn design. This smart casual aesthetic is juxtaposed with lightweight outerwear – perhaps suitable for the unpredictable British summer – in vibrant purple accents. Rendered in lustrous nylons, they sit alongside oversized stone parkas, detailed with tapes and zip-pockets.

Referencing the trend for workwear that emerged on the catwalks of Milan and Paris - exemplified by Kris van Assche and hinted at by Raf Simmons – Design presented canvas trousers and shorts. Worn high on the waist, and belted with wide leather belts, zip fasten pockets and oversized button-up fly flaps compounded the conceit. Roll-up canvas bags are tied round the waist, decorated with tie-pins for an authentic retro twist.

Velour polo-shirts, detailed with brown strip details were a subtle nod to the Seventies, the aesthetic exacerbated by the quirky knitwear – long-sleeve crew-necks in solid primary brights were detailed with kitsch graphic depictions of records, Polaroid cameras and red foxes. For those who can’t possibly wait until next year to don Design’s offing’s, select pieces are available to buy on-line now. Topman Design- the epitome of accessible fashion for the modern man.

Photos by Duilio Marconi

Posted by Victoria Loomes

Tags: London Fashion Week SS11 LFW SS11 MAN Topman Design