London: Street Style

As part of a feature for the November Edition of MFM I took to the streets of Spitafields Market and out and about Brick Lane to find some guys who have a distinct personal look. To see the whole feature and more, check out Mens Fashion Magazine on October 30th. 

James McFadzean, London

Distinctive for: the mix of textures; cable knit with worn leather and a crisp white shirt toughened up with ripped dark jeans.

Matt & Rob, Sidcup

Distinctive for: the clever layering (the black hoodie's Primark) and their 'we don't care about fashion' attitude.

Yusuke, Japan

Distinctive for: the spray-on wet-look jeans with the oversized cardigan and the general 'basic' colour palette.

Fernando, New York

Distinctive for: his rock n' roll mix of bedhead quiff and frayed scarf. The pointy shoes and popped collar are very Johnny Borrell.

Rod, London

Distinctive for: his unapologetic fur obsession and his inability to concentrate long enough for a photograph; "That was intense."

Steve, London

Distinctive for: his on trend aviator jacket offset by slightly special shoelaces.

London: Observations

I love to watch people I see in everyday circumstances and try to guess things about their lives based on how they've put themselves together. Who they are, what their job is, what they care about. It's fun being right but it's even better being wrong; because it proves that you should never judge a book by it's cover. Fashion allows you to wake up and be whoever you want to be. 

Florence: Pitti Filati 66. 27-29th January 10

 Despite the epic journey there (Leeds to Manchester, Manchester to Zurich, 5am Zurich to Florence), Pitti Filati was definately worth visiting. It was a knitters dream of textures and innovative yarns for Spring/Summer 11.

 The stand layouts were displayed in quirky ways; one stand had a garden theme and all the greenery was knitted and displayed in flowerpots. Elsewhere, they had a knitted bicycle and sushi- yum!

The most interactive stand was Millefile- designed like a fairground with a photo booth and superhero photo boards as well as pretty little sandwiches in the shape of letters.

 The trend area was amazing- with the theme being 'No' and playing on the idea of going back to basics. "No car; lets go for a walk" and "No washing machine; I'll do it by hand" were two of the trends but my favourite was "No email; write me a letter" which I thought was so relevant to the way we communicate today- after all, wheres the romance in an email? It featured letters and poems knitted onto fabric scraps and decorated with intricate details- I wish I could receive a letter so beautifully presented!

Leeds: Sicilian, Sartorial & Sensual

Celebrating 50 collections and 25 years in the business, Dolce and Gabbana ended their A/W 10/11 show with a short film showing the craftsmanship that goes into each piece which is simply beautiful. 

See Dolce & Gabanna at work

Manchester: Hello Strangers

Some people think of fashion and dismiss it as just a pretty dress. I don't understand those people. Fashion is a commitment to consciously design every aspect of myself. It is research and design; being influenced by others and making it my own. It is a life choice. It’s the perfume I wear, the earrings I love, the places I go to and the places I want to go to. It is the breathtaking design of a building and the colour of an old leather sofa. It is my mum, my friends, and the people I can’t stand. It is the driving force that makes me evolve, change, grow. It is not just a pretty dress.