Many designers see each season as a way to reinvent their style or try their hand at something new and unexpected, but Christopher Kane sees each collection as an evolution of the last. Men’s or women’s, the lines grow beautifully from one another into something completely new, but still rooted to his previous work. For his men’s Winter/Fall 2016 collection at London Fashion Week, he drew upon the idea of a car-crash from his women’s Spring 2016 line, but gave it a more streamlined, and masculine, upgrade.
Seatbelts hung off of the waist of models as belts, metallic silver, reminiscent of a car’s shiny exterior, was used for several pieces of outerwear, even the zip zag print found in varying size throughout the collection seemed to follow the jagged swerves of a car just before impact. The most literally interpretation of his inspiration was found on suits and blazers, where images of vintage automobiles were crushed and broken piled on top of one another.
Despite such a morbid, or possibly cathartic collection—Kane attributed the original idea to his life being a bit of a “car-crash” after his mother’s passing—it’s one that fashion guys will be clamoring for come autumn. Pulling away from the more on-trend silhouettes that include fitted blazers and tapered trousers, this collection highlights wide-leg culottes, loosely-cut pants, draped shirts and the same relaxed fits that dominated the ‘90s. It casually references the structure (and some neon colors) of the decade without giving any direct acknowledgement to it. It’s a modern reinvention for a more sartorially savvy (and grown up) ‘90s kid.
