As the spring/summer collections of all fashion houses hits shelves, it is time for you to ditch your scarf and parka and for lighter weight some pieces that do not shy away from colour and personality. As you may or may not know, the entire fashion world is raving (and freaking out) about Stella McCartney’s first ever menswear collection that has finally become available online and in select stores worldwide. Being known for being her father’s favourite designer (ahem… the legend himself, Sir Paul McCartney) and her androgynous take on her past women’s collections, McCartney is all equipped to tap into the world of menswear. Her first mens collection, that debuted last October during London Fashion Week, explored influences from varsity athletics, modern military, and homage to the 1970s. Combine these aesthetics with her signature slouchy, yet refined look and you will have that perfect look for the warmer seasons approaching.
The collection contains a mix of pieces ranging from oversized trench coats, silk bombers, graphic tees, suits, and accessories. One thing that I love about McCartney is that she incorporates current event and social issues in her pieces in a cool subtle way. A piece that I definitely want to cop is the Red Member Print T-Shirt emblazoned with “Members & Non-Members Only”. In fact, this saying can be found on scarves, hoodies, and even on socks. In the age where discrimination and segregation are becoming ever so rampant, the designer excels by promoting unity in a quirky, joe-kool kind of way. Another piece that I am obsessed with is the Textured Jacquard Bomber Jacket. Because finals are amongst us, I definitely could use this piece as it not only looks like a blanket, but it reinvents the classic olive green bomber and reinvents the word “relaxed” by adding elements of high fashion street wear. As a statement piece in itself, the jacket would look amazing with a plain white tee and some cropped denim with white sneakers, another item that I want to purchase from the collection. Lastly, I am gagging over the Black Technical Cotton Shirt. This was actually the shirt her husband wore to an event that had every menswear blogger talking. I love how it draws on military influences, but it has a slim fitting, boxy silhouette that adds modernity and edge to an everyday outfit. I would wear the button down as part of a monochromatic outfit consisting of black slim fitting smart pants, a black tee underneath (just incase I want it to be left open), and white leather sneakers.
In an interview with Vogue, McCartney shared that she has debated on a menswear line for 11 years, but just did not think she could pull it off. She has only designed menswear looks for her father, her husband (who is the creative director for Hunter), and David Bowie. However, she was driven to complete an entire collection after an overwhelming response with her collaboration with Adidas to be the official designer for the 2016 Great Britain Olympics Team. She thought that men could use another source of designer, high quality denim and some fashion forward pieces and she did just that. This collection boasts stripes, fringe, and colour blocking to the extreme, but these are a few of the elements that made McCartney a staple in the closets of many influencers in the fashion scene. GQ Style wonders how the designer will pull off suede and leather pieces (2 of the it-trends in the menswear scene) in colder seasons as she is an advocate for animal, cruelty-free ethics, but until then McCartney has mastered the art of menswear. Check out some of my favourite looks from the collection and let me know what you think!
All images courtesy of Stella McCartney.
Candidly,
Jonah
