Post date: Jun 17, 2012 4:54:26 PM
LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JUNE 17, 2012) (REUTERS) - Mixing his signature casual sportswear aesthetic with a regency twist, British fashion designer Richard Nicoll premiered his debut menswear collection on Sunday (June 17), on the final day of the first-ever London men's fashion weekend.
British fashion designer Richard Nicoll makes his first foray into menswear, debuting his new collection as part of the first-ever London men's fashion weekend.
Fashionistas have flocked to London for the three-day showcase event as Britain's fashion designers try to lift men's clothes, the fastest growing fashion sector, out of the shadow of the more glamorous womenswear collections.
London Collections Men, which runs for three days from Friday (June 15), showcases a mixture of haute couture and high-street men's designers to showcase the best of British menswear with fashion luminaries such as Tom Ford, Burberry and Paul Smith hosting dinners, talks and presentations.
In the prestigious surroundings at the Institute of Contemporary Arts near Buckingham Palace, models walked the catwalk wearing Richard Nicoll's Spring/Summer 2012 menswear collection. Taking cues from his eponymous womenswear collection, the menswear line shared the same sense of modern elegance; merging clean, classical lines with Nicholl's signature sportswear philosophy. Crisp white shirts with occasional subtle stripes blended with leather pieces to give a sense of nouveau classicism. Also, vibrant colour blocked cashmere knitwear was combined with gabardine and woven silk outerwear, including a mac, bomber, anorak and Harrington jacket. The colour palette spanned white and grey, to shades of blue with highlights of yellow.
Eagerly awaited by the fashion industry, Nicholl's collection was probably the best show so far said style blogger, Scott Schuman, better known as The Sartorialist.
"Good colour, good silhouettes. I don't want to say it looked expensive, but it looked well made. A lot of the collections in London look very worked on, but not necessarily well-made; where this looks chic and well-made," Schuman said.
Leather jackets in teal and aqua with contrasting details also featured, alongside rich paisley prints, with models sporting different coloured briefcases and duffel bags.