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7/6/2015
H&M AW15.16 press day
I grew up with H&M.
My mum worked there as a visual merchandiser for most of my childhood, so in a way, my style today was shaped by the Swedish brand. This made it all the more surreal when I walked into their headquarters across Great Portland Street, being directed to the lift to take me to their glacial showroom on the fourth floor. Their airy, white concrete space; delicate, yet imposing. Greeted by the peppy PR manager, I made my way through the room and found myself in a princely little candy shop, well, from the future. The regal purple hues of the lights shimmered down the tin foil wall constructs. With a capsules machine filled with goodies (H&M gift cards? Yass) and a bounty of drinks on offer (double yass). Welcome to the H&M AW15.16 press day. Men:
It's no exaggeration to say that I threw myself at the racks (I guess this isn't the kind of racks my Dad thought I'd be leaping at) upon turning left and gazing at the sandstorm of naked, shimmering chromatics and dusty hues of brown. The dunes of the raglan overcoat against the silvery, polished tones of the technical grey parker; it's metallic finish shimmering and bounces from the flashes of the camera bulbs. Silhouette and fabrics were the main focus, shifting towards a technical fabric manipulation that elevated the traditionally boxy silhouette of the man into something more refined and sleek.
A teddy zip-up. cashmere roll necks, ink-black jacquard shirt with a pattern-esque terrain trailing over it's elongated form, and mohair-blend knits made the whole collection a playground of fabrics. The playfulness of the everything reminded me of how far fashion for men has come. only a few years ago, everything was in a loose-fitting, regular fit for guys. Looking at the pieces - loose, soft tailored pieces with a relaxed dimension - really does show the variety on offer for men nowadays. But obviously, we still have a long way to go. Women:
Now, Marilyn Monroe may rave about diamonds being a girl's best friend, but I bet to differ. Utilitarian futurism, sports luxe and starburst shine (mostly orange Starburst, apparently, but the red ones are my undeniable love) are glittered across the crunchy streets of autumn. Roll necks fell across the tiled flooring of the room, parked with military jackets lining up on the offence line, their weapons? Flared, bouncy trousers. Lurex layering across all fabrics - wool coats, knit leggings, matte wool tailoring - with technicolour prints scanned onto the blouses and roll-neck dresses.
The bead-embellished hat and jumper in electric leafy shades were more heavier than my responsibilities, Leaving the leather ski-style dungarees to nestle in the rack of pub kin oranges, teal and camels. Basically, H&M have your Halloween fetishes covered. H&M is a brand I've grown up with, so in a strange way, I've seen first hand how the brand has grown and flourished of the past few years. Fashion has changed, a lot. With more variety than Taylor Swift's dating history, seeing this makes you wonder what clothes we're going to be seeing in decades time. What did you make of H&M's AW15.16 press day? |