Utility kept marching staunchly through London, Milan and Paris, as it has been for quite a few seasons now, with many designers endeavouring to make our clothes as useful as they are pretty. Functional garms that made strong aesthetic statements were popular. Shearlings were first up (keeping with the strong 70s theme) from the likes of Burberry and Tom Ford. Hoods too were in vogue, but not in their usual sporting context. Versace and Tiger of Sweden both put hooded tops with their tailoring to ramp things up in the suiting department. Topman Design and Moschino took utility to the extreme with an all in one overall that was less about working hard, and more about looking good. Sibling brought out the high socks and gloves to keep everyone warm while Dsquared2, Dior and Diesel all embraced leather trousers ready for not so heavy duty action. Prints stayed on the geometric side, with plenty of stripes, squares and checks which were often mixed with more intricate prints. Alexander McQueen and Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci lead the class, showing the others how best to do it. There was everything from traditional check to anarchical bright yellows that were found in Topman Design’s 70s-inspired collection.
Even though it’s winter, there was plenty of body still on show. Dsquared2 had the biceps out, and Calvin Klein Collection were accentuating the waist with their cropped jackets matched with the popular, wide legged, relaxed trouser that cropped up everywhere during the shows. Sibling and Moschino even had chests and legs on show, as the models made their way through a menswear catwalk blizzard.