Tag archives for Swedish fashion week

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Stockholm A/W 2012: Menswear Trend Report

The fashion circus is over for this time as you know having read Sabrina’s post from yesterday and as hectic as they are (especially if you are, as I was, reviewing some of the shows over at Bon.se and trying to get the review up within two hours) they are also great fun.

In many ways Sweden’s men are the true fashionistas of Sweden, so a proper look at what was happening over the three days that go under the name of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Stockholm needs to include the biggest fashion trends for male consumers.

Ubi Sunt A/W 2012

1. Turtle necks

On the first day of the week, at Filippa K Man, designer Morgan Sundberg explained to me that the turtle neck was back. His words were to be proven true in almost every menswear show over the following days and worn in any way possible from chunky, as at Whyred and Boomerang, to thin, as at Ubi Sunt, or in between: Oscar Jacobson.

J. Lindeberg A/W 2012

2. Quilted

Techno looks were mixed up with more natural-looking materials and the synthetic vibe often came in the way of quilts. Most innovative were J. Lindeberg who showed quilted cargo shorts worn over trousers or leggings, but the material were spotted at Josefin Strid, Boomerang, The Local Firm and V Ave Shoe Repair.

Whyred AW 2012

3. Sixties silhouette

It’s the Mad Men influence that keeps trousers cropped and suits sharp. It was no wonder that it was the mod aficionados at Whyred who did the look in its most clear way, but the cropped trouser suit turned up at Oscar Jacobson and Tiger of Sweden as well.

Josefin Strid A/W 2012

4. Eastern influence

Most obviously seen at the Cheap Monday show where jumpers were wrapped around heads in a way reminiscent of Afghani mujaheddin, Eastern dress styles kept being alluded to throughout the week. Long shirts, reminiscent of the Pakistani kameez were seen at Carin Wester while sarongs popped up at Josefin Strid.

Oscar Jacobson A/W 2012

5. Dandy

The autumn in many ways seem a bit more dressed up than previously, it was a trend we could see at the international shows and it was also evident here in Stockholm. Capes at Oscar Jacobson, Karl Lagerfeld collars at Ubi Sunt and all-grey double-breasted ensembles at Carin Wester – it signals a move away from the more outdoorsy urban looks we’ve seen recently.

V Ave Shoe Repair A/W 2012

6. Styling

In a couple of shows there was a return of styling as a way of making clothes look fresh and interesting. It signalled that fashion designers think we should have some fun with the clothes and adapt them, turn them around and wear them in unexpected ways. This was seen as Cheap Monday, V Ave Shoe Repair and The Local Firm.

All photos by Kristian Löveborg, courtesy of the ASFB.

 

The J. Lindeberg woman

CEO Jonas Meerits and designer Jessy Heuvelink at the presentation.

Last night Swedish fashion week pottered on with the presentation of J. Lindeberg’s new womenswear collection. The Swedish brand best known for it’s golf wear has only been doing a men’s collection for a few seasons, after a rebranding and relaunch in 2007.

Fair enough, it wasn’t strictly fashion week, but since J. Lindeberg is one of the Swedish brands which actually has a worldwide brand recognition, it was still an important event.

The new womenswear was presented by the designer Jessy Heuvelink and could best be described as “masculine”, with lot’s of tailored blazers, monk strap shoes and trousers. The focus was on the material and the feel of the clothes, rather than the embellishment – a strategy which might or might not work for women. I recently read an article in the Wall Street Journal about how women should shop like men, buying comfortable clothes rather than, well, clothes that are uncomfortable.

J. Lindeberg seem to think there is such a market, since their materials were exquisite and soft. It wasn’t exactly a sexy collection, but rather clothes for women who are perhaps more focused on their own wellbeing than being on display. (Not that there’s anything wrong in wanting to attract attention.)

At the very least it is an option I definitely think should be open to women. I can only imagine what it would be like to have to walk around in uncomfortable but fashionable clothes all the time.

Un-Swedishness

Last Friday, Martin Bergström started off Swedish fashion week a little bit early (it’s on between January 31 and February 2) with a presentation at Wetterling Gallery. He’s never been afraid of patterns, dear Martin, in fact, they are his strength (as shown last year when he created the ‘UFO ant’ pattern for renowned design brand Carl Malmsten).

As you can see from the picture, he’s not afraid of colour either. Also, his clothes are not exactly minimalist, thereby diverging quite radically from the image people have of Swedish fashion.

I wrote in the presentation that I think the strength of Sweden’s fashion lies in it “being accessible without becoming boring”. By that I mean that its success stems from this. But Bergström, together with a few others I am sure I will have reason to come back to (such as crafts-obsessives Sandra Backlund and Helena Hörstedt) shows that Swedish fashion design is other things as well. Backlund won the fashion category at the Hyères festival in 2007, proving that Swedish fashion can compete also in areas that are more about traditional luxury and craft.

In fact, this is the next step for Swedish fashion designers. I’m sure there will come more brands, which manage to capitalise on that alluring mix of moderate pricing and stylish clothes that has been so successful, but in order to be a real player, Sweden’s fashion scene also has to bring something new and interesting to high fashion.

There is of course another possibility. The cool and well-priced fashion offered by Swedish designers could be more attuned to the way contemporary consumers dress, and it could also be the manner in which Sweden is participating on the international fashion scene.

But as a fashion person, as a fashion lover and fashion journalist, you want more. You want Swedish fashion to not only take the safe route, but also the one less travelled.