PATTERN PLAY

Winter is when I develop a fondness for tailoring and formal wear – suits, jackets, classic coats, sweaters and so on. I am fond of classic menswear patterns often used for tailoring – hounds tooth, herringbone, bird’s eye. Luckily they all generally make appearance in autumn winter collections year after year. Though what caught my eye was the way these patterns were used in Alexander McQueen’s spring summer collection. I had shifted through these casually earlier focusing on bold coloured blocking inspired by a Japaneese pattern. But a closer look at the details revealed how classic patterns had been mixed and matched either by printing or through innovative jacquards. More than a casual twist on the classics!

Backstage at Alexander McQueen SS'15

Picture credits (Another Man)

For those who can’t wait or can’t afford, these classic patterns are available on trim well-cut trousers, courtesy of Zara Man.

Zara Jacquard Trousers

Zara Herrringbone trousers

Zara Houndstooth trousers

Style Inspiration

Photo from www.tommyton.com

There's an entire collection inside just this one photo! Blue denim is so classic but this puts a great creative spin on everything!

A Mighty Style Punch: Batman Wallet from Dynomighty

This was the 75th anniversary of Batman - The Dark Knight has been around for a quarter of a century! Superhero merchandise is so ubiquitous that its almost an essential part of the wardrobe. You got to have at least a superhero t-shirt if nothing else!

For something a little bit more interesting, look no further than the Batman Mighty Wallet. Mighty Wallet is a concept created by the people at Dynomighty in the US. Using Tyvek which is a Dupont trademarked material made out of recycled plastic, the company has come out with a cool range of wallets. These are indeed mighty - you have to be a real superhero to tear it, though it looks and feels like paper. The material is waterproof too. If you want your style with some substance, you'd be doing Mother Earth a whole lot of good by purchasing a Mighty Wallet.

Besides Batman, they do have other DC heroes (Superman, Flash, Wonder Woman, Joker...there's also a Batmobile design). Since it is the cape crusader's milestone, I decided to focus on the Batman Wallet. I have been using one of the hero wallets and I personally love it that the wallet is super light.

Might Wallets are available at leading online retailers and also in Hamleys stores.

SUMMER WISHLIST: CROCS BEACH LINE BOAT SHOE

The warm season is here and visions of beach side lounging are dancing in front of my eyes. A perfect companion for holidays is Beach Line Boat Shoe from Crocs. It combines the ease and functionality of Crocs with the elegance of boat shoes. And since leather and water don't make a merry two-some, these shoes are a great option.

They come in various colours but the blue and white combo is appropriately carries on the nautical theme should you be partial to sailor's stripes (like I am!).

I love the white base and the stripes on the inner sole. Plus the yellow rivets add a sunny, optimitistic touch.

INDIAN SUMMER: COTTONWORLD

Spring is here and its only a matter of time before the sweltering heat of summer begins. There is only one thing that brings comfort to my mind (and body) when I think of hot summer days – cotton. Cottonworld is an Indian label that has concentrated on precisely what its name means. Though they started off as a fairly basic, no-frills retailer of cotton clothes, things have become better over time.

Cotton World Store, Bandra, Bombay.

For one, they often have really nice stores. I visited their Bandra store in Bombay which is housed in this lovely old building with a iron grill gate and a small garden inside. The store interiors are minimal yet warm due to the combination of wood and whitewashed walls. The merchandise has made subtle improvements over time in keeping with the below-the-radar and functional appeal that was always a signature of the brand. Earlier shirts used to be in basic fits with basic washes; now the fits are slim and treatments lean towards vintage – however this is the Cottonworld version of vintage, so don’t expect distressed garments.

Easy summer shirting from Cottonworld

What Cottonworld does well now is to tweak the basics; shirts come with detailing like contrast trims and fabrics have faded, comforting colours and soft handles. Cotton, linens and blends of the two more or less make up the entire fabric story. Some of their fabrics are the very essence of comfort – soft, thin, natural. They have tees but the wovens trump knits totally. They had neat formal linen trousers which were priced great though the linen felt a bit insubstantial. Their shirts are great: from hip polka dot prints to casual stripes, the variety is great and the colours are ideal for an Indian summer – eau de nil, indigo, pista, sand. Perfect for idyllic summer days!

WE CAN DREAM.....A/W 2014 MENS COLLECTIONS

The menswear season has just wrapped up in the capitals of the fashion world. While winter seems like it’s already over (summer clothes will be making their way soon on window aisles) the shows just prolonged it a bit by showing what we could expect six months from now. Or rather one can dream about what one could wear in future if one had bank balances of a third-world economy!

For me casual sportiness and off-beat colour seemed to be the main takeaways. Bottega Venetta does casual luxury like no body else – no matter how eccentric the treatments, the clothes always look like they cost a million bucks. This season, the sweaters seemed to be dyed half-ways into vats of colours to create intriguing effects (as if the dyer had made a mistake). The colours were dull greens and greys. The silhouette had a relaxed feel thanks to ribbed hems on trousers and jackets – something that looked right on models only because they were models and the materials must be so fantastic.

How many ways can you say 'drab green'? Bottega Venetta Man f/w 2014

At Dries Van Noten, colouring and mixing was in overdrive. Imagine Lord Byron as a member of a punk gang and you almost made it to the the ‘look’ of the show. The trousers with bondage straps or tie-dye effects or patchwork of fabrics looked modern and different. Semi-cropped jackets over frilly collared shirts looked cool. And fur scarves in great colours looked so very right only because.....yeah, they were worn by models and the furs were so luxe!

Punk or poets? Anarchic elegance at Dries Van Noten Man f/w 2014

Elsewhere odd combinations caught the eye. Polka dots and thin stripes of bright colour decorated formal menswear at Dior. Bright sweaters and shoes in clashing colours enlivened suits at Lanvin. Feral textures were also in vogue – at Valentino rich skins were worn casually, at Fendi furs were wild but sophisticated and hairy textures gave a darker edge at Kenzo. Guess next winter we need to be wrapped up in eccentric choices!

LOCAL LOVE: PLAYCLAN

A new year and a new start; perfect excuse to buy new wares for the closet! With the dollar still playing spoilsport, foreign purchases (and all the cool imported labels) have become dearer. So what’s a fashion lover to do? Well, it’s time to go local! At the moment, in this country (or maybe in most parts of the world), there is nothing easier than opening a tee shirt shop. Lately online tee-companies are multiplying like bunnies and while with some sites there is some emphasis on original design and creativity, they are all playing in the affordable-for-all-tee-shirt pool.

One of the site that beats this race is Playclan. They have a handful of groovy shops all around India selling all kinds of merchandise featuring their distinct graphic style. Their visual style is largely inspired by the country but the feel is very arty and hand-drawn with a dash of humour thrown in. Inspiration could come from mythological figures or historical political icons or various cities of India – its all from a local source but given a rendition that could appeal to anyone around the world.

What sets Playclan apart is the great level of detail. These tee graphics are not just designed on the front but often on the back and sometimes even on a sleeve. After printing the graphic, additional detail is added through touches of embroidery. The tee I purchased is inspired by Benaras and its religious sadhus; their detailing is done with French knots. Each tee design features its mini-inspiration-story on the inner back just below the sew-in label.

Even the hangtags and the cute yellow paper bag are designed with attention to detail. Obviously all this comes at a price but wouldn’t you mind paying a bit more for something a bit more handcrafted and unique than your average slogan tee.

Check out playclan at: www.theplayclan.com

Playclan Store, Mumbai, India