The Best 5 things about London Collections Men FW15

The London Fashion Week is over. Bent to the will of eccentric designers, muscular models paraded under a blizzard, became punkers with a Ramones style wig, in a matter of days they  have become dandies, fuchsia knitted teddy bears, gangsters, samurai, boy scouts.

Here are our best 5.

#1. The urban warriors of KTZ

The British brand confirms its rebellious and unconventional nature, honoring London and its most extreme subcultures with the new collection. David Bowie, the protagonists of A Clockwork Orange and skinheads immortalized by Nick Knight in a famous 1984 book become eccentric outsiders, dressed in leather and fur. If the must-have accessory is the bowler, the cult piece of the season are the coats, iperdecorated with black and white graphics, skeletons, blocks inspired by Rubrick cube and pixelated portraits of Mao, Lenin, Marx.

#2. At Astrid Andersen parades military sportswear

The Danish designer remains true to her aesthetic and continues to explore the influence of women's clothing in the male wardrobe, introducing hyper-feminine details in sportswear. In the collection presented during these days in London Andersen starts from the cult of Jim Jarmusch's "Ghost Dog" and from the figure of the traditional Japanese samurai to create a sportswear clearly influenced by the military culture and with some hints of hip hop. Oversized sweatshirts, velvet suits, pvc joggers mingle with military caps, with fur Ushankas, with bombers. Black, gray are the perfect colors for the uniform of the modern samurai creating a balanced dystonia with lace and shocking pink details.

#3. Agi & Sam: art and play on the catwalk

The brand famous for tailoring and colorful clothes came back. "The Coolman Collection" is born from the reworking of some drawings made by Agi Mdumulla and rediscovered during a visit at his family in Yorkshire. In the hands of the adult designer and of his partner Sam Cotton those childhood sketches become deconstructed jackets, colored coats with oversized volumes, pulls with dry proportions and soft pants. Mondrian, Shiraga, Rauschenberg and Signac inspire colors and graphics, while the masks on the face of the models are made by pieces of Lego. A curiosity? The prints are covers of VHS and packaging of drugs, redrawn by children because, as Agi told, "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up."

#4. The melancholy and romantic tribute to the First World War by Alexander McQueen

Sarah Burton turned the story into fashion. The uniform, declined in pinstripes, houndstooth or covered with poppies, flower-symbol of the great conflict, is the protagonist of the collection. Dresses and coats, made of silk jacquard and velvet, in smoky tones of gray and black, with some concessions to the cherry, adorned with the words "Value, Truth, Honor", are small masterpieces of tailoring. It’s the legacy of Alexander McQueen the one that Burton continues to pursue. The designer abandons the eccentricity of his friend and predecessor to embrace an elegant and measured aestethic.

#5. The economic crisis according to Christopher Shannon

Slogans like "Save Me" and "Thanks 4 Nothing" animate a collection that features the classic plastic grocery bag. The object is printed on sweaters, is the theme of necklaces and key chains and is even declined in version mask becoming symbol of the disillusionment emerged by the current socio-economic climate. 

Shannon transforms anger and despair in a colorful and pop proposal, which mixes sportswear and knitwear, puffy jackets and sho