Nicole Farhi SS14 - London Collections Men - Keeping it simple in our complex, modern world

I couldn't wrap my head around why and how a brand like Nicole Farhi had gone into administration just days after London Collections Men was showcased. It was a complete shock, but luckily enough the label was bought by retail boss Maxine Hargreaves-Adams and so the good news is that we haven't seen the last of Nicole Farhi just yet!

Enough with the politics, let's focus on beautiful things, like how Joanna Sykes, creative director of Nicole Farhi managed to pull off such an exquisite collection! In her journey to create the SS14 collection she has tried to explore contrasts of the natural and organic in relation to the urban and synthetic. The show took place in an empty office space in Triton Square, where we were surrounded by hollow glass windows and commercial buildings. The setting highlighted the concept behind the collection exceptionally and the atmosphere was simply infused by an urban landscape.

The palette has an ethereal tonality and sun bleached quality; sea foam, slate, mist, sand, computer grey, khaki, cornflower blue and canvas white. Wardrobe staples are shown in beautiful, honest and luxurious fabrics; chalked leather Bikers, Wester jackets in painted jute and rough welder's suede, Harrington in indigo towelling and sloughy Crombies in giant mesh pique and skyscraper tweeds. 

You can see some of my favourite looks from the SS14 collection below:

James Long SS14 Beyond The Velodrome - London Collections Men

Cycling has become a global phenomena in the last years; the innovators and "sparklers" of trends integrating their city bikes (preferably retro inspired bicycles) to become part of their daily outfits and personalising them accordingly. Some prefer their cycles with little flower or shopping baskets at the front, some with leather handles. The bicycle has become more than a just a commuting tool, a tool for leisurable activity or for some a sporting equipment, it has formed communities and groups and has been used as a form of expressing one's creativity and personality.

James Long however has taken its inspiration from the slightly more athletic side of cycling, one of the toughest challenges : the Helltrack. The materials are very similar to those found in cycling outfits : lycra, mesh and nylon. The lines and shapes of the garments send you back to the excitement and fast-paced atmosphere inside the velodrome, where everyone is racing to win an olympic title.

James Long's SS14 collection has an aerodynamic and sporty edge defined by zip-up jackets, neoprene rucksacks, sweatshirts and lycra t-shirts. Denim has been rubberised, with gloss stripes running across shorts and jackets. As the designer himself admits : 'I wanted this season's collection to be hard and fast' and so it was!

Katie Eary SS14 The Flamingo Massacres - London Collections Men

OH WOW! Wake up London Collections!

Katie Eary's flamingo massacre collection was the brightest and loudest of all, to say the least. Let's just add in some bright pink, magenta, bright orange, screaming cheetah prints and some flamingo heads in repeat pattern and you can maybe, just maybe get an idea of what we witnessed.

It was a fun, stand-outish collection, from your usual London Collections schedule. Taking influence from Irvine Welsh's seminal novel Maribou Stalk Nightmares, the collection tells the story of a hallucinatory and primitive gender war, all based on man's lustful, but hateful fascination with the beautiful Flamingo. The bird that somehow seems to beautiful to live.

The show tells a violent and disturbed story of death and desire under a beating sun, a world where the strongest will kill even what they love to stay on top. 

Slightly dramatic but nonetheless disturbing, I believe Katie Eary's collection had its strong points and key pieces (some of which I captured on camera and you can see below) and I couldn't end the review, without mentioning the übercool customised skateboards that the models were wearing.

Oversexed and under dressed with pink wigs, they're surreal male fantasy creatures that seem to have been plucked from the sex starved minds of the hunters. Desert lolitas decked out in pornographic party outfits. 

YMC SS14 - London Collections Men

Nothing but a laid back summer with wavy, long hair, relaxed tailoring and an 'unmistakably playful edge', is what YMC London recommends for the next warm season in menswear.

YMC SS14 is an exploration of considered complexity, cultivating a look that has an unmistakeable attitude and assurance. In classic navy and grey tones, punctuated by hues of deep indigo, lilac, sage green and pink the collection features indicate embroidered linen, bonded cottons, quilted chambray and softly laundered fleece. These muted accents come together with a spirited blend of understated luxury, fusing YMC's bold masculinity with a laid-back summer attitude.

Well there is nothing to hint us summer more than those gorgeous boys with sun-kissed, long hair, wearing fresh colours, flower prints and shorts. I loved the whole collection, the beautiful, lightweight fabrics and mixture of colours really did it for me! So well done YMC London, your muted rebellion has proven to be successful!