Short Read: Menswear Cheers Up (Spring 2018 Review)

A few months ago you may remember me lamenting at the absolute state of recent menswear shows in my post - Menswear Needs An Antidepressant . It was a post born out of frustration and a mild cry for help. Bored of seeing drab, oversized, suffocating looks come stomping down the runway, models appearing to be riddled with angst, the clothes themselves looking as though they bear a grudge, I took to this blog to exorcise my outrage. This season, it brings me an immeasurable amount of satisfaction to say, men's fashion has cheered up! Well... a little. I'd like to think that John Galliano, Raf Simons et al are all avid readers of this blog and were absolutely distraught that I was feeling down about mens fashion so took it upon themselves to turn it around... a boy can dream.

With so many brands now showing their menswear and womenswear in singular shows, there's added pressure for designers to amp up the menswear to match the resplendence of their womenswear, and make both lines equally as Instagrammable. This season saw prints, patterns and sequins (oh my!) clashes of faux fur and stripes with florals and fringe to boot. It all sounds over the top, I know, but these things can be done tastefully when done with restraint. Excess may work for some, but it doesn't mean all brands should succumb to "Guccification" just because there's freedom to do so.

As the winter of discontent is slowly turning into a summer of love (with J.W. Anderson literally putting hearts all over everything) I thought I'd offer up my favourite menswear looks from the season, below. Special shout outs go to Paul Smith who showed an incredible use of colour without going overboard - a stark contrast to the refined "tailoring with a twist" the brand is so synonymous with and also to J.W. Anderson who's entire collection I'm now coveting (particularly the love heart-speckled leather jacket).

Oh, and the key colour we'll apparently all be wearing next spring? Red. Not a certain obscure shade of red, we're talking red - bright, brash, unapologetic, Crayola, post box, Louboutin sole red. Just divine. Check it all out below.

Paul Smith