Classic twist

Traditional styles for men have a sharper, fresher look this season, with the occasional burst of colour, writes DEIRDRE MCQUILLAN

IT HAS BEEN CALLED style archaeology: delving into the past for authentic vintage menswear pieces and tweaking them for a new generation, making classic look cool and sexy. When Tony O’Connor, head of menswear design at MS, visits historic weaving mills in Yorkshire and Scotland to source fabrics, what results is a classic tweed jacket, for example, but with a fresh look. And heritage fabrics are enjoying a huge fashion revival at the moment.

A jacket is a jacket, after all, but the details matter. The one shown here (right) with the velvet collar and narrow silhouette, comes in tweed made by one of the UK’s oldest mills in Yorkshire called Abraham Moon.

“We buy more British wool than anyone else in Europe,” says O’Connor.

“This is the home of British wool, after all, and the tweed is fantastic – companies are coming from all around the world to buy it. A lot of our inspiration comes from their archives which are just waiting to be reworked, ” he says.

Authentic and heritage are buzzwords in menswear, both on the catwalks of Paris and London and at the huge streetwear tradeshow Bread Butter in Berlin. According to O’Connor, everyone has their own take on how it works. “Guys love the know-how, the heritage and this type of detail – it adds credibility to what you are buying,” he says. Mills such as Harris and Moon make exclusive patterns for MS, whose use of tweed has spread from clothing to flat caps, luggage and accessories such as duffel bags. “Tweed is not just a jacket thing,” says O’Connor. The tweeds used tend to be softer than their originals so that more deconstructed jackets and coats can be made with city living in mind.

Other wardrobe workhorses like trench coats, blazers, peacoats and tuxedos have also been updated, with small adjustments that count. Shirts come with collars that are leaner and smaller. Separates can be mixed for a sharper look such as a dinner jacket worn with skinny cords and a striped sweater. “Guys are getting more confident about colour so we have pushed new colours like indigo, blackberry and burnt orange in shoes. They are also carrying more bags and making more informed choices about them.” There’s this brown leather shopper (below right), for instance, “not a satchel, not a briefcase, but something in between – it should always look masculine”. O’Connor has been with MS for four years and previously was design director at Next and then Moss Brothers. He credits the current vogue for the “heritage” look as a new appreciation of a classic look. “Super cool minimalism just doesn’t seem right for the time and there is a lot less ostentation. The real focus now is on tradition, but done in a new way.”