The London Collections - Topman Design SS13

In the last couple of years I have been getting so excited about mens fashion. I adore Topman, they are such a cool brand and are really following the success of Topshop with all of their new initiatives like Topman Generation and The General Store concept and the limited collection and designer collaborations and of course Topman Design. Friday saw the start of The London Collections, 3 days of mens SS13 fashion. The most exciting ones for me were Topman Design and Y.M.C, so i'll start with Topman.

A total mix of inspiration for the show, Topman Design showed a seriously fun aesthetic, mixing garish prints and the brightest colours with tailored turn-up short suits in classic grey with the added fun of orange neon contrast check stitching or in floral prints and popping colours. 

It was described as a stand off between East and West, which couldn't explain the collection better. Colours and prints inspired by West Coast surf culture and the chilled out Cali kids mixed with a downtown New York vibe with inspiration from skaters and graffiti art. There was such a mix-and-match feel and this all clashed wonderfully with the short suits, which reminded me of Raf Simons's AW12/13 show last season, given a cheeky Topman twist worn with bright beanie hats and pulled up socks. Later on came some knits in sloppy shapes and  American football shirts in more bright solid colours, which added more really fun elements but it was the tailored shorts and neon colour pops that did it for me. The whole show was a total contrast from the minimal colour scheme of the AW12/13 Topman Design show. Check out these pics from fashion156 and you can still stream the whole show on the Topman blog.