London’s menswear style-shaper James Long approached this season with the intention of putting together an uber-cool uniform for the art student with a penchant for the wilder side of life. Layering a cacophony of fabric swatches and embracing cheerful colours liberally, which were cooled down by more serious hues, Long steered his SS16 collection down a well-trodden path but one conducive for success nonetheless.
Covetable paint dashed jeans and other trademark pieces put this seasons menswear firmly within its own strata however and unlike many other menswear collections which can quickly get lost in the LCM slipstream, Long manages to really design with excitement. This sense of liveliness and flamboyance is demonstrated significantly by Long’s ability to mix and match patterns and prints without lessening the impact of each one.
If this collection proves anything, it’s that the young designer is an admirable purveyor of dressing to stand out and doing it well at the same time.
by Liam Feltham
Images courtesy of Style.com