Thomas Pink's new SS 2016 collection celebrates British charm and character

Thomas Pink's new Spring/Summer 2016 collection offers a wide spectrum of options for the modern man, empowered by features of various British eras and regions.

As the season commences, the collection captures the nonchalant mood of the 90s brit pop era – famed for its style-icon musicians and hedonism. Slim tailored silhouettes and a punchy colour palette - spanning indigo, pink, turquoise and citrus - merges tradition and rebellion. Fine Italian shirting encompasses mini ginghams, Bengal stripes, traditional Jermyn Street stripes and checks of varying sizes - with a strong focus on texture, a key trend for the season.

As the season progresses, the collection draws inspiration from Scotland, where, when the sun comes out, vibrant colours reflect off the magnificent landscape and blue skies inspiring a modern take on tartans and plaids with shirting and accessories in tattersalls and blown-up madras checks. 

Lightweight outerwear comprises a de-constructed wool navy blazer with shirt fabric lining, a summer tweed linen blazer and a new reversible jacket in light grey ticking stripe with a shell camouflage interior – a spring summer highlight. A British summer always needs an option for rainy days, in this case a reversible rain-mac in Prince of Wales check/navy. Key suiting is found in fine wool Loro Piana fabric, while chino shorts debut with bleached denim shirting.

The season finale is inspired by the archetypal seaside resort of Blackpool - with its promenade, piers, fortune-tellers, fairground rides and tattoo parlours. A colour palette of citrus, candy floss pink, turquoise, sky blue and lilac echoes the town’s bright carnival mood, perfectly captured in linen shirting. Ties, silk pocket squares and socks featuring swallow and heart motives and candy stripes perfectly capture the essence of the iconic seaside town.

Thomas Pink presents SS2016 against a botanical garden backdrop inspired by Hockney and Beaton

British brand Thomas Pink's new Spring/Summer 2016 collection unveiled this week at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, as part of London Collections Men, is a celebration of British eccentric charm and character.

THOMAS PINK SHOWCASES SPRING/SUMMER 2016 COLLECTION AGAINST A BOTANICAL BACKDROP INSPIRED BY DAVID HOCKNEY AND CECIL BEATON

Presented against a botanical backdrop, more potting shed than conservatory, the collection was showcased on models as well as mannequins. 

Florence Torrens, Creative Director at Thomas Pink, said that inspiration for the presentation came from a photograph taken by artist Peter Schlesinger in 1970, in which great friends David Hockney and Cecil Beaton – the celebrated British artists - are caught reclining carelessly on rattan furniture surrounded by potted pelargoniums and begonias. “It’s wonderfully British and off-beat botanical - perfectly capturing the mood of the Spring/Summer 2016 collection,” said Torrens.  

Frederik Willems, Head of Design at Thomas Pink, adds; “The Spring/Summer 2016 collection celebrates Britain’s charming and eccentric character – taking inspiration from themes as diverse as Brit Pop culture, architectural follies and traditional seaside towns.   From the 90s Brit Pop era to Dunmore Hall in Scotland with its quirky pineapple roof – the season evokes a mood of patriotism and nostalgia in equal measures.” 

Fashionable East End of London captured in new book

London-based Anthony Webb photographs for East End Fashionistas.  He was one of the principal photographers for Thames & Hudson’s StyleCity series. Publication date: 14 September 2015 Price: £14.95

The multicultural East End of  London has in recent years evolved to become home to artists and designers of all stripes, funky boutiques and a vibrant night-life, alive with creative possibility.  Now a new book featuring photographs by London-based Anthony Webb will fire up inspiration for fashionistas everywhere.

Photographer Webb has traveled the world to photograph the most interesting destinations for the StyleCity series published by Thames & Hudson.

For East End Fashionistas, Webb has trawled the streets of East London, photographing its most colourful characters and inspirational personalities, all stylishly individual and self-fashioned to the extreme.

An inspiring style resource from a fresh new voice, all the images in East End Fashionistas were taken exclusively for this book and have not been seen before. In a heady mix of fashionable portraits animated by aphorisms culled from the graffiti that adorns the streets of East London, 

Webb captures the true spirit of one of the most creative places on earth, the jump off point for many of the world’s leading fashion designers and a continually evolving place of inspiration for the style-obsessed and culturally curious.

Win a trip to the Cotswold and Holiday like Hardy!

London’s Savile Row tailoring establishment Hardy Amies are running a travel campaign this month and have partnered with luxury boutique travel agent, Black Tomato (which specialise in tailor-made holidays and luxurious travel itineraries for Japan, California, New York and the UK) so that we can all #holidaylikehardy.

The prize?

They are offering the chance to win a luxury mini break to Thyme at Southrop Manor in the Cotswold, courtesy of Black Tomato, with a £1,000 Hardy Amies travel wardrobe of clothes to take with you, a personal shopping experience in Harvey Nichols and a £500 Case Luggage voucher for luxury luggage.

To enter, go to Hardy Amies website or click HERE for full details.  

Clarks to Launch Archive-Inspired, Hand-Crafted Limited Edition Brogues

With man-tailoring a current key trend, Clarks is launching a new collection of limited edition England-made brogues for women that will add panache to the total look.

As a great British brand with an international following, Clarks' hand-crafted brogues will appeal to  UK and global fans alike.  

As a great British brand with an international following,
Clarks' hand-crafted brogues will appeal to  UK and global fans alike.
 Left to right: Isabella Daisy (black & white); Isabella Carla (Purple combi leather, silver metallic leather, Grenadine leather); Isabella Daisy (black leather) 

Inspired by Clarks' incredibly-vast archive, the collection brings a contemporary take on its most classic styles.  Clarks has been manufacturing Goodyear Welted shoes since the 1940s. Shown above are the Watlington and Saddle, the two styles selected and re-invented for the new collection.  The Watlington is a twist on the classic brogue and the Saddle was a style that was worn by Queen Elizabeth during a tour of South Africa in 1967.

While using the highest quality materials, including premium leathers, the collection will come with a higher price too over the rest, at £295 per pair.   

But you would appreciate it that in the heart of this exclusive capsule collection, designed and made in England, is the time-honoured shoemaker’s art that involves over 160 separate steps and takes eight weeks to complete.  

Available from July 2015, Clarks has created 90 pairs per line. The collection includes five colour-ways across two styles. 

Artist Rachel Howard's new creation for jewellery label TRUE ROCKS

The London / Ibiza based label TRUE ROCKS (available at Liberty in London) is known for turning everyday objects into extraordinary jewellery.

The brand's collaboration last season with Brit artist Gavin Turk was a limited-edition cheeky bitten and signed Rich Tea Biscuit pendant on a chain had proven widely popular.

Now founders / design-duo Emily Bradbury and Dawn Hindle have announced a new artist collaboration for Autumn/Winter 2015.

The Rachel Howard and True Rocks collaboration will be launching for Autumn/Winter 2015 to coincide with both London Fashion Week and also FRIEZE Art Fair. Howard’s Humble Hanger comes in two sizes in 18 carat Rose and yellow gold plate or sterling silver on two different lengths of chain: Medium 3.5 x 2cms with an adjustable 18-20” trace chain, and Large 5x3cms with an adjustable 20-22” trace chain

London Goldsmith College graduate and artist Rachel Howard (whose work has graced the walls of the Royal Academy, White Cube and the Guggenheim in New York) has collaborated with TRUE ROCKS and created a limited edition hanger pendant. 

Howard says 'The humble hanger is a celebration of the overlooked and commonplace, its function is taken for granted whereas here the humble hanger is honouring the workaday, elevated to something more grand. The simplicity of the wire hanger is beautiful; a few bends and a couple of twists. The humble hanger is also an object that eludes to the human body, eliciting perhaps loss, absence and love’.

True Rocks jewellery is available at Liberty and at TrueRocks.com and has been worn and photographed on Cara Delevingne,  Lily Allen, Mark Ronson and Ellie Goulding.  

The True Cost documentary worldwide screening on May 29th

In the documentary film: The True Cost  - which will be screened worldwide on May 29^{th -} director Andrew Morgan examines the impact the fashion industry has on the world, and exposes “the true human and ecological cost of fashion – factors like human suffering and environmental damage that are not reflected in a garment’s price tag.”

 “More then just underscoring the problem, this is an effort to highlight real solutions that every day people can take part in. Our goal is to impact consumer behavior that in turn impacts corporate and government policy decisions. The road we are on simply is not sustainable, but there is an opportunity here; a defining moment in history for us to set a new precedent for the future we will create,” according to the director.

The film debates about who really pays for the price of our clothing, as Morgan is joined by industry leaders on sustainable and fair-trade, including the likes of Wayne Hemingway and Lily Cole, Livia Firth, Lucy Siegle and Safia Minney.  To view a trailer of the movie, go to the True Cost website. Click HERE.