LOU DALTON - London Collections Men - Autumn Winter 2016

LOU DALTON looks to Shetland for her autumn/winter 16 collection, an island that to her feels like a home from home. It's about the men of the island, the nature, its history and its overwhelming beauty. From it she takes pieces that fit naturally into the LOU DALTON world of intuitive separates

Lifejackets worn on the North Sea inspire gilets of subtle padding in checks, coated cottons and unbleached denim. Navy teddy fleece is used for zip-up bombers with panelling of black cotton Silesia. Blousons in lightweight lacquered jersey have a wet-look fisherman feel, while others contrast and combine the fabrics of the collection. The shoulder has been dropped on MA1s in oversized check wool with big pockets, the style extended into a coat in showerproof velour that has a practical richness.

The drop-shoulder is also used for blazers, while a tailored wool coat is brushed to give the sense of camel hair, and oversized coats in denim have a utilitarian air. Coats and blousons feature detachable collars, to alternate for attachable hoods. Drop-shoulder neoprene sweatshirts have body, with notches at the crewneck of cotton Silesia and webbing. Fleece sweatshirts have a fisherman’s net print, which also appears on knits, while teddy fur sweatshirts have split sleeves in cotton pocketing for movement.

 Workwear smocks are stripped back in lightweight sleeve lining to give a pyjama like drape, which is also used for a wider leg sweatpant. Wide-leg trousers in wool and check, as well as denim, contrast with a slim-fit pant. Brushed cotton shirting is oversized, in cornflower blue & white. Handknit cable sweaters in lightweight merino wool bring the Shetlands to the city, with the cable also used for hats and snoods.

LOU has worked with JOHN SMEDLEY to create merino wool knits that are digitally printed with the blurred colour markings of the sheeps that roam the Shetlands. There are also polonecks produced with JOHN SMEDLEY, as well as knitted long-johns. LOU has produced leather boots in both black and white with GRENSON. Earrings provide a take on fisherman’s tags, while bumbags come in a variety of cloths.