Press Day Highlights: Satyenkumar AW10

Fashion156 previewed this shot from Satyenkumar's AW10 collection just before LFW.

Satyenkumar never fails to deliver a collection that combines timeless tailoring with modern hybrid classics. AW10 is no exception. Satyen is a designer who has always quietly gone about his business of creating quality tailored causal wear for us modern eccentric English playboys, almost going unnoticed at times. Regular readers will remember that I fell head over heels for the true celebration of colour that was his 'Reflection through a lens collection' for SS10, so I was more than a touch disappointed when he was unable to take his place on schedule at Menswear Day (showing instead at Stitch). Last week however, I was afforded the opportunity to inspect his designs at Cube's press day and fell in love all over again...

The collection focuses around a combination of fabricated challenged tailoring of classics with a subtle element of sports detailing to create pieces which are seemingly timeless yet modern. Undeniably masculine yet with a number of subtle feminine fabrications running through it which create a featherlight collection for Autumn/Winter. Highlight pieces include a panel tailored bomber, moleskin jeans, crepe satin jogging pants, raglan and colour blocked shirts, tailored sweats, alpaca knits, Swarovski separates and my personal highlights of quilted jacquard and power net raincoats. Also, I have to point out that his pieces are exclusively manufactured in the UK using a majority of materials from British suppliers.

Bret Easton Ellis takes central stage this season with his controversial fictional characters blurring with one another to inspire this collection. We are invited in to the twisted world and minds of of the likes of the graphically materialistic yuppie Patrick Bateman to the have it all Beverly Hills brat Julian about to bring it down to less than zero around Clay. You might have noticed that the Menswear Day shows were a little light on colour as many designers delivered a unsurprisingly dark, industrial, almost sombre colour palette. Not Satyen. The mood is set around dominant colours of charcoal hues over midnight with accents of flesh, blood red, bruised mauve and cobalt. An assortment of colour, all with dark, slightly menacing undertones. Below are a few of my favourite shots from the look book...

Satyenkumar's Less than Zero

Having seen how strong this collection was in person, I hope to see Satyenkumar take his place at the ever growing Menswear Day for SS11.