Illustrating Menswear Day SS11: James Long

For SS11, James Long presents a hallucinogenic inducing assortment of psychedelic rebels, rich in colour and texture. Referencing iconic drifter and anti hero films such as Midnight Cowboys and My own Private Idaho whilst mixing in recent experiences at Woodstock, the collection celebrates a relaxed time of psychedelic living. Long offers a bright and bold collection, where the man who wears it stands alone on a deserted stretch on a highway, nonchalantly flicking out his thumb for a ride.

Long's juxtaposition of references and fabrics gives us a collection that is both sharp and clean, yet loose and elongated. Realistic but at the same time colourful, creative and almost dreamlike. Texture is always an important facet of Long's creations and there are a number of items here that begged to be stroked as they hitchhiked their way past on the catwalk. The abundance of fabric patch worked together works as a representation of the myriad of different youth cultures that make up the character of the collection. For example, we see trippy knitted patchwork in silver grey wools worn over acid bright silk and chiffon tailored shirts, paired with cobalt blue cotton and lightweight indigo mohair. Elsewhere we see hints of liquorice and tobacco coloured leathers against desert dried denim. This cocktail of fabrics and textures lead to a hazy state of mind and feeling for SS11. Now, I have spent a significant amount of time admiring the backstage shots over on Dazed Digital following Menswear Day but even they could not fully translate the true beauty of the collection. Thankfully for us, Lauren Macaulay has spent the day with paintbrush in hand and the resulting artwork manages to capture the collections wondrous sense of texture. Light mohair, trippy patchwork knitwear and acid bright silk shirts brought to life by watercolours.

Illustrations by Lauren Macaulay