Winter in the city brings with it a wonderfully unique spectrum of colours and textures. From the frosty steel blue glints of Jack Frost's fingers drawn carefully over concrete to the grey flecked slushy furrows left in the wake of so many feet on the pavement.
Snow and ice tends to well up my desire to wrap up in colourful handknits and pull on a good pair of dark boots. However along with that more vibrant side, I always feel a draw from the simpler side of things. Crisp whites and blues to reflect the freshness of wintry weather, which the daily traffic of the city instantaneously obscures. A clean dusting of snow gives way to the heavy greying sludge blanketing the streets. I suppose that this fresher side, in terms of colours, of Winter clothing which comes to my mind is more suited to the New Year's Winter rather than the Year End's. It is perhaps the run up to Christmas which requires something more festive, however with the fresh year, there is something to be said for an equally fresher look.
American Birdseye Crew Knit
Woolrich(£130 via
My Wardrobe)
Ice, sea, water, sun, frothing surf. Whilst it may be cold and crisp, it is still quite the inviting image. Indeed my inspiration was first satisfied by the navy and white crew knit by
Woolrich (pictured above). Suitably refreshing in its colours and simple design, it has a warmth and classic styling which seems the perfect piece for carrying you through the New Year's Winter. However, this is a colour scheme and inspiration which comfortably works across into Spring attire.
I found myself pleasantly surprised with the latest look book by
Hixsept for their collection entitled
Derive Drift. I enjoyed the design of the look book, for not only were there the images of the looks themselves, but rather an attempt was made to create a coherent visual look book of the ideas and inspirations behind the clothes themselves. Film stills, literary quotes and even painted pieces went into the compilation, and whilst I have only posted a few of the images, I would sincerely recommend my readers to view it
in its entirety.
As I have often written before, I believe the creation of a look book to be an art in itself, which both complements but also furthers the image of a collection as a whole. I found myself engaged by the Hixsept look book not only because the images were interesting to look at, but also for how they helped in constructing a better framework with which to approach the collection. That is not to say that the look book forces one to see the collection in any specific method, but rather that it gently guides and helps one to understand better the thought processes behind it.
This fusion of visual mediums in order to express the collection is perhaps unsurprising when once considers that the label was actually created by two French graffiti artists aptly named Hëx and Hept. They write of their work that 'Each collection is a challenge. A sentence, an image, a print, a garment, a pattern, a detail, nothing's left to luck'. It is this desire to create a highly detailed image in its entirety for each collection, which allows for such a method of communication. It is one which I feel succeeds and makes for a very interesting look book, if not simply because of the clothing it represents.
The collection itself was actually based upon the idea of drifting, with references to water and wilderness running throughout. The raw quality of such inspiration is no doubt found within the colours of the collection, with the breadth of blues and khakis giving a wonderfully fresh wintry edge to the clothing. The garments are quite simple in their design, and yet the careful employment of the stripes and patterning enables a sense of visual depth, which adds to the interest of the pieces. I was particularly fond of the cut of the navy blue cotton trousers and the jersey t-shirt. Indeed I always feel that a label which cuts the basics in a way which I like, will usually find me admiring their other work far more.
(Oh and inevitable beard envy of the model)Currently playing: Tales Of The Future - Vangelisxxxx
