Reality and Functionality. Two synonyms of Phoebe English, who, for her Autumn/Winter 17, revealed the importance of realism when it comes to menswear design. In a pallet of navy, grey, black, khaki and brown, English evoked the idea of tradition and brought her design aesthetic from home soil. With natural fibres developed entirely from the UK, English took the classicism of waxed cotton, corduroy and velvet, and explored their fabric practicalities, translating loose coats, hooded jackets, folding collars and buttoned shirts into an era of functional mindfulness, whilst still showing how traditional silhouettes can be updated within menswear. It was almost as if through the theatrics of Fashion, English wished to remind us of the essence of what we surround ourselves in – that is, clothes that we can wear. Accessories accompanied the Phoebe English man, in the form of convertible waxed-cotton mid-weight bags, adding to the idea of accessible functionality, proving that English is the designer of quality, of thought and knowledge of reality when it comes to dressing her men.Onlookers were part of a scene of every day life, of English’s boys sweeping, folding and moving, drawing on the realisation of practical life, of reality and functionality.
Words by Jasmine Banbury
Images by Paolo Steve
