A Guys Ultimate Guide To Looking Good

Having successfully launched last year, Topmanzine returns with a fresh issue delivering another dose of first class fashion news, interviews and features. This issue offers a lowdown on the latest trends and new collections as well as a chance to find out which designers Topman are tipping this year.

First up is the TRENDS section where leading style supporters Johnny Sharp (Q Magazine) and Stuart Turnbull (Arena) elaborate on two of Topman’s key looks for 07 - namely St Germain and Solstice. This section also provides a direct link to purchase items from each collection via topman.com.

INSIDE FASHION highlights Topman’s key menswear initiatives for 07 - MAN, Topman Design and Lens. This section also features an interview with Topman’s design director Gordon Richardson and a look at Past Seasons collections via exclusive video content.

• MAN is the burgeoning partnership between Topman and FASHION EAST, and has put an international spotlight on menswear for the last three seasons. “MAN is terrific. It's great to be able to see young British menswear designers showing their collections in a way that would normally be beyond their budget. A very useful and important showcase in the fashion calendar.” (Simon Foxton, fashion director, i-D Magazine)

• Topman Design was conceived by Topman's music-loving design director Gordon Richardson. This high-fashion capsule range is currently only available at the London and Manchester flagship stores, online at Topman.com and globally in renowned boutiques such as Opening Ceremony in New York and LaFortet in Tokyo, plus Topman in Sweden and Singapore. The 07 collection is viewable on Topmanzine.com as exclusive video footage.

• LENS is the exciting concept space within Topman’s flagship store on Oxford Street. Created by fashion guru Mathew Murphy (owner of London's b store) the space will feature collections from some of the world's best designers. Currently in store are collections from Dexter Wong, LtD (a diffusion line of Loud), Fred Perry, Licentious and Siv Stoldal (a stalwart of past MAN shows) and Henrik Vibskov. Matthew Murphy says: "I feel that the chosen group have a good understanding of the fine line which runs between creativity and commerciality".

The MAN collection was a highlight of London Fashion Week with their Autumn/Winter 07 show underlining the impetus of British menswear today. The MAN page of Topmanzine profiles the work of each designer involved - Cassette Playa, Carola Euler, Topman Design, Siv Stoldall and Aitor Throup. Learn more about each designer and check out exclusive video content from their 07 collections as presented at LFW. Also included in the MAN section is a video by futuristic fashion goddess of nu rave Cassette Playa, which brings to life her vibrant Autumn/Winter 07 collection.

The GIVE FASHIONABLY section offers a great opportunity for all those who have been struggling to find that perfect gift with a brand new gift card scheme. The scheme gives you the chance to include your very own personalised greeting and deliver to any postal address. The perfect present for the fashion conscious.

Lastly there’s also always going to be opportunities to win tickets to sold out gigs and things like that on the site, so keep checking back for updates. The site provides a SUBSCRIBE section which provides the chance to subscribe to the excellent Topman newsletter. Each newsletter is packed with the latest clothing lines, sales info and competitions; it’s the ultimate guide to looking good in 07.

A WHO’S WHO OF MAN DESIGNERS:

Cassette Playa
Carri Mundane is the brains behind Cassette Playa’s cartoon couture and subverted sports’n’streetwear for club kids, playas, ravers, sluts and geeks. Graphic outlines, cartoon prints, appliqué detailing and day glo/rainbow colours feature large. Her clothes are an unstoppable urban trip that takes the traditional hoodie-and-trackie uniform and turns it into a multi-colour sensory marvel. Based in Brighton, she straddles the fence between the music and fashion worlds - working as a stylist for rapper/producer MIA and new rave kings the Klaxons. Stylist slots in lifestyle bibles such as Dazed & Confused and i-D have secured her status as one of British fashion’s fastest rising stars. Come join the Cassette Playa tribe! Her clothes are stocked at London’s Pineal Eye and Tokyo’s Side By Side boutique. Cassetteplaya.com

Carola Euler
A graduate of iconic fashion college, Central St Martins, this 29-year-old German designer is known for her innovative take on classic menswear items. Her career highlights so far include designing for J.Lindeberg and Kim Jones, acting as dressmaker to Marios Schwab and creating corsetry and embroidery for Alexander McQueen. Euler’s lucky break came during a trip to London’s b store boutique to borrow footwear for her BA degree show. Buyer Matthew Murphy was so instantly impressed by her work he invited her to collaborate with the boutique, which has stocked her collections exclusively since 2003. She has also staged various in-store exhibitions such as the recent ‘Carola Euler: 10 Tees at b’ where basic shirting and intricate detail give a subtle take on American XL Tees. She also features in the new ‘i-D Fashion Now 2’ book.

Aitor Throup
Trained at David Hockney’s old alma mater – London’s Royal College of Art. This 26 year old designer hails from sunny Burnley via Buenos Aries. His past glories include a cabinet full of awards, including the Princess Of Wales Charitable Trust Scholarship Award (2004) and the Royal College Of Art’s Menswear Award (2006). Aitor cites his influences as: Anatomy, philosophy, origin of man, 3D, comics and much, much more.

Siv Stoldal
This 33 year old designer hails from Norway and was trained at Central St Martin’s. Recently nominated for the designer Of The Year at the British Fashion Awards her previous work has graced the shelves of such fashion meccas as London’s b-store, New York’s Opening Ceremony and Tokyo boutique, Side By Side. Influences: Digital prints, the Norwegian countryside, spring’s first thaw, ”unconscious dressing”, Sunday slob wear and sportswear.

A LOOK INTO THE NEW TRENDS - ST GERMAIN AND SOLSTICE:

St. Germain
Whisper it – “St. Germain”. The words instantly conjure images of smoky jazz clubs, poets and composing in cafes, avant-garde music and artistic young things in stripy tops. A world of cobbled streets and ancient buildings, this particular quarter grew to become the intellectual and nightlife epicentre of 50’s Paris.

As the French capital threw off the shackles of the Second World War, writers and thinkers such as Jean Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir flocked to the area spawning the Beatnik movement. The American Beats like Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs soon followed, revelling in the personal and literary freedom of life on the Left Bank. Recreate the spirit of St. Germain and the Beats through careful paring of chic shirts and ginghams with more casual tailored shorts and summer pea coats. Swathe yourself in vintage sportswear adorned with 50’s-inspired stripes and strong linear graphics. And finish the look off with a flat cap and, of course, a polka dot neckerchief.

Solstice
Solstice is all about long hot summers, free festivals and no worries. Lingering memories of oversized sunglasses, melting ice cream, steamy tents and nights spent under the stars – and your brolly, if you’re in Blighty. Topman sparks off some summer dreaming with this free-spirited trend. Chill out in lightweight layers and knee scraping shorts in a variety of cool fabrics from washed out denims to flower power cottons. Stick on a folk CD, throw of your shoes and dress for the occasion in pyschedelia-inspired t-shirt or tye-dye vest. Accessorise with hemp bracelets or other eco-friendly items.

To find out more, visit: Topmanzine.com