It's a tie. The classic plaid and the military print are two key competing menswear trends in Fall 2017...
Which is the major fall menswear trend? It's difficult to answer that as the bold strokes of camouflage try and out-tux the classic dandy tartan. Always making a statement, Balmain mixed camouflage with Baroque-meets-glam-rock embroidery while Heron Preston showcased a head-to-toe camouflage look. KTZ, No 21 and Palm Angels recontextualised it in a military-like, darker style. Unravel reinterpreted it in a muted tone and Christopher Raeburn presented a backpack in the army-inspired print.
On the other hand, tartan was seen at the Antonio Marras runway in the form of a Scottish kilt, Facetasm presented a plaid PJ look and Haider Ackermann played with different tones of tartan in one look. Both Marni and Missoni sent out plaid trousers. Known for their stellar tailoring, Valentino and Paul Smith Design too couldn't resist the allure of a double-breasted topcoat.
Tartan
Troy Costa
It's one of the classiest and classic thing in menswear and it always comes back in a new format - be it a jumper or in the form of a bomber jacket. Designers across the board always find a new way of looking at the classic. It's obviously something which has been done before and each season it's combined it with new elements like digital prints. Earlier it was only woven and today digital prints are combined with knits to makes it different. It's fashion's way of bringing back the old in a new way. I wore a Prince of Wales check double breasted suit with a sliver of polka dots on it at the recently concluded menswear trade show Pitti Uomo in Florence and It made quite a statement.
Tartan kilt is a classic and part of the Scottish tradition. It is something which I'd do in my show as it's aggressively masculine. I can easily see the next three years tilting in favour of British designed or British influenced fabrics.
It's time for English clothing and design. I am working on a line of tartan where I'm using tones like pink and mint green in windowpane running across Prince of Wales. I see ties becoming bold and bright and tartan being mixed with botanical motifs this creating very aggressive visuals of sorts. It's a delightful clash.
Camouflage
Gaurav Khanijo
Given the current state of unrest in the world today it is but fit that camouflage makes a comeback in menswear for A/W 17. With chatter of falling and failing governments and the fragile political situation the world is in today, unrest plays a key inspiration for designers for the upcoming season. When one thinks of political and military unrest, camouflage as a print is among the first to stand out. Of late, it's fashion squad's way of standing against Donald Trump's extremism. We also saw it in summer and a lot of womenswear designers reinterpreted it. The cuts focused on are also easy and shapeless which we plan to show for our AW 2017 line. One of the first prints also that signifies rebellion, taking cue from the same the Khanijo A/W man also plays with dark army colours like browns, charcoals and olives in drop shoulder jackets and anti-fit silhouettes. It won't die down in coming seasons and will keep on coming back again and again as a reaction to socio-political instability. It's fashion's way of revolting against the oppression and saying that 'we have very a strong identity and you can't put us down. In fact, botanical prints will peter out and stronger elements like camouflage and wild animalistic motifs will be surfacing.
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