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| Photography by Lucas Seidenfaden |
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| Illustration by Kellyanna |
Sandwiched between the feminine beauty of
other Fashion Mode designers Carlotta Actis Barone and Florian Jayet, was James
Hillman’s city-slick menswear.
Inspired by Black Holes, and the complex
scientific formulae behind them, James produced a strong tailored collection.
The inky blues, pale greys and lilacs of
the pieces (and the model’s lips) represented the paint-like imagery of
exploding stars, while continuous curving seams encompassed the theme of
eternity within space.
These curving seams dissected shirts, the
line sometimes denoting a change in colour (dark blue to light), sometimes a
change in texture (plain cotton to striped.) Multiple seams ran across the back
of a suit jacket, seeming to spiral around the wearer.
Hillman transcended the classic conventions
of menswear with wide-legged trousers and city shorts. Tucks and pleats at the
hip allowed the fabric to splay, and fall gently to the floor. The material
seemed soft, almost pyjama-like.
Amongst the crisp tailoring a casualness
appeared as models wore their wide and tapered leg suit trousers with close
fitting t-shirts. Narrow leather trims hardened the t-shirt edges, while on
some they spiraled the body like the curving seams of before.
Towards the end, an experimental freedom
began to filter through: double layered shirts consisting of a cropped overlay
and un-tucked shirt tails beneath. A series of deconstructed suits closed the
show, a tailoring climax to the crescendo of twisting seams. Lapels grew from
the centre of a jacket front away from the edge, while inky ambiguous collars
drooped onto the chest. Zips sliced through the drapery asymmetrically.
Backstage post-show, James was mobbed by
family, friends and well-wishers. All he could bring himself to say, through
relief and excitement, was “it went so smoothly, so seamless.”
A smoothly executed collection of dreamy
space inspiration, for city chic men.