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Sunday 18 September 2011

Fashion Mode - James Hillman





Photography by Lucas Seidenfaden
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.

Text: Natasha Slee