London Collections Men SS15, Chester Barrie: 'Riveria Revisited'

Chester Barrie's LC:M presentation has to be the highlight of my sartorial year thus far. As expected, the company's SS15 collection was simply exquisite. Chester Barrie is a firm I have written about before at length, because it has truly cracked the winning menswear formula; presenting beautifully designed sartorial menswear, with a modern twist and superb levels of craftsmanship.

 This blue wool and mohair blended cocktail suit demonstrates perfectly the beautiful sweeping lines of Chester Barrie's house style. The turn-back cuffs on the coat are also a lovely touch.

Next summer's collection takes inspiration from and blends the two decades of the 1930s and 1970s to produce garments which in one way or another speak of the golden eras of the Riviera experience. The collection was filled with colour and glamour, with a heavy emphasis on decadent evening and cocktail dress. Likewise, occasionwear including a morning coat and a number of very elegant lounge suits are offered to fulfil the gentleman's wardrobe requirements for society events. Alongside its tailored pieces sits the company's ever more innovative casual wear, comprised of soft casual shirting, chinos and beautiful cable knit jumpers in bright shades for spring. The collection's mastermind, buyer and designer Christopher Modoo explained to me that the collection is intended to develop Chester Barrie's reputation as 'Tailors of the Unexpected' - the theme for their AW14 presentation in January.

Note the exclusive mother of pearl buttons, ground and polished to echo the sculpted shape of a horn button. Attention to detail such as this is what sets Chester Barrie apart from other sartorial designers.

Certainly, the application of colour and mixing of casual wear and tailoring in the collection is extremely unexpected, but as one might 'expect' of Chester Barrie, it has been pulled-off perfectly. The cotton madras checked smoking jacket is a particularly impressive piece, paired as it is above with soft, washed tailored shorts and a flamboyant linen scarf. The jacket was inspired by a very traditional tartan smoking jacket, revisited and reinvented as a flamboyant alternative dinner jacket for tropical climates.

Designer Christopher Modoo discussing the merits of the collection's cotton madras smoking jacket, a key piece.

In blending the tailoring of the 30s and the 70s, Chester Barrie's highly structured, elegant 30s influenced silhouette (overseen by Edward Sexton, who acts as Tailoring Consultant for the brand) is matched with outlandish 1970s approach to colour and proportion. The variation of lapel shapes in the collection was a tell-tale sign of this treatment; double-breasted blazers featured very broad lapels, whilst a number of relatively casual blazers with patch pockets were finished with dressy, sophisticated shawl lapels to keep a glamorous edge. On some suits, the company's signature peaked lapels have been re-cut with an even fuller belly, for an even more imposing shape.

This blazer presents a rather intriguing balance between casual and formal, with patched pockets offset against a shawl collar, more readily associated with dresswear.

The show was split across two floors, with the upper floor occupied by a series of rather rakish models dressed up to the nines in Chester Barrie's more contemporary dress, representing the 'Riviera' theme. Here, outfits mixed tailored pieces with casual wear, tropical pattered shirts, superfine linen scarves and a mixture of chinos and tailored shorts. Floral patterns and rich pops of colour punctuated these pieces, producing an aesthetic characterised by bold, modern statements. The two signature blazers pictured are the perfect example; on the one hand is very richly coloured turquoise jacket, with notched lapels and patched pockets making a light, airy summer blazer. On the other, the new 'Campari red' low-cut double breasted mixer jacket in a beautiful fresco cloth is about as strong as a statement can get, yet such is the poise of Chester Barrie's cut, it remains distinctly elegant and sartorial. 

The 'Campari red' blazer demonstrates the House's new low cut double-breasted style.

Despite all these inspired sartorial experiments, the collection remains true to Chester Barrie's roots, offering a number of equally elegant business suits and classical blazers alongside its dressier occasionwear. Three piece suits in smooth, glossy, summer-weight wools with understated tonal checks are set to be a strong feature for next spring and summer. A lot of work has also gone into the cutting of new waistcoat shapes, with a high-break single breasted model with a clean shawl lapel and a new low-cut and rounded shawl lapel double-breasted model. The prevalence of double-breasted waistcoats was a particularly welcome feature, given that such things are seldom offered off-the-peg and the creation of suits in super lightweight cloths makes the addition of a waistcoat not only feasible, but a welcome means to add a little stature to the wealth of summer two-pieces out there.

Yours truly in a rather lovely Chester Barrie blazer and tie, from this season's collection.

Once more, Modoo has masterminded a collection which is visually stunning, beautifully designed and which covers all areas of the gentleman's wardrobe, for both the conservative and flamboyant dresser. Its a collection to admire and which confirms Chester Barrie's reputation as an extraordinary modern tailors: the 'Tailors of the Unexpected'.

www.chesterbarrie.co.uk

Modoo surrounded by models clad in highly glamorous samples of his collection, a job well done eh?

All images courtesy of Chester Barrie.