Geek chic

This show was absolutely amazing to watch; I loved it for the dancers alone. Oh yes there were dancers, says Thread.co.nz’s Melbourne correspondent Robecca Leyden at L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival’s Menswear Show…

This show was absolutely amazing to watch; I loved it for the dancers alone.

Oh yes- there were dancers, says Thread.co.nz’s Melbourne correspondent Robecca Leyden at L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival’s Menswear Show…

From the minute that seemingly random people sitting in the crowd rose from their seats and burst into finely tuned dance moves, my attention was fixed.

Guys, this season is all about bringing back the geek. Think pants tucked into socks, cardigans, ankle-revealing trousers, and collars done all the way up. Feel free to stop at pocket protectors though.

My favourite picks for this look were by Vanishing Elephant, left and below.

There is a bit of a 60s element going on with the use of colours such as salmon, mustard, burnt orange and a dull red.

Staying with the theme of ‘Geek Boy,’ Autonomy was also big on the button-to-the-top collar.

However, their collection has more of a suave feel to it, with lots of greys and a hint of texture with the use of plaid and stripes.

Grey was also very big in Alpha60’s collection, though they concentrated on dark greys and solid blacks to create a block colour effect.

Velvet played a big role too on the menswear catwalk. Think velvet bow ties and velvet, tapered coats with mis-matched elbow pads. Time to raid Grandad’s wardrobe.

Arthur Galan.

Below: Autonomy.

Lastly, pants are still all forms of tapered gents, whether that be tight all the way up, or a more relaxed fit up top, edging down to a nice fitted ankle.

Below: From Britten please leave.

Below: Campaign.

This winter will be about small details: bow ties, elbow pads, patterned socks, and nerd glasses; so make sure you release that inner geek. Just don’t forget to mix it up with some early 60s late 50s charm.

By Robecca Leyden, 20 March 2011.
Photography by Samuel Willett www.samuelwillett.com