Mood board: The 1950s were a great time for menswear – the suits and swagger of the period continue to shape our ideal of the well-dressed man. At Richard James, the backdrop to S/S 2017 was the hedonism and heat of fifties Havana. Its muse was the adventurer and contrebandier Michael Caborn-Waterfield, better known as Dandy Kim. A colourful character in post–war London, he was an impeccably dressed gentleman who, amongst other things, cosied up to Diana Dors, smuggled guns into Cuba and served time in a French jail. His air of sharply-suited insouciance pervades the season’s offering.
Best in show: Finely detailed prints on shirting capture the haze of art deco Havana, ripe for a revival from Houston to Hamburg. A linen suit is always useful in warmer climes – here it was double-breasted worn with wide, high-waisted pleated trousers, cut in crisp two-faced linen.
Scene setting: James first opened up shop at 37a Savile Row in 1992, introducing Saturday opening to the venerated street. At the start of the new millennium James moved to number 29, which is today the home of the brand’s flagship store, design studio and showroom. The shop has provided the backdrop to seasonal presentations since 2012. S/S 2017’s bright offering was worn by a cluster of dapper models who lingered and lolled on the furniture.
