The line between men's and womenswear is one big blur – and London Fashion Week Men's Spring/Summer 2020 further cemented this. Beyond pinching a T-shirt to sleep in, there's plenty to take from the boys when it comes to styling cues.

We saw woven details and belting peppered across the on-schedule offering, but whittling it down to just three, here are our biggest takeaways we'll be embracing next summer.

Colourblocking like nobody's business
Picking one hue and running with it is a big mood for Spring/Summer 2020. We saw it in myriad forms this season: Among the designers championing the aesthetic were Emirati designer Khalid Qasimi, of his namesake Qasimi, Italian sportswear giant, ICEBERG by Giuliana Marchini Gerani, and Craig Green.

Known for his avid use of colour, Qasimi stayed true to his rep’ – delivering sun-bleached shades of pale lemon, periwinkle blue and washed plum, which lent themselves to the collection’s otherwise earthy tones. The pale hues manifested as gauzy tracksuits and loose-fit shirting, inbuing a sense of summer into his simple yet sharp take on streetwear. His effortless pairing of soft pastel separates with trainers got our vote. 



Another house well-versed in colour, ICEBERG brought a bold primary palette to the table – across graphic knitwear, tonal tracksuits and sharp suiting. SS20 saw the brand’s one-shade styling extend to tailoring in zesty head-to-toe hues of coral pink and acid green. But our favourite look? A highlighter yellow double-breasted blazer with billowing parachute slacks and accessories to match.



Elsewhere, sartorial stalwart and three-time Menswear Designer of the Year award winner, Craig Green, balanced utilitarian functionality (a theme that has become the designer’s signature) with jewel-toned padded silk sets and picnic-blanket gingham caftans. We’ll be dreaming about his crimson pinstripe pyjama suits as our ultimate off-duty summer separates.



Layering shorts-on-shorts
Layering a T-shirt over a rollneck or going ham with layers-on-layers in winter, sure. But shorts on shorts? On paper it doesn’t sound great, but this season we saw menswear designers across the board do it – and do it well.

The debut runway for Royal Collage of Art graduate, Saul Nash, under talent incubator, Fashion East, landed as a confident presentation that seamlessly blended dance with design. His performers aptly sported athletic tracksuits in beige, mint and pale grey, alongside subversive trousers, which were left open at the thigh to tease a flash of bare skin or reveal mesh shorts. 



A similarly tiered effect was seen from Bulgarian designer, Kiko Kostadinov, as skin-tight cropped leggings peeked out from underneath high-shine gym shorts. Paired with glossy jockey bombers, flapped caps and colour-blocked riding boots (thanks to a shoe collaboration with Camper), the Grand National-inspired collection has us betting at the bookies that this shorts combo will become the hottest trend of the summer.



Meanwhile, Cypriot-born Turkish designer Hussein Chalayan MBE of Chalayan, took a more minimalist approach to the emerging trend. Boxy jackets and crisp linen shirts in white, grey and burnt orange were paired with shorts and trousers featuring a unique double hem finishing. Our predication was the navy seaside-striped and English heritage checked shorts for their British summertime appeal.



Daring to bare skin with cut-outs
We’re hoping Spring/Summer 2020 arrives with the sun in tow, because boy are we ready in the cut-out styles from London’s most exciting design set. Teasing a little bit of skin is the trend here – just make sure you don’t forget the suncream!

All eyes were on the LVMH finalist design duo, Stefan Cooke and Jake Burt, of Stefan Cooke for their first standalone runway at the Truman Brewery. This season’s collection went back to basics with a focus on functional staple items, while the techniques were as  innovative as ever. Alongside the brand’s trompe l'oeil signature, we were introduced to a 'diamond design' process, which was used to create cut-outs – as seen below on one of our favourite looks that gives fresh interpretation to the humble argyle sweater. 



Offering another take on risque cut-outs and barely-there pieces was Nigerian-born designer, Mowalola Ogunlesi. Continuing  to showcase her innate skill working with leather, her sophomore collection left little to the imagination. Open-backed tops featured heavily, and a fuchsia high-neck dress was left wide open at the front to expose the model’s torso. Dubbed her exploration of the “horrific feeling of love”, the collection saw us fall hopelessly in lust.



Then there was rising star on the London Fashion Week Men’s roster, paria/Farzaneh, whose cross-hatched shirt construction created a peek-a-boo effect – mellowing the maximalist prints she borrows from her Iranian heritage. The shirts and jackets were paired with the military-style essentials that have become the young designer's trademark in muted browns and olive green. You'll find us sporting the below jacket on British summer evenings that are just that little bit too cold to forgo wearing layers.


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