London Fashion Week Men’s Fall 2018: The Scene

THE LUXURY CONUNDRUM: Where is luxury going? What does it mean? Is it a material thing? Selfridges is looking to address those questions with a five-month takeover called Radical Luxury. The store’s creative director Linda Hewson said Selfridges is looking at the “concentration and dilution” of luxury today, and also at its “uniqueness, ephemerality and transformative nature.” Through talks, events and retail, the store plans to explore issues around ownership — asking whether precious or expensive things even need to be owned — and exploring age and time as, potentially, the ultimate luxury.

One star of the show will be Michèle Lamy, the artist, wife and business partner of Rick Owens, who happens to be a passionate, longtime boxing fan. Through her concept Lamyland, she’ll be posing the question of what everyone is fighting for today, and she plans to bring in fashion, art, music and sports into the mix. The Lamyland Corner Shop is filled with special collaborations and a mix of labels from fashion to sports. On Feb. 1, an exclusive branch of BXR boxing gym will open in the store’s basement.

Later this spring, the store is also planning to open a temporary retail destination dedicated to fashion and singularity. It will be filled with limited editions and one-offs such as Thom Browne’s unicorn dress and a selection of Jil Sander shirts, one for each day. In April the store is also planning to take over the Old Selfridges Hotel with a special exhibition that explores luxury themes. — Samantha Conti

Selfridges & Co.
400 Oxford Street
London
W1A 1AB

FASHION MEETS FLAVOR: Onward Holdings is flexing its muscles beyond fashion. The luxury group is behind Yen, a new high-end Japanese restaurant on Strand, near the London Fashion Week show space. Yen specializes in handmade buckwheat noodles, which are offered with other traditional Japanese dishes including sushi, robata and tempura. The restaurant, which has high ceilings overlooking the Thames, was designed by Sybarite, the architectural firm behind the retail designs for brands such as Joseph and Marni. Sybarite cofounder Simon Mitchell described the restaurant’s design as a blend of “traditional Japanese craftsmanship” and “a contemporary, timeless backdrop.” He pointed to his choice of Japanese maple wood on the ceiling to a bamboo sculptural piece, which are offset by more modern accents such as sleek, minimalist furniture and metallic, hand-painted wallpaper. — Natalie Theodosi

Yen London
190 Strand, 5 Arundel Street
London
WC2R 3DX

NINETIES APPEAL: As the revival of all things Nineties rolls forward, the Italian sports brand Ellesse is aiming to regain momentum with the opening of its first flagship store in the U.K. The store, located at Covent Garden’s Seven Dials, stocks both heritage and new collections in an upbeat, colorful space with the brand’s latest, Nineties-inspired campaign splashed across the walls. “This is the first store outside of Asia-Pacific and represents a true statement of intent from the brand — we aim to immerse all visitors in the fascinating history of Ellesse whilst also showcasing our exclusive and latest collections,” said brand director Marc Greene. — N.T.

Ellesse
39 Neal Street
London
WC2H 9QG

WILD ABOUT HARRY: There’s another Harry in town, in Knightsbridge, not far from Kensington Palace. Harry’s Dolce Vita is the latest outing from Caprice Holdings, which also owns The Ivy and Sexy Fish. An Italian restaurant that aims to channel a Fifties/Sixties Fellini vibe, Harry’s Dolce Vita offers all-day dining with a menu by chef Diego Cardoso. White truffles are on offer — on pasta, beef, risotto and pizza — and the rest of the menu offers the peninsula’s greatest hits including spaghetti with clams, Margherita pizza with buffalo mozzarella, chicken Milanese and grilled tuna steak. Located between Harvey Nichols and Harrods, it’s best to plan that carb-heavy meal after, rather than before, any shopping spree. — Hikmat Mohammed

Harry’s Dolce Vita
27-31 Basil Street,
Knightsbridge, London
SW3 1BB

SHAPE SHIFTING: Lucille Lewin is one talented multitasker. The South African native founded the Whistles high street chain in 1976 and served as the creative director of Liberty from 2007 to 2008. She moved onto sculpture a few years ago, gaining a Diploma in Fine Art and Ceramics from CityLit and an MA from the Royal College of Art where she won the 2017 Young Masters Maylis Grand Ceramics Prize. Today, inspired by the history of 18th-century porcelain, she creates sculptures from porcelain, glass and metal. The Connolly store in Mayfair is hosting Lewin’s first solo show with an exhibition of 14 original porcelain and glass pieces. Called “The Time Between the Time: A Journey to Obsolescence,” the show is about “the ending of one process and the start of another,” said Lewin, adding that she only works in one color: white. “I live entirely in white. My clothes, my bedroom, my home. It is peaceful.” The show will run until February. — H.M.

Connolly
4 Clifford Street,
London
W1S 2LG

GOING BIG: Canada Goose has expanded its European retail footprint with the opening of its first U.K. flagship store on Regent Street. The store, which spans 5,000 square feet and two floors, is the brand’s largest space and aims to highlight a wide assortment of coats and the brand’s 60-year history. It stocks women’s, men’s and children’s outerwear, as well as other winter accessories and archival pieces. The store’s design features minimalist black-and-white accents, and other elements such as rustic wooden furniture and photographs of skiers that aim to highlight the brand’s outdoors heritage. Also on display are the famous Peace Keeper parkas, designed for the Ontario Provincial Police, who face brutal weather conditions. — N.T.

Canada Goose
244 Regent Street
London
W1B 3BR

GROUP EFFORT: Patrick Grant is lending a hand to emerging London talents with a pop-up shop called Basement at his E. Tautz flagship on Duke Street.
He’s tapped Topman’s creative director Gordon Richardson to curate the offer, which includes clothing from labels such as Lou Dalton, Matthew Miller, Alex Mullins and Louise Gray. Grant said he wanted to set aside a dedicated space for his fellow designer friends who don’t have brick-and-mortar stores of their own and added that he’s happy to welcome other brands going forward. Prices range from 20 pounds for a Community Clothing T-shirt to 1,000 pounds for a Matthew Miller leather jacket. Both Gray and Mullins have done one-off exclusives for the store, which is to remain open indefinitely. The basement space has a gallery feel, as it had already housed the E. Tautz 150th anniversary photo exhibition. — Lorelei Marfil

Basement
71 Duke Street
Mayfair, London
W1K 5NX

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