Starter Pack: Fashion Week

Words: Modupe Oloruntoba | Photography: IMAXtree

SA Menswear Week has come and gone, and well, let’s just say we’re inspired. With the next round of runway adventures coming up at the end of the month – Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Cape Town followed by South African Fashion Week – we’re looking to score some style points off the runway, and we’ll bet you are too. A high score won’t take a new suit, and certainly won’t break the bank – just look to the models, on and off the runway, for inspiration. Rising to digital realm fame just as fast as the girls, male models like Luka Sabbat, Lucky Blue Smith (the ice blond featured below), and locals Dave Kabamba and Nicolas Van Graan can be your inspiration for how to style casual streetwear basics for a more directional look than your everyday sweat-and-chino combo. Snapped outside the shows at London Fashion week, these looks are just the ticket. Just for the gents, here’s how to build the model-off-duty look.

Start with a sweatshirt. Layer over and under it at will, but this is a necessary piece. Go for a simple neutral - white is ideal because it works best for AW17’s colour palette. Hoodies qualify, and the more retro graphics you can find the better. Pair with dark jeans or chinos with no hectic wash details - the contrast they provide is key.

Add on a shirt: Buttoned down and worn over your sweatshirt or done all the way up and worn under a hoodie, a blue or red check shirt is the next dimension of this look. Foregoing the sweatshirt or hoodie in warmer weather, consider a shirt over a tee with only the top collar button done, and thank the pundits of skate culture for the tip when you’re done.

Finish with the accent of the decade: Fresh kicks. Anything goes for colour and finish, but for cut, stick to slim shapes - I’d recommend classic Vans or retro Puma suedes. Go with a white rubber sole for the illusion of a platform (black or natural rubber tends to blend into the ground).