There are few designers that handle colour well. James Long, who needs no introduction to the man of technicolour (see here), was inspired by the refreshing thought of the not-so-put-together look. The idea of not blending in and being proud of it. The distressed, unfinished look. And this can be seen through the shirts left half-untucked, cardigan robes worn on one shoulder, and short shorts that end just above the mid-thigh.

“I went to Brighton and I just saw an energy/ style that wasn’t so put together”

— James Long

The idea of wearing designer clothing head-to-toe was not appealing to Long. The freedom to dress... in colour (which is no surprise as from my previous post on James Long's collaboration with River Island). Real James Long fans will continue to rave on about the use of colours - where James Long describes as a way to create a narrative. The colour has to be honest and believable; translatable to its wearers. You can say that there's no polished up look; no suits to be found nor military style hard-core 'gym kit'. It's a different take on sportswear but why would you even attempt to find the polished up look among the James Long collections?

So how does this follow on from his AW15 collection? Naturally, Spring-Summer collections can grasp colour more easily. And so more fun for the colour hungry. There's paisley, multi-colour knits and even a double denim look (but with denim shorts, no jeans). The more I look at the pictures, the more I find myself repeating the word 'distressed'. Not everyone look is accompanied with a pair of ripped jeans; in fact, only one look and I wouldn't have remembered so if I didn't have look at their lookbook online. So the distressed comes from the 'messy-up-do'; no polished up, neat dress robes. The way to wear Long is off-shoulder and, apparently, with an open neck. You won't find ties - the most you'll get is probably a long neck tie with the top button undone. The 'not-so-put-together' look may come at a price, where the folks who only wear smart tailoring will criticise. But at the same time those who know James Long, will know.

To be continued... #tbc