LFW Men's: E Tautz AW18 - New Suedeheads

Patrick Grant took inspiration from the pre-digital era of the 1980s for the E Tautz AW18 collection, which was revealed on the first official day of London Fashion Week Men's today.

The label looked back the the decade of "Thatcher, fat cats, and sell-offs" for this collection, which was packed with Grant's signature pieces. But, paradoxically, they have been brought bang up to date by taking their cues from the past.

Called New Suedeheads the collection references the major counter cultures of the 1980s including punks, skinheads, mods, new romantics and casuals (indeed two of the models bear more than a passing resemblance to two icons of the era Paul Weller and Brian Ferry), and celebrates a time before "drab branded ubiquity had taken over" and the youth created their own style often through second-hand finds.

The distinctive E Tautz wide leg pleated trouser anchored all the looks and came in versions of bright blue denim, brown checks, cloudy greys and blues, dark brown and rusty brown, with one pair featuring a thigh pocket for added utilitarian appeal.

Jackets were dominated by checks which adorned single-breasted casual blazer styles, a belted safari style and cropped bombers, along with an impressive full-length coat that also included the collection's accent colour of bright orange.

In fact checks were the most important story of the collection full-stop, as Grant proposed (tastefully) mis-matched checked jackets and shirts or, for the braver customer, mis-matched jackets and trousers.

Accessories included knitted bonnets and extra-long scarves (set to be a major accessory for women too next autumn) and an update on the brothel creeper shoe, designed by Christian Louboutin.