Luxury Tennis Sneakers Alternatives from The High Street

Lanvin Basket Suede Sneakers

As far as luxury tennis sneakers remain relevant Lanvin and Common Projects would always be the holy grail. Both labels popularized the most common silhouettes. Lanvin is know for it's cap toes and Common Projects has its signature clean toe with double stitch vamp. A pair of any of these would set you off at least £250. Have no fear if you're not willing to make that sort of investment but at the same time don't want to compromise of the luxe aesthetic. The high street is awash with different offerings from Topman to River Island. 

Common Projects Achilles Low Trainers 

Marks & Spencer's offering tops the list and is the priciest at £85. But it's worth every penny for not only its aesthetics but also its durability. River Island at the moment have the widest variety of luxe-esque tennis sneakers. They come in low and high tops with the low retailing for £50 and the hi top versions £55. 

Autograph Sneakers £85 from Marks & Spencer

River Island Grey Lace up Sneakers £50

River Island Black Nubuck Trainers £50

Louis Leeman Enlisting and Resisting Fall / Winter 2015 – 2016

For AW15 2015 the Louis Leeman collection was inspired by the Navy world. Creative directors Louis Leeman and Erica Pelosini tried to explore a world that has always been associated to the main traits of Manhood: Bravery, Strength, Pride, Discipline, and Elegance. The colors of the collection recall the crisp navy blue and white uniforms, the classic mix of jungle greens to the khaki service colors, a splash of plaid and a staple of the utilitarian vision of surplus, camouflage.

CMMN SWDN Autumn Winter 15 Twelfth Man Collection at LCM

Classic CMMN SWDN bomber jacket

Design duo Saif Bakir and Emma Hedlund delivered a stellar collection at London Collections Men in similar fashion through a presentation. Two things; Armani and Soccer especially the mood form Manchester where Saif grew up influenced the collection. The brand whilst still building up its vibe and aesthetic made a couple of updates to it's staple pieces like its bomber jacket. The color orange was continued from the ss15 collection and feature prominently in this one as well. 

Luxe sportswear was the main vibe. The pinstripe wool represented the Armani vibe whilst the bonded denim at the bottom of some of the pieces represent the mancunian spirit. In a way, the collection created a meeting point between Italian sophistication and British attitude. For this season the brand collaborated with Avery Dennison on a print that depicted a football net over pinstripes. This was the duo and Dennisons interpretation of the classic check. 

White Markings on the sides inspired by football pitch lines

Seasonal print in collaboration with Avery Dennison

Mesh Top Inspired by Football Post Net

Detail: Frayed Striped Wool fused with denim

Coat with Frayed Hem fused with denim

MenFSA Visits London Based Label No.221 by C S’TUDIO

Studio Workspace shot with my HTC One M8

Last month I had the privilege to stop by Xi Zhu & Ximin Han's workspace for the label No.221 by C S'tudio. Their debut collection is heavy on digital print influenced by a fusion with oriental aesthetics and European romance. The LCF graduates made good on their debut and my particular fav aesthetic from the collection are the shapes. Thought to give some of the pieces a test run and was shot by dark photography collective Anoma Studios. 

Solarized Cotton Shirt with 100% Cotton Imported from Japan £149

Aqua Green Solarized Cotton Shirt £149

Checked Print Ankle Length Trousers £169

Lifestyle shots by Jimel Lopini of Anoma Studios

Mr Porter x Richard James: Exclusive Collection Launch

Savile Row tailor Richard James collaborates with Mr Porter for a 15 piece capsule collection exclusive to the online retail giants. The collection is made up of essential knits, shirting and jackets available now. 

“The two things that I particularly enjoyed about putting this collection together were working so much with corduroy and the focus on workwear, albeit workwear of a certain refinement. It’s a collection that centers on easy-wearing, less structured casual pieces and it has been a joy. Casualwear is a key element of our work, but one that we are not as well known for as our tailoring – this was a small step into new territory.”-Mr Richard James

Tommy Ton Shoots Ermenegildo Zegna Couture FW14 in Shanghai

Tommy Ton collaborates with Ermenegildo Zegna as its creative director Stefano Pilati chose to work with him for his knack on capturing detail like no other. The architectural backdrop of Shanghai served as the perfect canvas for the Ermenegildo Zegna Fall 14 pieces which are big on texture and detail.