Daniel Gayle, designer of London-based menswear label Denzil Patrick, is clever when it comes to naming his collections. Named London Belongs To Me this spring, and in the fall he came up with the equally evocative All Dressed Up and Somewhere To Go
. This evoked feeling is twofold. For one, All Dressed Up… Gayle took full advantage of the new tone in menswear for next season: a little more glam, a little more peacock, and a lot more freshness when it comes to tailoring. And evocative, because Gail is savvy in other ways too. There is a rich sense of narrative here, personal and reflective, emotional and joyful. As a small independent brand in this world of behemoth superbrands, that might just be the right approach to take right now: To make your brand meaningful, tell your own story, not anyone else’s.
In Gail’s case, it always starts with family, with all the love, connection, and complicated relationships. With the All Dressed Up… the starting point was his mother’s photographs taken in the early years of the multicultural South London neighborhood of Brie Keston. And, another earlier family snapshot taken by his grandmother in the years, beaming while shopping in London’s West End, is a picture filled with a palpable and identifiable excitement of effort and effort Sense sartorially rebuts everything that happens in life to make yourself stand out. “I spend a lot of time talking about my grandfathers Denzil and Patrick [hence the name],” he laughs, “and I want to pay tribute to the powerful women in my life.”
Which made him think of Brixton’s home; to the fabrics (literal and metaphorical) of the home’s surroundings – rugs and net drapes – which have become prints for plush velvet jackets and silk shirts in red or silver gray , or a lace wrap dress that can be layered with a crisp jacket and trousers for a close-fitting, high-waisted look. The tailoring was inspired by his smartly dressed young Mod uncle, while his faux fur (made of dead-end fluffy material) came from that grandma image.
Actually, there’s a whole generation and the gender interplay that’s happening here. This powers a lot of fashion these days, but Gale’s style is especially familial. You don’t need to know anything about the Gale family to feel the emotional resonance of the clothes, but it’s there, which makes his work all the more compelling. Create fashion, but make it feel, and that’s the message here – like the familiar comfort of Gayle’s cozy Aran cardigans, recycled from vintage clothing, Then re-dyed in the most gorgeous shades of scarlet and emerald green. This is creative ambition fueled by emotion.
Elsewhere, Gayle again delves into his early dance training, as he has done in the past, paying homage to the brilliant Puck – Scottish choreographer Michael Clark, He dances with Leigh Bowery and BodyMap (the cult’80 London duo) for Clark’s bodysuit with cutouts, one of which memorably shows his ass ). This led Gayle to explore how fit and freedom of movement could work together—perfectly wider, sloping shoulders, or narrow, warm pant legs, or the deeply curved armholes on a lavender duchess satin T-shirt, topped with There are shiny jewels. And that’s not the only decorative decoration. Equally personal, Gayle’s co-star, artist James Bosley, sketched a sassy character named Lydia, who had all the curves of Jessica Rabbit and the attitude of Riot Grrrl, wearing a backless sweater. So, yes, all the clothes were dressed up, and there was enough thought and imagination to suggest that these clothes were bound to go somewhere.
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