January 9, 2015 |
Topman: home of the indie kid. Growing up in Oxford, Topman was a refuge for me. It was one of the few places in the city where men didn’t wear deck shoes. They had tattoos, wore earrings and cling-film tight skinny jeans instead. For that, Topman will always have special place in my heart. The brand secured its position as home of the indie kid yesterday at LC:M. There weren’t cling-film tight jeans, but there were straight leg jeans, some turned up at the bottom to half way up the calf. There was a shearling coat and a faux fur patched coat (think John Simm in Life on Mars), very 70s, worn over polo neck jumpers, making it even more 70s. Cropped denim and suede jackets and tight (but not cling-film tight) bomber jackets also made an appearance. But the show wasn’t all about the 70s. The tartan suits towards the end of the show, gave a clear reference to the 40s rudeboys, think Denzel Washington in Spike Lee’s Malcolm X (pre conversion to Islam). But whether this season’s Topman boy is a 70s policeman or a 40s rudeboy, he is still, at heart, an indie kid. And that’s why I love him.
Photographer: Jason Lloyd-Evans
By Ted Stansfield
