LONDON TRADE SHOW REPORT
London, England, 4 Aug. 2006

The edition of London trade shows spring/summer 2007 – encompassing TBC, Margin and The Park – took place July 30-31, [2007].

At all the shows, the color palette was muted and looked suspiciously autumn-like: black, white, gray and khaki ruled. Keeping with the subdued hues, womenswear captured a prim and proper air. Never have so many puff-sleeved, round-collared polo shirts hung under one roof at the same time.

Menswear, too, had a formal, dandy-ish vibe. These elements materialized in smart cuts and accessories as well as in prints. The new label T-Book offered neat tie/neck piece hybrids with its cleverly printed tees and shirts; Luke matched scarves to its grandpa cardies and sweaters; Red Dot embraced the trend by printing silk scarves on to its tees.

This edition of Margin drew a large proportion of international names, including an entire Finnish brigade among the show’s 80 exhibitors. These included Zukale & Huoviala and Tiia Vanhatapi, whose cute naively printed tees and pretty dresses made of nappy gauze were lovely. Another great name to watch there, albeit not Finnish, is Muffty, a menswear label offering a new spin on the polo shirt: a neat shawl collared version.

In addition, Wayne Pinnock Live’s quirky men’s separates also stood out in all its modern-art-meets-tribal ethnicity glory.