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The very essence of 'fashion' is constant change. But this year, more than ever before, the fashion week calendar is (almost) being turned on its head, as brands boldly reject the traditional schedule and show system and herald in a new era for the industry.
Brand du jour Vetements, for example, will atypically show menswear and womenswear in January and June from next year, while Tom Ford revealed in February that he will showcase his AW16 men’s and womenswear designs in September, nearer to when the collections actually become available in store.
In a similar vein, over the past couple of seasons, leading fashion houses have begun merging menswear and womenswear with mixed gender shows. In September, Burberry and Bottega Veneta will combine their men’s and women’s collections in one catwalk showcase and next year both Gucci and Tommy Hilfiger will follow their lead with co-ed shows too.
So what does this mean for London Collections Men, the menswear platform that launched in the capital in June 2012, elevating British menswear and finally putting men's fashion under the same spotlight as women's? Is it still relevant, or, after just nine seasons, is LCM losing its mojo?
For SS17, LCM put on a notably new face as many of Britain's best menswear designers and brands expanded on or introduced womenswear to their collections. Calvin Klein, Brioni, Cavalli, Ermanno Scervino and a number of other Italian brands have all chosen to withdraw from the Milan menswear schedule later this month and though there were some obvious absences from the LCM calendar this season (*ehem* Burberry), we think the London's menswear showcase is as exciting and dynamic as ever – even more so for being bolstered by the inclusion of womenswear.
With that said, we've rounded up some of our favourite looks for women from LCM SS17. Here come the girls...
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