Spencer Hart SS14 Review

Spencer Hart’s show never fails to pull in the big names, and the SS14 presentation was no exception. The ‘frow’ (that’s front row to me and you) contained a plethora of famous faces, including London Collections: MEN mainstays Dermot O’Leary, David Gandy and Oliver Cheshire, as well as new ones like Russell Tovey and Connor Maynard. The show itself was celebrity filled too, with surprise walks from Misfits star Curtis Donovan and American actor/singer Clarke Peters. The collection was yet another triumph for Nick Hart, founder of the label. The theme was clear from the outset, with a soundtrack talking about the greatness of James Brown and jazz. With a modern Rat Pack vibe, the collection featured a palette of timeless blacks, crisp whites and soft browns, along with the beautiful new midnight blue styles. Nick Hart’s midnight blue, invented by Nick himself in partnership with AMG, is a beautifully intense colour that is at once dark and sexy. For SS14, the trousers cuffs remained high (the mankle is certainly here to stay) as the shirts came un-tucked in long silhouettes, providing a fluid contrast to the sharp suit lines. Trilby hats were in abundance, channelling a jazz-age cool, whilst scarves and pocket squares contrasted the suiting – exploding out from their formal confines and hanging loose. The lapels mixed from wide notch to slim-line shawl, lined for detail. The collection holds the brand’s ethos at its heart, celebrating independent thinking and the free-spirited gent that makes his own decisions. The end of the show left one last surprise: as part of Spencer Hart’s collaboration with AMG Mercedes-Benz, the new midnight blue has been used to colour a new Mercedes-Benz CLS AMG Shooting Brake. The interior is wrapped in chocolate-brown Italian leather with blue stitching inspired by Spencer Hart’s flagship store, whilst the trims and wheels are blacked out for the ultimate luxe finish.