At Graduate Preview Day, students from the University of Salford took home the prestigious Fashion Monitor Colleges Portfolio Award, for the joint portfolio of their graduating students. Organized by the British Fashion Council, Preview Day is a precursor to Graduate Fashion Week, which kicks off 2 June.

For the third time in four years, the graduating Fashion Design and Image Making and Styling students at the University of Salford won the day’s most prestigious award.

In its 19^th year, Graduate Preview Day is meant to foster relationships among fashion colleges and industry leaders, while highlighting the work of graduating British design students. This year, representatives from ASOS, Matches, Paul Smith, American Vogue, and more were all present.

Anne Tyrrell, Chair of the BFC Colleges Council, said about Salford’s submission: “It was an excellent and original portfolio… We have seen it grow in strength in the last few years but it certainly jumped out as the winner in the panel’s opinion. It was great to see this development at Graduate Portfolio Preview day and Fashion Monitor were simply delighted with their winning presentation.”

The winning collections will be on show at Graduate Fashion Week.

-Jesse Bielasiak

When David Adams worked in a call centre six years ago, he was burnt out on education. It’s a good thing his co-workers and friends urged him to go to university and follow his passion for art and design.

Today, he is on the verge of launching his own made-to-measure suiting line, David Adams Quirkessential Tailoring, after studying bespoke tailoring at the London College of Fashion. In addition to suits and sport jackets, he will offer handmade ties and other accessories.

Quirkessential, described by Adams as “an amalgamation of sartorial elegance and light-hearted artistic creativity,” aims to combine the high-end quality of Savile Row tailors with a spunky and irreverent High Street attitude. The jackets have strong British elements (see the prevalence of ticket pockets and dramatic shoulder roping), and the attitude is in the details, with collar pinned shirts and crazy linings.

“I make clothes that I would want to wear,” says Adams, a self-described dandy.

The jackets range from the tame (solid grey or blue wool options) to the outlandish, most notably a grey/blue/pink check jacket that would stand out in any neighbourhood.

The linings, though, are the highlight, with vivid all-over prints: globes, pin-up girls, dandy British gentlemen, and—my personal favourite—Michelangelo’s The Last Judgement, from the wall of the Sistine Chapel. So, conservative types who need cleaner suits can opt for a little fun on the inside.

Jackets are preliminarily priced at £399, while a full suit will run around £600 when they go on sale on his website in the coming weeks.

-Jesse Bielasiak

The YMC flagship on Hanbury Street features seasonal collaborations—with brands like Clarks and Ebbets Field Flannels—and select items from other brands, ranging from John Smedley to Rains, alongside YMC’s growing collection. The smaller women’s line takes up about a third of the shop, while the men’s line (launched ten years prior to the women’s, in 1995) occupies most of the store.

The design of the shop itself sets the tone, with a clean and cool vibe that references vintage workwear. The fitting room is as meticulously styled as the clothes, with a single light bulb dangling overhead and a chair fit only for a 19^th century surgeon’s office or torture chamber—restraints and all. Meanwhile, the clothes hang atop old-fashioned rail cars or sit on vintage work tables.

Alongside well-crafted basics like pocket tees and crewneck sweatshirts in a curated colour palette of navy, lemon, and green, the spring collection features two dramatic pattern families—leopard and willow, perfect for the print-lover.

Though you can’t go wrong with the basics, cut straight and classic, our favourite items are the white/navy willow crewneck, and the waxed hooded jacket, available in lemon and navy. The more adventurous man ought to jump at the lemon, while the conservative type will love the navy.

The footwear is equally cool, with a full range, including two collaborations—one with Liberty on patterned plimsolls and slip-ons, and another with Clarks for loafers and chukkas. The highlight, though, is the hiking boot, a carry-over from last year’s A/W collection. These urban hikers, complete with a sleek trainer-inspired silhouette, are a welcome leap for a brand known most for simple classics. Though only displayed in navy at the shop, these are available in a handful of colours online, and they look better the louder they get. Sky blue and vibrant red are our favourites.

YMC, 23 Hanbury St, London E1 6QR

- Jesse Bielasiak

Disorder loves a collaboration and we love a good pair of pyjamas plus we love a designer success story!  William Tempest graduated from London Collage of Fashion only five years ago and since then he hasn’t stopped working. William was one of the Fashion Fringe Finalist and he was then selected for Fashion Scout’s Merit Award winner. He also showed during New York Fashion Week and works between London and Dubai.  He’s also done quite a few collaborations including packaging for cosmetics, laptop cases, he’s designed several dress with Disney and did a collection for River Island. Most recently he’s designed some luxury British made reversible pyjamas for the W London.  The pyjamas are quite soft and if you look closely you can see a hidden W in the print – clever!

The limited edition pyjamas  will be available online and at The W Store for £175,  and for  guests of the newly revamped E-WOW and WOW suites from June 1st.

Did you ever manage to catch the hit animation classic ‘Snow White and the Seven Gang land shootings’? Well if it ever existed, Street-Wear brand, ‘Two Angle have designed the perfect promotional poster. Two Angle is the collaborative result of a French stylist & New York designer, cleverly poking fun at street  culture on both sides of the pond. This particular piece caught my eye depicts the ever iconic Snow White residing in a land very very gangsta adverse to a land far far away. This printed t-shirt struck me with pure tongue and cheek genius, which in a world saturated with printed tees is pretty hard to accomplish. Two angel not only dabble in the ever strong t-shirt culture, but produce ready to wear pieces as well as the essential street wear accessories. Here’s hoping that Snow White is only the tip of the ice berg with Two Angles quest to shake up the street scene cause I can’t wait for more!

Check out for yourself exactly why Disorder loves Two angle at www.twoangle.fr

It’s getting warmer outside and it’s time to think about sandals and getting your feet out, but London streets can be pretty filthy so I’m  a bit hesitant to get my toes out! Swedish HasBeens Clogs might be the perfect summer solution, with clogs your toes are covered but the heels are exposed just enough so that you feel like you’re in summer mode. Plus, they come in an array of bright colours and can work with any summer outfit. On sale from £151.00

While styles borrowed from Jazz and Prohibition-era America are trending right now thanks to Baz Lurhmann’s take on the Great Gatsby, Ben Sherman takes a refreshing look at a different era of American jazz for inspiration in its spring collection. This season’s Plectrum line juxtaposes the East Coast jazz scene of the 60’s with British artisan attire.

For a brand known for solid basics, it is no surprise some of the pieces can be a bit, well, bland. Still, it’s worth a trip to the Commercial St. store to check out the spring digs. For simple, classic pieces you can’t go wrong with the Duke Street Foundry collection, which celebrates Ben Sherman’s 50^th anniversary. The raspberry Harrington Jacket is the best of this micro-collection, giving a classic piece a fresh twist exciting enough to stand out—despite the traditional silhouette. Sherman’s trendiest line, Plectrum, tackles the all-over print trend with art deco-inspired geometrics and a distinctive camo-ikat, veering away from the tried and true—and soon to be played out—florals and animal prints popping up everywhere this season.

The highlight of the collection is a reversible parka with a hardy white shell and a camo-ikat interior. Details include seamed elbow patches and leather detailing on the pockets, cuffs, and hem. Worn with the ikat flipped out, it is a bold statement piece that makes an ideal focal point. When worn as the more subdued white parka, it can fit alongside another statement piece (or two), making it a great, versatile option for the rainy days ahead.

But, if you’re already looking ahead to summer or planning your next vacation, Plectrum’s got you covered too. Check out the knit short-sleeve button-up, with a tasteful art deco print. It’s a breathable, equally comfortable alternative to the ordinary tee.

-Jesse Bielasiak

Sheare is the brainchild of 24 year old; New York City based singer-songwriter Brandon Sheer. Sheare’s music strives to resonate with people on an honest and emotional level. Brandon believes music that truly connects with people’s emotions, will become timeless. Sheare’s music is reflective of Brandon’s experiences growing up in New York. The beauty of the city’s vast nature is also the very thing that has made Brandon feel insignificant at times, which in part has inspired him to start writing music. Sheare’s sound couples a wide variety of influences ranging from 80’s New Wave to the early 90’s Brit Rock, while still cultivating a uniquely current sound.

Brandon has self-produced his debut EP along side long time engineer Carl Barc (Dirty Projectors, St.Vincent). Brandon feels now more than ever it’s imperative to be a self-sufficient artist and after sending an early demo via cold email, Brandon received interest from multi-platinum, Grammy award winning producer/mixer Mark “Spike” Stent (Coldplay, Muse, Arcade Fire, Keane). Spike saw instant potential in Brandon’s music and decided to executively produce/mix Sheare’s debut record. For Spike, working with on the record has been a project driven by passion rather than payment.

Now that Sheare’s EP is complete, Brandon has teamed up with art directors Simon Griffen and Howard Wakefield (New Order, Joy Division, Pulp) to come up with a unique way of promoting the release of both the debut EP as well as an animated music video that was shot earlier this year with London based animation company M-I-E (Regina Spector,Faithless, George Michael). Taking a page from the street art movement, the team has created a guerilla-marketing campaign that features four logos that coincide with Sheare’s artwork for the record. The logos were made into custom Dropcards that display the logos on the front of them and codes on the back of them that allow people to download Sheare’s EP for free via their website as well as other exclusive content. The Dropcards are then attached to glow in the dark balloons and placed in various locations around Manhattan. The campaign will also late be launched in LA and London.

Sheare has just released their first their debut EP “Somebody Else” on April 16, 2013. Keep both eyes open for this rising star.

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