It’s casual “wearability meets folklore fantasy” that best describes David C. Wigley’s F/W 15/16 collection, WORTH. As stated by David himself in an interview for TOM*,  this collection “was inspired by a Norwegian fairytale, ‘East of the sun and West of the moon’ and more primarily the 1914 illustrations by Kay Nielsen and the Art Nouveau style they were painted in”.

Key elements of WORTH include:

• Slim fitted or cropped tops with top with higher-rise trousers
• Narrow straight cut and double pleated wide leg pant styles
• Leather jackets
• Fur bombers
• Various plaids and ginghams in rich cold-weather tones such as burgundy, navy, forest green and mustard
• Denim and jersey tops and bottoms, primarily in blue, grey and black

Bolder, whimsical elements include:

• Crisp deconstructed dress shirts
• Asymmetrical skirts
• Metallic gold elements, patterns and details used in surprising ways, most notably a golden spinal column on the back of some of this deconstructed dress shirts
• Black mesh, mainly for overcoats
• Silky pyjama loungewear

The collection was offset by styling elements such as headwear ranging from traditional bowler hats and foppish feathered fedoras to upturned baseball caps, and thin, wiry moustaches with rouged cheeks. These were accompanied by Norwegian elements such as shapely beards with curled moustaches and ribbons tied at the waist.

The overall effect is a clash of characters: the gussied-up 1940’s working man, the tailored villain, and the flowing-fantasy hero. Any man that can pull any of these looks off will indeed prove their style’s worth. We look forward to David C. Wigley’s next collection!

Main photo credit: Shayne Gray for TOM*FW15