London Collections: Men AW15 Day 2

A pink neckerchief that was worn in the first look of Lou Dalton's autumn/winter 15 collection brought a 60s vibe, compounded by the cropped and tailored trousers and coat with an exaggerated lining. This was a recurring theme, with jackets featuring pocket lining which peeked out from under checked wool and layered outerwear. Detachable arms transformed jackets into gilets, or as in the first look, an inner jacket featured a top layer to make it functional yet also informal.

Astrid Andersen paraded a utility army of boys on her AW15 catwalk, with berets, fur-lined ear flap caps and boxer-style outerwear that were samurais at the ready. Black, salmon pink, maroon, forest green and white where the main hues of this urban sportswear collection which was both warrior and street chic. Backstage Andersen told Dazed: "It became a bit militant in the end, I just wanted to move on. For me this season felt a little bit more mature – I don’t know if that translated, but at least that’s how I felt about it!”

Hardie Amies is first and foremost a tailor, and the brand under it's creative director Mehmet Ali showed tradition and modernity can mix and be desirable in 2015. There was tailoring and knitwear, with a hint of sportswear, but it was detailing like a climber's tube rope morphed into flannel suiting that was seen throughout the collection that struck a cord. Fur-lined parkas hinted at a trekking expedition, but it was the fabrications that made it stand out as heritage brand: luxurious wools, boucle, checks and even teasel-brushed wool. This was tailoring for the true English gentleman.

Christopher Raeburn took his AW15 collection to water, showing inflatable coats, shark-print jackets and lifeguard inspired clothing. His utility outerwear featured slogans, patchwork and modern technical detailing, but his hand-writing was strong and evident and Raeburn is slowly carving out a niche for himself. Bright boiler style jackets and fish-shaped accessories added a fun element, however when the pieces are taken out of their fashion context they are wearable, something that in London isn't always the case.

Sibling on Saturday showed a fluo-pink collection that was bold and not for the faint of heart. Frothy pink gelled hair, teddybears, faux fur and chelsea boots - all in various shades of hot pink - adorned boys who's chiseled looks were in contrast to the feminine clothes. Strip away the fashion and tongue-in-cheek parlance, this brand offers knitted separates for a fashion loving customer. While the show was full of good spirit and fun, what springs to mind is that after so many seasons many young London brands that were the ones to watch seem to not cross the bridge into becoming something more formidable. While luxury is not a niche every company needs to aspire to, beautifully-made wearable clothes shouldn't be only seen on the Milan and Paris catwalks. There are enough London brands that don't seem to be able to shake their studenty handwriting.