INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT ON LONDON MENSWEAR

Attention zoomed in on London as the New Year dawned, as London Collections: Men got underway. This annual menswear event encompasses all sorts of weird as well as wonderful stuff, largely ready-to-wear rather than bespoke quality. and presented what will be worn by style-conscious men next winter, before we have done with this one.

The razzamatazz and frenzied activity of the showcase operates on a different planet to that of Savile Row. As days of catwalk shows and displays took place in the firsst week of January, showing a phantasmagorical variety of collections at hip venues, the sober denizens of Savile Row were largely unconcerned with the international celebration of British style taking place just around the corner - so to speak.

The key to this dichotomy lies in two words - Fashion and Elegance. The London Collections are all about Fashion, whether inspired by traditional British style or the more outre kind of clobber. Savile Row is about creating elegant clothing for the individual. A tailor would say you can't put a fat banker in a pair of shorts for the boardroom. A designer is looking at the bigger, or shall we say, more extended consumer market.

But the two worlds do relate to one another. The fashionistas appreciate the craft and quality of Savile Row as well as the British image that it has established around the world. And Savile Row, now with many new younger recruits, has come to appreciate the international attention and market impetus that the seasonal fashion jamboree provides for British menswear in general.

Together, they emphasise London's pre-eminence on the global menswear stage - though of course they aren't actually together.

A few Row names did take part with ready-to-wear lines - Hardy Amies, Tautz, Richard James - but there were a fair number of other well tailored collections presented. Brands to watch for those prepared to add off-the-peg to their wardrobes include one-time tie name, Duchamp, which now has some very nice suits, collars sitting properly at the back; long established Irish designer Paul Costelloe, using beautiful fabrics; Nicole Farhi with soft, relaxed outfits of coats, trousers and sweaters; Hackett, showing stylish use of colour in classic suits; and Thomas Pink, teaming its colourful shirts with good-looking tailored items.

There were still plenty of 'interesting' designs that might well frighten the horses but which show that London's renowned flair for original creations is alive and well. But the pre-eminence this year of tailored lines refutes any of those hoary old statements that the suit is dying. Indeed, it would seem that it is enjoying renewed appreciation at a young, stylish level.

There were quite a few short-ish suit jackets, outsize checks favoured for outsize overcoats, and judicious use of colour. There were some bold check suits, as above, from Duchamp.

Common faults included a propensity for jacket buttoning to pull, for collars not to lie snug at the back, and upper chests to have a little too much room. They are the sort of details that should not be encountered in Savile Row.

The event attracts a sprinkling of participants from oversees, such as that American icon Tom Ford, and a South Korean exhibitor, who blithely maintained that his clothes were 'to Savile Row standards'.

A collection that could be an excellent addition to any Savile Row emporium came from Karl Donoghue, London-based company that specialises in hand crafted jackets and coats in shearling and other skins.

Donoghue launched the company in 1995, has twice received export awards for his success abroad, notably in Japan, and works closely with tanneries around Europe to use the best of skins and to develop new finishes. They are then made up in London, with great attention to original details.

This season, he has used an embossed merino lambskin which has a herringbone pattern and a surface texture achieved by going through 'sandpapering' rollers (see top). Very interesting. Other ultra soft leathers and suede are used for some intricately hand tailored jackets, as the one right. One of these would retail around £2,000. The standard of make here is truly up to Savile Row's, if the styling rather more up-beat.