Pretty Green dropped their SS16 Black Label collection recently and given it a theme of 'Modern Musician', name checking references such as Led Zeppelin and T Rex. Now I'm not in the habit of calling PG Pinocchio but this range is about one thing and one thing only, the late great James Hendrix. So liar liar pants on fire....
With a full-on superb looking Hendrix collaboration coming in AW16 maybe PG didn't want to name this as a straight on Hendrix collection and have 2 themes running back? Who knows, and really who cares. It's Black Label and it's always hotly anticipated isn't it.
Now before I go upsetting anyone at PG I'm just having a bit of fun, when the ranges are good who cares if they use the use the same theme consecutively? We'll pick back into some of the Hendrix..I mean Modern Musician influences in the range in a bit
It's been remarked by quite a large number of the PG faithful that it's the most casually styled Black Label collection that most can recall, and this has been rather mixed in terms of popularity.
I'd agree, I can't think of a Black Label range that was so close to the Green Label range, it's been remarked a few times also that it feels more like a Theme Capsule than Black Label. So I'll leave it up to you to decide how you feel about where the range sits.
How good a BL range is tends to require a bit of time to work out, if the pieces are still lusted after in 2-3 years then it's a success, so if you could all come back in 2018 and let me know your thoughts that would be great.
The colour palette is very simple for the collection, black, white, red and the odd little shot of blue along with some grey. So it's a fairly stark monochromatic collection. Looks good I reckon, and I think they've used it really well to tie the collection together. For me, it works.
The PG Research team have dug out a floral pattern to key the collection, lifted directly from a jacket worn by Jimi Hendrix. The jacket came from the Dandie Fashions store on Kings Road in London. A popular place, seems the cream of music were raiding the store for their fashions, among them The Beatles, Brian Jones and David Bowie to name a few.
Now PG will tell you this pattern was 'based on similar styles found in 1960’s King Road stores such as Granny takes a trip', which while is kinda true doesn't reveal the full and true influence of Hendrix...it was on his back that people got to know the pattern.
Sadly The Beatles sort of killed Dandie Fashions, seeing the winner it was they invested in it, renaming it as part of their Apple branding, it wasn't to last much longer after the Fabs became involved, a real shame.
Picking into the range the Hendrix influence is there to see, even in simple things like the names of pieces, the Monterey Jacket clearing lifted as major element of Jimi's career. The Takeover lifted from the lyrics of the tub thumping classic Fire, the ultra-cool Redding overcoat using the surname of the Jimi Hendrix Experience's bass player, the Purple tee referencing Purple Haze, the Traffic tee and so on.
The floral image lifted is all over the range, no chance you'll blink and miss it, it's everywhere, including on the 'Jimi' scarf.
And a quote often attributed to, yes you've guessed it, Jimi Hendrix, has been used across various pieces in the range;
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace"
Believe me, it's there, take a look.
I'm not about to start using fingers and toes to count, but it doesn't feel like the biggest of Black Label collections, not as small as some and maybe more fairly not as sizable as others. It looks to cover off most bases with maybe just the odd missing piece that could have been a worthy addition.
Quite a few jacket styles to choose from, with the leather styles being the most un-Hendrix styles in the collection I would say. Some stand outs for me, first the DB Kathly/Jinny style,the Suede Jinny is just absolute top end luxury unrestrained cool, while the equally superb Kathly offers a more wallet friendly option.Would have been nice to see them lined. Both excellent options and well worth a look.
The Mandel Wool Biker is retake on the Jones Biker, and it works well done out in wool with a nice cupro lining. Don't make the same mistake as me and try it on, you'll lose out to its alluring charms, believe me you will...
A subtle mini-leopard jacquard is then used on a Parka and Trucker combo.
Rounding things out is the casual/formal hybrid of the Redding, very cool and a great option to sit in-between casual and formal requirements. An investment piece to look out for.
Shirts find PG using the floral pattern as expected on the Wallace and then rather cleverly on the Bib shirt in a hidden style behind the chest fringing. Probably the pick of the bunch for me, it's a real beaut.
Paisley is back in a new style on a kaftan and shirt, but why no Wallace Kaftan, that seems to be a trick missed?
Special mention to the White Wing shirt and it's clever use of the floral silhouette to create a cool new pattern.
Polo shirts fall in to 2 categories for me personally, very nice in the Misti style which has very imaginatively reworked the floral pattern to create a left-tit logo, standard practice on a polo-shirt.
I'm not too sold on the other polos where the shirt patterns have been printed across the fabrics. Now for those who've bought these styles I'm not saying they're not smart, not at all...they are cool. I'd just like to have seen PG do something more in the range is all, adding to these styles with more creativity.
Legwear is a bit of strange one, very pleased to see an offering on BL that isn't formal, I'm just 50/50 on the choices. I don't mind a pair of cords, and the red ones do tie in to the range very nicely. I'd have to admit though, if I was buying I'd likely go black, I ain't rock n roll enough for the red, but I'm sure plenty of you are.
Also we finally we have Black Label Denim, as unique as the leopard print style is I can't help think a plain black style alongside would have an absolute winner. Or what about some very unusual Black Selvedge, while they exist on other labels they aren't all that mainstream and could have been a very smart addition here.
When we get to the T-Shirt range there are only two words to describe them, and those words unashamedly are Jimi and Hendrix. Not Modern Musician, no no no, Jimi and Hendrix. Now here's the evidence...
Jimi's Monterey guitar artwork is used on the Monterey tee
Jimi's quote is on the Jinny tee
Jimi's floral pattern from his jacket is on the Misti tee
Jimi's floral pattern from his jacket is on the Takeover tee also
Jimi's floral pattern from his jacket is used as the logo on several tees
Jimi's floral pattern is used on the trim for the Traffic tee, Crosstown Traffic..ah c'mon PG
and just to nail it
Jimi himself is drawn, abstractly, on the West tee
Still think it's not a Hendrix range? Don't hide it PG, embrace it, I really like the tee collection, the theme works incredibly well and it's real smart range.
If I had the cash I reckon I'd buy the lot
Tailoring is short and sweet, just one style offered up in a move that sees Black Label move away from its formal leanings of the past few years. Definitely fancy the trousers from the suit, proper classic styling
And closing it all off are the PG staple, cool as fuck scarves. The Cambridge uses a cooler than cool paisley pattern decked out in the theme colours, unusually coming in a square style so I'd recommend you try before you buy to see if you suit the style. And we also get a Jimi scarf using the floral pattern, you just know the 'Jimi' will look tidy popping out some colour under one of the black jackets.
What's missing....now then before I start here I am not having a go PG, just using my own personal preference on what I personally would have liked to have seen included. I'm not having a go at PG or Pat or any of the design team, just doing what we all do when a range drops...oh I'd have liked a this or that, wish they'd done this colour, where's the .... etc, etc, etc. So no one at PG Towers take offence now...
Accessories - would have been nice to see some BL stuff, neck and wrist jewellery would have been special, maybe some socks using the floral pattern, more scarf styles, floral pattern belt, some hats maybe...the world is your oyster with accessories, we need more and we need Black Label ones I say.
Footwear - an often beat drum is the lack of leather footwear, and a Chelsea boot would have been the bollocks in this range, a great fit. Now I know I've said that before and I still stand by it. How about a nappa soft leather Desert Boot? A leather Flat-Seam? Or even something new exclusive to Black Label and this collection?
Jeans - more options on Black Label please, it's a very rock n roll theme this time round and rock n rollers wear denim, it's a no-brainer.
Hey, how about some BL shorts for the Summer?
Polos - would liked to have seen something here, can't help think a knitted style could have used the floral logo in a very smart look. Just looking for something different...to see PG stretch the imagination.
Rib-neck - it's been teased on Green Label, but it would be good to see rib-necks used on the t-shirt ranges. There's a reason the rib is king, it allows the neck to be cut to the correct shape and makes the tee easy to get on/off.
Something wow - now then, that's a contentious one isn't it. Easy now PG....I'm not having a pop.....just an observation, bear with me. Among what is a good range I'm not sure I spy a piece that has cried out to everyone as the 'must own' piece. Here's an example, think back to AW13 and everyone was slavering for the Tunic Shirt, remember? In a sea of great pieces in the collection where is that one piece adored by all? You know the one, sells out in a day or two. I can't think we've all universally clamoured for one piece, we've all got a favourite, but they are all different. Maybe we're all just into completely different things these days, who knows.
Right, I'm done. PG Black Label SS16 is here and it's very different to any previous collections. PG have done well to craft a range out of a pattern made famous by Jimi Hendrix, who was indeed a Modern Musician. It's a funny old range, I won't claim it's the best BL range ever yet it's a range I've spent more on than the last few BL ranges which I guess tells a lot. Even now I'm looking at pieces and thinking 'oh yeah, come payday..'. I think that says more than giving the range a score out of 10, next in sight is the Bib Shirt and come Sale time I reckon I'll be back again...
It's a range with the most split opinion from Black Label that I can remember, so it'll be interesting to see how it's looked back on in a few years, hopefully favourably.
As a setup it definitely whets the appetite for the upcoming AW16 Hendrix collaboration.
I think it'd be pretty interesting to sit down with Pat Salter and the design team to talk through the collection, to see how they mined the influences to build this range, however you'll just have to make do with all my guessing and rambling above I'm afraid. I wonder how difficult it was to work on this with one eye on the AW16 collab, interesting times in the PG design studios.
Peace&Love, theSub