Matthew Miller at London Collections: Men

Matthew Miller owes a debt to the great Minimalist of the late twentieth century, Helmut Lang. He also owes something to Herr Helmut's modern counterpart, Raf Simons. But although echoes of their greatest hits hung heavy over young Miller's spring/summer 2014 show, it felt like he was the next link in the chain rather than a copy-cat. The palette was restricted to white, black, eau de nil and grey, embellishment generally focused on laser-cutting, appliqué and paint. Nothing complicated or overwrought. 

In the same vein as the ever-pragmatic Simons and Lang, everything in Miller's show could easily have marched out the door and onto the cold hard London pavements (albeit with a few shirts added). It was also superbly executed, a demand of true Minimalism often ignored by proponents, especially of Miller's relative youth. 

If one wanted to sound a critical note, it's that it didn't take us or Miller far from his well-trodden track. The womenswear looks peppering the show felt extraneous, especially in the midst of only the third London Collections: Mens. There's been three decades of feminine flimflam on the London schedule. Let's keep the focus on the fellows.