Posts Tagged ‘Trend Report’
Trend Report: Spring/Summer 2013
- Published on Friday, 10 May 2013 13:32
- Austin Dale
- 0 Comments
Adventurous bomber jackets. Bigger sleeves and longer shorts. Faded pastels and gleaming metallics. This spring’s trends are all over the map! It’s time to start planning a warm weather wardrobe that should be anything but boring!
Blue By Any Other Name
Blue. It’s a color so placid and ubiquitous that some ancient languages could never come up with a word for it, though today it appears in so many of the spring menswear collections, in all its varied hues, that it should be shouted from the rooftops. Blue! At Lacoste and Gucci: blue! At Giorgio Armani and Prada: navy! At Ermenegildo Zenga and Pringle of Scotland: turquoise! In any shade, by any name, blue is always current and timeless.
Bombs Away
Bomber jackets were huge again this season, and we have every indication that they’re becoming the next men’s wardrobe perennial. Season after season, designers are breaking the rules of bomber jackets with eye-catching prints or, at Duckie Brown, tartan plaid. And they’re not just for weekends anymore. This season, Paul Smith, Burberry Prorsum, and Costume National all showed bomber jackets paired with shirts and ties. In 2013, business-casual comes out to the streets, and vice versa.
It’s In Your Hands
It has taken decades, but we’re finally starting to see men’s accessories break away from the butch. Gentlemen, it’s time to reconsider your backpack, because if this season’s looks were any indication, you’re going be asking your girlfriend to help you find the perfect clutch. Economical and practical, a clutch is bigger than your wallet, smaller than your briefcase, and the right one will pair with everything. It’s a tough sell, but if you’ve learned to accept the man-purse, you can learn to love the man-clutch.
The New Neutrality
Who ever said beige is boring? This season, the sand-colored head-to-toe looks from collections as diverse as Calvin Klein Collection, Balmain Homme, and Kenzo prove that a neutral earth tone doesn’t have to remind you of your school uniform or your dad’s khakis. Check out this look from Costume National: Pair a weird cut or unique layering with the classic hue, and in 2013, beige will be bigger and better than your Burberry trench.
What’s Up, Doc?
If you associate high-waisted trousers with the skin-tight 80s (or your mom’s jeans), you’re in for a pleasant surprise. Carrot pants are a cross between loose harem pants and tight Springsteen jeans: high and wide but tapered at the bottom. It’s a loose, functional, and comfortable look that is popping up at Salvatore Ferragamo, Dolce & Gabbana, and Diesel Black Gold, among others. Tuck in your shirt, invest in a good belt, and play with proportion for a taller, slimmer silhouette.
Super Size Me
There’s no better way to shake up your look than by playing with your silhouette, and we’re seeing something very new in that department: Oversized short sleeves. If you’re the kind of guy who wants to wear your heart on your sleeve, you’re in luck, because now there’s enough room for it to fit. Hitting at the elbow or just above, with plenty of volume, these plus sized sleeves showed up at Jil Sander, Dolce & Gabbana, and of course Duckie Brown. Stock up on these shirts; a bigger sleeve is a great way to shake up your spring look without going overboard.
Beyond The Pale
“Miami Vice” is a perennial inspiration for men’s spring collections, and pastel suits immediately recall both the beach and Don Johnson’s masculine bravado. This year’s collections brought out pastel looks that ranged from punk to preppy: Tommy Hilfiger showed a pink boarding school look, with stripes and a school crest, and Givenchy used the same hue on a double-breasted suit. Chances are you’ll see a lot of pastels this summer whether you go to Miami or not.
Sheer Luck
Sheer is never new, even in men’s fashion, but designers are being newly creative about where and when they use mesh, especially when it comes to layering. Dior Homme sent out trenches with translucent panels; Dries Van Noten, Hermès, and Elie Tahari showed loose knit, mesh-like sweaters perfect for warmer weather; and Ferragamo and Paul Smith dressed up their sheer offerings with the ghost of a tie visible underneath.
Shortie Like Mine
Last summer, shorts saw a lot of experimentation, specifically as the bottom half of suits. While it still might not be completely kosher for the boardroom, the spring/summer runways featured a lot of shorts, cut right above the knee, as part of both casual and professional looks. Designers are taking a big risk by bringing shorts out of boyhood and into the real world, and if you’ve got the gams and the guts, a good pair with the right cut will make your summer a whole lot cooler.
Metalocalypse
When was the last time you got in touch with your glam rock side? We’re not talking about orange hair, mascara, or power ballads. We’re talking about metallics. You may not want to go as bold as the shiny pink trench at Burberry Prorsum, but the metallic ensembles at Mugler and Roberto Cavalli prove that a space-age shine and a traditional silhouette look Hunky Dory on All The Young Dudes. (Sorry, we couldn’t resist!)
Foot Loose
Sandals have left the beach and taken over the city, and if you don’t mind tanlines on your feet, you should probably get a pair. More and more, we’re seeing designers get really creative with sandals. For example, Prada showed a sneaker-sandal hybrid, worn with socks, that wrap the top of the foot in white and green, and Givenchy topped their sandals with rock-and-roll studs and chains.
TREND REPORT: SPRING/SUMMER 2012
- Published on Thursday, 03 May 2012 17:30
- Essential Homme
- 0 Comments
Prepping for your warm-weather wardrobe shouldn’t just be about trading in heavy fabrics for lighter ones. This spring, experiment with every variety of plaid; take risks with sunny yellows; and explore your sporty side with refined athletic wear.
THIGH SCRAPERS
While shorts may not be an unexpected spring wardrobe staple, prepare to see—and bare—a lot of leg this season, as hemlines creep ever higher. Tommy Hilfiger paired his preppy shirting and jackets with short shorts in denim, as well as camouflage and color blocked pieces. Prints from edgy New York label Duckie Brown also showed up in mini shorts, while the hemline of Jil Sander’s perfectly tailored high-waisted, pleated trouser shorts hit several inches above the knee. Whether patterned or draped, these summer ready shorts look right at home in the Northeast, but work wherever the sun is shining.
CHECKING IN
A perennial hipster favorite, plaid is going to have a major presence in this spring’s menswear. Expect to see everything from traditional tartan to cartoonish checkerboard patterns. Iceberg kept it subtle with subdued shadow plaid separates, while Comme des Garçons and Alexander McQueen showed eye-popping checked ensembles. Plaid means an opportunity to dabble in color, and we saw that big time in a bright orange overcoat at Raf Simons and Jean Paul Gaultier’s pink and green tartan. Etro’s plaid suit conveyed a sense of Edwardian elegance, while the likes of Louis Vuitton and Kenzo went for a more modern look with broader squares and simpler patterns. You’ve definitely got options this spring!
BOLD & BEAUTIFUL
Prints and patterns are making even bigger statements this season, with designers showcasing their most flamboyant offerings yet. Burberry Prorsum’s spring collection is emblazoned with 60s-inspired batik and tribal patterns, while Dries Van Noten’s stripes ranged from sunny to somber. Florals may not seem like the most obvious choice for menswear, but Prada made them work in playful, springtime colors. Pringle of Scotland took on digitalized geometric patterns, while Jean Paul Gaultier’s psychedelic SoCal landscape prints are just as subtle as you expect from the in-your-face designer.
SUNNY DISPOSITION
Bright, cheery colors are, of course, nothing new for spring. Take your pick out of a crayon box, and you’re sure to be on-trend. But designers all over made a singular case for every variation of yellow this season. Roberto Cavalli gave us Italian Riviera luxury with an immaculately tailored mustard suit, while Michael Bastian’s lemon yellow pants for Gant spoke to our adventurous inner WASP. Calvin Klein Collection was packed with characteristically minimalist tanks and sneakers in various citrusy shades. And newcomer Marlon Gobel’s luminous sheer shirt and equally brilliant yellow board shorts provide the summer sunshine all on their own.
GO BEIGE
To offset spring’s bright colors and prints, designers looked to the muted tones of khaki for styles that are at once seasonally casual and chicly crisp. There’s an air of military formality to Yves Saint Laurent’s minimal suits and coats, while Louis Vuitton’s safari jackets and shorts seem to be channeling our inner adventurer. Maison Martin Margiela and Hermès delivered decidedly more laid back takes on luxury in the form of khaki colored separates: a structured jacket with asymmetrical zipper at Margiela, and sandy turtlenecks, cardigans, and tanks at Hermès.
SPORTS AUTHORITY
Runways took a decidedly sportier turn for spring 2012, where Calvin Klein Collection spearheaded über-casual yet austerely luxe athletic style with baggy elastic hemmed sweat pants, mesh t-shirts, lightweight tank tops, and zip-up sweaters. Antonio Azzuolo’s punctuated his dapper spring collection with bright anoraks and sleeveless hoodies, and Dolce & Gabbana included mesh accents on shorts and jackets. Meanwhile, Marc by Marc Jacobs is bringing the ultimate sportswear accessory, the baseball cap, back into the realm of casual fashion to top off your look.
WIDE LOAD
Designers championed looser silhouettes this season, ensuring a comfortably casual spring. This theme was especially obvious with trousers—leading us to wonder if skinny jeans’ days might be numbered. Pants were treated with breezy drapery, volume-creating pleats, and eye-catching drop crotches. At Henrik Vibskov, pants were at once perfectly tailored and comfortably roomy. Alexander McQueen featured super wide-leg striped pants fit for a circus ringmaster. And slouchy legged suits were ubiquitous on the runways of Duckie Brown and Vivienne Westwood.
TRUE BLUE
We have a springtime solution for all you guy married to your basic black. One word: Blue. Like khaki, this basic hue shows up in various shades and silhouettes for spring. From sharp navy suiting to over-the-top electric leather sandals, designers from Viktor & Rolf to Dsquared2 are feeling blue in the best way possible. Versace’s always eye-catching runway show was a study in bright blues that showed up in head-to-toe prints and suede bomber jackets. Ports 1961 opted for pairings of navy and white for that timeless nautical appeal, while a dusky cerulean suit made a subtle statement at Zero + Maria Cornejo.
LIGHTEN UP
When spring comes, trade in your dark palette for flashes of sherbet hues. This season, everything from wardrobe staples to attention-grabbing standouts will be painted in lightened shades of primary colors. Mugler’s warrior-like dreamscape featured soft purple suiting, sculptural jackets in lime, and even straightforward tees in an unexpected creamsicle orange. Carlos Campos followed suit with strong showings of sun-bleached yellows and roses, while faded teal pants proved to be the perfect juxtaposition to printed jackets at Richard Chai. Don’t worry; your basic blacks and winter whites will be back come fall. But for now, don’t be afraid of a little springtime color!
