Get it in Print

This week's Spring 2013 trend is fun, but can be a little intimidating--especially when you see how its worn on the runway. Prints are everywhere. BOLD prints. Printed pants, shirts, jackets, shoes, you name it! From florals to plaid and camouflage, any print you can find is hot, and if you can cleverly combine them that's even better.  I'm going to show you some over the top examples to get your creative juices flowing, and then we'll dial it back to a wearable everyday look.

Marc Jacobs kicks us off with two looks in head to toe print:

 

See what I mean by over the top?  Here are a couple more for you....

Dries Van Noten

Ports 1961

Ok, right now you're thinking..."No way." But let's go back. First of all, both Marc Jacobs and Dries Van Noten offer an important lesson in pattern mixing. They both demonstrate that by maintaining a common color you can successfully mix some pretty bold combinations. For most of us, this may translate to a striped shirt with a floral tie--not a head to toe look. Take one piece by itself out of the Dries Van Noten look and you have a great statement that you can tone down with solids.  Canali and Calvin Klein demonstrate my point:

Canali

Calvin Klein

Both of these examples show how limiting to one printed piece and pairing it with solid neutrals can take this look to the street. Now let's look at some great options for adding some print to your wardrobe this season.

This shoe is an inexpensive and subtle way to add prints to your wardrobe. Stay safe with a classic jeans and tee combo, or find a printed shirt with complimentary colors.

Keds Men's Champion CVO Printed Canvas Fashion Sneaker

If the above looks seem like too much for you, try a smaller/tighter print that sticks to neutral tones, such as this button down from Perry Ellis (and the sale price is killer!).

Perry Ellis Men's Longsleeve Slim Fit Floral Print Woven

Or why not bring this trend to your outerwear?

Mens Marshall Artist Hiking Blazer

So there are some great ideas for how to wear your prints this season. Do you have a favorite printed piece? What is it and how do you wear it? Will you embrace this trend? Comment below!

Earn Your Stripes

In my last post I reviewed the hot trends for spring that have carried over from past seasons. Today's post kicks off the new looks for Spring Summer 2013, starting with STRIPES. I'm particularly excited about this trend hitting the Men's fashion circuit because its right in step with the women's. Ten years ago, women's fashion would set the trends, and the Men's lines would follow suit about 3 seasons later. But times have changed and we've caught up! Stripes are everywhere this season and its an easy look to pull off.

I told you I wasn't done with Jonathan Saunders. Here we see both a suit and sport coat version of two hot trends combined. As you know from last week, double breasted jackets are a must have item. Combine them with stripes and you're as current as current gets!

 

Up next is Jean Paul Gaultier. Ok, he's known for being a little over the top, so look past the turban. I'm not suggesting you wear this entire outfit as shown either. But look at how you can take stripes of two different widths and mix them.  A wide stripe paired with a thin one works--they don't compete and it won't look too busy. How might you tone this down for a real life look? Try a classic pin stripe trouser with a shirt or sweater with a much wider stripe. Mixing horizontal and vertical is another great way to pair two striped pieces.

 I close with a "rule breaker!" The oh-so-scary horizontal stripe. This particular example is from a designer I'm excited to have recently discovered. I'm finding Umit Benan to be right on trend and a little off the beaten path.While the pattern mixing is fun, I'd personally probably pair this sweater with a trimmer pant since its not fitted on top.

Don't shy away from horizontal stripes due to the fear it may make you look....well....larger than you want to. For those of you lucky enough to have a fantastically fit physique, go for it! But the majority of us may be a little shy about enhancing the waistline--male or female. I have two tricks for this. Take a striped tee or sweater and layer it under your favorite solid sport coat. It will show enough of the stripe to add interest and give you the trend, but the sides of the jacket will break off the stripe. The second option is to find a top with a strategically placed stripe to broaden the chest instead of the waistline. Try this one from Victorinox:

Victorinox Men's Kapple Stripe Crew-Neck Sweater

Comment below and tell us how you'll be wearing your stripes this season!

Spring into Style

Spring is here and with it comes my list of hot trends, some old and some new. I always love when a trend can span several seasons so you get mileage from your investment. I'll be posting all your must-haves over the next several weeks. But today, we start with the repeats! These are the trends that have held on for a couple seasons and are still going strong. So hopefully you've already snagged a piece and have it ready to go, but if not, its time to hop on the bandwagon. I'll link back to my posts that introduced these trends when they came onto the scene, and then share some fresh takes from the Spring/Summer 2013 Runway.

Let's start with the Baseball Jacket. As you can see from my previous post, I haven't always been a fan of this trend. And to be perfectly honest, I have pretty much held true to that. But I'm pleasantly surprised by the SS13 offerings. The Baseball Jacket styling remains but takes on a lightweight, trimmer cut that I find much more flattering. Designers are also getting a little more inventive and mixing interesting fabrics with this traditionally sporty cut. I'm LOVING the versions from the Christoper Raeburn collection. So much that I'm going to show you three of them!

This Jonathan Saunders version is extra on trend. Stripes are huge this season (yes, yes, blog post coming...) and he mixes the two trends with this fun and stylish jacket.

Next up is Neon! I've loved this trend since it came back a couple years ago. I personally don't go for a whole outfit of neon (although its out there). I like the splashes, an unexpected belt, shoe detailing, etc. Take a look at my previous post for some fun ideas on how to translate this trend to your every day look. Here are two examples I found on this season's runway that I found easily wearable for anyone. Jonathan Saunders (Yes, again. His collection is amazing this season) created this beautiful spring sweater that somehow incorporates neon throughout while remaining subtle and classy.

Looking for even less impact? The appropriately named line, Kolor shows how to add just a splash.

My final recurring trend is the Double Breasted jacket/suit. Affectionately nicknamed the "DB" in the biz, if you want to sound cool. :) My previous post referred specifically to pairing your DB with jeans, which is still great. But this trend is holding strong on all fronts--the suit, formal wear and casually. If you are going casual and pairing this trend with your jeans or chinos, be sure to stay current by keeping the jacket short as shown in this example from Junya Watanabe.

And I had to share this beautiful suit from Hardy Amies. Summer is coming!

So there's the kick off! If you haven't already, pull these pieces out of the closet and start transitioning to your hot spring looks. Stay tuned to see all of the new trends to expect this season. It's nice to be back!