Dries Van Noten: 'modern camo'. Photograph: Victor Virgile/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
'Modern camo'
First clue: this is not awful combat
trousers with pointless pockets. The fastest route to understanding camo
circa 2013 is to do what any sensible person who likes clothes does.
Refer to the oracle Dries Van Noten, whose
beautifully put-together spring collection
shows remixed camo patterns with tailoring, crisp white, slouchy knits,
navy and even the occasional blast of gold. Backstage after his spring
show, the Belgian designer explained that he'd imagined his new camo
like a leopardprint. Note: Topman is selling a leopard-camo hybrid
T-shirt this season. Alternative plan: buy a khaki jumper from Jigsaw.
Animal print
Bobby Gillespie: a big fan of animal prints. Photograph: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Guinness
Study Bobby Gillespie in the latest issue of Another Man wearing
Saint Laurent leopard
to see how to do it. Gillespie has animal-print form: he has previously
been seen on the frow in a snake shirt. From London labels, such as YMC
and Sibling, to the international catwalks of Emporio Armani or Comme,
the animal look has also hit the high street. There is knitwear at All
Saints while Zara is selling animal T-shirts and sunglasses. BTW the
latter are so very next-autumn Burberry.
Double denim
Calvin Klein goes for triple denim. Photograph: Victor Virgile/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
Any excuse to discuss Michael J Fox's wardrobe in Back to the Future
again. First things first, the denim jacket is definitely back. It is
being flagged by all the men's magazines as a hero piece for the season.
Actor Charlie Hunnam, star of Sons of Anarchy and the cover star of GQ Style,
wears double Levis for a shoot in the magazine. The high street is
strongly backing denim: River Island has developed various styles for
the new season, while Asos is expanding its washes this season for a new
denim range. On the catwalk, Calvin Klein and Acne pushed things
further still with triple denim. Blimey.
Trainers
Snazzy trainers have been bubbling in
fashion
circles for a while now with Nike Air Max and New Balance leading the
charge. This season, Raf Simons' multi-hued catwalk trainers, matched
with baggy suit trousers, are set to be a major hit, while next autumn,
Lanvin's are set to have similar buzz. For further proof of their
currency:
Alber Elbaz, creative director of Lanvin, was recently spotted wearing Nikes with a pinstripe suit.
Not everyone is on board. Street-style snapper Tommy Ton says: "I don't
like garish sneakers. When your shoes outshine your entire outfit,
that's the worst."
Yellow or a red?
Tinie Tempah in a bright red Paul Smith suit. Photograph: Richard Young/Rex Features
Bold colour. Pastels. Bright combos. Statement suits.
Men's fashion
is no longer about being a wallflower. If one trend unites the high
street, from Marks & Spencer (pink trousers) to River Island (orange
shorts), it's the trend for bright clothing. But if two colours had the
edge over the rest of the rainbow during the shows, they were red and
yellow. Tinie Tempah has already been spotted rocking Paul Smith's
ketchup suiting while the new issue of GQ Style sees a rather dapper
silver fox model looking splendid in Gucci's yellow double-breasted
catwalk suit. Easy ways to get the look: Gap's yellow jeans, Banana
Republic's red bomber or Asos's red blazer.
Bomber jackets
Valentino's take on a bomber jacket. Photograph: Mitchell Sams/Retna/Photoshot
This is by far the dominating force in jacket fashions right now whether you're after a Topman varsity bargain,
a dash of animal-print-sleeved Kenzo or a blow-the-budget slice of
super-sleek baseball-style a la Valentino.
In fact, because this look has been building momentum, stores such as
Cos and Reiss have refined theirs so they look sleek and minimal rather
than punchy and sporty, which makes them more versatile. The bomber's
success is also because it's a brillantly workable layer. Latest styling
twist: wear layered under tailored coats or blazers zipped through to
the neck for a modern sports-tailoring mash.
Portfolio cases
The
ascent of the document case or portfolio clutch, from boardroom
meetings, to actual out-on-the-street fashion item, continues at pace.
It's on blogs, on the frow, on the catwalk and being carried under the
arms of people such as Adam Shulman. It's an accessory that forces you
to edit your life down to the bare bones, and unlike a shopper it
doesn't ruin the shoulder line of your jacket.
Holdall & Co, whose British-made folios come with satchel-style metal buckles, offers a slightly roomier take on this look – its 14in case fits magazines and a laptop.
Socks and sandals
Socks with sandals at Prada. Photograph: Tiziana Fabi/AFP/Getty Images
From Prada's 70s retro sports collection where lots of dudes wore
socks and sandals, to Agi & Sam's offering where all the dudes wore
patterned socks with white Birkenstocks, this divisive topic is back on
the agenda.
Bleach or quiff?
Ryan Gosling in The Place Beyond the Pines. Photograph: Focus Features/Sportsphoto Ltd/Allstar
See Ryan Gosling in The Place Beyond the Pines and Benedict
Cumberbatch playing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Is this the
season's cheapest makeover? Maybe. Though
Alex Turner's quiff on the cover of Another Man is looking like actual hair competition, and with his Glasto headlining slot and all, well ...
Metallic
Lanvin spring/summer 2013: heavy metal Photograph: Victor Virgile/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
Burberry went for it with Quality Street foils this season, showing
coats (prices from around £1,875), shirts (from £350) and trousers
(currently not available online) all finished with a reflective shimmer
on its catwalk, while Romeo Beckham became their poster boy for the
look. Lanvin's metallic was less dazzling – a series of silver looks,
including tailoring, came towards the end of its spring/summer catwalk.
As yet, give or take the odd shoe, the high street has been rather slow
to pick up on all things metal in menswear, which means it's either a
fashion slow-burner or the season's fashion red herring. The jury is
out.