Gents Fashion: May 2013

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

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Superdry Fragrances

British brand Superdry has released two new collections of men’s fragrances. The Blue and Orange collection will sit alongside Steel and Black to offer a comprehensive range of fresh and contemporary day and night colognes.

Blue & Orange

Superdry Blue is an invigorating mixture with a fragrant smell that evokes ocean freshness – blending notes of bergamot, pear, clary sage and moss. It comes encased in an embossed blue bottle with silver steel lid:

The Orange fragrance is an altogether spicier concoction with black pepper, frankincense, sandalwood and patchouli infused with the zesty sweetness of blood orange – resulting in a unique and exotic scent.

The orange bottle complete with contrasting black lid would make an eye-catching addition to any bathroom:

new design in Men`s Shirt

New design in Men`s Shirt

Men’s SS13 Key Colour: Pink

It’s time to strike while the brightly-tinted iron is hot and introduce another colour that is set to shape the coming season. As the title suggests, this colour is pink.

Cerise, fuchsia, salmon or rose, the hue has an obvious and significant cultural association with femininity. Therefore the colour is often shunned (or not taken into consideration at all) when piecing together the male wardrobe. Ironically, pink was once a popular colour for baby boys in the early 20th century.

This season, pink has been used widely in collections across the fashion spectrum – from statement blazers and suits available at the likes of Topman, Cos and Dondup, to bold metallics and more subtle prints at premium fashion houses such as Burberry.

So although the pink dress shirt is often considered part of a classic capsule wardrobe, this year it’s time to expand and grow – with confidence and gusto.

Men’s Pink Spring/Summer Lookbook Inspiration

Conclusion

They say that real men wear pink. Whoever ‘they’ are, we agree they have a point and that it’s time to reclaim the colour from the fairer sex. Integrate it into all areas of your wardrobe this season, from office wear – a pink shirt is always a great option to have in your rotation – to off-duty casuals in the form of knits, shorts and shoes.

Whether you choose to make a statement or utilise pink as an accent, it is fast becoming a contender for colour of the season.

But now we want to hear your view:

Are you a man with a penchant for pink?
Do you regularly work a pink shirt into your office wear rotation?
Do you like to get bold with the colour in your casual clothes?
How will you be styling pink when the heat picks up?

Let us know in the comments section…

Men’s SS13 Fashion Trend: Safari

Introduction

Although the runways, lookbooks and shop frontages have been pushing vivid patterns and bold colours for SS13, it is obvious that wild prints and colourful hues are not for everyone. So what is the sartorially-conscious man who prefers his tones more subtle and his styling more neutral to do this season?

Thankfully, there’s an upcoming trend that caters for these more discrete, less in-your-face needs – and it comes in the form of the safari influence.

The idea of ‘Urban Safari’ has been adopted by high fashion designers and high street retailers alike, with many pushing earthy tones of olive green, khaki and ochre, along with natural fabrics such as cottons, silks and raffia. Due to its versatile and unfussy nature, the safari trend is instantly wearable and workable into most wardrobes without a complete overhaul, which should only strengthen its appeal moving forward.

Building on the popularity of the safari jacket in 2012, it seems as though 2013 is the time for the safari influence to move from the wilderness to the mainstream…

On The Runways

Designer collections such as Kenzo, Kris Van Assche and Comme Des Garcons all adopted safari influences in their shows – from the colours used to ethnic/tribal prints to utilitarian features such as multi-pockets and hardy fabrics.

One of the biggest supporters of the safari trend was Balmain. Olivier Rousteing, founder of Balmain, said that his vision was to create an “alternative to city dressing and move towards safari-wear.” The collection itself placed a lot of emphasis on the safari jacket, with this key piece featuring in a variety of differing cuts and shapes, complete with the traditional square pockets and epaulettes.

Oversized shorts and utilitarian trousers with multi-pocket detailing were also featured in subtle tones of stone, whilst belted safari shirts and shirt-jackets appeared in muted beige and khaki shades:

The collection from Diesel Black Gold nodded to the safari influence, with tones of rich ochre and shades of khaki prominent throughout.

My favourite look from this showcase featured khaki shirts paired with distressed leather boots, along with a matching khaki jacket layered over a lighter shade khaki Henley and a striking yellow cardigan.

In my opinion, this look was something you might actually wear on safari – but it was styled in a totally wearable way that ensured it didn’t have a ‘costume’ feel to it.

The collection from Diesel also featured ethnic, tribal-feel prints applied to knitwear and khaki, safari-inspired carry-bags:

Look Book

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

The Best Street Style of This Week

Today we will go out in search of the best street-style menswear of the week .Well, being sensible, our return will be a little more virtual among the many blogs that show this style street.

It seems that the cold has not been an impediment to our bloggers continue with the trends of the spring-summer 2013. So in this review we will look at in addition to a lot of fashion, styles, colors and some other pattern as a tribute to this season ...Which do you prefer?

SHOE PORN: CASTAÑER STRIPED ESPADRILLES

Spring/Summer Essential Fabrics – Part 2: Seersucker

Introduction

I have a confession to make. Don’t worry, it’s nowhere near as bad as admitting I’m a menswear junkie but it’s still something that I need to get off my chest. This edition of spring/summer essential fabrics isn’t going to be on madras, as promised, but on seersucker…

I know, I’m sorry. I can imagine how gutted you all are but there’s a simple explanation for this: I’m all about seersucker at the moment. Don’t get me wrong, I love madras too – it was my go-to last summer – but with the new breed of seersucker that is being released I’ve begun turning to this fabric more and more as the warm weather makes its slow approach.

Remember: if you are to stand a chance of beating the sweat this summer, then you need to start thinking about seasonal dressing. Once the sun puts his hat on, it means thinking not only smarter but lighter too. Do away with those thick, heavy weaves such as tweed, corduroy and wool and start looking into pieces that feature open weaves and are lightweight in nature.

In part one we discussed the benefits of linen, so let’s move on to its far more interesting cousin.

Seersucker Fabric

We might as well start with what seersucker is:

“The material was popular during the British Colonial period in warmer countries such as India. Its slack-tension weave makes some threads collect together, creating the wrinkled, puckered appearance that is a signature characteristic of seersucker. It’s made entirely from cotton and, due to the puckering, hangs away from the skin – allowing that all important breeze and heat circulation to take place during the summer months.

Source: Wikipedia

It traditionally comes in stripes or checks but the new breed of seersucker that was showcased on the runways for SS13 (and is now slowly surfacing in stores) is available in solids too. This is ideal for anyone looking to make their first seersucker purchase, as the traditional blue and white stripe is a bold statement for even the most fashion-conscious of men.

So, without any more geeky fabric talk, here are the key seersucker items you should be looking to integrate into your summer wardrobe this year…

Seersucker Lookbook

Before we start, here is a selection of outfits that incorporate seersucker – whether in the form of tailoring, shorts or trousers:

Men’s Fashion Debate: Who’s To Say You Look Good?

Introduction

Let’s face it, we don’t care so much about our image, clothes, hair and grooming regime because it’s a necessary requirement for life. Everything about it is an extraneous, unnecessary and expensive extravagance that we allow ourselves to indulge in almost constantly (think of all the money you could save). No, we do it because we want to look good, we want people to notice us and we want to make a good impression.

Truth be told, it all comes down to vanity.

We’re All Mean Girls At Heart

All of us have a self-centred streak. For most people, the game of life is about getting one up on the next guy – leaving your house hoping you’ll be the best dressed person you see all day, keeping a watchful eye out for the look that tells you you’ve got it right (or, more devastatingly, wrong), feeling sure that the extra effort you put in will get you that job, that girl, that everything.

Not only this, we spend a good portion of our day judging other people. It really is no wonder the country is down the toilet, we’re all too busy getting angry at people whose trousers are half an inch too long, who haven’t polished their shoes, or insist on wearing jeans from the 1980s. We constantly compare ourselves to others; we see them as barometers of our own success and we hope to God that they are thinking the same as us: that we’ve done much better than they have.

We all sound like catastrophic arseholes.

But actually, when you think about it, nearly everything in the above is socially acceptable (well, apart from sometimes being over judgemental). Whilst broken down into its constituent parts our obsession with clothes and image can seem vulgar, arrogant, ignorant and a little bit disgusting, when you put it all together and then consider how society has developed, what is now expected and what is now almost a requirement of normal life, it all starts to make more sense.

The world is a superficial place – the existence of massive inequality is testament to that – but without getting into a huge social and anthropological debate, how you look matters. It matters a great deal. And being a bit vain or being obsessive about your image is something that almost everybody does, because no one wants to be labelled as ‘the ugly one’. The whole concept of getting dressed to leave the house is based on vanity and social consciousness.

We are all guilty of being self-centred image fiends, but it has simply become part of our wider social schema (as much as it might be shameful to admit) and an accepted part of modern life. I think it would be fair to say that nearly every person you know, with only a very few exceptions, will be, at some level, concerned with their image.

But who’s to say you, more than anyone else, look good?

Who’s To Say You Look Good?

As fashion is such a subjective social topic, it is only inevitable that we will each have our individual ideas of what looks good. We develop a clear idea of style and dressing that suits our particular tastes and we don’t really gravitate from that. It could be said that FashionBeans has a certain house style, and while this is all well and good, just who has told you that it looks good? Who has told you that what you’re wearing is better than what someone else is wearing?

You can of course rely on the fact that you, personally, think that your look is the best there is. If you are confident with it, then bugger everybody else – they don’t really matter. But you can’t guarantee that plain old self-confidence will translate into blanket approval; not everyone likes the same things after all. Being happy in your own style can only take you so far, being able to say you look good often requires more assurance than what you on your own can provide.

Needing Or Wanting Approval

So if it isn’t enough for you to simply be confident that you look good, might it be the approval of your friends or the people you pass in the street? Everyone likes to be complimented (even if it makes you uncomfortable) and it gives us all a little boost when someone takes the time to praise part of your outfit. Peer approval is a very powerful thing, just look at the results of peer pressure.

Does your friends asking you for fashion advice suggest that you look good? Does the fact that you catch them taking a good hard look at what you’re wearing confirm your own suspicions? Does the attention of a particular someone dictate that you’ve succeeded in your goal? Friends are an important part of our lives and their opinion matters a great deal – we are often fiercely loyal to our friends, taking their word over the word of others – so does this decide whether we look good?

The Fashion Industry Influence

Or, and it is a pretty substantial OR, does the fashion industry dictate who does or who doesn’t look good? Whilst we might cultivate our own particular style, it is the fashion industry that dictates what we wear each season, and what we can buy in their stores.

Twice a year, models are thrown down the catwalk showcasing ‘the next big thing’ and we all follow quite happily. Trends come and go, classic styles turn in circles and we continue to follow the way others dress for a large portion of our own inspiration. We rely on the shops to provide the tools for our success and it is they who dictate what works and what doesn’t.

This is a hugely complex issue, but it is one worth thinking about carefully. Understanding why, or from whom, your style receives approval allows us to see what we’re doing right AND what we’re doing wrong, it offers us a sense of modesty and stops us becoming judgemental *******. You don’t have to please all of the people all of the time, but you can at least please some of them, some of the time.

Conclusions

In truth, the question of who’s to say you look good is a mixture of all of the above. The fashion industry, by and large, dictates what kind of items dominate the high street, they create the trends and reinforce the classic styles, they choose the colours, the cut/fit and everything in between, and we are left as the consumers.

But within this, we still have choice: we can choose to wear one thing over another, we can choose how WE want to look and it is up to us to be confident in our choices.Confidence in your clothes makes all the difference to the way you walk, the way you talk and they way you carry yourself – it is a crucial element of any man’s wardrobe. The approval of your friends is almost as useful, they give us honest feedback and they give us praise that we truly believe in and that truly matters to us.

Who’s to say you look good is a complicated question and I want to hear your views, so let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Will.

Topo Designs Mountain Briefcase

I’ve spoken before about the importance of luggage in any man’s wardrobe – even going as far as considering the notion of having a different bag for each outfit and occasion. Now, Topo Designs have released a product that simultaneously solidifies and rejects these ideas.

The Mountain Briefcase is a show of how perfectly fashion and function can be married, displayed as a single piece of baggage. Engineered with a three-way carry system, the Mountain Briefcase can be carried as the traditional two-handled briefcase, as its name and classic silhouette suggests, but just as easily switches to a messenger bag via the addition of a removable shoulder strap or a backpack with the utilisation of separate straps (which stow away when not in use).

Providing ample storage space in the main compartment, the Mountain Briefcase also features a Velcro-fastened laptop holder, a zip-up storage pocket to the interior and on the front of the bag and an open-topped notebook pocket.

Two diamond leather lash tabs on the front and two cinch straps on the base round out the bag’s commitment to functional detailing – providing additional stability and carry methods.

Due to the bag’s simple, minimal styling and multiple methods of usage, the Topo Designs Mountain Briefcase is ideal for almost all conceivable occasions. If you still struggle to be swayed towards the concept of starting a bag collection, this versatile and utilitarian product could be the ultimate solution.

The Mountain Briefcase is available now from the Topo Designs website and comes in olive, black and a playful khaki duck camo print.