MensTrends: 2013

AW13 colour - Orange

07:32

You get asked the question 'What colours do you wear in Autumn and Winter?' You mentally scan you 'Winter' wardrobe and immediately think black, grey, navy etc. Dull colours. Autumn is your chance to mix some colours up and stand out from the crowd. Enter Orange.

Orange has been a big colour over the past few months featuring heavily on SS13 in shows such as Dries Van Noten and Gucci. It's now blending its way into AW13. With any outlandish colour you must be careful in how you incorporate it into your style. The most stylish person would struggle pulling off an orange Mac. This is the time you subtly blend the colour into your everyday outfits. When dressing for work why not try an orange tie or pocket square. Going for a winter walk you could throw on a dark orange heavy knit under a Belstaff wax jacket.

Here are a few examples to add to your wardrobe-

Jackets

Clockwise from top left- Folk clothing, Carhartt, River Island, Belstaff,
Marc Jacobs, Levis

Jumpers

Clockwise from top left-Reiss, Ted Baker, Hackett, Toast, Jack Wills

Other pieces

L-R Top-Marks and Spencers, Bird in Hand, Hackett
L-R Middle-Hugo Boss, CoutureLab,TomDickandHarry
Bottom- Ted Baker

Sam

Asos

Winter is Coming

08:56

Is it just me or has this year gone stupidly fast. I mean its 84 days till Christmas! With the year flying by its hard to keep up with trends as seasons are coming and going faster than Chelsea managers.

Winter can be a bit tricky as you need to add a bit of colour to your apparel without it being over the top. This is the time to stick to the a dark burgundy or a British racing Green to give you that colour boost from your blacks and greys.

Now summer has ended its time to pack away those short sleeve shirts, shorts and light weight loafers. Its time for a big change to the wardrobe. Being British born and bread I know that a coat is the most important garment I shall own this season. Coats can be a tricky ordeal depending on the occasion you are in. For work on rainy days you want a smart, sleek rain mac that can keep your Savile Row suits clean and dry. Once out on the town hopping from bar to bar you want a light weight bomber, leather or canvas, that doesn't make you too hot when sipping the muddled wine.

As AW13 hits us hard, what should you have in your wardrobe?

The lightweight trench coat is a must this season BUT you must get the colour right. We are just hitting Autumn, you don't need those blacks and greys weighing you down. Beige and Navy are a must, although I have seen a bit of racing green knocking about.

The kings of this piece is obviously Burberry and if you have the money defiantly buy one but if you are a student like oneself they are out of the question. High street giants like Topman, River Island, House of Fraser and M&S all have fantastic ranges of coats at low cost prices.

Topman £140

River Island £70

You have your coat but now what do you wear underneath it? Its time to go back to the 50's and 60's so dig out that old roll neck at the bottom of your wardrobe. Roll necks have been making a massive comeback in the past few years as they can been worn for all occasions be it under and suit, with a jacket and jeans but lately we have seen them sneaking through the tops of shirts.

If you don't have one of these Ralph Lauren's are fantastic. Again if you don't want to splash out Asos is the place to look at. With the colder months creeping upon us I would suggest a thicker knitted version. Other brands to look out for are Acne, Selected and Fred Perry.

Ralph Lauren £115

Asos-£20

As the rain begins to fall and the leaves overpopulate the pavements the correct footwear is in order. One word-Boots. Predominately hiking boots, these bad boys have been all over the runways this season with Topman designs really pushing these forward.

Personally I love them. Yes they are a little bit clumpy but worn in the right way they can really enhance your look. In terms of using them to increase your look I would go for a dark brown pair with maybe a little bit of red lining somewhere be it the laces or a bit of tweed detailing just to add some colour. Buy a pair of thick winter socks like a woven black and white pair , pull them just about the top of the boot and roll your jeans up so you can see the whole boot and a little bit of the sock. These go tremendously with the trench coat and roll up, finish off with a fisherman style rolled up knit black hat.

Topman £100

Merrell £160

Sam

Blue

Blue is the colour

04:43

This years colour for guys is defiantly blue. From catwalks to high street, the colour blue is being incorporated into all outfits. This can range from shirts or jackets to little accessories of blue socks or blue coloured soles of shoes.

Okay so blue isn't exactly a new colour to dominate male clothing but it had made a huge presence this year within the fashion world and designers have really explored with it.

Fashion houses like Burberry have really experimented with blue within their SS13 Prorsum collection.

Adding to their some what different metallic collection they made some statement pieces. Such as the blue trousers on the right or the mac in the middle. Although these are extreme pieces they have created some great pieces with the 'trim' of the metallic blue. For example this wool coat with a metallic blue caban collar that adds to the piece well.

This is certainly a statement maker accessory that would defiantly make you stand out from the crowd.

Now to the wearable

Okay so they where the extreme runway pieces we see each year, but lets see how designers and high street brands have been able to use this inspiration in their own pieces.

Ted Baker

Now Ted Baker have really taken blue in their stride in their SS13 collection. From suits to lining of shoes they have really taken blue well in their new collection.

Reiss

I am a big fan of Reiss especially their wool collections. They have pulled out some really good pieces this season, especially their jackets.

Current Pieces to have

When I wear blue I don't tend to go over the top with it as I have a lot of blue pieces mainly darker blue. I would tend to wear on main piece being blue either a pair of chinos, coat or a tshirt mixed with pastel. So for a basic summer look I would wear blue skinny fit chinos with a pastel yellow or chalk light weight tshirt and a pair of light coloured suede chinos.

Topman £120

H&M £39.99

Asos £85

Zara £18

Levis £20

Asos £28

Urban Outfitter £60

Topman £24

Asos £30

Zara £49.99

Trickers £335

Casio watch £22

Paul Smith belt £69.99

Carlo Riva £35

These are just a few idea that can be incorporated into smart outwear or just a casual stroll around town. I would say that you can match these blue with mainly whites, reds brown and some pastel colours. Don't be afraid step out your comfort zone because you may find yourself liking different looks.

Sam

Style

Wrapping up warm

11:49

With the weather in England unpredictable as these last few weeks have proven, some days snowing other days blue skies but still freezing, you have to make sure you are wrapped up warm but looking stylish!

I am a bit of a coat fiend to be honest, I must own at least 8 or 9 coats/jackets/blazers ranging from ones that could be used on the slopes to others that are worn when walking the dog. I honestly believe you cannot have too much of something when it comes to clothes, as there are times when one garment will not fit into the situation you are in.

I find coats and jackets are a great because you can look good without actually having to try because the coat is the main attraction to the outfit. Here are a few jackets/coats/blazers every man should have.

1. Wool coats

Also known as a pea coat these where made for sailors in Europe and later for the American navy. Characterised by their doubled breasted fronts they have rapidly come back into fashion this winter with the increase in double breast look we have seen in suits.

I bought one of these form House of Fraser the other day buy 'Label Lab' for a nice sale price of £72. It has a great finish to it with a dark olive green and military style design down the cuffs and on the shoulders. The only down fall of this coat was the button. It wasn't the design themselves it was the durability of them, they where popping off left, right and centre which was bit annoying.

These two coats here are both from Asos, and both under £85. The grey one on the left is Asos's own brand for £75. I like this coat because it's a good grey. It's like a dark grey that will go with a lot of jeans or trousers. If I had this coat I would team this with a bright knitted jumper underneath. Somewhere like Jack Wills are good with their knitted jumpers always nice and thick and around £70. If you aren't looking to spend that somewhere like Topman or Urban Outfitters normally do good knits. Then on the legs and dark pair of fitted, slim jeans and brown leather boots.

The one on the right is made by 'Select' and is currently on offer for £84 down from £120 (bargain). I like how Asos have styled their model. They have shown that these coats are not just for the working man. With the pastel coloured beanie and dark checked shirt with light skinny jeans and suede navy desert boots they have have captured the younger market, the late teens.

Also if looking to just keep warm and throw something on wear a big knitted turtle neck under the the coat and show the sleeves out of the jacket. I very good look.

When buying a coat like this I always stick to a dark colour because you know you can where it with nearly everything you have. Alternatively you could buy a bridge coat. These wool coats are the ones that fall to the calf area. Burberry showcased a fantastic one at the AW13 show that was a almost a light brown, very different colour. I find bridge coats do look good in a tan, dark brown and black colour and should be worn with a dark suit.

Here is a fine example by Mr United Kingdom himself James Bond (Daniel Craig) wearing Burberry.

Here are a few examples of pea/bridge coats.

2. The puffer jacket

About 2 years ago I got a black Ralph Lauren puffer jacket for christmas and well I have never really taken it off!

I love these jackets because you can throw them on for any occasion. I mainly use mine during the cold days because it keep you bloody warm! These are the coats than can be worn to take the dog on a walk, to the office, drink with friends or on the French alps.

These coats though must have the perfect finish to them. They have to be a dull finish not a glossy finish because they look dreadful. I saw a Dolce and Gabbana in Harvey Nichols that was a real gloss finish in black and it look hideous!

The obvious place to go for one of these is North Face, the kings of winter sports jackets. My brother bought one of these - warmest jackets on the planet.

The North face on the right is the 'Men's Argento Hoodie Jacket' at a modest £220 (you cant put a price on warmth). As you may have noticed I enjoy my dark colours with coats and especially in winter , I find it easier to wear darker clothes not sure why. Anyway back to the coat this coat is great for the outdoorsy kind of guy.

The one on the left is from our good friends Asos! Known as the 'Asos mens quilted jacket with PU Yoke' I really like this coat because of the heritage material. By that I mean almost like a tweed style and the trim is great with Yoke shoulders and contrast colour.

Although this could be worn to the office I think it is very much a weekend coat when who knows what you will get up to but with a one of these one shoulders you will be sure you will be warm doing.

Few examples

3. The leather jacket

Every man and I mean every man should have a nice fitted leather jacket, whether it be a biker style jacket or pilot jacket. If you don't want to go all out with a leather jacket Burberry have done a mens trench coat with a leather arms and I do enjoy it.

Although I have not had one for a number of years, I think it is time to reinvest in one. The only problem being there are a lot of different styes to choose from.

I have typically seen 3 styles that I enjoy:
1. The pilot jacket style
2. The Biker jacket
3. The Bomber style jacket

The Pilot jacket

I really like these style jackets because I am fan of 'popping' the collar. If I was to get one I would get a dark brown leather with a light cream trim. One similar to what everyone's favourite 'boi' Jamie Laing wears.

These types of jacket are great for the Winter/Autumn/Spring time because you can zip it up in the Winter to keep all your body heat in. Or in Autumn/Spring weather with just a T shirt underneath you can still look good without getting too hot. The one pictured is by Ralph Lauren and to be honest I don't really want to know the price, because we all know it will cost an arm and a leg.

The Biker Style

I find this style a little controversial as when I first saw them I wasn't that enticed by them. They have know grown on me. If I was going to buy and wear one of these I would wear it open with the collar up, not a fan of the full zipped up. Zayn Malik is a big fan of these.

I swear I he never takes this thing off! Here he is wearing a Topman biker jacket in the region of £80. I do like these but I would have to buy a real leather one. I have seen a few 'leather look' in Topman, River Island and H&M but they look tacky! A great place to find one of these is a Vintage store, you will find one in any city around the country at the moment.

Bomber style jacket

Never really been a fan of the bomber jacket, especially these horrendous print style ones that 'hipsters' are trying to pull off. I repeat TRYING but failing.

Now I haven't actually seen many people wearing this style out yet but I think it is a great style of jacket. Although the model does have a certain 'Grease' look to him! These with a casual hoodie underneath or a printed T shirt or dark jeans with boots or trainers like blazers would be a good midday or nighttime outfit. This one is from good old Asos for £110. With free next day delivery at the moment why not treat yourself?

If you are wanting a nice leather and have a bit a cash to splash I would get down to All Saints, their leather jackets are always spot on and on trend!

Few Examples