Men's S/S 2012 Outfit Ideas

It’s almost spring and I’m sure you’re wondering: what am I going to wear when the temperatures are starting to rise?

Well, I hope you have enough clothes from last year. Remember that you have to have a timeless wardrobe if you don't want to seem out-of-date. If you did that last year, this year you shouldn’t have too much to worry about… except maybe buying this or that.

Let’s see where the designer houses are steering trends away THIS year. And we’re going to start with…

D&G

Lots of colors and lots of foulard prints in the D&G collection. They propose a very relaxed look this year and, trust me, you’ll feel relaxed just by looking at the clip below:

Did you notice how much denim they have? Ok, we get the hint!

Here’re are some more interesting things I noticed with them:

• Those waistbands on the pants really make for a casual look. If you’re looking to look really casual this summer, you probably need a pair.
• The hats look great but what’s even greater is the way they matched them with the rest of the outfits. It’s worth taking another look at the clip just for this.
• I spotted a really nice pair of moccasins as well as some butt-ugly sneakers. As style hobbyists we have to learn to separate the good from the ugly.

Gucci

Classy as always, Gucci is showing us some really nice sports jackets along with well fitted rolled up pants. You can really see the difference by comparison with the D&G collection from before.

One of the best pieces in my opinion was that gray glen check suit, black moccasins and light blue shirt. I’ve also seen a glen check sports jacket paired with solid grey chinos, if you’re not a “suit guy”.

I noticed very few colors if any. Mostly black, white, grays and some brown. That’s Gucci all right.

One outfit did catch my eye as it took the black tie dress code and gave it a twist: black dinnerjacket with silk lapels, white shirt, black bow-tie. So far so good. Then glen check pants, black shiny penny loafers and no socks. Is this the future of black tie?

Overall, you’ll find Gucci to be a good business casual inspiration, as always.

Ermanno Scervino

This show by Ermanno Scervino can teach you one great thing if you watch it: how to match grays. Totally love this designer.

Vivienne Westwood

Although I wouldn’t wear most of these outfits on the street, they did gave me a few color matching ideas.

Bottega Veneta

This is probably the most balanced collection that we’ve seen for SS 2012. It’s balanced, wearable, not too much color and most of the outfits have good contrasts. If you’re looking to get inspired this summer, you should definitely watch it.

Jake.

Coveri by Iazza - S/S 12 AD

The soundtrack made only for the ad spot of the new collection by Enrico Coveri P / E 2012 has the sensual Italian artist Paola Iezzi voiceprint, the brunette one of the duet Paola & Chiara.
"XCept you" is the title of the song arranged for the occasion by DJs Marco Bastianon and Stefano Tirone, fits brilliantly to the colored spot directed by fashion photographer Paolo Santambrogio in collaboration with Luca Parrini.

Enrico Coveri - Spring Summer 2012 - Ad Campaign
Directed by Paolo Santambrogio
Starring Emma MacLaren & Pete Bolton
Filmed & Edited by Paolo Santambrogio and Luca Parrini
Styling Raffaello Rivi
Hair Enrirco Mariotti - Make-Up Seiko Nishigori
Original Soundtrack "Xcept You" by Paola Iezzi
Music Arranged by Marco Bastianon & Stefano Tirone

Jake.

Make up of the season!

1. Eyebrows — Brows are large and in charge this season, brushed up and bushy, well groomed or even lightened, but they are a detail that has not been ignored. At Altuzarra, Tom Pecheux blackened the brows using brow pencils and black eye shadow!

2. Healthy Skin (Athleticism) — Very hydrated skin that is perfected with foundation. You are seeing this on the runways of Carolina Herrera, DVF and Doo.Ri. We use a lot of product to make it look effortless and like a perfect canvas. M·A·C Cosmetics foundation in Face & Body andM·A·C Cosmetics Matchmaster Foundation are being used consistently backstage. M·A·C PRO Basic Red Pigment mixed with M·A·C PRO Lash Mixing Medium to create bright, bold, red lashes which matched the bold lippy as well.

3. Pops of bold color all over — We are even seeing RED on eyes. This season, at Katie Gallagher, Javier Romero used M.A.C Basic Red pigment mixed with MAC PRO Lash Mixing Medium to create bright, bold, red lashes which matched the bold lippy as well.

4. Washes of soft color (pastels) — Soft blends of metallics at Elie Tahari gave a warm glow to the eyes and skin. Try using M·A·C Cosmetics Goldmine Eye Shadow and M·A·C PRO Shine Mixing Medium. At Preen, Val Garland gave the girls the look of fresh innocence by using new for Spring/Summer 2012 Preferred Pink and Fully Ripe lip colors on the cheeks and then adding a sweet peach accent to the lips with M·A·C Cosmetics Tendertone in Purring.

Jake.

The art of trench

There are many other ways to wear a trench coat without covering your whole outfit. For one, you can keep it unbuttoned, and wear some bold accessories. Many choose the scarf, and if you want to know different kinds of scarves you can wear that looks great check out my article on scarfs. Another accessory is the hoop earring. It looks very cute with the trench coat just be sure that if you have a dark shade of color silver is great, and if it is a light shade gold is amazing! Trench coats I think are made to wear in the winter, but in the warmer days a cute patterned skirt looks very cute, with a purse! In this picture her outfit looks great, right? Who wouldn't want to buy the coat after seeing how classy and sophisticated it can look. Now they can be very pricey so it is important to make sure your buying the coat for the right price.

TIP: try looking at the fabric it's made out of, it can really help to see if your buying an expensive one that is a cheap fabric or the other way around. So go out and buy one in your favorite color, and have fun dressing it up and down in so many mix n' match ways. You can buy a Burberrys one but you can also have a look at Zara or H&M and you will be satisfied!

Jake.

ASOS

Zara

Zara

Zara

Topshop

ModCloth

H&M

 Burberry - Fabric: Wool

Burberry Prorsum

Surprisingly, very few men wear a trench coat nowadays despite its enduring heritage. I hope this article changes that, as the trench coat is a classic garment that can add a punch of handsome to any outfit a man wears. In summary, the trench coat’s ability to meet the demands of warfare enabled it to survive for decades before being picked up by the public. When it did find its way into the civilian wardrobe, its heritage and usefulness made it an indispensable item. And so my question is – what’s stopping you from wearing one?

Zara 

H&M

Selected

Diesel

Ben Sherman

Unconditional (really modern)

Superdry

Phillip Lim Spring/Summer 2012 collection

You can usually count on Phillip Lim to be squarely on top of the direction of the season. But this Spring, as so many zigged to Technicolor and try-and-top-this prints, Lim zagged toward something refreshing, airy, and minimal—a sartorial sorbet. His reference, in fact, was an object made to fly away: the kite. It was taken literally in tops and dresses sewn from rectangular panels with loose edges that fluttered as the models walked. Colorful strips were sandwiched inside nylon shells and left long to stream about like tails.
Lim says his guiding principle is "sophisticated youth." At a time when lady clothes seem to be the default setting for New York designers, it's nice to see a different approach.
In my opionion dressed in those outfits you will hit the streets and everyone will appreciate it!

Jake.

A stunning Japanese designer.

Nowadays Japan is very popular in Occidental world, not only for its amazing customs and traditions. Japan is fascinating also for its fashion designers. In my opinion Issey Miyake is one of the most popular and established fashion stylist in the world. His clothes are really simple to wear and the lines as well. I love his latest show in Paris, where he presented his F/W 2012/2013 Men Collection. The men’s design team at Miyake created the illusion of layering via a variety of techniques: assembling checked cloth like pieces of a puzzle to produce wavy patterns; and dip-dying check flannel jackets and trousers using a traditional Japanese technique. I really love his trousers, they are pure and comfortable. I liked shirts and jackets but not coats. If you made trousers SO SIMPLE, you cannot exaggerate on coats color and its fabric textures. What I totally appreciate is an oversize coat similar to a poncho, the color and lines are really fashionable and glamourous. I also love coats with large metal studs, STUNNING!

Below you can watch the entire Issey Miyake's fashion show brought to you by FTV and looks I prefer the most.

Jake.