UNION JACK PRINTS

Rule Britannia!
The upcoming Queen's Jubilee and Olympics have resulted in a surge of patriotism across the high st. Union Jack prints are on literally everything, from t-shirts and vests to plates and bunting.

In recent years, the Union Jack print has been more commonly associated with British "Chav" culture which for the style conscious male, isn't the ideal advert. The time has come however to wipe the slate clean and where your blue, white and red with as much enthusiasm as the stars and stripes we see, season upon season in our stores.

As we start to build bridges with the Union Jack print there must be a degree of caution with your outfit choice, the last thing you want is to be branded a "Chav". So, it should go without saying that unless you are part of Team GB in the Olympics, avoid wearing sportswear with your Union Jack print. Certainly take inspiration from the Olympics but aim for a more "sports luxe" look mixing chinos, shorts with hoodies rather than jogging bottoms.

THE DENIM JACKET

The denim jacket is back!

A long time favourite of Kanye West, the hottest jacket for spring is making an appearance in nearly every high st store. The double denim trend has been going for a couple of years now since denim shirts came back, making denim acceptable attire for your top half. What will make denim jackets easier to wear than the denim shirt however is the popularity of the chino. Men are no longer restricted to wearing denim jeans which means that for those of you who fear looking like a Bros tribute act (look up 1980's boy bands) need not worry.

As Mr West has demonstrated through his love of this latest trend, chinos and denim jackets actually work well together.

The high st has a range of washes and styles to choose from. Dark, raw denim washes will give you the greatest flexibility of a day/night jacket but light washed denim will look amazing with chinos and chino shorts through the sunny days.

If you want a vintage jacket then check out Urban Outfitters or Topman's vintage sections as they usually have loads of denim jackets to choose from. Alternatively, scout around your local charity shops. I found a great denim jacket in one of my local charity shops for just £7!

HAWAIIAN PRINT SHIRTS

There's no denying the huge increase in popularity of shirts this season, thanks largely to the current Aztec trend. I featured the new shirt trends in a post back in January and this is the follow up!

Hawaiian print shirts (or tropical print shirts) are going to be a big look this spring/summer. Designers such as James Long, Givenchy and Kenzo featured the prints on shirts, trousers, shorts and jumpers in their s/s12 collections.

The look is now starting to build on the high st and already there are a range of prints to suit everyone. Note that the majority will appear on short sleeve shirts. With prints this busy it would be difficult for every man to pull off the look in a long sleeves.

Much like the Aztec prints, you will either love this look or hate it. Personally, i love the look. Menswear is more exciting now than it has been for a while and we seem to be given options which are usually reserved for women. The nautical and Aztec trends both appeared at the same time as they did for women and Hawaiian prints seem to be following suit. So why not release the chains of those check shirts and reach for something more fun?

S/S12 - MUGLER

 

In September 2010, Nicola Formichetti (stylist to Lady Gaga) became the Creative Director of the Thierry Mugler brand. The brand is most commonly known for fragrances and womenswear with Thierry Mugler working as Artistic Director for Beyonce's 'I Am... World Tour'.   

 

In January 2011, under the direction of Formichetti the label become known simply as 'Mugler' and with Romain Kremer (Head of Menswear), they launched their first menswear collection.The second is their S/S12 collection.

The collection is extremely bold, and shows the male body at it's fittest form, tight stretch tops are cut out to expose the models muscled bodies. The pastel neon tones are a definite nod to 1980's clubland and the metallic armour is a statement of power, with a 'don't mess with me attitude'. Although, altogether some of it looks like Lady Gaga and Beyonce's wardrobes gone mental, the individual pieces are really interesting.

 

 

SHAPEWEAR

Hold on to your love handles, shapewear for men has arrived on the high st!

Shapewear originates from American company Spanx and they first launched their 'Spanx for Men' range in 2010.

Shapewear for women has been around for quite some time now and thanks to the likes of Gok Wan informing every woman that they need it in their life, it is a massive money making lingerie category. It was only a matter of time before retailers would test the market with a male version.

You can expect to see t shirts and vests in the stores now although theres no doubt if they are successful then there will be a bigger range, imitating the Spanx lines.


I can't wait to hear your thoughts on this!!!


Here is where you can get your body sculpting, shapewear from on the high st!

MARKS AND SPENCER £15

MATALAN £15

SPANX @ NEXT £58

THOMAS NASH @ DEBENHAMS £15

GEORGE @ ASDA £8

(IN STORE ONLY) PEACOCKS £8