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?
It's fair to say that low cost air travel isn't always as low cost as it may seem. Whilst the cost for your seat might be reasonable, some of the additional charges and taxes aren't.
I love to travel abroad and I'm always lured in by the adverts of return flights to exciting European cities for under £20. Yet by the time I get to the payment screen the price has doubled, if not tripled. And the one charge I always begrudgingly pay is for check-in baggage. Not that I don't want the extra kilos (believe me I do), its just that the cost attached for the privilege is extortionate.
A friend of mine tweeted at me a couple of weeks ago with the only solution to to avoiding check-in baggage costs, hand luggage.
Never one to shy away from a challenge, I started thinking about what I would pack for a seven night stay in Spain using hand luggage. I excluded toiletries and sun lotion as I'd buy them at the destination to allow maximum room for clothes!
My top tips for packing for a hand luggage holiday are:
1. Plan your outfits. I always lay out my tops and match my trousers or shorts to ensure I have outfit options. There's no point packing your favourite shirt, if you have nothing to wear with it. Also, try and wear the bulkiest items on the journey.
2. Pack versatile pieces. It's important to have a good mix of basics and patterns to ensure you can mix and match the things that you pack.
3. Contingencies. Although your space is tight, try and make sure you have packed more tops than you have the number of days you are staying. This is to cover any unplanned activities or accidents.
Whenever I go on a summer holiday I always pack too many footwear options! I always kid myself that I will be able to comfortably wear gladiator sandals around the city but the truth is, I usually wear them on the first day, burn my feet and can't wear them again because the straps rub against the sunburn. So what I have now learnt is that I spend the majority of my summer holidays wearing flip flops. Comfortable, great for the beach and the city and you can wear them with anything. I also always take a pair of shoes for the flight and for going out at night. There's nothing worse than getting off the plane on your journey home to wet weather when you're wearing flip flops. Trust me, those aircraft steps are a hazard in the rain.
For a seven night, hand luggage holiday I would take three pairs of shorts. I love mixing prints through tops and shorts so I would pack one plain pair that I could wear with print tops and one patterned pair I could wear with plain tops. When I'm on holiday I prefer to explore the place I'm visiting rather than stay by the beach everyday so one pair of swim shorts would be enough for me. I love these bright orange ones inspired by the S/S collection from DSquared2.
If you're going somewhere like Spain then you are almost guaranteed sunshine and warm weather so unless you are incredibly unlucky, you should be spending most of your time in shorts. Personally, I never like to fly in shorts as I always get cold. So these chinos are a great travel and evening wear option.
I can not go on holiday to a hot climate country without a selection of vests. I think that slub vests are the most comfortable thing to wear during the day and look cool on the beach or when you're off exploring. The loose fit means that they keep you cool and if you haven't had time to hit the gym, they won't show you up. I always try and pack a selection of different prints from a selection of trends to try and create a different look each day.
With t-shirts I always try to include a few basics to wear with the patterned shorts and also as layering pieces for your shirts.
I never usually pack many shirts as I find them too restrictive to wear when the weather is hot. It's good to have a little selection though for daytime and evening wear.
This hoodie is perfect for travelling. It's lightweight and it will keep you warm during the flight. Plus it's always good to have jacket incase the weather takes a turn for the worse or the nights get cold.
Sunglasses and a straw trilby are a must have for a summer holiday, they're both essential for sun protection. I always carry or wear my hat on board as packing it usually ruins it and I hang my sunglasses from my t-shirt.
This weeks top three picks cover three current print trends on the high st. Aztec, Hawaiian (we'll look at this in more detail in the coming weeks) and tourist prints are available on shirts, t-shirts and jumpers so there is something out there for everyone.
Topman have Invested heavily in the Aztec print trend and the options there are endless. I really love the colours in this one as it's something than you can wear now with chinos and of course layers (we are still in winter after all) but also with shorts in the summer. Plus short sleeve shirts are a really cool look right now.
Hawaiian prints are set to be another big look across the high st this s/s and All Saints have shown willing with their take on the look. Staying true to their washed out (grey) colour palette, this vest is a great option for those of you who won't be brave enough to wear some of the bright tropical prints you will see elsewhere.
Tourist prints are huge! The trend has been around for months and is still going strong. I like this Paris print from ASOS mainly because it doesn't feature the Eiffel Tower. Don't get me wrong, I think that the landmark is a wonder but there's only so many print variations that you can see before it becomes a little tired.
On Wednesday I went along to Arcadia's High Summer press day to check out what Burton will have to offer this summer! Although the showroom was dominated by the womenswear brands, Burton's offering was a selective but exciting representation of what we can expect from them this summer!
On arrival I was offered a delicious smoothie and greeted by the lovely Tom, Burton's Press Officer who talked me through their summer collection.
Here are my four reasons to get excited about Burton's summer collection!
I LOVED the Hawaiian prints! They appeared on shirts and t-shirts and the colour palette was muted making it easier to wear unlike the prints usually seen on board shorts. Shirts had short sleeves making them a perfect layering piece over a basic vest or t-shirt. I think you can expect to see a lot of these in the festivals over the summer!
Reverse prints are great for the aztec and Hawaiian prints which might be a bit too adventurous for some of you. It's a simple idea, a bright image is printed on to the inside of the t-shirt which appears on the outside more muted. This works great on shirts and t-shirts making the trends easier to wear.
Burton's take on Ibiza day to night wear was a triumph! The short shorts, slub vests and washed out print t-shirts offer an effortlessly cool holiday look which can take you from the beach, straight to the club. The short shorts come in primary colours making them a perfect match for the printed tops and they also come in cool, stop and repeat prints which will work with a plain vest. Slub vests are perfect for summer, the loose fit and slightly longer length mean you don't get too hot and sticky - don't be afraid to go a size larger than you would do normally to ensure that the fit is loose.
The Olympics is going to be a big inspiration on the high st this summer and Burton are ready to compete. Although nothing in their summer collection comes with the word 'Olympic' it's easy to see that it doesn't need to. Using the colours from the Olympic rings as inspiration, striped t-shirts, hoodies, chinos and shorts create a sports luxe feel. Swim shorts were short, finally showing an end to board shorts which have dominated the high st in recent years. Stripes were the big feature on t-shirts for this look, as were cut and sew t-shirts creating a colour block. The primary colour mix, screams of 80's children's TV presenter but in a good way!
