WOVEN FOOTWEAR

A couple of months ago I posted about the spring/summer footwear trends to look out for on the high st and one of the key fabric options for fringe detailed shoes, featured on the catwalk was woven leather. Burberry used the style heavily in their S/S12 catwalk show.

This look has now become a trend of it's own with numerous retailers adopting the 1970's inspired style and working it onto loafers, espadrilles, sandals and formal footwear options.

To get the1970s inspired look go for a woven shoe in tan. This colour will go with the current Aztec trend and the global traveller look.

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?

PICKS OF THE WEEK

Firstly, if you're not following us on Facebook yet, why not? Check out our page and press like to receive all the latest updates, images and videos from Mansnaps.

Secondly, what a great week! Had a fantastic time out and about promoting the blog last weekend, introduced you to Giaroye and we had two great articles about Mad Men's iconic leading character, Don Draper.

Here are my top three picks from the high st this week.

Swimwear is now starting to build across the high st as retailers focus on the spring/summer season. These shorts from River Island are definitely giving me a Versace vibe which is possibly a response to the successful collaboration between the fashion house and H&M. They're a great statement piece for the beach and a welcomed change from Hawaiian print shorts.

I think it's fair to say that H&M's latest collaboration (this time with Marni) has really taken off! Infact the website was down for the majority of the day due to the volume of traffic to the site. By the time I got online there wasn't much left of the Marni collection. Whilst I still think the collection is great, I LOVE this jacket by H&M. It's so different to anything else out there right now.

The printed shirt trend continues with this denim beauty from All Saints. The washed denim is perfect for spring/summer and the contrasting colour is really "in" at the moment.

BASEBALL JACKETS

On December 6th 2011 I said "Baseball jackets have been around for ages", almost 3 months later, it is still one of Mansnaps most popular posts and the look is still prominent on the high st.

Now that the days are getting brighter and at times warmer, baseball jackets are the perfect spring companion. They have a similar versatility to hoodies in that they are both lightweight and warming, which is ideal for the unpredictable British climate.

As well as some of the great jackets featured below, Primark have some amazing pieces. Loads of colour and style options not to mention bargain prices!

I'd love to see how you guys have styled up your baseball jackets!