This catwalk look from Moschino's S/S12 collection is very retro. Their catwalk show took its inspiration from Elvis and this outfit is a perfect example of their 2012 take on 'the King'. The 60's colour palette of red, black and white and the detailing on the jacket is effortlessly cool.
Here is how you can get the look from the high st!
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!
Those of you who have been following Mansnaps regularly will know that I am a huge fan of Republic! I was so impressed with their A/W collection that I did a special post about the brand back in November. Since then I have been keeping a firm eye on them and often feature their hot fashion pieces in my posts.
Being such a fan, you can imagine my excitement when Simon Dawson (Head of Design Menswear) agreed to do an interview to give me the inside scoop on what we can expect from Republic this S/S.
Here is what Simon had to say...
Hello! Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do at Republic?
I have worked at head office for nearly five years. I was the first designer to work for Republic and my position here now is Head of Menswear Design.
How important is it to have an in-house design team?
Huge! We need to push newness as much as any fashion retailer, and what makes us quite unique is having several in house brands in which we do this.
Without design, it would be much harder for each brand to maintain its own level of DNA (from choice of trims / prints / wash level etc). This is vital for a brand’s longevity and reason to exist against other brands. Also it gives Republic much more creative control of what our brand portfolio should / can look like.
What trends do you think men should be looking out for in the run up to spring?
From a trend point of view I would say the three main looks to watch out for are:
Fisherman – a more rugged side to last year’s nautical
Workwear – think hand workers back in the docklands of liverpool in yesteryear.
Colour Blocking – huge trend that does exactly what it says on the tin.
From a product view point it’s all about colour, colour, colour! SS12 will see an explosion of brights; especially the bright coloured Chino. Also the Fisherman Jacket / Sweat is a good colour vehicle to carry off summer brights. Colour blocking is a massive part of this too. Also Neppy yarn; vintage is a key look which has given birth to fleck across jersey, knits and Sweat fabrics. The Crew neck sweat is a must, from printed graphic to the old worn gym look....
What can we expect to see from Republic this S/S?
A big push towards a more fashionable approach to our core pillars, two new exiting brands, and our unique take on the Olympics...
Here are some exclusive images from the new Lot 22 collection which is coming soon!
Mansnaps has loved your White Label collection this A/W. Will this line continue through S/S?
Yes, and it has improved and should be bigger and better for SS12.
What do you feel are the benefits of being a multi-branded retailer, for the consumer?
Choice! Brands can offer different trends through their own DNA and pricing structure. Also deigning for a brand instead of a vertical retailer, gives the brand the ability to graphically play and be proud of its name.
Mansnaps has seen great support from Republic when blogging about the brand, but how important do you think bloggers are to Republic and other retailers?
Massive, as far as my personal opinion goes. Blogging is the current and future, freedom of speech....the more we can connect with our customers the better we can satisfy their needs.
Lastly, what is your favourite piece from your S/S collection?
Hard to say, there are so many, and as a fast fashion retailer we still have lots of SS12 yet to even be designed ;)
For a sneak peak at Republic's S/S collection click here.
If you can't possibly wait, then check out some of my favourite items available now!
Viktor & Rolf is an Amsterdam-based fashion house. The company was founded in 1993 by designers Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren.
The S/S12 collection from V&R is all about the 1970's. High waisted trousers, shirts worn over t-shirts and a colour palette of cornflower blue, mustard and pastels are a definite nod to that decade. I love the dolphin motif featured on shirts and the yellow jumper. The short sleeve printed shirt is definitely making a come back on the high street and it's easy to see where the inspiration came from.
French fashion empire Dior's S/S12 was a cool, crisp collection, perfectly matching the shows title "Less is More". The collection is so stripped back and minimalistic that at times it verges on feminine. Longline sleeveless tops fastened delicately at the neck, minimal detailing and leather trims give the collection a modern ambiguous feel, not to mention the cold colour palette.
