PICKS OF THE WEEK

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This weeks picks of the week, come courtesy of All Saints! It's not often that I dedicate all three picks of the week from one retailer but I think this is very deserved. I was pleasantly surprised to discover colour, lots of colour, when I visited their store recently! All Saints is now so well known for being home to grey, beige and black that I was overwhelmed by their current collection. Pastel colours, light wash denims and cool prints are very much the order of the day. Don't get me wrong, All Saints style is still rugged and industrial but it's now available in a summer friendly colour palette.

First up is this colourful tourist print t-shirt. Whilst it isn't the same tourist prints you'll see in Topman or River Island, All Saints have adapted the trend without compromising their brand identity. I think the colours are really fresh and current and the beauty of not having a New York skyscraper print is that this t-shirt will be able to live past the current trend.

If you didn't know already, printed short sleeve shirts are EVERYWHERE. Aztec, Hawaiian, 80's and everything in between can be seen printed onto short sleeve shirts across the high st right now. Again, All Saints have adapted the trend to fit their own style and the end result is something quirky and easy to wear.

I originally featured this jacket in a post about denim jackets a few weeks ago. Now that their spring/summer collection is in full bloom in store, I'm loving this jacket even more. It's a great fit and although the £95 price tag might seem steep compared to some of the alternatives on the high st, the quality is worth every penny!

TAXONOMY AT TOPMAN

Topman have the best turn around of fashion trends of any other men's retailer at the moment. They manage to quickly translate catwalk trends and either sell them through their own brand(s) or sign up new labels for capsule collections.

Whilst some new labels have a great premise or niche, often I'm disappointed by the final collection. Thankfully, Taxonomy's first collection has left me wanting more. Made up of six printed t-shirts, the collection has a classic, vintage feel creating Hawaiian prints that are wearable and affordable with prices just over £20 each.

I'm looking forward to seeing where the label goes next.

Here's what Topman have to say about the exciting new brand:

"A new London based brand, inspired by the big wide world. We aim to achieve better - right down the finest details; Harmoniously blending modern trends, tradtional imagery and contemporary print, to bring you a truly unique premium garment that we know you’ll love! Say aloha to classic surfer style this season with our traditional tropical prints - Cool yet casual."

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.

STREET STYLE - OWEN

Look who it is! It's Mansnaps contributor, Owen Moss-Proctor! Owen has taken inspiration from the 90's with this look and says "I think it's my favourite era at the moment". I'm loving the white socks and chinos combination!

You can follow Owen on Twitter @mossproctor or on his blog MossProctor.

Owen is wearing:
Jacket: H&M
T-Shirt: American Apparel
Shirt: Vintage
Chinos: Topman
Socks: Umbro
Boots: Topman

PICKS OF THE WEEK

Prints are big news right now. Whilst printed trousers and shorts are harder to pull off for the everyman, prints are accessible to every man.

With this in mind, this weeks top three items from the high st offer three very different printed tops.

Reverse prints are a big look right now and work particularly well with Aztec and Hawaiian prints. By printing on the inside of the item it creates a washed out look which is perfect for those of you not bold enough to wear the trends. This reverse print Aztec vest from Burton is ideal for spring/summer as it can be worn under shirts or on its own on the beach.

Bold, graphic prints are only for the brave. I love this longline banana print t-shirt from Horace at ASOS. It's really quirky and is certainly different to any other print I've seen on the high st.

Every time I see gold, turquoise and blue together on a print I immediately think of Versace and this beauty from Zara is no different. I love the vintage look to the print, I think it's a great 'every day' t-shirt. It's something than you can throw on with jeans, chinos or shorts for an instant style boost.

STREET STYLE - JAMIE FROM CARDIFF

Name: Jamie
Spotted: Cardiff
Style: Loving the bright yellow shorts mixed with the shirt and bowtie!

Wearing: Shorts and cardigan from H&M, shirt, bowtie and belt from topman. Shoes from Vans

You can follow Jamie on Twitter @Jamie_daniel.

Get his look using these shorts from H&M.

Submit your street style pictures to mansnaps@live.co.uk.

CHESS LONDON LAUNCH

By Adam Bennett

So I was lucky enough to get an invite to the launch of Chess London’s first collection at Home House, in London’s Portman Square last week. Glass of Moet – check. Stylish Crowd – Check. Good Venue – check. Cool – ish “miniature” food. Check.

You get the idea.

I took along a friend of mine called David who is a fantastic web designer and works a lot with the Premiership. He always dresses nicely, better than me anyway, so I thought I’d take along someone who would be seen as a Chess London client and get his take on it.

Our first impression of the clothing was good – it’s approachable, wearable, every-day sort of clothing. Classic lines, earthy colour pallete made up of what most of us wear on a daily basis – navy, white, grey and taupe. If I’m completely honest upon first impressions, it didn’t blow me away. Only when I got up close, felt the products and seen the detailing did it strike me what a cool brand this is! Then I was sold.

It looks normal but it’s not, so if you’re one for shouting about labels then it’s probably not for you. If you’re someone who enjoys comfort and quality-feeling fabrics then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t invest in a few pieces. It’s endorsed by numerous athletes and footballers (I'll try not to hang around this point too much as I’m sure that actually detracts from the want to wear it – I'm sure none of us want to dress like the average premiership footballer). Whilst these are handsome men, fashion-wise I'm not so sure.

I had a catch up with the designer of the collection, Ali who blew me away with his striking hair and gentle manner.

Ali explained that there had been a gap in the market for good fitting clothes of great quality and infinite comfort. Ali himself is athletic and so kept this in mind when designing the collection. He wanted to create something with a classic British look that wasn’t a replica of something else. He breaks it down into three aspects – quality, feel and appeal. He likes to think of Chess as sitting between bespoke and high street (every piece has a limited run and the website is going to be introducing new pieces throughout the year). Each piece can be seen as an investment due to the quality and the fact that it’s limited but it’s still affordable. For instamce, the buttons are all hand-stitched showcasing the effort they have put into getting as much quality into the brand as possible, I’ve labelled it semi-bespoke.

Aside from feeling like I’d stepped into a premiership Club Lounge, I really think that we could be seeing Chess London as a real staple-factor of the fashion conscious male’s wardrobe, alongside the likes of Uniqlo, COS, Hilfiger and Ralph. I personally, however wouldn’t mind seeing something a bit more daring in the coming collections.

To shop the full collection visit www.chesslondon.com.

Follow Adam on Twitter @benedict_adam