The Six Most Amusing Trends From Menswear Spring 2013
PRETTY ELECTRIC - In a range stretching from duck egg-blue as in that stunning trench coat at E Tautz, to the cyan-like aqua shades at Richard Nicoll and the electric blue turned-up trousers at Oliver Spencer, everyone seemed to long for a sea vista.
SPIT AND PULL - Get used to throwing the word “dude” around as you browse through the West Coast, Californian early skate and surf culture-inspired collections. Drawing on it were the retro-driven YMC, Katie Eary with her Midas touch for the glamorously glitzy and Topman Design, this time referencing the American graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.
GATSBY'S RETURN - Traces of Gatsby live on in Hardy Amies’ London diffusion line collection, its “HA”-monogrammed pocket squares and tasselled loafers in tow. Getting ready for a round of tennis, Richard Nicoll’s models were also channelling their inner Gatsbys.
GATSBY'S RETURN - As if someone had opened the window to let his spirit back in, the dapper Jay Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s literary dandy, was resurrected – probably due to Baz Luhrmann upcoming film release. Hackett of London’s preppy Oxbridge collection, deck-chaired and double-breasted to the maximum, was a tribute to a time of unreserved elegance.
LONGER, LONGER, STOP - This was carried on by James Long’s pleated and panelled creations in leather or large checks. Richard James’ formal short trousers were also part of the It-crowd, as were Christopher Shannon’s patchwork designs - particularly stunning in violet and cream.
LONGER, LONGER, STOP - Shorts no longer having to be super-short, the London spring/summer 2013 menswear collections lowered the attention from the man’s thighs to his calves. It started with Lou Dalton’s array of well-tailored shorts, ensconcing the knee or falling just below.
PRETTY ELECTRIC - It doesn’t take a genius to figure out why sunshine yellows and blues seem to crawl their way back into our wardrobes every summer season. It’s worth noting, however, just how beautifully intense the blues of the London Collections: Men collections were.
