A shirt trend with rising currency

Once a staple of the colour-confident 1980s banker, the shirt with contrasting collars and cuffs has made a startling return to menswear collections. It is a look that has been creeping back for a while but with the recession turning us all away from the financially aggressive city-boy looks, it has slipped under the style radar and is set to be big news for the coming year. Good job that we’ve got some for you to enjoy then.

Tailor Richard James has resurrected the classic formal style on his pale blue or pink striped shirts, which sends that perfect business message but with an on-trend twist and stakes – also subscribes to this style with a classic pink and blue striped versions, that boast white collar and cuffs. The good news you don’t have to be a stockbroker to plug into this style

Reviewing the outerwear situation

The men’s catwalks in Milan and Paris did a strange thing this With less than two weeks to go until British summertime officially kicks in it is time to review the outerwear situation. Fact is, summer weather is about as predictable as Britney Spears’ love life. Fortunately for us, plenty of fashion designers are perfectly aware of such climatic vicissitudes and that means there is a wealth of lightweight jackets ready for your summer suitcase.

Penfield’s Pac-Jac, Lyle and Scott’s hooded nylon jacket and Burberry’s Pac-a-Mac blouson all offer a lightweight layer to help you wrap up over a T-Shirt or shirt when you’re confident enough to go knitwear-free but still giving a sideways glance at the cloud cover. More formal dressing demands the trench coat and Burberry’s packable trench is a supreme example of the lightweight threads needed to keep you dry. PS Paul Smith’s summer navy coat is hot on its heels. And for drier days the casual jacket comes into its own. Casual tailoring is the pinnacle of summer dressing and makes the transition from office to bar to romantic punting excursion – or whatever else you get up to in the summer twilight – with ease. Try the Marc by Marc Jacobs fitted blazer or Acne’s laundered and fitted two-button blazer. Unlined jackets like the Hartford micro-stripe are perfect for keeping you covered and cool.

Whatever the weather, enjoy.

We hail an Oscar-winner with style

Starman. Iron Man. Tron. Obviously The Big Lebowski, and now Crazy Heart. These are just five reasons to love the Bridges’ youngest boy, Jeffrey Leon. And with his Oscar now firmly wedged under his manly arms, the time is right to applaud the man with the grizzliest beard in Hollywood.

An LA native and ex-coastguard, Bridges grew up immersed in showbiz with the actress Dorothy Simpson and actor Lloyd Bridges for parents. He and his big brother Beau often appeared in the Lloyd Bridges show. He came to prominence in The Last Picture Show in 1971, his first major movie role. It landed him an Oscar nomination, the first of five, finally culminating in his triumph this year for his role in Crazy Heart, a film loosely based on the life of Kris Kristoffersen.

His style credentials are many. Bittersweet American heroism consumed the gimlet eyed roles of his youth when he wore checked shirts and cardigans like the industrial workers and cowboys of the mid-west, even when, as in Starman, he was actually from outer space. As he has matured he has grown (quite literally) from the louche slacker vibe of The Big Lebowski into the villainous roles of Trask in Iron Man and finally come full circle to pull off an on-trend cowboy style in Crazy Heart, just as men are starting to grow beards again and denim shirts are all the rage. Good work that man.

And we haven’t even mentioned his impending role in the Tron sequel, back to virtual reality just 28 years after the first film. It’s time to get excited about light bikes again.

Jeff Bridges – a computer-dwelling, all American, spaceman and now an Oscar winner too.

WATCH AND LEARN WITH MENSWEAR BUYER LEE DOUROS

From colourful cottons to traditional wools, the men’s scarf has become a de rigueur detail for the modern dandy. But what’s the best way to look cool and look warm? my-wardrobe menswear buyer Lee Douros strikes a pose or three to show you how.

WHY KNITWEAR IS THE KEY TO REVIVING YOUR INNER PEACOCK

Revivalist knitwear is a key casual trend this season. House checks, nautical stripes, kitsch intarsias, fisherman-inspired cable knits, clubhouse cardigans and V-necks and 1970s shawl collars all inhabit this most nostalgic of categories. And with such variety in the knitwear world it is now easier than ever for men to pep up their outfits with a dash of colour or some depth of texture.
It’s all part of a sudden explosion of fashionable creativity refracted through the prism of knitwear. Yes knitwear. The jumper your granny told you to wear has suddenly gone all high fashion. Oodles of major catwalk collections have gone in for seriously crafted jumpers and cardigans with shawl collars and cardigans at Paul Smith, textured knits at Burberry Prorsum and Vivienne Westwood. Crucially this is pretty much a random pick because it was an odd show from any of the Milan, Paris, New York or London designers that didn’t use significant knits.
And that is the key point – the knit is now a more significant piece than it has been for seasons so whether you’re a V-neck man, a cardigan-wearer or a shawl-collared

London Fashion Week has bitten the dust for another six months. my-wardrobe’s menswear buyer Lee Douros makes sense of it for you.

What were the best menswear collections?
Northern Ireland born designer JW Anderson’s collection was strong. It captured an angsty, young, rebellious feeling that was like revisiting 1990s Nirvana, but updated with a contemporary softer, playful edge. There were lots of blanket checks on outerwear, shearling styles, cream cable knits covered in a layer of tulle and hardcore studded stomping boots. The flower stuffed back-pack towards the end was very (New) Romantic. RCA graduate James Long has been showing since 2007. This time his collection felt very modern and for him, outerwear was key. Actually most designers showed really strong outerwear this season. It started in Milan with brands like Burberry and Vivienne Westwood, perhaps as a reaction to the Arctic Freeze we’ve just had! Christopher Shannon continued the Arctic tip, showing lots of skiwear influences and snowflake motifs on accessories and even make-up! Shannon, who comes from Liverpool, is a rising star on the menswear scene and this season, his signature nylons fitted right in to the Baltic aesthetic.Tim Soar is a graphic designer, DJ and music producer as well as a designer. His offering for the season showed a really studied consideration of colour, texture and silhouette. Rich cashmere wool melton overcoats in camel, midnight velvet blazers and sateen tapered trousers. And blue leather gloves!
What looks will filter down into the world of accessible designer fashion?
Shannon’s layering of colour blocks and mixing of textures is very wearable. I can see this influencing future mainstream collections. The whole ski feel is also easy to get in to. The intarsia fairisle knit look is already commercial and Anderson’s wool check biker jackets and studded boots are sure to find their way into daytime permutations.
How will you buy into these looks?
I have already seen elements of the JW Anderson collection in ranges I have bought for the season. It reminds me a lot of McQueen’s McQ collection, which was inspired by Kurt Cobain. It featured lots of checks albeit dip-dyed or patchworked, but the mood was similar. James Long’s cinched overcoats reminded me of the current season Burberry collection, which showed a multitude of outerwear-based looks and there was move into alternative bottoms, with chinos, workpants or wool/tweed trousers becoming more popular.

ACHINGLY COOL NEW DENIM BRAND ARRIVES

One of the coolest new collections to hit the rails for a long time, King Krash is the brainchild of Donwan Harrell, the oddly named founder of PRPS. New York based Harrell is an ex-Nike designer and something of a petrol-head. So it is fitting that this new range reeks of gasoline and grease paint, with drag-racing prints (Harrell is reportedly a drag-racing obsessive) adorning the inside of the jeans and actual grease spots being used on the washes.
For his inspiration, Harrell references the 1970s, which he calls an overlooked period in the history of style. It’s all about inner city gas-guzzling gangs with the likes of the Harley-toting Hell’s Angels firmly in his sights. And Harrell says he also gets inspired by the way men really wear their jeans. You know – every day, getting stains on them, wearing them in and wearing them out.
Along with its stablemate PRPS, King Krash is now available alongside the versatile styling of Nudie, the denim legend that is Levi’s, ice cool Swedish brand Acne and the detail driven APC as well as many more in our denim section.

Lightweight and layered keeps your wardrobe temperature controlled

One factor more than any other affects the way we dress and that’s the weather. But how unpredictable can it be? While it seems as though we have been in the grip of an interminable Winter – yes it’s officially the coldest one for over 20 years – did you know that sunshine has actually been 50% higher than average in some parts of the UK?
Which leaves us with the quandary, what to wear? As it gets just a touch milder (please….) it is time to tone down the tog count and up the layering. This means lightweight jackets, knits and cosy accessories. Try a Marc by Marc Jacobs blazer under a lightweight coat. Go for something like the Paul Smith summer coat or Burberry’s pac-a-mac. Even when you turn those collars up to reveal a flash of that famous house check, an icy snap of wind can still nip at the neck. What to do? The only answer is a lightweight scarf – enough to keep out the chill and not so heavy that it causes you to sweat. Gah! Go for Burberry cotton or Paul Smith’s crinkle finish check.

STEEP YOURSELF IN TRADITIONAL COOL

Words like heritage, authenticity and research are flung about in menswear circles these days. Why the excitement? Well, so many trends are about embracing functional or historical details right now. Tribes as diverse as Brooklyn hipsters and Tokyo J-boys now want their jackets to have been worn by a World War II fighter pilot and their coats to have seen the sea on the back of a nineteenth century sailors. And these fashion-forward little subcultures do have an influence on the rest of us. It appeals to the geek in every man to have his cloth dipped in history.
And where better for historical quality than the UK? Rocker-soaked rebellion, gentlemanly tailoring, industrial workwear. It’s all in the mix.
Cue John Smedley, a 226 year old company from Derbyshire. It is a rare breed, which does not indulge itself in its history, choosing instead to innovate. Check out its lightweight, multi-stripe intarsias and stroke-able, soft handle woollens.
And what about the UK’s music roots? Baracuta’s G9 jacket is a classic of menswear as much loved by 1960s mods and 1980s punks as it was by 1950s preppys. Admittedly more modern, Pretty Green may not be a vintage brand but it is just as rich in its music-scene inspired designs. Founded by Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, it includes boating blazers, tailored trenches and more, all steeped in a rock ‘n’ roll meets English gent vibe. Keep your eyes peeled for its arrival at my-wardrobe.com this season.
And where would we be without the English gent? Paul Smith and Richard James, both servants on the globally famous Savile Row, continue to produce quirky tailoring and sharp suits.
We have Gloverall, founded after World War II to sell gloves and overalls but soon snapped up a surplus of navy coats and has, ever since, perfected the toggle-fastening heavy wool coat. There aren’t many other coats that you can fasten while wearing your gloves on a wind-lashed poop-deck.
Then there’s Barbour – founded in 1894 to supply oilskin coats to shipyard workers, whose waxed jackets have been updated with slim fits and a more contemporary feel.

TUNE IN AND TURN UP YOUR JEANS

Denim is a big deal right now and anyone with more than the most fleeting interest in fashion is discovering just how many shades of blue there are. Until recently this most democratic of all fabrics has been rooted to the dry, the dark and the raw, which is to say that most designers have enjoyed obsessing about the purity of their denim.

Unwashed and coming in shades of indigo, the stiffest denims have found their way into the trendiest wardrobes.

But more worked and washed styles are coming through now too. It’s all down to the fact that designers have started digging through their archives with the same gusto as the crew of Time Team in a wind-swept filed off the A40 where Aulus Plautus once cornered the Catuvellauni.

Go for quality denim which has been treated to look like it has worked a stint in the goldmine or six months of tour with Razorlight for that authentic distressing and worn-in detailing. It hasn’t got to be an aggressive look. Check out Nudie’s super-used Slim Jim for an example of a subtly washed down style, or the Thin Finn for the perfect illustration of worn-in whiskering. PRPS has both the gentle washing, with its six-month worn raw wash and the convincingly damaged with the petrol-head styling of its greaser wash jeans. For those seeking a lighter wash there is the vintage repair jean, which carries authentic marbling.

And don’t be too shy to turn up the bottom of your jeans. Even if you are a little too conservative for the double-denim look (don’t be though, it is bang on trend) then a flash of two tone from a turn-up does the job, and at the same time, reveals the artisanal effort gone into creating the warp and weft protecting your pins from the elements.