Figure Watching… Spring Trends!

Still haven’t found your “look” for this season? While many of us are just going for a tight body approach to spring/summer the others are focused on their attire. Whether you’re watching your figure to fit into your clothes or to take them off, we all need a bit of inspiration to look our absolute best this season.

As I was reporting over the runway shows during Menswear Fashion Week spring/summer 2014 I took notice at the trends displayed by each designer. What I like about trends is that they aren’t about what only one designer is doing or one type of aesthetic. Trends are about what is prevalent throughout each collection and the different designer’s approach to the current movement.

Trends are the foundation to any person’s style. You see what’s in vogue at the moment and build on that using your own person taste level. Some people may not like to admit their love of trends but no matter what type of look you’re rocking you were inspired by someone or thing i.e. trend.

For those of you look for that boost of energy to get you to the mall and gym, read up on my top seven trends for spring/summer 2014.

Textile-Blocking: A lot like color blocking only with different fabrics. View collections by DKNY, Jonathan Saunders and Christopher Raeburn where they either layered different fabrics or fused them into one garment. DKNY layered a Gore-Tex or coated nylons jacket with a transparent print over a solid, Saunders took a translucent graphic and layer it with another print and Raeburn fused mesh appendages to a cotton warm-up. Others like Alexander Wang achieve this look with leather while some like Lacoste followed DKNY’s approach and Burberry stuck with layering of soft against hard fabrics. I personally like the mix of sheer it’s sexy without being overtly sexy and a bit mysterious. Not to mention you get the same slimming affect as you would with color-blocking, its all about but the right fabrics on the right body parts.

Androgyny: Women have been getting away with rocking menswear as women’s clothing for ages, now it’s the fellas turn. The trick is to use women’s fabric in a man’s silhouette or a women silhouette with a hard fabric. Take Duckie Brown for example, they kept the look baggy and oversize but the shirt is a halter top, Dries Van Noten went with a feminine print but with a masculine cut and Lanvin was all about the cut. The entire collection is cut like women’s wear from short sorts to paper bag pants and cap sleeve but its the structure and textile what keeps the collection strong. Remember when women don the versatile look they add a bit of sexiness to it, for men the reverse applies. Howbeit the fabric, tailoring or color don’t forget to butch it up.

High Shorts: Whether the shorts are cut high or high waist the sky is the limit on your short size. With this season of shorts it’s all about going for the gold. Don’t take any short cut when embracing this look. Be bold in a micro short a la Philip Lim 3.1, standout in a neon or latex short like Christopher Shannon or you could fuse skin and fashion as Salvatore Ferragamo (Kenneth Cole) with jumbo short styled with avant garde sandals. Short are really about the function (Park & Ronen) when it comes to the temperature change but function is useless without the fashion aspect.

Delicate Fabrics: If you aren’t convinced to committing to the androgyny theme of the season nor daring enough for shorts then the introduction of lithe textiles to menswear is perfect. Gender bending is big in men’s fashion right now no mater how tough of soft your style is. Delicate fabrics are voluminous this season. John Galliano, Richard Chai Love and E. Tautz are gifting us with the finest linens from silks, gauze to chiffon and organza all in flowing silhouettes. This trend is ideal for summer if you’re on vacation or trying to keep cool fashionably in the city. Designers are playing with more fabric choices other than mesh and neoprene as alternative fabrics when it comes to men’s garments.

Soft Graphics: Prints aren’t that groundbreaking as we may know but that doesn’t stop genius designers from reinventing the wheel. Though many may be in awe of mix media prints from designers such as, Kenzo, Calvin Klein, Christopher Kane and Givenchy this spring should excite romance. The dip-dye, brush stroke, blurred print and small floral prints are brilliant for relieving the eye and telling a different story than seasons past. MSGM went retro with the tie-dye and miniature floras making it a hipster’s dream to be able to still pair with plaids and dip-dye. Valentino gave a regal romance story with a vintage print. WhyRed’s creation of the melding of glass, steel and stone theme collection has a strong and deep romance story to the seemingly skater-boy collection.

Birkenstocks: From hip hop to high-end the once dirt cheap shoes are making a comeback in new styles and price tags. They revamp of Birkenstocks are made with a back strap, covered in splattered paint, made in leather or suede and lined with cork or fur. I’ve even seen designer style these shoes with evening gowns. Shades of Grey went for a monochromatic look with long match socks, Marni added a leather strap and Trina Turk styled them to be beach ready. The new spin make these sandal versatile for many different settings. I even want a pair to wear with shorts or pants this summer.

50-60’s: Electrifying and eye-popping use of color and 60′s tailoring by Paul Smith. Neat, new and nice tourist in Panama, Hawaii or Cuba in the 1960′s feel by David Hart. A colorful but not in an overbearing way ode to writers and poets with a vintage “thrift-ed” feel by Burberry. All keeping with the slim fitted, cropped pants and dandy of the 50-60’s era. To really maximize this look and trend that seems as though every designer pulled from the last two seasons you have to focus on the materials. A skinny tie, mohair sweater, thin lapels, Hawaiian shirts and polka dots are essential when going retro with your spring/summer attire.