Fashion grows up

Smart casual nailed

Once the weekend rolls around, the vibe is instantly more relaxed. But in recent years, men’s casual fashion has really chilled out – and in some cases fallen down – quite literally - when men who should have long ago thrown away their skateboards insisted on wearing cargo pants so low and baggy that underwear and sometimes more was on show.

It seems that the designers have had enough and among the new season collections, there is a more tailored edge.

Ralph Lauren well and truly steps up to the plate with a look that is rather dandy indeed with plenty of outfits that wouldn’t be out of place on a posh hunt in the English countryside. While we don’t really need to rug up for winter in the Middle East, a sweater can still be handy during a night of alfresco dining and drinking and to that end, Ralph Lauren is urging us not to be afraid of corduroy, velvet or bold knitwear with even the old sleeveless pully and cardigan getting an airing this autumn/winter.

Across the board, jeans – which are neat, slim and not dragging your rear end down this season – have been teamed with tailored jackets. It’s a look that is usually first adopted by students when out of financial necessity and a desire to look a bit bohemian, match an op shop blazer with well-worn denim. But the incarnations of this look by Ralph Lauren, Kenzo, Hermes and filtering down to the high street labels, such as Koton and Banana Republic, are much neater than the average student trying to impress an indie chick over a soy latte in Manchester.

Some fashion shows even suggested you wear a tie or bow tie with your casual threads but most of us prefer to lose the noose after business hours. It wasn’t all buttoned up and uptight in the collections though with leather jackets and practical parkas finding their way into most designers’ cool weather ranges. Dunhill’s reversible leather/suede jacket is a great combination of style and practicality.

Taking leather to extremes, it was no surprise to see Alexander McQueen indulging in such garments as black patent leather jackets and reptilian overcoats. Meanwhile Hermes did some marvellous work with burgundy leather, although it will only be the bravest man who will wear the nipple-exposing sheer-fronted black shirt, especially on a chilly night.

There are a few nods to the teenaged wardrobe across some of the collections – Diesel is always going to appeal to the funky young lad with cash to splash. The jeans geniuses add some street-wise hoodies (ASBO chic?) and stylised tracksuit bottoms to the mix while Spanish designer Armand Basi harked back to insolent teenaged boys of the 80s with plenty of monochrome. Jack & Jones also does a printed hoodie and the jeans aren’t as lean as other labels but they’re dark and certainly not Bart Simpson baggy.

Suited up

We’ve dedicated an entire feature in this issue of Men’s Style to the return of the suit, in particular the natty three-piece incarnation. The addition of the waistcoat not only gussies up a run-of-the-mill two-piece suit but it’s a handy addition to the casual wardrobe too. For some designers, the waistcoat appeared with jeans and casual-yet-tailored trousers. Colours frequently tended towards the brash – oxblood, burgundy, chocolate and metallics as well as checks.

Ralph Lauren again led the charge towards proper dressing with a pin-striped three-piece suit, as well as cuffed trousers and plenty of suits aimed at the leaner man.

Ever the eccentric, a belted trench coat did double duty as a suit jacket for Alexander McQueen. He also pushed the envelope with clear plastic raincoats, a super-sharp dark suit with a zip-up shirt in lieu of wearing a tie, a patent leather suit and a military-inspired chocolate brown jacket with electric blue trim. In the midst of the mayhem, McQueen also jumped on the three-piece bandwagon properly with a shiny khaki-grey suit worn with a metallic grey tie, as well as a cool brown double-breasted suit. It’s about as close to conventional as you’ll ever get with McQueen.

Kenzo broke with convention – their waistcoat came out as a casual addition to trousers, a shirt and a cap and there were plenty of suits with a shorter leg length – only those with good calf muscles need apply.

Hermes added bold checked blazers to tailored trousers, sweaters in rich shades instead of shirts and scarves casually knotted at the neck instead of ties.

Scene-stealing shoes

We’ve reached an alarming era whereby some men will wear flip-flops to work, or worse, those hose-down plastic monstrosities known as Crocs. Well, the designers have deemed that a more adult approach to footwear is required. Even if you’re wearing trainers, the likes of Lacoste and Lanvin will insist you wear them trimmed with patent leather. Carolina Herrera has soft brown trainers with a retro bowling shoe edge as well as sleek dark leather dress shoes for the impeccable man. And if you want to keep your posh kicks in tip-top condition, Carolina Herrera even offers a shoe care kit in a travel pack.

There are plenty of brogues, patent leather dress shoes and slightly pointed toes in keeping with the sharp suits that are around at the moment. It’s all rather 1920s gangster, but still pretty cool.

For the bolder bloke, there are white shoes and grey shoes – and for the truly adventurous, Diesel’s Submarine boots come in white or silver. They should probably be approached
with caution lest you look like Ziggy Stardust.

Attention to detail

Belts are not just a practical strap of leather to hold your trousers up. This season belts have attention-seeking buckles, metallic colours and are sometimes even worn low on the hip more for decoration than to prevent an embarrassing incident.

Lanvin’s belts well and truly embrace the metallic trend and other items in their accessory kitty are equally eye-catching – the blingy cufflinks, the jewel-coloured ties and the very gangster white leather gloves to name a few. Diesel’s belts are equally ornate but a bit more aggressive in style, looking like something that might be worn by a vain soldier. The caps in Diesel’s accessory range have a military-inspired shape but they are funked up by being presented in black denim or shiny white rather than army issue khaki.

For a man seeking a more subtle approach, Carolina Herrera has introduced a range of simple belts this season in woven leather. Carolina Herrera also makes sure you’ve got plenty of places to keep your millions this season with an extensive range of wallets and coin holders (can’t really call it a purse if it’s for guys, really). There are some that embrace logomania while others are a bit more understated.

While not quite as flamboyant as Lanvin’s white leather gloves, Carolina Herrera has gloves, which she says are for golf or hunting, but in their rich, sumptuous leather may just be worn for warmth by men who have never played a round or run with the hounds.

In this era of onerous airport security, it’s far preferable to travel with just carry-on luggage – it means less bags to be X-rayed and scrutinised and no time at all spent waiting at carousels for luggage that might or might not appear. As a result, plenty of labels are keen to design holdalls that can indeed accompany you on the plane. Some designers are even calling them ‘boarding bags’. Lanvin’s holdall is durable with black leather trim and a brass lock on the bag while Kenzo’s boarding bags are in sumptuous chocolate brown leather. Laptop bags don’t escape the attention of designers either with Armand Basi doing them in black and grey with gold zippers, a simple brown leather number from Carolina Herrera and the modern Avoroties bag by Dunhill.

Alexander McQueen has gotten into bed with Samsonite to develop a range of luggage that is a million miles away from ordinary. The travel cases on wheels and boarding bags are in splendid mock croc or a slightly spooky design that makes the bag look like it has ribs. Or for the man who still can’t bring himself to travel light – and heaven knows, if you’re transporting your three-piece suit you don’t want it crushed – try McQueen’s garment bag in elegant cream or even a trunk from Carolina Herrera.