Refresh Your Wardrobe
Whether you’re suffering from a seriously depleted bank balance or carrying a few extra pounds post-Christmas, there are several reasons why your personal style may be taking a back seat at the moment. But it’s time to buck up and look sharp – 2015 is just around the corner and the start of a new year is the perfect time to re-evaluate and refresh your personal style. After all, our wardrobes and looks can quickly become stale if we don’t experiment and push ourselves to try new things. With this in mind, we break down six easy ways you can switch up your style game this year…
1. Put A New (Striped) Spin On Tailoring
Striped tailoring is a key 2015 trend that can be easily adapted to your personal taste and confidence level. Classic tailoring devotees will appreciate the return of the pinstripe suit (as seen on the SS15 runways of labels such as Dior Homme), while those leaning towards the casual end of the spectrum can choose from boating blazers covered in colourful block-stripes, cricket-inspired designs, as well as sleek and contemporary monochrome versions. Early adopters have been spotted flouting traditional sartorial rules on stripes, clashing horizontal and vertical styles for an eye-catching contrast – something we’re not averse to, so long as you bear in mind basic colour matching principles and vary the thickness of the stripes to provide clear definition between pieces. For example, try your pinstripe suit with a vertical striped (mid-width) dress shirt and diagonal/horizontal block-striped tie. For those who are a little more cautious, but still eager to try this trend out, why not opt for a classic button-down shirt with stripes that are slightly wider or in a more striking hue than what you’ve stuck to in the past?
Lookbook Inspiration
Key Pieces
- Asos Slim Fit Suit Jacket In Fine Stripe
- M&s Collection Luxury Pure New Wool Striped Suit
- Topman Selected Homme Hyde Blazer
- M&s Collection Best Of British Pure Wool Striped Suit
- Austin Reed Signature Contemporary Fit Blue Stripe Jacket
- Austin Reed Viyella Boating Stripe Jacket
- Joe Browns Rock Star Stripe Blazer
- M&s Collection Luxury New Linen Rich Tailored Fit 2 Button Striped Jacket
- Band Of Outsiders Schoolboy Knitted Wool And Cotton-blend Blazer
2. Rediscover Denim
Your jeans – those trusty wardrobe staples that serve as a blank canvas for virtually any look you may decide to come up with – will be taking centre stage this spring/summer. The coming months will see many of us using our denim pieces – which go beyond jeans and trucker jackets to pea coats, blazers and even full suits for SS15 – in a slightly different way. Instead of anchoring your outfit, these items will become the focal point, as seen on the runways at Prada (where exaggerated jeans stitching and detailing made an impression) and Dior Homme (where denim came washed and paint-splattered). As far as silhouette is concerned, although we’re seeing slightly more relaxed cuts than in previous seasons, anything from slim to straight fit is your best bet for 2015. With designers continuing to re-interpret denim each season, it’s high time we started viewing this fabric as more than simply the makings of a sturdy jacket or pair of jeans.
Lookbook Inspiration
Key Pieces
- Allsaints Brooks Denim Jacket
- Cheap Monday Denim Bomber Jacket
- Allsaints Fume Razor Jeans
- He By Mango Slim-fit Navy Tim Jeans
- Reiss Raza Leather Backpack Black
- Allsaints Sector Rucksack
- Marc By Marc Jacobs Full-grain Leather Backpack
- Burton Khaki Rucksack
- Sandqvist Hans Backpack
- He By Mango Contrast Canvas Backpack
- Eastpak Pakr Padded Backpack In Orange
- Herschel Rubber Strap Little America Backpack In Burgundy
- Herschel Nelson Copper 22l Backpack In Mustard
6. Loosen Up
Clothes could be set to get a little roomier in 2015. But don’t panic, this doesn’t mean you’ll be going back to baggy, 1990s-inspired skater styles. Rather, we’re finally moving away from the skin-tight tailoring and denim that has epitomised the last decade. Given their popularity on the runways and growing presence on shop floors, wide-legged trousers and roomier shirts aren’t just a trend but a new and burgeoning direction in menswear, changing the way we dress for the long run. If you’ve been growing weary of confining your fit to slim or skinny, 2015 is the year to branch out into straight cut legwear, boxier suit jackets, longline tees/shirts and lounge wear separates that drape around your frame rather than cling to it. Bottega Veneta’s Tomas Maier wholeheartedly embraced the wider silhouette for spring/summer 2015, showing both tailored and sporty pieces that were cut generously. If you’re going bigger for 2015, just remember that this look is all about easy, fuss-free elegance and not lazy messiness – be sure to get the balance right.
Lookbook Inspiration
Key Pieces
- Son Of Wild Tokyo Longline Shirt In White
- Asos Super Longline T-shirt With Relaxed Skater Fit
- Topman Charcoal Zip Hem Long Line Oversized Sweatshirt
- Asos Oversized Bomber In Scuba
- Ami Mens Grey Felt Wool Trousers
- Topman Tmd Charcoal Stripe Wide Trousers
- Cheap Monday Jumper In Chunky Knit
- Allsaints Anno Cardigan