The budding trends of 2013

Merry Marchmas! 

Despite grey skies and impromptu snow setting down in England, Spring fashion is finally awakening from the burrows of stock rooms. This year, the unluckiest year of the century, is all about colour and pattern. The rules are being bent like daffodils or thrown out all-together as men's fashion is taking a flowery turn.

Blue:

Designers are clearly lusting for the sea this year as Spring is set to be a wave of blue hues. Richard Nicoll's (left) heavy use of blue may not seem groundbreaking, but his range of soft blues injected a drop of spezzatura to the rather casual choosing of open shirts, trainers and jeans. Whereas Salvatore Ferragamo (right) chose to use bold tones of eye-catching Curaçao blue. The palette created outfits of tonal brilliance, paired with other sun-scorched block colours to form a bright image of the seaside. Single-breasted blazers, shirts and tailored shorts were all drenched in the oceanic blues.

Camouflage: 

Military continues to win the war of trends in the form of the literally elusive camouflage. Dries van Houten (left) takes the print and stands its guard with camo printed jackets, blazers and trousers being utilised in relaxed styles; going for a dash of military. The base camp of Valentino (right) was the bomber jacket that bombarded the runway scene. The print ironically stood out from the rest of the collection, but the colours were stripped to the bone as neutrals to create patches of minimalism. 

Metallic/Neon: 

Making it safer to stylishly cross roads at night were the entrancing coats donned in the biggest advocate of the metallic trend; Burberry Prorsum (left). Rich colours full of zeal - fuschia, rich green and royal blue - transformed the traditional Burberry coat into unrecognizable foils. These dazzling statement pieces also had more subtler versions, such as accents on black woolen coats, or even foil short-sleeved shirts. 
Carrying on the vivid colouration was Gucci & E Tautz (right) whose vibrant tones of pink and yellow were matched with subdued  tones of black, grey and navy. The playful jumpers had hipster-chic designs but vivid tailoring was also seen, providing a more youthful option for the satorialist.

The Skater:

Because not everyone wants to be suffocated by a suit, Hipsterific Topman Design (left) introduced a collection straight from the 90's. An acid-bright collection of skaters nosesliding straight into graphic tees and slouchy sweatshirts, abstract patterns and grungy knitwear.  Astrid Andersen's (right) venue went for oversized silhouettes but for the most part played with stereotypical streetwear. Accessories were limited but the sheer was everywhere and darker colours (olive and lemon) made for an urban look.

Short... everything:

Cutting the post short are the seriously attractive models of Versace (left). Clothed in an array of candy coloured sleeveless jackets that were either paired with items of similar fabrics and textures (creating an almost two-piece feel) or simply worn alone. A hard look to pull off to be frank, but Richard James (right) took a comparatively more sensible approach, going for the old and sometimes forgotten blazer and shorts combo. Crisp linen and sometimes mismatched suits; a look that can fit into any mans wardrobe. 

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The trends have bloomed. But will they be worn?