After a reboot of menswear in the past few years, the Spring/Summer collections have once again shone a ray of light on looks. In a refreshing update on menswear, Spring/Summer 2013 is another step forward for men with the collections perhaps being the most innovative and yet accessible we have seen in the past few years.
Inset is a man, sitting nonchalantly somewhere on Wall Street. What is striking is the mix of a well-tailored jacket with mesh backing—form and function. What delighted most was that it was as if designers were taking a leaf out of the books of couture and making it accessible for every man through colour, new shapes and new fabrics. Fittingly too, Spring/Summer is often a season of dilemma for men as light suits and cotton shirts don’t always keep one cool or looking cool. The snap above shows progress – a light and breezy blazer that is comfortable yet sharp enough to impress in any situation.
Springing up from the recent rise in attention to menswear, designers have begun creating collections for the everyday man. Burberry made a bit more of a brash statement in their contribution to the new trend, with old forms taking on new faces and functionality. Renovating the staple Trench with a new space-blanket-like material gave it a modern look, yet still retained its utilitarian nature. This light material keeps the wearer both comfortable and safe from the elements, of which the English Summer is so famous for. The pairing of the quieter, but no less interesting shirts, blazers and pants were the perfect match to the unique material.
Calvin Klein joined in with crepe ruche blazers, sports-uniform worthy button down shirts and heavy knit polo’s early on in the year. High-tech fabrics and sports wear dominated the collection. These outfits highlight a shift from purpose fashioned outfits, like dinner suits or gym gear, to outfits that can take a man from any given situation into the thick of another. Explicitly, the sports-jersey button down shirts of pro-mesh or wicking polyester construct transitions a man easily from boardroom to lounge room. The meshing gives the item lightness and breathability, something that staple Spring/Summer materials don’t always do.
Damir Doma Fisherman Pant – A silhouette previously uncommon in collections. “Children of the Sun” also saw the combination of loose and oversized looks paired with fitted, sleek items. The collection boasted silk and knits for the season.
The form and function of menswear is harking back to traditional constructs in a modern interpretation of loose and fitted ensembles with new colours and materials for a look and feel that is accessible for all. Hence, the fitting plays an integral role. Loose uppers add comfort and climate control, whilst tapered and fitted bottoms balances out the silhouette. This allows for the dressing up or down – only further highlighting the shift towards menswear for every man. Collections and general consumer wear have come around 360 degrees from clothes that use to just hang off men to clothes that seem to have been sculpted for them.
It is inevitable that menswear is evolving and adapting, stepping out of its chinos and into the future.
Images courtesy of The Sartorialist, Fashionising, Dazed Digital, Hypebeast, We Need A New Man and 21 Aaron Dissement
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