Top 15 Spring/Summer 2012 Trends (Top-Left to Bottom-Right): Roberto Cavalli, Kenzo, Marlon Gobel / Shoes by Walk-Over, Raf Simons, Prada, Ermenegildo Zegna, Etro, Bottega Veneta, DSquared2, Versace, Marc Jacobs, DSquared2, Dolce & Gabbana, Roberto Cavalli, Timo Weiland
We know that you just rung in the new year, so it’s a little difficult to get your head around Spring/Summer 2012 when most of us have yet to witness our first real snowfall. Regardless, the stores are clearing out their Fall/Winter 2011 stock and online retailers spamming the hell out of us with adverts for their end-of-season sales. Come February, you’ll start seeing the first shipment of next season’s apparel and accessories hit the stores. So chill out, only two full months of winter left – plenty of time to start planning that spring/summer wardrobe.
For Spring/Summer 2012, men’s fashion trends are looking bolder than ever. Seasonal carryovers include most of the Spring/Summer 2011 Essential’s with a few new surprises. Leather sandals are still huge so unless you’re hitting the beach, lose the Havaianas. The silhouette remains relatively slim with slim/loose contrasts emerging. Accessories have gotten bigger, especially carryalls and weekenders. Colour is bigger for SS12 and covers a broader spectrum.
Thick stripes (mainly vertical) is a common theme evident in some of the SS12 collections coming out of Milan, Paris, London, and New York - namely those of Roberto Cavalli, Alexander McQueen, and Dries Van Noten. Men’s footwear will see a bit of a revolution next season. Suede bucks are at the forefront with kiltie fringe and tassels adorning many of the season’s dress shoes. Look for gradients and mismatches in the leather toe caps, heels, and uppers. Brightly coloured outsoles anyone?
Colour in general is going to be milked for all it’s worth in SS12. Muted and sun bleached colours, pastels, and metallics look incredible and are featured in many of next season’s SS12 collections. Colour blocking was huge for SS11 and continues to be for next season evolving beyond the primary colours of Jil Sander and Tommy Hilfiger SS11. Look for more creativity and complexity next season in what we’re calling Colour Blocking 2.0. DSquared2, Roberto Cavalli, Marlon Goblel, and Burberry Prorsum are excellent examples of this. If there’s going to be a colour of the season, an argument can definitely be made for yellow. Just about every single collection had at least one key statement piece in vibrant and mellow hues.
Sleeveless shirts, trench coats, and jackets are one of the more daring trends for SS12 with designers such as Raf Simons, Thom Browne, and J.W. Anderson leading the charge. Prada, Versace, and Burberry Prorsum are dabbling with embellishments in men’s apparel for SS12 and it looks great. Fabrics are wild with SS12 collections experimenting with silks and silk blends (D&G and Ermenegildo Zegna), mesh (Dolce & Gabbana), leather on denim (Bottega Veneta), big bold prints (D&G and Versace), and a lot of snakeskin (Roberto Cavalli and James Long).
This is by no means a complete list of all of the Men’s Spring/Summer 2012 trends. These are merely 15 of the essential trends that’ll have you standing out of the crowd next season. We’ll be exploring them in greater detail over the next few months.
[...] you’ve taken a look at the It’s All Style To Me Spring/Summer 2012 Essentials post, you will have noticed a list of some of the hottest runway trends for men in SS12. [...]