subject: Men's Spring Fashion Designers For 2010 [print this page] Style pieces in men's fashion are often accused of being much too rigid and unforgiving, and rightly so. Notice how fashions that are considered 'masculine' are structured, stiff or boxy more often than not. From shapely shoulder pads to solid rectangular briefcases, the man's closet is one of defined shapes. Men who want to tap into softer, less rigid clothes ought to pick up an idea or two from the latest collection at high-end labels.
A Softer Edge
Don't get Miuccia Prada wrong; her goal wasn't to fully emasculate the male image of her models. Instead, her achievement was maintaining the classic style of the quintessential - if slightly Euro - male, while at the same time softening his usually sharp demeanor. And to that end, her collection for spring was a very effective medium.
Take the age-old two button suit, for example. At its most businesslike, it's paired with a crisp white shirt and a smart necktie - the perfect outfit for the office. Replacing the last two items, however, was a white plunging v-neck tee that toned down the formalness of the suit without detracting from its put-together image. There it was, a classic piece of men's fashion, styled and reduced to the barest minimum with a touch of softness to it.
Successive looks followed suit, pun intended, with two button DB jackets paired with separate pants were given the same treatment. The jacket was later pared down even more to a very unstructured cardigan, and then further on to a sleeveless perforated version. This shoulder- and neck-baring paired with the transition to less structured style pieces was easily the biggest recurring theme throughout the collection.
Aside from the execution of the garments, it was also noticeable that Prada ran a wholly monochromatic fashion show composed of just blacks, whites and grays. Mixing up the colors and letting them contrast with each other, however, kept them from creating that somber feeling that usually accompany such dark and heavy color palettes.
Pieces to Get
The Prada show for spring leaves three distinct lessons. First, it's time to get a gray suit if you don't already have one, and then actually wear it. Gray suits were a big trend for fall and winter, but it appears that they'll be equally popular for spring given how men's labels are churning out their respective lighter versions of the suit. You don't even need to wear it all together; you could follow Miuccia's steps and mix up black and gray suit pieces.
Second, it may be time for you to buy a couple of new outerwear pieces. It's not like the styles of outerwear change radically every season; in fact, the ideal first piece to get is the cardigan because it's so versatile and barely changes by the year. Aside from that, think about buying a more minimalist jacket, such as a slim fit two button version with a low stance, little padding and the usual amount of sharp tailoring.
Lastly, rethink how you layer and about what you layer with each outfit. Should you wear a shirt and a necktie just because you're wearing a suit jacket? That's the kind of mold that Prada is trying to break. Swap a plunging tee in for that shirt if you've got the body for it. Should you really feel the need to wear a workday necktie, do so with the suit but layer in a soft contrasting cardigan to create a modified three piece ensemble.
Don't worry too much about the perforated garments; those styles very rarely take hold in the men's fashion scene. If you have a style piece that you want to maximize, though, try layering it under an opaque v-neck (preferably plunging) tee. That way, you can still seem fashion-forward but hit exactly the right notes of propriety.
by: Hendrik Pohl
welcome to Insurances.net (https://www.insurances.net)
