The top high street menswear trends for Summer 2015
Fashion month matters when it comes to discerning the colours, cuts and key pieces we’ll be wearing in the future, but with so many designers showing such a broad spectrum of highly stylised looks, much of what’s pinned as the pinnacle of trendy often never actually gets put into production.
Arguably a more accurate barometer for the current state of menswear is what’s available on the high street, from budget retailers to mid-market brands.
Here’s our edit of the trends to buy into this season, without the need to cough up a month’s rent or track down an exclusive boutique.
1. Monochrome
With a new set of Pantones dubbed the colours to cop each season, it can be hard work keeping abreast of which hues you need to hunt down. Thankfully, this season’s trend for all-black, all-white, and black and white looks allows you to sidestep the seasonal colour switch ups – and still look stylish.
ASOS, River Island, Next and AllSaints all put their own distinctive spin on monochrome in their SS15 lookbooks, ranging from beach-ready white-on-white ensembles to edgier, rock-infused looks with a healthy dose of attitude.
All-black outfits, despite their connotations of adolescent goths for some, will always look classic, while all-white getups are ideal if you want something summer-appropriate that strikes the balance between subtle and statement-making.
Key to both, though, is mixing up textures (try synthetics with cotton or suede with denim, for example) and also checking whether or not a full monochrome aesthetic issuited to your skin tone. If you find yours isn’t really up to a single-colour ensemble, then try mixing in a piece or two in grey to help soften and pull your look together.
As for black and white outfits, choose one of the two as the dominant hue – for example, the colour of your suit or your jacket and trousers – and then add complementary surrounding pieces in the other colour, such as a vest, T-shirt, short-sleeved shirt or pair of shoes.
