Image via Complex Original
Now that we're halfway into the year, it's a good time to gauge where men's style is headed. While fashion week surges on in London, and tradeshows like Pitti Uomo exhibit next fall's coolest gear, we're taking a look at the past few months closely. From concerts like Summer Jam, numerous lookbooks, and the clothes that were all over hip-hop artists, these are The Best Style Trends of 2013 (So Far).
RELATED: The 10 Best Brands You've Never Heard Of
RELATED: 10 Brands That Are About to Blow Up
Patterned Pants
Last year Dockers got guys out of boring solid bottoms and convinced them that camo chinos were easy to pull off. It's only natural that other labels followed suit but took things to bolder levels. Club Monaco made pants not just in camo, but dot prints and interesting foulard and paisley. Madras pants, a prep staple, came back for summer. Streetwear brands like 10DEEP and Publish also pushed the envelope with all-over rose embroidered pants and snakeskin-inspired prints.
Dip-Dye
From classic oxfords, rugged chambrays, and comfortable T-shirts, plenty of men's pieces have undergone the dip-dye treatment. Menswear brands like Ovadia & Sons took the white oxford and dipped it in indigo, while designers like Damir Doma and 3.1 Phillip Lim played on black and white contrasts. On the streetwear side, G.P.P.R. made a chambray shirt that fades from light to dark and BWGH took the classic fisherman's sweater to a different level.
Sublimation-Printed Clothing
Sublimated, all-over prints started coming into play at the end of last year, but this year they're well, blowing up. Artists like Wil Fry and designers like Givenchy championed the style of printing on fabrics, which refers to dyes going from a gas directly to a solid state. This year designer Katie Eary is garnering attention for her prints, even dressing guys like 2 Chainz and Diggy Simmons. Sublimation prints also popped up on photographic printed shirts like IMNOTATOY's R. Kelly collection earlier this year and Stance socks commemorating NBA legends like Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing, and James Worthy.
Non-Sports Jerseys
Welcome to the team. Streetwear and sports have always drawn off each other's energies. Supreme has done up jerseys from sports like basketball, baseball, and hockey in the past, for example. But lately we're seeing high fashion takes on athletic gear too. French label Sandro released a minimal baseball jersey, while Les (Art)ists developed a following for their jersey-inspired tees with the birth years of fashion designers on the back. Pyrex Vision put the number "23" on the back of some of its wares as homage to Michael Jordan, and throwback-champ Fabolous has been spotted in a number of custom, fashion-inspired jerseys.
Bomber Jackets
With the varisty jacket's prevalence in the menswear and streetwear worlds, it wasn't surprising to see its military school cousin, the bomber jacket, come into prominence. Designers like Robert Geller and Maison Martin Margiela flipped the MA-1 silhouette into luxurious versions made of silk and minimal details, while Balenciaga did it in an all over floral print, as seen in A$AP Rocky's "Wild For The Night" music video. Supreme also did theirs in a graphic print—plastering crosses all over for the spring collection. The classic MA-1 jacket never went away though: A.P.C. reinterpreted it with velcro patches and all, and Kanye West was spotted wearing an Alpha Industries standard issue version.
Indigo Everything
Menswear's blue period is officially here. Not just for jeans anymore, indigo dyes have been utilized for T-shirts, chinos, outerwear, and button downs. West coast shop Unionmade has done several iterations of their indigo collection, and J. Crew has dipped several items in the dye too. Even younger, independent labels like The Windmill Club have given their slim-fitting oxfords the indigo treatment. Japanese brands like Kapital and Blue Blue Japan are leading the charge with next level indigo duds like v-neck pocket tees with old eastern influences and chore jackets made of textured sashiko fabric, used for things like judo uniforms.
Color Blocking
Do yourself a solid, and embrace colorblocked clothes. The past few months there have been a bunch of bolder ways to embrace colors. From Supreme's two-toned shirts to colorblocked panel shorts from J. Crew and Stussy, and designer Michael Bastian's capsule collection of Uniqlo polos, including a contrasting navy and salmon colorblocked version. Smaller companies like Stock Mfg. parterned with bloggers and industry types for a series of limited-run clothing items, some of which feature colorblocked sleeves and shirttails.
Tie Dye
Streetwear embraced its hippie side this summer. Stussy released tie-dyed versions of their iconic "World Tour" tee, and The Hundreds partnered up with legendary rock band The Grateful Dead for a psychedelic collaboration. Not to be outdone, HUF released a series of tie-dyed goods, including a Black Scale collaboration that's anything but gothic. Trippy, mane.
Washed Denim
Forget "dad jeans," light, washed denim is the move this season. After months of touting the benefits of raw jeans, perhaps men got tired of the initial breaking-in process and opted for a shortcut. Good thing the denim quality remained high as ever, with those necessary selvedge cuffs showing up on washes from denim companies like Levi's Vintage Clothing, Baldwin Denim, and even brands like Supreme.
OD Leather
The hottest trend at Summer Jam 2013? Leather, duh. En Noir hit the scene less than a year ago, and now the brand is rocked by celebrities everywhere. 2 Chainz wore a studded leather hat, similar to the ones by brands like Stampd LA. Soon, other brands like Fear of God LA popped up, and leather-paneled shirts, pants, and even basketball shorts became a reality.
Before that, LeBron James and D-Wade were spotted at All-Star Weekend wearing matching black leather pants. But it's not just about black—Drake hit the red carpet in bright red leather pants. Is it practical? Definitely not, but it's also not accessible—these skins cost some serious dough. Perhaps the high price of admission is what keeps celebrities and dudes with the cash flow buying into the club. But is there any staying power in leather T-shirts?
