The 10 Best Style Trends of 2012

Image via Complex Original

Another '90s comeback that hit it big on the streets this year was the bucket hat. New rappers like Mr. MFN eXquire and Schoolboy Q wore the laid-back accessory, channeling LL Cool J and Ghostface's look from back in the day. It was refreshing to see something else other than a snapback or fitted on young stylish guys.

Jordans are forever and double monks are cool and all, but 2012 was the year of the running shoe. Nike's popular performance models such as Free Runs, Flyknits, and Roshe Runs were so well designed that they made a statement outside of the track. Guys picked up the sneakers in cool colorways and wore them with both casual and more formal looks.

Look at any photo from the '90s and you'll see men, women, boys, and girls with a button-up or sweater tied around their waists. Look at a photo now and you might see the same thing. We saw Kid Cudi bring the grunge look back first, and we called the trend exactly a year ago, but 2012 was when tying a plaid shirt around the waist hit it really big, with the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, A$AP Rocky, and even Rihanna pulling it off. It's a great style trend because anyone can try it (no need to buy anything new), and if you don't like it, all you have to do is take it off. Though, we urge you all to leave it tied on as it brings something interesting to a look's overall silhouette and more color and pattern depending on the shirt you use.

Leather pieces and real gold jewelry are expensive, but trends don't have to be exclusive to guys with a lot of dough. There were plenty of awesome designer parody tees this year, from COI's smart takes on Balenciaga and Givenchy, and Reason's Celine (Dion) shirts. Nick Wooster even picked up a take on Hermes with the "Murder Paris" tee. Outside of T-shirts, 40 Oz took New York by storm with the Balmain and Givenchy-inspired snapbacks.

The cozy boy lifestyle is too good to be true. Wear sweatpants out in public and still look cool? Yup! It's exactly why cool guys took on the trend so fast this year. The trick to being a cozy boy is to wear loungewear that's been tailored like outerwear. Dress up slimmer sweatpants and sweatshirts with awesome sneakers and a fitted jacket. Expect to see this trend well into next year until spring hits.

It was around this time last year that the New York Times noticed the return of a 1930s haircut regrettably referred to as the "Hitler Youth." Thus, 2012 saw a lot of guys shaving the sides of their hair buzzed and leaving a few inches at the top to work with. The 'do, which we prefer to call the side part, is universally flattering and automatically makes a guy look more put-together and stylish at the same time. For such an old haircut, it's surprisingly fashion forward. Which has us thinking, what old haircut will be the new go-to next year?

Cool dads got all their vacation shirts stolen from them this year when their sons got a hold of their stash. Who knew that huge hibiscus flowers printed on short sleeve rayon shirts would go from embarrassing to awesome? Outside of the vintage versions that came back via thrift stores and fatherly closets, on-trend brands brought the piece back in a modern way. Our favorite: the Hawaiian shirt from BAPE and Undefeated's spring/summer 2012 collection.

Speaking of awesome Hawaiian shirts, another huge trend this year was piling on patterns. Street style blogs showcased guys who weren't afraid to pair Breton stripe shirts with floral hats. Guys at Pitti Uomo and NY Fashion Week piled on paisley over paisley, animal print over animal print. Camo, though always a trend, was even more popular this year with both menswear and streetwear brands releasing plenty of tiger stripe camo, woodland camo, and duck camo items, and layering all of them over each other was totally acceptable in 2012.

Wearing all-black-everything was huge this year, thanks to the street goth movement. But well-dressed guys like A$AP Rocky, Kanye West, and Tyson Chandler pushed the trend to a higher place by incorporating leather into their dark looks. Black is an understated color, but leather is a luxe and expensive material, which is why the combo is so chic. It stunts without screaming new money. It's simple, bad-ass, and classic at the same time. Plus, it helps that brands like En Noir, Alexander Wang, and Givenchy are consistently making great black leather pieces.

Long chains, big chains, vintage chains... Chains were bigger than ever this year, thanks to Tity Boi, but one thing is for sure—they were made of gold. 2 Chainz brought back a lot of vintage gold jewelry from the '90s from Chanel to YSL to Versace. Big Sean rocked gold accessories everywhere, and A$AP Rocky brought all-gold grills back in a big way. All-gold Rolex watches were also the accessory to have this year. It's fitting that Trinidad James' "All Gold Everything" is the anthem to carry the trend into 2013.