The clocks have gone forward and it is now firmly established that it is (um) British summertime… I know we all begrudgingly lost an hour’s sleep over the weekend but it did allow me a fantastic opportunity to people watch that little bit longer…
Lately there is a big draw to menswear inspired looks…perhaps reflecting a penchant for stylish men, Johnny Weir anyone? Instinctively this look seems set to remain for the next two seasons and is definitely worth some consideration for adapting those pesky wardrobe dilemmas. The students of CSM are undoubtedly obsessed with little oxfords and blazers, with the occasional appearance of a bowtie and shirt tails. The trend is created by a looser silhouette, with playful colours, or shorter hemlines with very masculine tailoring to give them a more feminine edge. It’s the mixing and matching of this trend that makes it particularly difficult to pull off. We don’t literally want to look like a boy, but rather you want to, “…look like you borrowed your boyfriend’s shirt, your boyfriend’s jacket, your boyfriend’s trousers”. (Paul Smith s/s 2011)
Indeed, the continuing wardrobe staple for the s/s 2011 is the "boyfriend" blazer and a simple way to look chic whether on a fresh spring day or a mild summer's evening. A slightly oversized jacket or blazer, sleeves rolled up, is the pinnacle of relaxed cool. The boyfriend blazer has yet to reach the same levels of popularity as the two fashion trends which influenced it: boyfriend jeans and the boyfriend shirt. While the boyfriend shirt and denim trends have reached commonality and, thus, aren't considered trends anymore, the boyfriend blazer has found new sophistication and has been remodelled from last season with the introduction of patterned lining and embellished fastenings. The jacket is this week’s style-stakes winner as it (and hopefully us) are catapulted into summer… Happy style hunting!.