Inject a little Italian: Classic Style Influence from the Fashion Nation

Italy, she gave the world high-fashion names Dolce and Gabanna, Gucci, Armani and Prada, alongside youthful contemporary designs from the likes of 55DSL, Coolcha and Antony Morfato. The sheer volume of fashion-elite names the county has churned out is nothing but impressive and we could all do ourselves a favour and give our wardrobe some Italian influence this coming winter.

Italian style is more varied than most people think. It’s a big country and trends differ as they do in any other European nation, but one thing that is guaranteed is the emphasis and consideration that goes into Italian fashion. From the graffiti covered streets to marbled floors of bourgeois hotels, style is key to Italian culture regardless of class, sexual orientation or profession.

High-gorge suits effortlessly dressed down, unstructured sweats and graphically designed street wear; premium denim and confidence when accessorising all come to mind when thinking of Italian styles. These are all easy elements we can incorporate into our everyday looks so here are our top tips when doing so.

Starting with denim, the cornerstone of many a good outfit, there are several names that come to mind. Diesel, Reply, Versace all deserve a nod of appreciation, but to inject true Italian style, choose a pair of Armani jeans from the collection available at Diffusion. From a relaxed fit to more constructed styles, there is sure to be a pair suited to you and your Italian influence.

To give your denim a grown-up finish, pair it with a stunning suit jacket from Italian tailoring experts Mr Rick Tailor. Available at Matches Fashion, this two button wool jacket would look effortless worn open with a crisp white shirt, unbuttoned at the top with Armani Jeans for a perfect smart day outfit.

If tailoring isn’t your thing, why not opt for a strong knit. We need all the fine winter wear we can get and this gorgeous Boglili chunky cardigan would look great paired with a Missoni scarf and wool pea coat. It’s the little details that set the Italian fashion elite apart so scarfs and gloves from high-end names are a must to emulate the look.

If casual warmth is what you want, why not opt for a street-ready sweat from 55SDL? The iconic Figgers pull-over is good place to start if any. Pair it with skinny jeans and Italian-American footwear Gourmet for a cool, casual style unique to you and your attitude.

So there you have it, the top tips for injecting some Italian style into your wardrobe. Just remember - Italian style transcends age and never decays, wear it with confidence and you’ll look every bit the fashion icon.

Get the Look with SnapBack Caps

The Snapback Cap: How To Wear It

The snapback cap is a dividing accessory. With the rise of smart, three piece suites, the cap is seen as adolescent streetwear. However, last year the cap was seen on the DKNY, Dior, Van Assche and Alexander Wang catwalks for autumn/winter 2012, so if it’s styled the right way, it can make an interesting statement that will ensure that you won’t be forgotten easily.

Wear It With Your Suit   

Dior Homme used snapback caps as accessories to the suit. This is a trend that easily translates to everyday wear, as you simply have to match the colour of your suit and the hat. If you choose to wear a trouser cut wider and baggier, your outfit will echo streetwear a little stronger than if you were to wear a skinny cut. The contrast between the two keeps the look smart, but youthful.

Streetwear

If you’re not really a suit-wearing type guy, then perhaps urban streetwear is more your style. Pair a snapback cap with low slung, relaxed trousers, a sweatshirt and a backpack. If you’re really embracing this style, go for high-tops too. Keep the colour palate muted, and use fabrics like suede, shearling and leather, and you’ll look cutting edge, but not garish or over the top.

Celebrities

Many hip hop artists are regularly spotted in snapback hats, such as Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, and Kanye West, as well as sportsmen like Michael Jordan. Caps are also popular with female celebrities, such as Megan Fox, Gwen Stefani and Rihanna have been spotted in them.

On The High Street

High street chains have seen a surge in sales of caps, with sales increasing by up to five times in comparison to the last year. New Era are a company famous for their caps, and are the official manufacturer for the caps of every Major League baseball team in the US. So when you see celebrities wearing a New York Yankees snapback cap, it’ll be by New Era. They also have other designs as an alternative to the classic baseball design, such as camouflage pattern, or a Batman design. Obey Clothing have caps in a retro design, and the Vans quirky Aztec prints are bang on trend.

2012 and the Return of Men’s Sports Luxe

2012 was a pretty good year for British sport. With the Olympics, Paralympics, Bradley Wiggins winning the Tour de France, and Andy Murray won the US Open as well as Olympic gold, it’s no wonder that Sports Luxe was back in fashion for men. Initially a spring/summer trend, it looks set to stick around.

How You Can Get The Look

Throw on a tracksuit and some trainers; pretend you’re off to the gym? You’re forgetting the ‘luxe’ part. Look to sportswear as inspiration not the gospel; keep the cut of the clothes in mind and have fun with textures and fabrics. Mix smart and casual for an exciting look.

Colour

Autumn/winter styles always have a more muted colour palate, reflecting, strangely enough, autumnal colours. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, though you may think it might make you fade away in a crowd, but if you pair interesting colours together such as a burgundy and a forest green in the same outfit, then it can make someone look twice.

The Bomber Jacket

A key piece for the sports luxe trend, the bomber jacket is a short jacket with ribbed cuffs and hem. Find one that fits in with your personal style so it complements the rest of your wardrobe. You could go for a baseball style jacket, a leather bomber or something inexpensive in cotton- it’s the silhouette that matters for this sports inspired trend. If you’re looking for something that puts you apart, then opt for something in a pattern or with contrasting sleeves.

Pop it on over the top of a shirt for a sharp smart-casual combination.

The Trainer 

Along with the usual big sportswear names, one of the best designers for the trainer is Cruyff. Football legend Cruyff created the ultimate sports shoe in 1979 - an elegant, luxurious, sophisticated shoe- just waiting for the sports luxe trend to appear. Find your pair of Cruyff trainers at Gravity Clothing. Choose a pair in suede or leather and your shoe will embrace the smart-casual feel of your outfit; stick to grey, black or navy and you will retain a sophisticated air.

Fjällräven - The Outdoor Brand for the Urban Gent

With the all too inevitable failure of the British summer to produce even a modicum of sunshine it’s perhaps not surprising that some of the most popular and sought after men’s fashion brands this season have been those that draw their inspiration from a rich heritage of rugged outdoor functionality - yet still offer the urban gentlemen a level of style and quality of design that looks just as at home on the football terraces than on the side of a windswept rock face. Rural British heritage brands such as Barbour have seen a great renaissance over the last couple of years, while the likes of outdoor menswear labels including Penfield and North Face have successfully brought the great outdoors to British cities.

Hot on the heels of such outdoor brands, British men’s fashion has seen an influx of fantastic men’s designer clothing from Scandinavia - where quality of build and rugged, hardwearing durability are all but essential criteria in the design of menswear in order to survive the elements in what are often harsher climates. Fjällräven (translating literally as “arctic fox”) is one such example of a brand that has made this transition. Taking in over half a century of founder Ake Nordin’s experience, Fjällräven has sought to perfect outdoor garments of the highest order including its immensely popular Greenland waterproof jacket and an excellent range of rucksacks (such as the Kanken bags available from Red Square Clothing).

What to Wear with a Pork Pie Hat

Pork pie hats get their tasty name from their resemblance to a classic British pastry. Their low, round crowns and short brims suit a wider variety of face shapes and body types than most hats. Once the favored style for Victorian dandies, pork pie hats evolved into the fashion statement of choice for jazz musicians and ska bands. Since very little is cooler than the jazz scene, it's no wonder that pork pie hats are making a comeback.

Like any topper, the pork pie hat has its own fashion rules, although the pork pie is such an adaptable hat that it might be better to consider them guidelines rather than rules. If you have the confidence for it, you can wear a pork pie hat with almost anything.

Casual Pork Pie Hats

The simple silhouette of a pork pie hat goes well with casual clothing. What makes a pork pie hat look more casual is its fabric; in an open-weave straw or canvas construction, it looks a bit less starched than in more formal fabrics. Prints and patterns also make a hat look more appropriate for weekends than for work days. Pair a pork pie with a button-down shirt in a vintage style or with a simple t-shirt. It's a natural match for a bowling shirt, especially if the hat and brim colors coordinate with the two tones of the shirt.

Pork Pie Hats in More Formal Styles 

When you think of formal hats, you probably think of bowlers, fedoras and other shaped felt hats. Pork pie hats and felt hats have a few elements in common, but pork pies have an affable approachability that wider-brimmed fedoras may lack. That friendly appeal makes them well suited to more relaxed styles rather than extremely formal silhouettes that call for a more complex hat. A lightweight blazer with jeans and a pork pie hat is an excellent date-night option. For work wear, a pork pie is a good way to dress up long shirt sleeves and slacks when you aren't wearing a jacket. Save short sleeves for casual Fridays; even with a dapper hat, that style may be a little too relaxed for some offices.

How to Wear a Pork Pie Hat

Tipping the hat back on your head makes a pork pie hat look a little more rakish and casual. If you're slight or short, wearing your hat toward the back extends the line of your body upward rather than capping it with a flat horizontal brim. Moving the hat forward is a more businesslike look; it also tends to shorten a long face. Play around with how you wear your hat to find your best angles.

Complete the Look with Designer Accessories for Men

In the world of fashion it is probably fair to say that when considering the term “accessories” this tends to be something that is widely considered on the whole, an area of the clothing industry that is by and large predominantly associated with women’s wear , with items such as jewellery, hair accessories, designer handbags, purses and the like all regularly a focus of discussion - and indeed in many instances a “hot topic” - on online fashion blogs, as well as in the printed press in countries all over the world.

     But what of fashion and accessories for men I hear you cry? Surely there must be demand for suitable matching designer accessories to compliments men’s clothing too? Well, when it comes to men’s fashion accessories there is indeed now an increasing level of market and demand - and in turn a growing industry of specialist shops and online retailers tailoring their products purely toward the male accessories market and shying away from what is already a massively competitive and largely flooded female accessories marketplace.

     Moodys Worldwide for example, are one such retailer who have opted to specialise purely in a range of accessories for men – with a broad selection of quality leather wallets, smart ties, Mens silk scarves, leather belts, caps and other men’s accessories inspired and popularised by the recent resurgence in gentlemen’s country style clothing. Perfect alongside a quilted jacket, these fine accessories will suit any man looking for a classic country look, even if living in more modernised urban surroundings.

Designer Clothing - Big Brands for Large Men

Larger or taller men can sometimes face big challenges in the smart style stakes as a lot of clothes targeted at those with a bigger build tend to be extremely casual in nature. Jogging bottoms and tracksuit tops, though comfortable, aren't a great style fit for every occasion.

With this in mind, I've been looking at the offerings of Jacamo Menswear this week to try and hone in on pieces that tick the boxes of smart and stylish, yet stay suitable for men of all sizes.

One collection that stood out is the Penguin spring/summer range. Available in sizes up to a 5XL and in longer length options too, Penguin largely concentrate on polo shirts and chinos that are smart enough to pass the pub/club test while staying comfortable. Prices sit around the £50 to £70 mark, making their pieces slightly pricey but still realistic for designer gear. They also design boots and shoes to complement the street smart look.

Penguin clothes perfectly encapsulate the preppy sportswear look that's popular at the moment. The polo shirts and chinos have a touch of the American Ivy League style, but are grown up enough for men in their twenties and beyond to wear.

The brand itself does have its sporty connotations, though with a more gentlemanly nature. Penguin was started by American Abbot Penderson, who was a keen golfer. It's also a brand that has been favoured by some real male fashion icons in the past including Frank Sinatra, Clint Eastwood and Dean Martin - if it's good enough for Ol' Blue Eyes, I'm sure it's good enough for a pint down the pub, a trip to the shops and putting a few holes on the local golf