There’s nothing that we dream about more during winter than the arrival of spring. Although we might be cuddling under blankets for warmth at the moment, sunnier days are just a few short months away. And we’re not the only ones who know it.
Designers have been working hard to set the tone for their spring-summer 2016 collections and we are starting to have a pretty complex idea of what the new trends are going to look like. But while it’s already clear that spring and summer fashion in 2016 will be eclectic to say the least, we can already see that some trends are going to shape the way we shop in the following months.
So if you’re worried about updating your wardrobe for the warmer days to come, you have a complex list of the upcoming fashion trends for spring and summer right here, to help guide you through the new fashion-conscious choices that you’ll have to make when planning your new outfits.
This guide is the first part of a 2-part series, so if you’re interested in the 2016 Spring/Summer trends for women’s wear, head on over to the second part of this guide (which you can find here).
A. Men’s Wear
While they might be anticipated with less fervor than the women’s fashion collections, men’s fashion trends will be just as important in shaping what and how we wear next year. The Spring/Summer collections for 2016 showcased an intersection between edgy modern elements and classic, vintage-inspired shapes. And even though designers experimented with different symbols and styles, the overall feeling was one of relaxation and playfulness, with key common features surfacing after the debut of each collection.
Runway Highlights and Featured Trends
Fashion-forward men have a lot to look forward to when expecting the new spring-summer collections, as designers catered to both elegant attire aficionados and edgy urban-wear lovers. There are some very exciting new trends showcased by many designers in their new clothing lines and we can all look forward to seeing how these innovative designs will shape men’s fashion next year.
Elegant and well put-together outfits are a hallmark of the 2016 spring season. Urban-wear lovers with a love for edgy details, it’s your time to shine!
Tweet this
Oversize me
Oversized clothes appear to be all the rage this year as many collections have featured this style in shirts, kimonos or coats. The oversized coats were paired with knee-length shorts as well as more elegant trousers in creations such as those of Ovadia & Sons, Cadet, Richard Chai and Billy Reid. Not only are the coats versatile, they work well for men with different body types and the give the overall look a more relaxed and sporty feel.
Left to right: designs by Billy Reid, Cadet, Ovadia & Sons.
Punk’s not dead indeed!
Saint Laurent’s collection “Surf Sound” featured some amazing punk-rock jackets and went against the tide with the skinny jeans for its Californian surfer life-style inspiration, despite many other designers opting for a wider trouser style for next summer. Hedi Slimane presented punk rock leather jackets with metal appliques as well as other seventies inspired prints and bold colors.
Skinny jeans were paired with typically American tank-tops, cardigans and jackets, all embellished with bold graffiti-inspired accents.
Designs by Hedi Slimane for Saint Laurent
Nature meets fashion
A very popular trend this year is that of incorporating nature-inspired patterns, whether it’s floral designs or animal shapes, into the fresh summer looks. Louis Vuitton’s collection featured prints of flowers and cranes embroidered on light, silky fabrics in a sporty and playful concept revolving around travel.
Play around with nature-inspired patterns! This season, flowers aren’t just reserved for women’s fashion.
Tweet this
Other collections such as those of Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci and Hermes presented floral suits and jackets.
Left to right: designs by Dolce & Gabanna, Hermes, Louis Vuitton.
The 70’s are still going strong
It seems that the 70’s are still inspiring designers all around the world as many used retro prints and styles from the era in their new collections. Creations from Neil Barrett, Marni and Gucci utilized specific elements such as oversized collars, contrast buttons and colorful prints.
Seventies inspired ensembles showed ankle length trousers and utilitarian jackets or, in the case of Gucci, psychedelic shirts and bowties, oversized lapels and intensely-colored patterns.
Left to right: designs by Gucci (the first two), Marni (the third).
Scarves for the summer? Yes!
A popular feature of many outfits was the scarf, which came in many shapes and sizes on the runway for the 2016 spring-summer collections. From Saint Laurent’s full, long, flower pattern scarves to the slim silk bandanas featured by Louis Vuitton, Margaret Howell and Hermes, it seems that you can choose nothing better to compliment your look next summer than a playful scarf.
Left to right: designs by Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Saint Laurent.
Baggy trousers are in
It seems many designers have chosen a more baggy style of trouser for the 2016 summer look. Flowing, less structural designs surfaced in many different interpretations on the runway, from Brioni’s cropped, neutral but elegant trousers to Stefano Pilati’s free-flowing, wide designs paired with suit jackets that drew focus on a narrowed waist line. Duckie Brown’s experimental approach featured even more voluminous trousers paired with sheer tops and created a flowing, exaggerated silhouette.
Choose baggy trousers instead of slim fits. SS 2016 is about free-flowing designs and clever accessories.
Tweet this
Left to right: designs by Duckie Brown, Brioni, Ermenegildo Zegna.
So many stripes
Stripes are very popular for the new summer designs for both men and women. Many collections have displayed anything from vertical-striped suits to striped shirts and blazers as well as trousers featuring the pattern.
Ovadia & Sons featured stripes using the collection’s color schemes while Boyswear’s hippie aesthetic softened some of the designs by using stripes in its trouser and shirt models. Bottega Veneta and Salvatore Ferragamo used vertical, colorful stripes for fresh and elegant designs of suits and shirts.
Left to right: designs by Bottega Veneta, Ferragamo
Timeless leather jackets
Leather is still one of the go-to materials for designers to work with, even for the spring-summer collections. Leather jackets appeared on several catwalks and came in a wide variety of styles. Saint Laurent’s aforementioned punk rock designs paid tribute to the surfer music fashion while J. W. Anderson paired symmetrical designs with pleated trousers in order to add a bit of edge and structure to outfits in his samurai-themed collection.
Left to right: designs by J. W. Anderson, Saint Laurent.
Vintage sun glasses are a hit
A very popular accessory in several fashion shows was the pair of vintage sun glasses that completed many of the looks. Saint Laurent’s collection featured white-rimmed 70s themed sun glasses that popped out while Prada and Dior chose vintage styles inspired from the 60s and 70s in order to add an extra touch to their playful designs.
Top row left to right: designs by Gucci, Saint Laurent. Bottom row left to right: designs by Tiger of Sweden, Canali.
Sportswear sophisticated
Keeping in tune with the more relaxed approach that many designers chose to take towards their new spring-summer collections, sportswear was given a more sophisticated make-over on many runways. Explorer and desert themed outfits showed modern, edgy styles intertwined with vintage details.
John Elliott used playful shapes and textures and paired them with a brilliant monochrome in order to achieve a relaxed look. The casual bomber jackets so popular in the 50s were used by Versace, Luis Vuitton and Alexander Wang for a cool, relaxed look.
Left to right: designs by Versace, Louis Vuitton, Alexander Wang.
Men’s bags
With so many relaxed, vintage-inspired outfits planned for the spring-summer season of 2016, it’s no wonder there were a few accessories that created buzz on and off the runway. Burberry Prorsum paired some of the delicate lace designs with leather briefcases for a sophisticated and elegant look. Balmain’s military-inspired outfits were perfectly matched with explorer-themed backpacks.
From duffels to briefcases, backpacks and gym bags, the runways boasted gorgeous models carrying a variety of bags. The common denominator? Usability. A bag needs to be structured, utilitarian and travel-ready.
Backpacks
This season, backpacks were showcased in almost every menswear collection shown. While Michael Kors favored elegant, leather backpacks, designers such as Greg Lauren preferred slouchy canvas backpacks adorned with leather straps and cleverly-placed details.
Eccentric designers chose unconventional fabrics (for instance, DSquared2 featured nylon-camp packs during the runway show). Either way, travelling efficiently seemed to be the major theme.
Military references were also evident across the runway. Bellstaff, the renowned British clothing manufacturer paid homage to the British Army by showcasing a show-stopping military cape. In fact, Belstaff also reworked military wear into many of their garments and accessories (namely backpacks). Military greens were also present, so it’s safe to assume that military inspired vertical messenger bags will be hot this spring season.
Duffel Bags
Large bags, from duffels to carryalls, were also a massive player within the SS16 collections. Intense colors, patterns and prints reigned supreme, with massive, jumbo bags being featured in Vivienne Westwood’s and Coach’s collections.
Waist Bags
Who would have ever guessed that waist packs could ever make a comeback? Well, leave a difficult task to creative designers and allow yourself to be surprised. Most of us immediately think of fanny packs when we hear about waist packs, but this season, designers came up with a completely fresh take on this seemingly kitsch concept.
Featuring multiple front-facing zippers and boasting a long and flat design, waist packs reminded viewers of fancy explorers. They, too, featured black and white leather, for a classier look.
Vivienne Westwood, however, dared to push the limits even further by ignoring embellishment and putting everything into flashy prints and intense colors.
Tote Bags
Versatility was the common denominator here as well, with tote bags coming down the runway in neutral tones or striped prints throughout the shows of designers such as Tommy Hilfiger and John Varvatos. Gucci, however, threw the ball out of the park by showcasing an unforgettable tote bag made of luxurious, red leather that was brilliantly embossed.
Leather and vintage inspired backpacks were also very popular with many designers for this season. Alexander Wang opted for some leather duffle-bags in order to complete the cool and urban style of his collection. Calvin Klein Collection’s urban, cool new look was completed by dark, modern backpacks as well.
Gentlemen, if there’s one thing to be mindful of, it’s your bag. Whether leather duffle-bags, urban-inspired designs or a cool backpack, this is an accessory you don’t leave home without.
Tweet this
Another massive trend for SS16 men’s bags is color coordination! Yes, you’ve heard it. JP Yim and other world-class designers have matched the prints or stripes on their bags to the umbrellas or jackets the models ran down the runway in. Perhaps it’s time that we took a closer look at how we mixed and matched our accessories too.
Top row left to right: designs by Versace, Louis Vuitton. Bottom row left to right: designs by Balmain, Calvin Klein.
Shoes to look for
It’s no surprise by now that there were some amazing shoes featured on the runway these past few months. Sandals were a popular choice, whether you consider Lanvin’s dark, heavy leather designs or the simple but timeless selection by Hermes. However slip-on shoes were also very heavily featured in shows. Burberry Prorsum opted for traditional patterns in order to obtain a classic elegance while Moschino experimented with colors for a vibrant, modern and relaxed appearance.
Top row left to right: designs by Balmain, Hermes. Bottom row left to right: designs by Burberry Prorsum, Moschino.
Conclusion
Designers are boldly incorporating unexpected elements into their garments and while we may not be as daring with our outfits, there’s clearly tremendous potential of incorporating these trends into our wardrobes. Either way, we’ve got so many creative solutions to accessorize and improve our style that we can’t wait for spring to finally greet us.