The Spring Style Guide: 10 More Looks To Inspire

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The Spring Style Guide: 10 More Looks To Inspire

Words by Chris Elvidge | Photography by Mr James Robjant | Styling by Ms Otter Jezamin Hatchett

15 April 2022

The secret to spring style? Restraint. While it’s easy to get excited at the first sight of sun and immediately reach for the shorts and T-shirt, a more prudent approach will serve you better as the temperatures continue to rise. In the second instalment of our spring style guide (you can find part one here) we’re taking you through another 10 outfits designed precisely for this uncertain time of year, when optimism fills the air, but sunny days can soon give way to brisk evenings. Expect lightweight fabrics and easy-to-layer pieces along with a full complement of new-season accessories, plus a few adventurous printed shirts and T-shirts that’ll serve double-duty when summer – finally – arrives.

01.

Dress up the denim shirt with L.E.J

Think of versatile wardrobe staples and a denim shirt should be one of the first things that comes to mind. Worn untucked and open over a tee, it’s a failsafe option for weekends and downtime – but don’t neglect its potential for more dressed-up outfits, too. We’ve styled this classic denim shirt from Mr Luke Walker’s workwear-inspired menswear line L.E.J. with pleated trousers from Mr P. cinched in at the waist with a tonal nubuck-leather belt from Anderson’s, and finished the look off with a red neckerchief from Ralph Lauren’s RRL.

02.

Get experimental with Nanushka

The short-sleeved, camp-collar shirt is no longer the “jazzy shirt” it was five years ago, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still have a little fun with it. In this example, the Budapest-based menswear brand Nanushka has adapted it with embroidered cut-out sections and, in a nod to the design of military field jackets, twin flap pockets at the hip. A standout piece that speaks for itself, we’ve styled it here with a classic denim worker jacket from Carhartt’s popular WIP line.

03.

Double up on denim with AMIRI and Gallery Dept.

Mr Mike Amiri’s namesake brand doesn’t do things by halves, and neither should you. Throw his eye-catching star-embellished denim jacket – a collaboration with fellow Los Angeles brand Chemist – over an oversized flannel from Acne Studios and flared jeans from Gallery Dept. for a double-denim look that’s less cowboy, more rock star. And speaking of rock star, don’t forget the sunglasses: we’ve stuck with the LA theme and selected a pair of yellow lens Rhevision frames from another Angeleno designer, Mr Rhuigi Villaseñor’s Rhude.

04.

Do as the Italians do with Boglioli

Reports of the death of the suit have been greatly exaggerated. Just look at Italy, spiritual home of warm-weather tailoring, where the family-run Milanese tailoring firm Boglioli is doing a roaring trade in lightweight suits such as the stone-coloured cotton number seen here. Worn with loafers an open-necked shirt – ours is from Charvet – it’s a winning formula for wedding season, which, after a couple of years in stasis, is set to stage a serious comeback over the coming months.

05.

Add texture to your outerwear with Mr P.

All hail corduroy, the king of fabrics. Its napped finish lends a softness similar to velvet but the raised ridges, known as “wales”, give it a more substantial, utilitarian feel, making it perfect for workwear-inspired pieces such as this camp-collar overshirt from Mr P. As for the rest of the outfit, white denim – a warm-weather classic – cuts a sharp contrast against the russet tones of the corduroy shirt, while Marni’s leather-trimmed tote bag offers day-long storage with style to boot.

06.

Trip through time with Wales Bonner

Do you like your clothes to come with an interesting cultural backstory? If so, you’ll love the SS22 collection from British designer Wales Bonner, which channels the vibrant style of the jazz scene in Burkina Faso during the 1970s as seen through the lens of Burkinabè portrait photographer Mr Sanlé Sory. Even if you don’t care about all that, it’s still a great range of clothes, full of snappy retro sportswear (these burgundy trackpants are a highlight) and summer-ready logo tees. Just sling a saxophone around your neck and you’re ready to go.

07.

Get yourself a tiny bag (from Acne Studios)

Warmer weather equals fewer items of clothing and therefore fewer pockets, so unless you plan on a) travelling light or b) carrying your belongings in your hands, then you’re going to need a bag. Acne Studios’ miniature messenger bag may not hold a beach towel but it does provide a place to stash your phone, keys and other belongings that would otherwise be digging into your thighs when you sit down. That’s the practical argument, anyway. It’s also makes for a punchy style statement.

08.

Wear all of your jewellery at once

What separates a good outfit from a great outfit? It’s all in the finishing touches. As the frontiers of male self-expression push further outward, this increasingly means jewellery. It’s great way of channelling your style, and, depending on which pieces you choose and how many of them you wear at once, it can be as subtle or as flamboyant as you like. We’ve taken a more-is-more approach here with a cabinet’s worth of jewellery from Hatton Labs, The Ouze, Seb Brown and Pearls Before Swine, but kept things in check by opting for silver throughout.

09.

Go all out in silk with Casablanca

Intrepid dressers who don’t mind turning heads and raising eyebrows will naturally warm to Casablanca, or Casa for short, the fashion project of French-Moroccan creative director Mr Charaf Tajer. Its printed silk shirts are proving to be one of this season’s runaway hits: a sign, perhaps, of the bold new direction in which menswear is headed. We’ve styled this green shirt with an equally eye-catching pair of trackpants from Wales Bonner and a suede pouch from the cult New York designer BODE.

10.

Make military green your new neutral

Neutrals, a set of muted, versatile colours that includes grey, navy, beige, black and white, are the dominant shades in our wardrobes for a reason, which is that they work well with anything – including each other. The only downside is that they can be a bit boring. But there is an alternative. Equally adaptable, but rather less ubiquitous are secondary neutrals such as military green, a blanket term which encompasses the olive-green of this TOM FORD tank top, the muddy green of these pleated Aspesi trousers and everything in between. Just don’t wear too much of the stuff, or risk being confused for a member of the armed forces. We’ve broken it up here with a cream-coloured shirt from Brunello Cucinelli.