You have probably noticed that, in recent months, the MR PORTER website has had something of an overhaul. One of the key features thereof is that, now, when you hover over “designers” on the homepage, you are reminded of the fact that we now offer somewhere in the region of 600 brands. We have to admit, even the members of the team here have to do a bit of a double take each time we see that number. And, while we know that a certain stripe of intrepid customer will be nothing but galvanised by the idea of such choice, we also know that there are many people out there who don’t have the time or inclination to verse themselves in such a universe of menswear. Below, then, we present a selection of brands that we feel, this spring, are particularly worth your attention – a feeling that is reflected in the way we have bought into these especially noteworthy collections. Consider it a cheat’s guide to the season, perhaps, or, to use the terminology of the trading floor, the latest “buy now” from our trusted team of experts…

Mr Alexandre Matiussi fielded a rather unusual colour palette for his AMI SS20 collection: that is, the main shades in play were black, blood red and hot pink. A traditional take on the season this was not. Yet, as the clothes land in MR PORTER’s stock room, we’re beginning to see how it all makes complete sense; there’s a sleek, graphic quality to this strident colour-blocking, which will be just as fun in the so-called “spring” we find ourselves entering now (ie, cold, wet, depressingly dull) as it will be on holiday in the sunnier months.

Under the stewardship of Mr Anthony Vaccarello, SAINT LAURENT has been veering in a rather louche, bohemian direction for some seasons now. But for SS20, in particular, the stars seem to have aligned for the brand, given how closely this particular look chimes with the season’s wider love affair with the a kind of globe-trotting, multi-cultural eclecticism that we’re going to go out on a limb here and call “the haute gap-year look”. The specific reference, in this case, was 1970s Marrakech by way of Los Angeles and, also, Sir Mick Jagger, which, to put it simply, means a whole lot of fun: loose, paisley-print shirts, velvet trousers, tie-dye knitwear and lots and lots of animal print.

Though Mr Mike Amiri’s rock ‘n’ roll-fuelled, Los Angeles-based brand may have made its first initial splash with painted biker jackets and destroyed skinny jeans, its SS20 show took a step in a new and rather romantic direction. The musical connection persists, of course – several pieces were embellished with graphics from the oeuvre of far-out guitarist Mr Jimi Hendrix. But beyond that, there was a refined and relaxed sense of luxury to this season’s offering, which is heavy on the pastels, velvet and breezily loose knitwear. The key piece here is the stretchy bell-bottom trousers – dare you be the one to bring these back – but we’re also keen on the elegant, ice cream-coloured tailoring and graphic camp-collared shirts.

For SS20, Acne Studios has done a collaboration with… Monster In My Pocket. For the record, we were taken aback, too. But the results are rather lovely – a series of archly ironic, but also attractive sweats, tees and bucket hats (as seen above), that feature blown-up prints of the creatures from this much beloved (by some people, perhaps) children’s toy franchise of the 1990s. As far as the wider collection goes, the 1990s seem to be a key reference point, too, whether it’s in oversized overshirts, chunky, Air Force 1-esque sneakers or the lurid pastel hues that permeate it all. Of course, the official line in the show notes was to do with photography, lenses, the refraction of light. But you’re more than welcome to ignore all that and just pick up a T-shirt with “Great Beast” written down the sleeves.  

This Japanese brand was launched on MR PORTER for the very first time in 2019, but that didn’t stop it from quickly becoming a favourite among our editors and buyers. Inspired by the world of sailing, but executed with the more mundane vicissitudes of contemporary urban life in mind, Nanamica’s collections are easily characterised by their neat minimalism and reliance on beautifully pragmatic technical fabrics. For SS20, though, the brand is adding print to the mix, too; embellishing garments such as this striped camp-collar shirt, and the two-piece suit we’ve matched it with, with a range of intriguing graphic designs inspired by the theme of “roots” – for Nanamica, this means, of course, the ocean.

If there is any brand at the moment that seems not just to have anticipated the zeitgeist, but somehow leapfrogged far beyond it, it is the wonderfully kooky Japanese brand KAPITAL. Named after Okayama, the country’s so-called “capital” of denim, this eccentric label, founded in the 1980s by American denim enthusiast Mr Toshikiyo Hirata, and now designed in tandem with his son Mr Kiro Hirata, specialises – as you might expect – in high-quality Japanese denim. But that’s far from all of it: in fact, what’s most intriguing about KAPITAL is the way it mixes its founder’s devotion to Americana with design flourishes inspired by various folk and rural traditions (a lot, but not all of them, Japanese), as well as a certain thrift-shop sense of caution-to-the-wind mixing and matching. So, for spring, we have a quilted cotton jacket in a patchwork bandana print; coloured-denim jeans with Day of the Dead-style bones embroidered up the outside leg; denim kimono-style jackets; leopard-print sweatpants and more. The homespun, craft-inspired feel couldn’t be more of the moment. But the endlessly creative, joyful execution of it all makes the brand, somehow, a marvellous law unto itself.

We’re sure you’ve heard of this Milanese super-brand. The Devil supposedly wears it, after all, and he’s somewhat famous. But are you quite familiar with its most recent offerings? Well, you should be. The Prada SS20 men’s collection proposes a sizeable serving of the house’s recent obsessions, those being surreal, dystopian graphics, lightweight nylon outerwear, minimal tailoring and, yes, more shorts. The key piece that sums up what’s different this time is the above shirt, composed from a number of contrasting cotton-poplins that, we are whole-heartedly assured by the style press, is no doubt some disquisition on the role of art and the artist in contemporary society. But yes, don’t worry, there is also a logo badge on the front.