Our Top Menswear Essentials For Spring

Forget skinny trousers and jeans. The fuller figured guy will be happy to be rid of this trend, although it has not disappeared completely. Very skinny fit jeans and trousers are looking pretty old hat, however the overall trouser cut is still anything but baggy. Either that or you swap to the biggest new jeans trend for men this year. With this year being all about the seventies, it was bound to see the return of the flare. The way to wear it is bigger than bootcut, but smaller than bellbottoms. To get the trend right, look for flares that flare out from just above the knee and have a tighter fit over the thighs and hips for a more pronounced flare. The biker trend is one that is emerging not just in men's clothing but in women's too. Men's trends usually follow after womens but this year they are both sharing the trend, albeit in different ways. Easy to wear and instantly cool, the jacket you need for 2011 is the leather biker. Biker jackets were especially prevalent at Burberry, but also reared their heads at Balmain and as part of the spring collection at Chanel. You don't need to go vintage, as we saw a stunning array of bold new biker jackets at the shows that featured innovative tailoring, just stick to black to stay on trend. If cruising down the motorway on a motorbike doesn't float your boat, then how about some seaside inspiration. You could not fail to miss that last year was the year for wax jackets and country styles, but in 2011 the trend takes inspiration from the seas rather than the land. There is a vast array of fisherman's jackets in designer boutiques and regular fashion stores this year, with with bright colourful variants flying of the rails for spring and summer. Combine it with chinos and a St Tropez striped tee for a cruising holiday style. Trends in the male fashion world tend to move on less rapidly than womenswear trends. Trends for suits and tailoring are often especially slow to change. For spring and summer the notable suit change is primarily in colour and material. Linen is often popular for spring and is back again this year for the warmer weather, as it is the ideal summer material. This particular material might be crease prone, the new season sees a new trend for dark linen suits rather than the traditional cream, making creases far less visible. For general suits, there is a new colour trend for what is being described as tobacco brown. Again this ties in completely with the 70's trend.