Blue is the new Black

One thing that I'm very excited for is the extreme amount of blues that will be making its way in-store. There's already a ton of different variations of the color, but as a blue-enthusiast, I can't tell you enough how much I love it. You can wear blue with almost absolutely anything, that's why it's so perfect! Even more so than black in my opinion, because there are some things that you can't wear with black that you are able to wear with more specific shades of blue (such as chocolate brown). Furthermore, I think that blue as a color is more appealing than any other because it can be soft, gentle, bold, understated, a statement, and just pleases most people whenever its worn. Although it's associated with somberness and sadness in literature, in fashion I find that it's associated with a sort of playfulness and vibrance. For example, if you take a black and white striped shirt, it's automatically colorless and lifeless. Although the patterning of the stripes makes it a little fun, think of the shirt with royal blue stripes and the piece already has a different feel in your head.
The power of blue is incredible! The greatest thing about a trending color as opposed to a trending style is that you can find a color in any store, whereas a style is store-specific. On your right, you can see how I've recently worn it. Although the picture is a bit muddled by the lighting, you can still see the more muted shades of navy blue. My more modernly styled jacket is from a store in called Foreign Exchange (FE) and the striped shirt is from H&M. They're both some of my favorite pieces of clothing and I love the fact that I can wear them out and still be trending with the changing season's fashion. Another great part about blue is that you probably already have it in your closet in some way, shape, or form. Blue is everywhere and anywhere, and it's complemented very well by mostly every other color. Just think about it! But don't let me convince you, what do you think about it?

Wake Up and Smell the Flowers!

One thing that I can very honestly tell you is that I have never really been a big fan of floral up until recently. Why? Well, most floral prints that I have seen in the past are always a little too bright, a little too bold, and a little too much. However, the print has been done more frequently and as always, with practice comes perfect. Picture to your left are some examples of floral prints that I love. The subtlety again, as I have mentioned before with the likes of camouflage and stripes, is key. Look at the Billabong tank top on the bottom right of the image; using neutral tones and soft hues, the floral print isn't offensive in any way and may in fact be wore successfully by anyone who's willing to try it out. There are those men though who find that floral patterns are too "feminine" for them and are unwilling to try something new but if you notice the tie pictured above, you'll see that even some menswear accessories are incorporating a little spring trend. Alongside the ties, shoes are being slammed with floral prints as well, such as the unisex Doc Marten shoes pictured in the top left of the above image. Now, for those of you who ARE adventurous, I would suggest the more vibrantly colored tops, such as the Panama shirt by +Topman. Now, on your right you can see how I played around with a floral print. I was lucky enough to find these shorts at a Goodwill months ago and shortened them a bit to fit my style. Then, I paired the shorts with a simple loose-fit pocket tee from +H&M that I purchased last summer. I personally love that the shirt matches the hint of green in the leaf patterning on the shorts. I threw in some neutral browns to match the earthy feel of the shorts as well. Florals are fun to play around with and if you really are looking into trying some out, I would suggest +ASOS and TOPMAN; they're usually always keeping up with these trends way better than I am. Again, thanks for reading and have a great day! 

Stand Out in Camo

One thing that I was reading today is that a trend for this season is camouflage. Now, camouflage to me has always been a trend, but that all depends on how you wear it. If you're going to walk down the street in covered head to toe like a soldier, then it's as much of a trend as it is a faux pas. Camouflage adds a nice touch to any piece of men's clothing - it adds a sort of implied masculinity because of its militant use. There are two types of camouflage though: good and bad. You might be wondering what that means, but I'll show you. Pictured above are what I deem as "good" camouflage. The colors are very simple, muted, and not too offensive with all-over camouflage fabric or design. However, the image to your right is what I consider to be "bad" camouflage.
Notice how some of the use of bright greens is almost painful to look at. Not only this, but the materials used in the jacket are very displeasing as well. That doesn't mean that all clothes by this label (which will go unmentioned) are bad, though. It simply means that they did not use the pattern well. There is good and bad in every trend, and I feel like it applies more to camouflage almost more than any other. Just remember that simplicity can go a long way. You may want to try out camouflage, but as previously mentioned, make sure that the camouflage pattern itself uses earthy tons; some different shades of green, greys, and browns are what I feel look best. Maybe if you're lucky, you'll find a camouflage pattern which uses black and grey (my personal favorite variation of the style). Remember, stand out in camouflage this season, don't stick out.

Denim Delight!

What was Mario's favorite fabric? ... Denim, denim, denim!

One thing that I never really expected was for all denim outfits to come back. Making its appearance on the runway this season from the likes of Valentino and Versace was a little unexpected to be honest, but I took the chance to go along with it. I mean, who knows better than these high end designers, right? So, with that I decided to try out an (almost) all denim outft myself. Using some simple things that I had in my closet like a denim jacket and jeans with matching wash, I was able to scrape together this number (right). Now, I personally think that this is the only outfit that I can pull off in all denim, but that doesn't mean I can't piece together different ones wearing this denim jacket that I got from Forever 21. It's such a light wash that it can go with just about any shade, color, or pattern (like polka dots!). It's nice to be able to have those options, too! Now, a lot of guys don't have jean jackets, so if you're one of them that doesn't mean you can't take part in this spring and summer trend. Mess around with what you already have! Try different outfits with the denim jeans you already own, and if you're feeling super adventurous, look into buying a denim shirt or backpack like the ones pictured above. Your only style limitation is yourself, so if you feel like trying something new, then why not? Also, if you're like me, you can't always afford to go out and buy trending items right away but if you have that urge, don't be afraid to thrift! Check your local thrift or consignment stores for lightly worn clothes similar to what you're looking for! It's well worth the hunt if you find just the right thing you're looking for. So again, denim is the word for this season! Try it out and see how it works for you :)