River Island appeared to find it’s niche amongst the more fashion conscious chav, but this S/S and partly in A/W 08 River Island has produced some pieces which the fashion-forward amongst us can wear. Infamous for it’s terrible way of splattering numbering and barcodes all over perfectly good garments, River Island has never been one for minimalism but there selection this season contains a few gems. I bought the black and grey version of this t-shirt (a complete rip off of this All Saints one from SS08) and it’s served me very well. Bought in a large, it is actually an awesome fit because it has such a boxy shape, you can wear it oversized without it looking like a nightie. The shorts will look good turned up a notch or two and I still think canvas boaters are one of the most versatile shoes of this season.
T-Shirt by River Island £14.99
Shorts by River Island £24.99
Shoes by River Island £24.99
This summer I’m more excited about minimalist outfits, dressing down with a simple t-shirt and jeans combo than I usually am. When you are into fashion it can be a struggle to keep up with the latest trends and such and sometimes you need to take a step back and realise that what your wearing just simply doesn’t suit you. Some pieces on the other hand are timeless. As long as you get the shoes right, everyone will think the rest of your outfit works well. So my favorite piece this SS is the humble t-shirt. Worn with rolled up cotton or tailored shorts, with the right accessories (including haircut, tattoos and watch), the t-shirt will add life to the classic phrase ‘effortless style’.
Choose your favorite band t-shirt for an easy way to strut around festivals. Just add wayfarers.
T-Shirt at MusicBands £12
This summer blazers are big news and this one takes the crown. Absolutely perfect for incorporating the nautical trend and the 80′s double breasted theme you can create two completely different looks with it. You can dress it down with some ice blue acid wash skinnies and a plain t-shirt, rolling up the sleeves and popping the collar or you can wear with some light beige chinos, and completely buttoned up crisp white shirt and some classic decks courtesy of Sebago. Becuase it’s navy, avoid wearing any black on your outfit and stick to browns and lighter shades of blue.
Blazer by Topman £85
The sweatshirt is perfect for just throwing on with a pair of black skinnies this summer and this sweatshirt by Worn By is my favorite piece. Vintage sweatshirts are big news with plenty of animals featuring heavily on the front (has Flight Of The Conchords had anything to do with this?) but this one is a classic vintage style piece inspired by The Rolling Stones’ 1974 album ‘It’s Only Rock And Roll’. Worn By is a pretty sound company and although the garments can seem expensive there is a lot of emphasis on quality and ethics which make it worth it. (You can also get 10% off your first order.)
Sweatshirt by Worn By £59
Whne Oki-Ni.com goes into sale, you know you can pick up some pieces which are going to be timeless at prices that you aren’t going to need a loan to afford. You can pick up McQueen scarves for under £80 and the YMC decks which got everyone salivating a couple of months back are £88.
Scarf by Alexander McQueen £129 now £78
Deck Shoes by YMC £125 now £88
This season it seems Jack Wills are delving further into trend led fashion than before. Instead of relying on a bit of branding on t-shirt and sweatpants, they have got some pieces that stand up by themselves. The styling that has accompanied them on the campaign shots has been a ‘laundered indie’ approach, with straight legged coloured jeans featuring heavily and slim cotton shorts being the stand outs. Of course, there is still all of the terrible garments which will interest the masses but this coat is genuinely brilliant.
Wax Jacket by Jack Wills £189
I would never be able to put on a pair on Birkenstocks and unfortunately my feet would look like girls feet in gladiators but this summer a pair of sandals are essential. In a season where every man and his dog is going to be wearing decks or espadrilles (both of which I love), it won’t hurt to go for something a bit different. My choice is the basket weave sandals. They don’t show your toes and they are basically a better version of an espadrille. Easy to wear and high on style points you can take your pick from many, but the Asos ones are the best value and come in four different colours.
Sandals by Asos £19.95
Before I did a post on the gun fit jeans All Saints brought out at the beginning of the year. In true All Saints fashion they were an exaggeration of the carrot fit that proved fairly popular last A/W. I ended up getting a pair but I ended up leaving them in the wardrobe because I just couldn’t make them work. It was only the other day when I saw someone wearing then turned up with some canvas boaters that I thought I’d give them a chance. And the difference is huge. The turn ups accentuate the skinniness of the bottoms and create a really great silhouette. They take a lot of getting used to if you’ve been wearing skinnies for what seems like forever but it’s worth it. In terms of the footwear to wear with them I couldn’t have thought of a better accompaniment than the canvas boaters or a strong coloured suede or leather. Here is my outfit choice.
Jeans by AllSaints £55
T-Shirt by Over The Stripes £49
Shoes by Ben Sherman £50
Liam Gallagher’s clothing line has just dropped and as I’m sure all of you are, I’m completely uninspired. Liam stated in GQ this month that he can never find anything to wear when he shops so he wanted to design a collection he could wear. What a complete load of absolute shite. The collection is so dull, all round neck knits, polo shirts and t-shirts all complete with horrible branding. You can find this anywhere. The center piece of the collection is the parka and it just makes me cringe. Liam being involved in a fashion project doesn’t make any sense. Oasis are still living in the 90′s, keep churning out the same old music, and still wearing the same clothes. There is no moving with the times. Check out the collection here and see what I mean.
Parka by Pretty Green £245
Blazer by Topman £90
When showing the Jack Wills campaign a few weeks back, it was clear that it wouldn’t be too long before they hit the high street. Whilst I don’t like the styling of J.W. it is nice to get away from a block black or grey and this Topman offering is a lot more of a modern slim cut than the traditional boater. Because they are a bold piece, my only advice is to keep the rest of the outfit plain and keep with the style of the jacket and go for a nice pair of brogues.
There are six t-shirts of the same style you can get. They consist of Sid Vicious, Jane Fonda, Christian Slater, Snoop Dogg, Elvis and Dennis Hopper. They are all so brilliant, worn oversized with some plain black skinnies and these moccs. It’s got to be the Sid one for me.
T-Shirt by Raw Power £40
