Only for the Daring: How to Wear Printed Trousers

Tops, left to right: J.Crew Navy Pocket T-Shirt, Rag & Bone Slim Blazer,

J.Crew Chambray Shirt, NN.07 Loopback Sweatshirt. All at Mr Porter.

Trousers, left to right: Levi's Camo-Print Trousers at SSENSE, Rake Checked trousers at MatchesFashion.com,

AMI Striped Trousers at Mr Porter, Valentino Printed Trousers at SSENSE.

Prints are everywhere this season. From shirts to backpacks, hats, blazers and even suits it's pretty much impossible to escape them. I, for one, am a bit fan of prints in general, though I will admit I rarely dare to wear them. It took me a while to wrap my head around camo so once I did I felt like the edgiest person ever. This season I'm considering the printed trouser, which is perhaps the one that requires the most guts. Whereas it's a bold colour accompanying a classic print or an out-there print in a classic colour, you need to make sure you wear them the right way. By pairing printed trousers with classic cuts in subtle colours you allow the print to stand out while toning it down – bringing an  outlandish element into your comfort zone.
I have chosen some of my favourite printed trousers this season and some of the classic pieces they should be worn with to follow Daniel Radcliffe's perfect example of how prints should be worn.

How to do Casual Chic, by Dominic Cooper

As of late I've realised how much less time I spend thinking about what I wear, probably because I haven't had any time for it. In any case, this is quite a departure from what I used to be. Working in fashion can sometimes make you feel like you need to try hard to make it so that other people notice your style.
For the last 3 or 4 years since I started working I have been getting further and further from this idea, seeing how the way you feel in your clothes and how you wear them makes up at least 75% of your look. The other 25%, and also important, is buying good quality, classic pieces. And it is this perfect balance that we see in the picture above – Dominic Cooper wearing a subtle everyday look, which is actually really stylish and crazy cool.
If you think this style has nothing to do with you simply don't try it – and maybe find another blog because mine will be ultra boring for you – but if, like me, you'd be happy to make this your day-to-evening work uniform here is a simple recipe to replicate it yourself. Jimmy Choo's are not essential, but a bit of croc never hurt anyone.

Uniqlo wool blended slim fit blazer, Levi's 511 slim fit jeans, J.Crew slim fit t-shirt,

Uniqlo cashmere crew neck jumper, Jimmy Choo Belgravia croc-embossed sneakers.

Shopping for Fair Isle jumpers inspired by Michael Polish

It's not easy for my brain to be distracted when Kate Bosworth is in sight. That being said, her boyfriend's husband's cardigan choice this week managed to do just that – for a couple of minutes anyway. Michael Polish kept his look classic and fuss-free but injected a bit of FW13 flavour by means of his fair isle shawl-collar cardigan. This is one of the best graphic motifs for us men to introduce patterns without risking being loud (unless your fair isle is bright red, which is only allowed for a week during Christmas) and it adds a nice subtle vintage flavour. These below are some of my favourite choices I found online.

Clockwise from top left: J.Crew wool jumper, Original Vintage Style knit sweater,

Polo Ralph Lauren nordic jumper, Thom Browne wool sweater, A.P.C. merino wool sweater. 

How to do Smart Casual in the Summer, by Chris Pine

Chris Pine is one of the few celebrities who understands that when it comes to being stylish the key is in simplicity and attention to detail. After the more dressed up hits we saw during his 'Star Trek' press tour this latest look is very refreshing. The actor nailed the so-called 'smart casual' at a recent press conference, where he wore a light beige knit jumper as a top. He tucked it into his dark cropped slim chinos and a nice pair of brown leather lace-up shoes – it's the footwear that throws the look more towards smart. A pair of New Balance or Vans sneakers would have given it a cool feel but a much more dressed-down one.
This is a great outfit idea for a day when you want your look to translate nicely from day to evening-wear. And these are a few options of similar items currently available online:

Top, left to right: ASOS Cable Knit Jumper, ASOS Crew Neck Jumper, Lanvin Burnished-Leather Oxford Shoes.

Bottom, left to right: ASOS V-Neck Jumper with Elbow Patches, J.Crew Slim Fit Cotton Twill Chinos,

Paul Smith Slim Fit Cotton Blend Trousers, Gucci Leather Derby Shoes.

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Item of the Week: J.Crew Metal Anchor Tie Clip

If you follow the blog but also follow me on Instagram it will come as no surprise that I decided to post about this. I have always loved anchors but it wasn't until a few years ago that I started to include them into my outfits. I guess it started 3 years ago when I decided to get an anchor tattoo on my arm. That was also the summer when I had bough my anchor print H&M shorts. Then it was the anchor belt, which you can still get at ASOS. My Miansai anchor bracelet – get yours here – followed closely, as did this anchor-embroidered pique blazer I got from Zara. The latest of my purchases was this J.Crew anchor iPhone cover, which is obviously perfect for me – get it here.
And now it's time for a new purchase! This week Mr Porter has released their new list of arrivals amongst which is this amazing J.Crew Metal Anchor Tie Clip. What I love the most about it is how it's so chic and simple but such a great addition to a classic plain tie.

I'm not Frank: What I Wore at the London Collections Men SS14

During the last London Collections: Men I ran into photographer superstar Jonathan Daniel Pryce outside the Hentschman presentation in Covent Garden. I was lucky enough to get photographed by him in my outfit of the day, which has recently been published on the Duchamp blog.

I'm wearing: U Adolfo Domínguez parka, +J beige blazer, Uniqlo shirt, ASOS anchor belt, Acne jeans, Tod's No_Code shoes, J. Crew iPhone case and Baume & Mercier watch.

How to do Monochrome, by Ashton Kutcher

JustJared

What has everyone been up to this week? Sundance has been quite disappointing this season, with celebrities not taking advantage of the 'alpine chic' look. There have also been a few premieres but I didn't fancy making a post full of black suits, elegant as they might be.
The most interesting outfit I've seen all week has been Ashton Kutcher's monochrome number above. There is nothing chicer than a well put together casual outfit with different shades of neutral colours. And so I put together a similar look, which is perfect for the Spring. Instead of Ashton's light tweed jacket, I have gone for a slim-fit classic cotton one by Canali. I've paired it with a slightly lighter pair of slim cotton chinos by Slowear and a basic white tee with a pocket and a wider crew neck by J.Crew. Even though I can't see the shoes Kutcher is wearing I would like to think he didn't screw it all up with an ugly pair of shoes. I would wear the whole outfit with a beautiful monochrome pair of suede and patent leather Lanvin sneakers or a simple pair of white leather Nike's.

Frank's Top 10 Christmas Wishlist

1. Marc by Marc Jacobs shearling bomber jacket, 2. An Extraordinary Theory of Objects: A Memoir of an Outsider in Paris by Stephanie LaCava, 3. Slowear plaid cotton chinos, 4. New Balance ML574 Backpack Trainers, 5. The Unknown Hipster Diaries by Jean-Philippe Delhomme, 6. Alexander McQueen wool and cotton sweater,

7. Jil Sander dinosaur tie, 8. Oliver Spencer leather brogue boots, 9. J.Crew leather iPhone 5 cover,

10. Sandro checked bomber jacket.

My picks from this week's Mr Porter arrivals

Click below to see the items on Mr Porter:

J.Crew fair isle jumper, Tod's No_Code Chelsea boots, Alexander McQueen plaid velvet blazer,

McQ Alexander McQueen twill trousers, Aspesi button down shirt.

He's Fly: Justin Timberlake rocks khaki trousers

JustJared

I have been a massive fan of Justin Timberlake ever since he left N'Sync and got rid of his curls. And then 'Future Sex / Love Sounds' came out and I also became a fan of his music. His venture into fashion with his brand William Rast wasn't too much of my taste but I appreciate a guy who cares about his style.
His personal style, though, is a lot better than what you'd expect looking at his brand. He's one of the very few people who can get away with the old low-jeans-and-tucked-in-shirt-look. He has also been making a lot of right choices over the last few years.

One of his last looks that I loved was this one above. I find it so hard to find the right pair of khaki trousers. If they're not high-waisted, which I can't wear, they're just cargo pants or they're slim with cargo pockets. I am also very particular about the shade of green. Justin's are a perfect fit –straight and tapered.
he paired them up with a plaid blue shirt –another spot-on choice for me. Navy and khaki together is one of my favourite colour combinations. You can just trow pieces like Justin's on and look effortlessly cool. I would have only changed Timberlake's leather boots with a nice pair of black suede high-tops like the Jimmy Choo ones below.

Get the JT look: khaki trousers by B Store, plaid blue shirt by J. Crew, suede high-top sneakers by Jimmy Choo. All from Mr Porter.

Gingham love

For those of you unfamiliar with the man below, you only need to know that his name is Tim Gunn, that he plays the mentor role on Project Runway and that he has never been seen not wearing a suit. I don't normally notice his attire much because he is a very classic man. So it was even more of a surprise to catch him in a red gingham shirt paired with an also scarlet tie. I, then, started thinking how well gingham always works. It doesn't matter how bold the colour is, this checked pattern makes it look smart and fresh. I also love the fact that you don't necessarily have to wear it with plain ties. Horizontal lines and other type of patterns look very cool worn with gingham. I wore one of these combos a few months ago to a graduation. Do you guys wear a lot of gingham?

[Pictures: Project Runway screencaps, JCrew.com, Barneys.com, BrooksBrothers.com]

He's Fly: Hayden Christensen

I've been keeping an eye on Hayden Christensen's style ever since he got together with Rachel Bilson. I have, since then, been a fan of his really laid back casual style and his very slick and simple smart looks. Lately, I have noticed him wearing a pair of boots that I almost bought for myself last winter. I have no idea of what the correct way to refer to them is but they're sort of the boot version of a docksider shoe. They're very comfortable shoes, sturdy, dry and very light. I would really love to get my hands on the Yuketen version but, at $530, I very much doubt I'll be able to. However, I do love the fact that Christensen's version is zipped on the outside. There is something so cool about wearing them with trousers tucked in and the zip halfway up.

Have a look at Hayden's latest appearance on a music video. I really love his look, which is too bad because the song is pretty irritating.

[Pictures: JustJared.buzznet.com, JCrew.com, Barneys.com]