Five Spring/Summer Items I Can't Live Without this Season

If you'd asked me a year ago I would have never thought I'd have such a big amount of sportswear in any of my wish lists. The truth is it has been slowly growing on me after buying some pieces with the pretence of actually becoming more active. Months later, these pieces have become not only part of my lounge wear but also very much present on what I wear for more casual situations.
This season I am looking to add this black pair of slim Nike tracksuit bottoms after wearing them in grey non-stop for the past months. They're not only extremely comfortable but also structured enough that they look great with a shirt, a denim jacket and a pair of suede sneakers. The short style, which has come out in a new grey colour this season, is also perfect for the summer as they can be worn with an oxford shirt and a lightweight blazer for an upgraded look.
Since I don't want to over do it wearing my denim jacket with everything, the suede Sandro jacket is a great alternative. It's classic but has a 70's vibe I love and it easily adds a cool touch to a simple jeans and t-shirt look.
Nike's Internationalist model is also a perfect example of comfort and design and this season the brand has released the model in a new all-camel suede colour way, which will look fantastic with classic blue washed jeans.
My new favourite brand of sneakers is Eytys – a Swedish/French alliance that's brought a new edge to the lace-ups we all love to wear in the summer. At the moment only MatchesFashion.com has them available in the UK but you can head to their website for the full range, which includes low-tops and high-tops in canvas, suede and leather.

The Best 8 Printed Shirts to Wear this Summer

1. Gitman Bros. Vintage Chiquita shirt, 2. Saint Laurent printed silk shirt, 3. Carhartt Cayman shirt,

4. Gitman Bros. Vintage Bahia Shirt, 5. AMI botanial-print shirt, 6. Officine Generale plaid shirt,

7. Sandro printed shirt, 8. NN.07 Derek shirt.

Even though we don't seem to be enjoying much of a spring – in London anyway – I have a feeling that summer is creeping up on us and trying to catch us off guard... I am not the greatest fan of summer wear for men because it leaves very little room to change things up day to day. Luckily, the last couple of seasons have seen the rise of the short-sleeved shirt, which has come back to be cool. Particularly this season, they come in all colours, collar styles and prints. And it's the latter than I am crazy about. A shirt always looks better than a tee or a polo and when they're as fun as these, they become the perfect addition to classic denim shorts. You can easily dress them up or down and they guarantee a lack of boredom in your summer wardrobe. These above, are my favourite 8 picks.

Shopping the Mr Porter Sale Inspired by 'Risky Business'

I couldn't believe myself when last week I decided to watch 'Risky Business' for the first time and absolutely loved it. It's not just a great fun coming of age story of kids in the 80's but also a brilliant lesson in style, which seems to perfectly matches with today's offering of menswear fashion. We have transformed 80's basics into contemporary classics we simply can't live without.
Coinciding with the launch of the Mr Porter Sale this week, I decided to find pieces inspired by 'risky Business' keeping in mind any of these buys should be go-to pieces anytime of the year.

First up, the perfect classic blazer. You might have bought it as a two-piece suit for work or formal occasions but have you thought of cooling it up with a basic tee and sunnies for the weekend?

Below: Rag & Bone unstructured cotton blazer, NN.07 chalk-stripe blazer, Acne sunglasses.

Raglan-sleeved t-shirts and sweatshirts have made such a comeback any of us have more than a few in our wardrobe. They're perfect for lounging, doing exercise and looking cool and casual at dinner.

Below: Orlebar Brown sweatshirt, James Perse baseball tee.

I see such atrocities committed with polo shirts. Most men either go too basic or too crazy. The best option when going for a pattern is to keep it simple and modern with a dash of retro. A slim fit is recommended – if you can pull it off.

Below: Junya Watanabe striped polo, Michael Bastian striped cotton-jersey polo,
Canali striped polo.

Now, bomber/baseball/varsity jackets have been around for a while now and even though all sorts of 'cool kids' have claimed them as theirs there are endless luxurious chic options they can't afford or pull off but we can (...?)

Below: Sandro slim quilted varsity jacket, Levi's Vintage suede bomber jacket.

Just like with polo shirts, most men seem to struggle finding nice patterns for jumpers. My rule is to never go for more than 3 strong colours at a time or for too many gimmicks. 

Below: Rag & Bone striped linen-knit jumper, A.P.C. striped jumper.

SS13 Trends to Try Out: The Cuban Shirt

Clockwise from top left: Sandro floral shirt, Acne Oahu striped shirt, Dolce & Gabbana jacquard-woven shirt,
Dolce & Gabbana striped shirt, Lanvin panelled shirt, Dolce & Gabbana micro-dot shirt, Reiss pique shirt.

Until Dolce & Gabbana and a few other designers like Acne and Lanvin decided to include 'Cuban shirts' in their SS13 collections they were a marginalised garment we knew of thanks to Tony Montana in 'Scarface', McDunnough in 'Raising Arizona' and Raoul Duke in 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas'. I guess none of us ever saw themselves wearing one because of the awfully loud and often tacky prints. But you can always trust a fashion designer to take something before undesirable and turn it into a season hit.
I have been eyeing a few of the pieces available online, amongst which I favour the quiet pique take of Reiss and the micro print silk option by Dolce & Gabbana the most. After Dave Franco's editorial debut, I was thrilled to see Zac Efron sport another of the Dolce & Gabbana pieces. He wore it to the MTV Movie Awards and paired them with a slim pair of washed dark jeans and lace-ups.

JustJared

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.

What Frank loves from this week's Mr Porter arrivals

Click below to see the items at Mr Porter:

Sandro flecked jumper, Etro double-chested coat, Canali checked shirt, Carven suede jacket, Sandro biker jacket.