Just in: Michael Bastian x Uniqlo

As part of my mission to get my wardrobe ready for the new season – thanks London for being so miserable and extending my deadline – I visited my favourite high street store, Uniqlo, to check out their SS14 offerings.
Even considering their t-shirt collaboration with Pharrell, the most exciting part of the collection is the polo shirt line they have created with Michael Bastian. As you might expect from anything the king of preppy is involved with, every single piece is beautifully simple and includes amazing details such as embroidered golf balls and bears, plaid and pinstripe patterns and 60's-inspired prints.
My first choice so far is the style below. A navy button-down polo shirt featuring green and red micro-paisleys. You can shop the whole collection here.

A Few Reasons why The O.C. is still Relevant 10 Years Later

It has been 10 years since The O.C. first aired, which is scary for me because once you can recall well past events and need to go back in time to double digits you know you're getting old. This was possibly the first TV show I properly got into as a teen and one that not only I connected with but that also had a influence in me. I remember going shopping with Seth Cohen's style choices in mind. And I was successful once or twice – most notably with my vast collection of argyle sweaters and my deer Christmas jumper, which people in my class requested me to wear every December.
A decade later I find that not only I continue to dress somehow like I first learnt from Cohen but that a lot of his very preppy choices have become staples in a contemporary menswear wardrobe. And that is why I decided to put together this post – to prove this show (and this guy) influenced a whole generation.

From vintag-y jumpers and loopback sweatshirts to Penguin and Fred Perry polo shirts, also with a retro vibe, The O.C. made cool what we first knew as 'geek chic'. Pieces which have now become must-haves for style-concious men. The short on long sleeve combos are perhaps the least common look these days but still a favourite of mine – if only I could find long-sleeved t-shirts my size. Seth Cohen's vest jumpers, dressing gown numbers and casual blazer get-ups have now been claimed, to some extent, by hipsters. The latter was another favourite of mine to wear to school. Nothing beats a corduroy blazer over an argyle jumper at 15 years of age.

Item of the Week: Burberry Prorsum Polo Shirt with Leopard Badge

I knew from the first moment I saw these polo shirts at the Burberry showroom in Milan last January that this was going to be one of the pieces to own from the Burberry FW13 commercial collection.
This week the first of the models in black has been released online at Mr Porter. The classic polo features a three-button closure at the neck, which goes down a little lower than your average polo shirt. But the key feature other than the great fit is the leopard print pony skin heart badge on the chest, which ties in with Burberry's FW13 collection influences.
Click here to check it out at Mr Porter and to make sure it doesn't sell out before you own one!

Miuccia Prada & the Art of Reinvention

Fashion, Frankly and Style.com

Even though Prada always hosts their menswear and womenswear shows at the same space on Via Fogazzaro you would never think you're ever entering the same venue as last season. The wide open carpeted runway from last season had disappeared, the steps were now a ramp. Instead, I found a white sterile room flanked by blocks of press and buyers and a zig-zagging ramp at the back.
As soon as the show started it was evident that this was a game of precision. Perfect beams of light created a maze-light catwalk – geometry. After toying with flowers, pastels, golf motifs and colourful studs Miuccia seemed to want a clean slate. The SS13 collection was a beautifully precise story of modern lines and androgyny with a subtle reference to sportswear, specifically to tennis, via The Royal Tenenbaums – we wouldn't want to miss out on Miuccia's signature quirk.
Because it was about starting from scratch, we saw the reinvention of the basics: the polo shirt (my favourite), the v-neck jumper, even the slacks. The colour palette was restricted to white, beige, blues and blacks, apple green and burgundy used in a form of colour blocking that had more to do with the visual effect – is that part of the shirt or the jacket? is that top one piece? – than with any trend. Miuccia creates her own.

Fashion, Frankly and Style.com

Check out below the brilliantly choreographed finale and the squeaky-clean space. What an experience!

Lacoste x Peanuts

I don't know about you but Lacoste polo shirts have always been present throughout my life. I'd wear them every summer when I was younger, so they kind of meant fun and holiday. As I grew up I still wore them but they had become a comfortable and stylish piece of clothing by then. I feel like the Lacoste x Peanuts collection brings back that element of fun that polo shirts used to have for me. The two designs on top are, by far my favourites because one (left) stays true to the traditional logo but adds a twist and the other one (right) completely messes up the composition. They are sold exclusively at Dover Street Market since October. So run for your life!

[Pictures: highsnobiety.com]