It is not by chance that Stockholm is the hometown of the H&M brand. Swedes are very well-informed about trends and love to follow them. The boys around the hip area called SoFo are now wearing turn-up trousers, wide-brim hats, striped t-shirts, conservative haircuts with gel, and the most recent trend, the fisherman cap.

All not so surprising. With fast fashion brands becoming so ubiquitous, all the world is dressing more similarly. The inevitable comparison to the concept of uniforms shows the direction that fashion is taking nowadays.

For this reason, perhaps, I ended up more interested in the attire of the Swedish army.  A strong connection with the Viking heritage still exists. Although the Swedish Army is neutral, you cannot say the same about its’ uniform. Querelle, our favourite anti-hero from the seas, would love it.

Not to miss: the video from Ok Go! band for the song “This Too Shall Pass“.

From the top: three images of the Royal Guards of Sweden and its uniforms; young Swedish soldier rests; windows displays from a tailor shop and H&M store in Norrmalm and Prince Carl Philip from Sweden in April this year and one year before, on his 30th birthday.

Photos: Hermano Silva © 2010 / Julien M. Hekimian and Abaca

It seems that hats decided to go “for a walk” these days. During London Fashion Week there were so many men using them – particularly brim hats like the Porkpie and the Trilby models.

Some examples of the classic Bowler hat were also seen. But as the designer and expert Sir Hardy Amies taught us on his book “ABC of Men’s Fashion”, only British man should wear Bowler hats (and in London). I always thought it was a very strict advice to be taken serious. But when you see a Bowler hat out of this context most of the times it looks costume. So be careful.

If you are looking for a new hat, one Londoner shop to consider is Bates (73 Jermyn Street, Mayfair). There you will find classic and elegant ones. But if you are looking for something fresher, don’t miss the opportunity to check the provocative creations of Justin Smith at his on-line shop. If you are in São Paulo, Brazil, it would worth to visit the charming shop of the french milliner Maurice Plas (Rua Augusta, 724).

Photos: Hermano Silva © 2010

Here the gentleman Dean shows us how to make a stripe t-shirt look even better.

Just keep the hat, add a military jacket and… Voilà!

Photos: Hermano Silva

Photos: Hermano Silva

Model: Dom O’Keefe (M&P Model Agency)

Styling: Daniel Dias

Make up and Hair: Drew Krake

Driver: Rob Watt

Location: Dalston, London, UK

Credit for the clothes:

Look 1: White shirt by All Saints, black jumper by Atmosphere, bow tie by Dior Homme, velvet trousers by Roberto Cavalli for H&M and shoes by Office. Look 2: Scarf with Indian print by Topman. Look 3: T-shirt by Adriano Costa, bag by Dolce & Gabbana, belt by Iódice,  short by Lee and sunglasses from personal archive. Look 4: White t-shirt second hand from ‘Juicy by Liquor’, jeans and shoes by All Saints, gloves by Zara. Look 5: Grey knitwear by All Saints. Look 6: Brown jacket with embroidery by Iódice, necklace by Beto Guilger, shoes by All Saints and jeans by Topman. Look 7: Hat from personal archive. Look 8: Shirt with Liberty print by Comme des Garçons and flower from Columbia Road market.

Special thanks to:

Karin Askham, M&P Model Agency and Wicked Campers.

1. WIDER TROUSERS

Lanvin, Dior Homme and Yves Saint Laurent

It’s maybe too early to say that the skinny trousers will be completely gone. But this season it seems that the desire for more straight and even loose pants is growing.

2. LAYERING

Viktor & Rolf, Comme des Garçons and Louis Vuitton

Maybe this was the strongest statement from the shows.  Men seem to be more and more free from the cut and the design of clothes to finally embody the Styling. The shows suggested very unusual layerings and proved that there are (still) so many possibilities to experiment.

3. LAYERING PART 2 – DOUBLE COLLAR NECKS

Salvatore Ferragamo, Prada and Burberry

Stronger in Milan than in Paris, this trend is another example of how to make layers with your clothes. The variation of temperature that one day can have is also influencing on how we all want to dress. Layering seems to be the key.

4. DARK GREEN

Raf Simons, Lanvin and Salvatore Ferragamo

Between all the shades of green this is the most masculine one. In general the clothes for the season will have a strong and rigid aspect. Apart from black, dark green is the colour that matches better within this principle.

5. MONASTICAL

Jil Sander, Givenchy and Dior Homme

This is a trend more evident on the collection that the designer Riccardo Tisci created for Givenchy. He was inspired by the sobriety of priest’s clothes and the result was amazing with nice white shirts used with black jackets. The concept is a more hermetic body that doesn’t reveal almost anything.

6. SOLDIERS

Prada, Burberry and Lanvin

A very recurrent theme in men’s fashion, the army uniforms are frequently explored by designers. This season it comes in a more fetishized way as seen in Lanvin’s influential show.

7. CHEKED PATTERN

Dries Van Noten, Raf Simons and Margiela

Another classic from menswear, the checked pattern is adored by a certain group of men. The good thing is that you can always can use it in your way: mixing with other patterns (but with know-how please) or using them in a maxi-sized version as Margiela and Raf Simons presented.

8. FURRY HATS

Vivienne Westwood, Comme des Garçons and D&G

As we reported here before, the Russian hat is in vogue in Europe at the moment. For the next Fall it seems that they will keep existing but in other shapes and also in other types of furry materials.

9. FUR

Alexis Mabille, Rick Owens and Gucci

Other day the owner of a vintage shop in Portobello Road in London told me that is rising the number of men wearing fur. At least on that area. It made me think if this is something that could really be back to fashion or not. No matter which is the outcome of an ecological discussion behind it, if the furs used should be fake or real… The fact is that there are brands using the material in small details now as an excuse to add value (aka to double the price of the clothes). In case you are a fan, prepare your pockets.

10. SKULLS

Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen and Dsquared2

The best collection exploring skulls and death actually didn’t come from Europe. It would be unfair if I didn’t mention the brilliant menswear collection from the Brazilian designer Alexandre Herchcovitch. He presented it also in January but at São Paulo Fashion Week in Brazil. It’s worth to have a look at it.

11. VIOLENCE

Dsquared2, John Galliano and Jean Paul Gaultier

A very evident trend on the make-up sector seemed to came up this season. I think the point here is the discussion if men these days are looking for their lost masculinity after  all the metrossexuals and Beckhams along the last decade. I believe that we are going to see more examples of this new emerging “manly men” along the next years. A video that captured my attention these days and it’s somehow related to this topic is the very British “Enter Achilles” from DV8 Dance Theatre.

12. THE BEST LOOKS FROM THE TOP 3 COLLECTIONS

Junya Watanabe, Prada and Kris Van Assche

In our opinion Junya Watanabe, Prada and Kris Van Assche were those who did the most interesting collections this season. Those three brands combined very well a smart and fresh image of men with desirable itens.

Photos from GQ.com and The Fashionisto blog

1 – THE RUSSIAN HAT

Made of fur (usually rabbit fur) these hats are on the streets of London and Berlin – a city where the Russian influence still seems to remain in the air. They also appeared on the catwalks of Fashion Rio in Brazil (at TNG fashion show) earlier this week. Take yours before it becomes a mass trend.

2 – THE CUSTOMIZED SWISS ARMY KNIFE

A classic that should never be out of a pocket, the original Swiss Army Knife was one of my best acquisitions lately… I was visiting Switzerland when I figured out that some of their shops do the record of your name on the knife with no extra charge. But for sure some extra fun when you are opening a wine bottle to your friends.

3 – THE POINTING UP LAPEL

The ideal winter jacket has its lapel pointing upwards. This is not for the conservatives its true. The German designer Jil Sander was one of those who brought this cut from the gangsters back to fashion on her winter collection for +J at Uniqlo. By the way, her new spring collection just arrived in Uniqlo stores and it is as amazing as the first one.

4 – THE CITIZEN’S KANE ROSEBUD

With the huge amount of snow in Berlin the transportation became an issue. It is very popular between the cool families of Prenzlauer Berg district to transport their kids on sleds at the moment. They are everywhere, especially around the Mauerpark during the weekends. I am sure that Sr. Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles) would love to see it. As seen in “Citzen Kane” movie, Rosebud was the name of the sled from Kane’s childhood.

5 – THE “CULT” BEER

It’s not only interesting men that come from the South of Germany but also beers. Rothaus Tannenzäpfle comes from the Black Forrest and has a very unique taste – neither too light nor too strong. They don’t advertise but are very popular between students, artists and the cool crowd. Their label is a funny illustration of a blond girl holding not one, but TWO glasses of beer. “Zäpfle” became very popular in Berlin more or less four years ago and since then it’s a hit that doesn’t go out of fashion.

Photos: Hermano Silva

One little thing more here and something else about Berlin here.

Good investments are proven to be worth over time. A good binocular is an example: you can buy opera tickets one category lower and still have an amazing view of the stage.

On the picture: The compact Leica Trinovid 8×20 BCA

Photo: Hermano Silva

The streets of London are suggesting: fold up the hems of your trousers and jackets. It’s time to avoid loose threads. But do it quickly, before the winter arrives with the new temperature.

Photos: Hermano Silva

The audience of London Fashion Week didn’t teach us only one thing or two about haircuts. It also taught us that nice beards and moustaches will never get out of fashion.

As an example I picked up some pictures of ginger and blond beards. It’s a matter of taste it’s true but they can look amazing, don’t they? Maybe it’s because the hair is there but in a very light way.  ;-)

Have a look at the haircuts of the men of London Fashion Week

Photos: Hermano Silva

A simple walk at London Fashion Week would reveal… The coolest boys are either wearing a very classical hairdo or a very messy one at the moment. Choose your favourite.

Have a look at some of the beards of the London Fashion Week

Photos: Hermano Silva