laineux || barbouze: the gq spring 2012 trend report, report:

men's style review for spring 2012:
every few months, gq releases a report on up and coming trends from the runways of paris, new york, milan or somewhere fancy. these reports are a distilled version of what's gonna be big in men's style in the next few months. so here's my report on their report, sort of a more condensed version with my likes, dislikes, and why:

first up is the checked suit. i like the blue one just below, aside from the ultimate unbuttoned shirt. i have always been a fan of the more subtle windowpane check, as long as it's nothing too overbearing or excessively shiny.

gq mentions 'safari style' and if by that they mean khaki or light colored jackets over a chambray shirt, then i'm in. its a great look for when it's not that warm, and transitions your chambrays nicely from winter to spring.

cotton suit by j. crew. my adoration for the j. crew ludlow cotton suit has been well expressed and doesn't need much repeating, i fully endorse the cotton suit for spring.

cargos are a definite good bet in my opinion. i like the less obvious cargos like this front pocket pair below, just never forget the slimmer silhouette which is what makes the rebirth of cargos possible.

gray suits are still in says gq. i don't really ever know of a time where a good clean gray suit wasn't, but i do like the lighter gray suit with a similar gray tie. not an exact match, but looks good - looks spring.

every man needs a couple of solid alternatives to jeans. as it gets a bit warmer, colored chinos fill the role perfectly. personally, i don't know if i can rock the nuclear-orange colored ones below, but i like the blue ones from gap. the bolder you feel, the brighter you should go.

striped knit ties have been coming back for a few years, great for spring 2012 too.

i like that suede brogues were highlighted in this year's spring report. i bought a pair not that long ago and was happy to see that they're coming in style for spring.

white pants. if you're like me, you've been back and forth on white pants for awhile, but im finally jumping on board and giving the white pants look a try. i was skeptical, but i think that white pants can look pretty sharp what done right.

the parka is probably one of my favorite picks from gq's spring style report. i especially liked how they outlined the fact that parkas work great in brighter colors and a wide variety of materials from windbreakers to waxed canvas.

striped sailor shirts and slimmed out chino shorts. gq notes that the only real difference in this spring's sailor stripes is the colors. in stead of just the classic navy blue and white, toss in some reds or grays. the shorts have the same story as the chinos, slim and colorful. if my shorts are colored, they're generally a muted version, like the blue and orange picture below from j. crew and gap.

finally, swimwear is back in season. just like almost everything else in men's style these days, swimsuits seem to be getting shorter and narrower. i think it's spot on.

....and the ultimate don't list. for the worst awards, there was a steep battle for first place between the homeless hawaiian shirt and pink sweat-pant shorts modeled by a very large orange. the hawaiian shirt just frankly looks poorly done, but be warned, don't look at it too long or it starts to grow on you.