Spring 2013 is (almost) here

It's still autumn/winter 2012/13 and what is to come next season is already upon us.. and it's sure is refreshing. Fun hues to perk up your day and those twists on old classics are a nice touch! So let's see what's big this spring/summer 2013, shall we...

Bright colours (e.g. white, orange, purplish pink, mint) on a background of the usual pastels. White shirts are abound, and those lime green loafers at Hackett's first ever runway show sure look nice.

Metallic and shiny fabrics. Designers at Daks made it a point to make some pieces shiny for spring/summer 2012/13, while those sexy butterfly-inspired things at Roberto Cavalli are nothing but. Burberry next season opts for all things metallic - maybe too intimidating for some.

Cummerbunds. Les Hommes and Daks are proponents of the thing but definitely not me. Where would I wear it to?

White leather shoes and gladiator sandals. Spring/summer always ensures things are light and breezy. People at Louis Vuitton and Gucci sure love their white leather shoes. If you want to go overboard with your gladiator sandals (and other ancient Roman stuff) you can head straight to Versace, but Corneliani and Givenchy offer some nice leather sandals as well. I'm so needing a pair right now :)

Wayfarer sunglasses. Big at Louis Vuitton. Nice change for my aviators.

Hmm.. I've probably been using the words 'nice' and 'things' way too many times now.. But coming back to the point I was going to say, contrary to the Mayan calendar's prediction of impending Armageddon, the world of fashion certainly is not ending in December 2012!

Bye-bye summer aubergine

Bye-bye mustard and aubergine, hello reddish brown and teal! That's how I feel about this season's sentiment. Happier hues of blue, purple and tawny brown are here as well. My gut feeling for Burberry last season was spot on - high street stores like Topshop, H&M and Uniqlo are cashing in like mad from clearly Burberry-inspired designs. And the trend is going strong this season. The warm optimistic colours of spring/summer inevitably give way to more sombre tones but the autumn/winter 2012/2013 collection brings with it a more interesting (i.e. not boring) splashes of colour in addition to the ever-so-often recycled black, grey and dark brown (yawn). Something to brighten up the not-so-bright economic outlook, I guess.

Apart from the staple leather items, fabric this season is soft and comforting in the form of velvet and wool. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised when I ran my fingers through a washable merino wool cardigan in a high street store just last week. Merino wool, washable - can you believe it?

Other notable items include umbrellas with mallard head handles by Burberry and Louis Vuitton's uber-luxurious kimono-style silk shirts (reputedly the Japanese silk factory where they come from makes only 20 centimetres of the fabric per day). Unfortunately, I hardly see them in the stores here in Malaysia, huhu...

This time around also welcomes a wave of change in the fashion world as new designers are taking over the helm of some notable companies. Paul Surridge at Zegna and Kim Jones at Louis Vuitton are doing well and I hope the coming of Hedi Slimane (my fashion hero) to YSL for spring/summer 2013 is nothing but good news.

As rumours of the European fashion industry facing a gloomy forecast fly around, fashion houses are turning to the Asian market for salvation. This can only bring good tidings to us Asians since I can now see 'Asian Cut' shirts in Zara stores and smaller sized pants in some other. Thank God for those size 28 pants :)

Curiously, they are now also selling chunky woolen sweaters here in hot and sunny Malaysia. Err.. why exactly?

Spring/summer 2012 menswear is fresh!

'Tis spring 2012 and while people in Japan and Korea are anxiously awaiting their cute cherry blossoms, I'm stuck here in good 'ol Malaysia 'enjoying' the searing heat and paralysing downpours (sob, sob). But wait - the 'SALE' signs are everywhere this week (including imaginary ones) in conjunction with the Formula 1 event and I'm heading to those chic malls in the capital with a vengeance, guns and wallet ablazing!

A calm and collected fashion-conscious person like yours truly would know better than just barging in boutiques and swooping down the shelves like a hungry vulture. A quick trip to cyberspace is much advised. And voila! Amazing cheerful colours at Burberry, fresh new bag designs by Kim Jones at Louis Vuitton, not to mention the cool swagger at the Roberto Cavalli show. Apart from the flood of grey in every permutation of the colour, menswear hasn't been this exciting for years!

Alas, those lovely LV bags - they never made it to Malaysian shores, did they?