Spring Summer trends and how to wear them - Sarah Gilfillan helps us out

Sarah Gilfillan of Sartoria Lab, stylist extraordinaire, has again agreed to share with us the benefit of her experience scanning the shops for the best, at all price points, for her male clients. Here she advises the older man on spring/summer trends and how to wear them. GF.

Florals

The catwalks showed head to toe florals in clashing prints and full suits, and the Prada collection in particular was all things tropical. I doubt very much whether I'll be buying any of these looks in full with my clients, but I can see them being persuaded into a floral shirt or two - perhaps even going for a Hawaiian style or some floral shorts to add some fun and colour to their holiday outfits. Or maybe it'll just be a nod to the trend with a floral cotton tie or pocket square. Even if you're a bit of a shrinking violet in the sartorial department, like my friend's husband was, try it out A shirt he bought for a Hawaiian party a couple of years ago has now become his favourite summer BBQ shirt.

Links: Prada Tom Ford Gucci French Connection Penfield Universal Works

White

I'm trying to imagine if I could see GF bowling up to meet me in Central London in a pure white suit and frankly I'm finding it rather hard. Perhaps at a party in a hot and summer clime or wedding (though you wouldn't want to upstage the bride) but in your local town or city?

So my suggestion on how to incorporate the all white trend into your wardrobe this summer is to go for a more casual look. White denim is having a fashion moment, but if I was dressing a more mature client I'd be more inclined to suggest an off-white pair of jeans or chinos instead. You could then pair them with a white polo shirt, a white cotton or linen shirt and a textured cotton knit, and it becomes more of a wearable trend. Classic Converse would work well, tan shoes and belt or desert boots.

Berluti Nicole Farhi Dolce & Gabbana APC Hartford Gant Clarks Andersons 

Fifties style shirts 

Personally I rather like this look. Along with GF's sister (photographer Carole Evans), I also frequent the Lindy hopping/jive scene where a large proportion of the men dress in 40's and 50's style clothing from when these dances were popular. The 50's style shirts seen on the catwalks are an unusually practical option for summer, and easy to translate to your wardrobe.

One word of caution though, when you're wearing something retro and you're a little more mature, guard against looking as if you've had it from the first time round, by teaming it with modern, up to date pieces and avoid wearing an entire look from that era.

Nicole Farhi Missoni Canali Jigsaw French Connection Folk

Pink 

From the palest to the most neon and everything in between, pink was the colour on the Spring Summer catwalks. So if, like me (and me, GF), you believe that real men do wear pink, then get hunting for the shade that most suits your complexion.

Here's what I would advise: If you have Ryan Gosling type colouring ie. fair hair and complexion and blue/green eyes - choose a pale or dusty pink. If you're more like Michael McIntyre - dark hair, pale skin, and dark eyes - go for a bright, fuschia pink. If your colouring is warmer like Damian Lewis' and you have sandy or ginger hair and freckly skin - then look for more of a salmon or coral pink. Or if you have similar colouring to George Lamb with olive skin, grey or dark hair and brown eyes then a deeper shade of a warm salmon pink will look better on you. Combine it with neutrals like grey, navy and brown and white. If you're still not sure about wearing a large amount of pink then a flash of it in a pocket square, tie or socks will add a modern youthful touch to an outfit.

Burberry Prorsum Paul Smith Richard James Marks & Spencer Jet 8 Duchamp

Suits with t-shirts

Just when we'd got used to men dressing up more, I've noticed the designers are now going back to a more relaxed way of styling and it seems there's a return to the 90's trend of wearing trainers with suits. There's more relaxed, unstructured tailoring around with a shift away from the very skinny, tight silhouette that's been dominating the menswear scene for the past few years. As you can see from the images below, many of the shows were styled with t-shirts worn with suits and I think this could be a good look for the older man to try out. I can see it working really well with an unstructured cotton, seersucker or linen suit for an informal summer wedding or outdoor lunch. Choose a fitted, but not tight, t-shirt that skims rather than clings, with a neckline that sits not too high and not too low, and wear loafers or suede brogues with it.

Calvin Klein Costume National Zegna Jigsaw Oliver Spencer Villain

For more advice, see Sarah's Sartorial Lab blog here.