Summer may be a hot time of the year, and the humidity may be a killer, but it’s no excuse to not look your best. If you’re wanting to update your look for summer, listen to me as I run down what looks were popular in the spring/summer collections from designers all over the world. Some of these looks have already made it to Florida, and others will make a bigger splash than a cannonball at a poolside tea dance!
THERE’S NO BETTER TIME FOR A COLORED SUIT
I’ll start off this summary of trends with a look that I’m already starting to see among the more fashion-forward of us across Florida. Colored suits are very big this year, and will be very popular this summer. When I mean a colored suit, I don’t mean black or navy like traditional office attire. I mean louder, more vibrant colors. Imagine a suit with a purple blazer, light purple gingham shirt and a plum tie, or an entire outfit colored in shades of coral. Stand out and wear a suit that has a fun color combination.
DENIM — OR AT LEAST THE LOOK OF DENIM — IS COMING BACK
This is one that I’m not really a fan of, but I can’t argue with 
designers like Billy Reid and the people at Everlane in San Francisco when they insist that denim is coming back. Now of course I’m not talking about jeans, which everyone wears anyway. I’m talking about denim shirts and denim jackets. The looks of the ’90s are coming back with a vengeance, so much so that you may not need a denim jacket in the Florida summer but you may want to save it for winter — this trend is sticking around. And we’re not even just talking about denim fabric; I hear that indigo-dyed fabrics in general are in, like cotton shirts.
THE NAUTICAL LOOK IS IN
Naturally I’m transitioning from giving the green light to indigo-colored fabrics to the nautical look, which of course naturally pairs indigo with white in a striped pattern on shirts. Now what I’m hearing is all the rage is sweaters, but very few of us are going to have the patience to wear sweaters in Florida in June or July. The nautical T-shirt look, paired with light blue, white or gray chino or khaki shorts, is something you’re going to see a lot more of very soon. I even talked to one South Florida retailer who said that there is so much demand for this look that they have started selling sailor hats! Anchors aweigh!
FLORALS ARE HERE TO STAY
The last time I wrote to you about fashion trends, I couldn’t believe that florals were going to
be the new look for men! But yes, floral jackets and floral pants have become…if not popular, at least noticeable. What I’m hearing is that this trend will not only continue, but it will be more prevalent. The styles are a lot more palatable than I originally thought too; think a more subdued two-tone gray-on-white floral design, not something you would have seen on your grandmother’s couch circa 1973! This is a trend I can get behind, especially if it’s more subtle.
PINK WON’T BE HAPPENING
Remember that line from Mean Girls? “Stop trying to make ‘fetch’ happen! It’s not going to happen!” A handful of style mavens have tried to make pastel pink happen as a neutral tone for outfits on men. Even more people have shouted it down, with Esquire Magazine saying the color will make one “look like a ‘Miami Vice’ extra!” While we do live in Florida, remember the ’90s are coming back, not the ’80s. Want a calming neutral tone? Look into lighter shades of brown and gray. Some cooler tones I recommend include sky blue on denim fabric and cyan on cotton.
SHOE RECOMMENDATIONS: BOAT SHOES AND DESERT BOOTS
Now that we’re aware the nautical look is in, the shoes you’re supposed to wear to pair with the look are boat shoes or moccasins. The boat shoe trend started earlier this year in France and made it over to America with the help of popular Swedish-based clothier H&M. (Want to see H&M’s boat shoe collection? There are 15 stores across Central and South Florida.) The second shoe to pair with your favorite casual and semi-casual outfits is the desert boot. This isn’t really a surprise…this shoe has been popular for years and if you don’t own a pair yet, you may be the last person in town without them!
