source file

Men's Fashion Trends for Winter 2012

Now more than ever, menswear is forming a harmonious parallel with what is trending in women's clothing.

Men's fashion for winter 2012 pulls inspiration from television shows, the state of world affairs, cultural motifs and the changing landscape. Every man should strive to have a piece from several of the major themes to update existing wardrobes.

Gothic Gentleman

With "Twilight: Breaking Dawn -- Part 2" opening in theaters, now is the time to embrace that vampire staple, velvet.

The beauty of velvet is that it swallows up light and adds a nice texture and masculine romance to otherwise mundane fabrics. You can use it to your advantage for everything from date nights to holiday parties. Black blazers work best, pairing well with skinny dark denim jeans, black square-toe dress shoes and a simple T-shirt. You can also play with some of the season's colored denim. Red, dark teal and royal blue jeans work especially well with the look.

You can channel a more preppy attitude, however, if you wear a velvet vest, such as this one from Express, over a plaid shirt and pair the look with a contrasting bow tie.

The silhouette adds polish and is slimming, making it a great wardrobe staple for seasons to come.

A Call to Arms

With the economy still lagging, people out of work and the world being engaged in so many conflicts, it doesn't hurt to build up your armour -- both literally and figuratively.

Military-inspired coats are still going strong, but this season they have special touches, such as oiled leather belts, leather cuffs and non-traditional closures.

This look pairs best with gray or camel wool pants, skinny denim or a muted plaid pant. Non-fussy black ankle boots complete the statement coat.

The Sweater Set

If you are a man who hasn't worn a sweater since childhood, this is the year to change that. You have plenty of styles to choose from, but the front runners are Aztec and Nordic prints, preppy collegiate cardigans and chunky New England cable sweaters.

This Nordic sweater by Topman works well because it is made of a nice neutral navy with splashes of red. This color palette is safe for first-time sweater wearers and the zip closure will give more styling options. Funky professor patches add additional flair.


Another great option is a cardigan sweater that has a vintage university appeal. This style was almost singlehandedly revived by the popularity of the show "Glee."

You can either take it to a dressy level with some skinny khakis or jeans, or you can use it as a chance to accent signature sneakers or high-tops. Just be sure to keep the cut slim and slightly longer.

You'll want to look for oversized toggles or buckles when choosing a cable knit to keep things modern.

Men can round out the looks in their winter closet with some printed knit scarves, printed blazers, pocket squares and some camel or dark gray clothing.

This is a guest post by Nisha who represents a company called http://www.bradshawandlloyd.com/.

What's Hot? is proud to present it's very first guest blog post written by the stylists at Style Pilot. Stylepilot.com is the first personal style engine for men and it aims to help men navigate and master men’s fashion. It’s an automated stylist that gives men personalised recommendations based on their physique and preferences. Style Pilot searches through 1000s of online men’s brands and retailers to find the best matches. Happy reading!



How to match shoes with smart trousers.

Putting formal trousers with shoes seems like a straightforward element of fashion, yet is one scores of men get horribly wrong.

No mixing, lots of matching

Surprisingly large numbers of men struggle when it comes to matching a pair of shoes to a suit or pair of smart trousers. While it doesn’t seem to challenging, it is alarming how many men can be seen sporting mismatched footwear and bottoms. While colours are completely acceptable and there are no hard and fast rules, there are clearly some basic principles which, if adhered to, will keep you looking great and avoid appearing foolish at all.

In general, try not to deviate too much from the colour of the trouser. So for a black trouser you ideally want a black or dark tan shoe. In fact, black and dark tan shoes are a great option for every trouser colour. You don’t want to develop a “one for all” approach however, so we would strongly advise and encourage you to try a number of combinations and shades of shoe colour with your trousers to see which one makes you look truly great. If you put trousers and shoes together without checking first, we won’t be held responsible for the consequences.

Different styles

Every man should own a pair of leather lace ups. These are a key staple piece in the male wardrobe and provide the ideal footwear complement to a classic piece of tailoring. For an edgier, more on trend look, try ankle boots. Up to date with fashion trends, these will look great in either the square or pointed toe variety.
Ensure your footwear is suitable for the cut of your trouser. Boots may not be useful if you’re wearing a skinny or slim fitted trouser so should really be kept for more relaxed or boot cut fitted trousers.

Keep in mind more casual looks too. Although a formal trouser there are opportunities for putting a more relaxed twist on such a look. Try a pair of loafers or monk strap shoes for a refined yet relaxed and not too uptight and serious look.

John Lobb Lopez Leather Penny Loafers

Ask the experts

Thankfully you’re not alone when it comes to navigating the dangerous ground of shoe selection. Using an outfit builder can help you put together perfect styles with minimal risk of committing any major fashion crimes. Not only will tailoring be specifically selected to maximise your characteristics, footwear which perfectly complements the trouser will leave you looking stunning in formal wear as well as feeling fabulous and radiating with confidence.

Visit Stylepilot.com to find out more about men's fashion and stop you making those fashion faux pas'!