revolutionary new trends in men's attire for the upcoming sunny season
Emancipation and Eclecticism keynote this year's spring-and-summer silhouette: emancipation from the dated and traditional look, eclecticism in the vast variety of elegant apparel that will be available for the venturesome. Gazing into our crystal ball, we predict that many shaped suits and sports jackets will take a belt in the midsection, thus giving them additional suppression at the waist. (Some lightweight sweaters and body-contour shirts will be belted, too.) Longer double-breasted Edwardian-style jackets with greatcoat collars and deep center vents will continue to influence the urban summer scene; but we recommend that you give yourself ample time to suit your fancy by checking out other new looks, such as a white cardigan, no-button suit or a dark two-button chalk stripe with angled pockets. Manufacturers of summer-weight slacks, we foretell, will blossom (text continued on next page 142) forth with a variegated array of patterns and hues; bold prints and multicolor stripes and plaids in seersucker will come on strongest, but there will also be more conservative offerings to consider, such as small-patterned ginghams and narrow stripes. Expect to see an abundance of bell-bottoms that are decidedly with it in width; styles will go from 17 inches at the knee to 21 inches at the ankle.
Come summer, you'll want to be on the lookout for voile, crepe and silk see-through supershirts and beach pants. (The latter are worn over a pair of matching shorts.) This adventurous après-surf apparel is geared for the lean lad with a good build. Be sure to contrast rather than coordinate your shirt-slack shades; for example, try a salmon shirt with a pair of bright-green pants (or you might mix yellow and blue) and, as a fillip, add a neck square tied at the side. See-through shirts, by the way, are often worn open to the waist.
At the opposite end of the fashion spectrum are embroidered cotton caftans that cover the wearer from top to toe. They can be donned as a sun-day cover-up on the strand or as a way-out wearable later in the evening.
Vested interest is already being shown in fancy weskits of polished leather, suede and denim--all to be worn over supershirts, turtlenecks or as an after-swim topper to a pair of trunks, see-through beach pants or bold-print kneelength "jams" with a drawstring waist. Keep in mind, if your present collection of warm-weather wearables is a bit lackluster, that now's the time to replenish your wardrobe and brighten your image. Fashions for the coming months, obviously, will be both colorful and fun.
