2005 Spring/summer

MAJOR TRENDS:
The following are a few emerging trends for this spring - summer season.

MORE COLOR:
Bold colors and pattern. Last season’s bright stripes were a warm-up for more bright colors and bright color combinations. You’ll see dress shirts in pink lemon, lime, and tangerine!
Ink Blue will be popular (it’s very dark (but not as dark as navy) blue.

STRIPES:
In suit patterns, stripes in shirts, and even herringbone patterns in jeans.

TRIBAL:
Warrior and ethnic looks, necklaces, and primitive inspired patterns. Not quite back to hippie!

DENIM DRESSED UP:
Premium denim in vintage jackets, shirts and even suits in denim.
Stripes in denim shirts, and jeans in ice blue, sage green, yellow, ivory, white, and black.

SLIM SHIRTS:
More form fitting, which is a trend not driven by shirt makers or retailers, but a reaction to customer demand. Power to the customer!
Dress shirts will have more contrasting collars (white).

SPORTS SHIRTS:
Poplin printed, paisley, floral, Sporty-Dress shirt – hybrid can be worn un-tucked or with a sport coat with a tie.

NARROW TIES:
A trend with some tie makers for a few seasons, the look spreads from punk to corporate (leaner suits and narrower lapels on jackets).

LOW STANCE SUIT/SPORTS JACKET CLOSURES:
The two button suit and sports jacket will be strong. The "new" two button will have a higher stance (the top button will be higher than the "old" two button style. Three buttons are still around with more styles rolling the lapels to the middle button (so that the top button is left unfastened). Four button suits (never appropriate for business) are gone!
But you will see some low button stance jackets, including one button (with strong shoulders and peak lapels) with the closure just above the waist or lower.

SPORTS JACKETS:
Unconstructed in bold stripes and colors of sand, taupe, neutrals, and shades of blue.

SUITS:
Two button, Italian style with British details. Peaked lapels will be very popular. Stronger rounded shoulders with soft padding, subtle roping and higher armholes, slimmer, suppressed waist, plain front trousers, ticket pockets, side vents, pick-stitched accents and luxury linings.Stripe patterns and more Linen suits for spring.

SHORT JACKETS:
A regular size sports jacket which is very short! One of the silliest trends to date! Sure the short jacket may look OK on ladies, but men??? If you opt for this hopefully short lived fashion make sure the jacket is your size just the short style. Make the shirt minimal - tee-shirts or trim fit shirts. If you're not slim skip this fashion faux pas!

SAFARI and BARRACUDA JACKETS
History of The Baracuta -- John Miller, the owner of a small garment factory near Manchester, designed a blouson jacket in December 1937. First called the G9, and later the Baracuta, it was made from 100% cotton and featured a knitted collar, raglan sleeves, a 2-button stand-up collar, elasticized cuffs and slanted pockets with flaps and buttons. The rainproof, windproof jacket used the Fraser tartan in it’s lining. In the U.K. John Simons began calling the jacket a Harrington in 1965, after the character Rodney Harrington from the '60s TV series, Peyton Place. Such celebrities as Ernest Hemingway, Frank Sinatra, and Steve McQueen have popularized the jacket style.The G9 is one of the most copied blousons in the world. Currently the jacket is marketed by the BMB Group Ltd., a men's clothing company in the United Kingdom.

EPAULETS:
A nod to the military, camouflage is out, but epaulets on trench coats and suit jackets, sweaters, bomber jackets and even shirts will be in.

CARDIGAN SWEATERS:
In warm weather sweater styles, such as lightweight knit, and some with short sleeves.

SWEATSHIRTS:
In light pique weaves (cotton/cashmere) and colors like spearmint, peony, and cornflower blue.

CLASSIC BAGS:
Leather briefcases, instead of the fabric messenger bags.

FUN SOCKS in bold colors.

TROUSERS:
Fancy Pants using fancy fabrics, stripes, drawstring closures, linen utility pant with enzyme wash, plain front, slim cut, button fly and some with a Hollywood waist – high wide waistband.

ACCESSORIES:
Look for CUFFLINKS and BOLD BUCKLES and BELTS in metallic tones.



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Luxurious Wool For Suits

One of the best, most luxurious wool for suits is the vicuna wool taken from the vicuna of the Andes mountains in South America.

The vicuña is a member of the camel family. It is the smallest of the six species of camel, and is thought to be the wild ancestor of the alpaca. It lives on the high, grassland plateaus of the Andes mountains which range from southern Peru to northern Chile and into parts of Bolivia and Argentina. Only tough bunch grasses and festuca grows here. The sun's ultraviolet rays burn through the thin atmosphere during the day. At night the heat of the day escapes into the atmosphere and the temperatures go down to freezing.

Although they look fragile, the vicuña is specially adapted to its high-altitude habitat. It has an incredibly thick, soft coat that traps layers of warm air close to its body and protects it from freezing temperatures. The lower teeth of the vicuña grow constantly, like a rodent's, so they can eat the tough grasses. The vicuña also walks on the soles of its feet so it can flex its toes and grab on to the rocks and gravel-covered slopes. Vicuña milk is very rich so the babies grow quickly.

Vicuñas weigh between 75-140 pounds. They are about 4-6 feet long and stand 2-3 1/2 feet at the shoulders. They have very long necks, round heads, and large, forward facing eyes. Their ears are long and pointed and stand up on their heads. Their fur is a rust color, with white around the muzzle,the chest, belly, and the insides of the legs. The white hair on their chests is longer than their other hair.

Vicuñas graze mostly on grasses. Their teeth are large and grow constantly like those of a rodent. They chew their cud when resting getting more nutrients out of the nutrient poor grass.

Vicuñas are very shy animals and run away very quickly. They have two territories that they defend from other herds; a feeding territory or about 45 acres, and a smaller sleeping area on higher ground where they are more protected. The vicuña live in herds of 5-10 members, which includes one dominant male and several females and their young. They mate in March and April and their young are born 11 months later. The young stay with their mother and the herd for another 10 months, when they are driven off by the herd. Young males will form bachelor groups and the young females try to find another group to join. This ensures that the herd stays the same size, which is important with their limited food supply.

The vicuña was almost hunted to extinction for its beautiful soft wool. The Incas used to round up the wild vicuñas and pen them in stone corrals, where they were sheared for their wool. In modern times they were almost wiped out for their meat and wool. By 1960 there were only 6,000 vicuñas left in the wild. Chile and Peru established protected national parks and put a halt to trade in vicuña wool. Now there are about 125,000 vicuñas, but they are still listed as threatened. The vicuña is classified as vulnerable by the IUCN, and as endangered by the USDI.


Created by www.mycustomtailor.com