RIHANNA AND MANOLO BLAHNIK COLLABORATED ON A LIMITED-EDITION CAPSULE COLLECTION

Manolo Blahnik and Rihanna. Photo: Dennis Leupold/Manolo Blahnik

Rihanna is adding another exciting project to her busy fashion plate. Less than a month after the singer and influential style star presented her first ready-to-wear collection in collaboration with Puma at New York Fashion Week, she and footwear legend Manolo Blahnik have announced a new joint project. Together they have designed a limited-edition capsule collection of six pairs of BadGalRiri approved shoes, priced from $895 to $3995. 

As if demand for anything designed by Rihanna isn't high enough already (her Puma creepers sold out fast in September and the February releases are also proving popular), this capsule will only be available at three Manolo Blahnik stores —London, New York and Hong Kong — starting on May 5 in limited quantities. Now that's serious exclusivity. 

The shoes are sexy in a signature Blahnik way with tall, thin stiletto heels and pointed toes. But Rihanna and the designer focused on denim as their core material, embellished by sequins and embroidery inspired by the singer's hand tattoos. And for fans of the singer's loud, statement-making style, she's delivered the truly outrageous "9 to 5" thigh-high stiletto boot complete with... a sparkly garter attachment? "Those boots are dangerous," Rihanna told British Vogue. "If you're trying to get back home to your bed, don't wear them boots! You will get kidnapped in those boots, those boots are trouble." You heard it here first, people. You have been warned.

CFDA RELEASES ITS (SLIGHTLY OBVIOUS) STUDY RESULTS ON THE NEW YORK FASHION WEEK FORMAT

Ralph Lauren fall 2016 during New York Fashion Week: The Shows. Photo: JP Yim/Getty Images

After announcing its aim to reevaluate the format of New York Fashion Week back in December, the CFDA released its study results with Boston Consulting Group on Thursday morning. Over the course of six weeks, the two organizations conducted nearly 50 formal interviews with industry insiders — mostly designers, but also retailers, members of the press, influencers and corporations who are regularly involved in the fashion space.

While the study expanded in depth on the conversation that's already surrounding the traditional twice-yearly format, the CFDA hasn't exactly come up with a solid solution, but rather a clear call for change. Their results highlight the industry's main challenges, or "recurring ideas," such as in-season relevancy, newness perceived by consumers and creative burnout among designers.

CFDA study. Photo: Screengrab

The study also provides a few potential models for designers, both young and established, to choose from, such as intimate presentations four to six months before the collection's deliveries; biannual, in-season activations geared towards consumers; or offering capsule collections available immediately after a traditional runway show. Other alternative solutions, include merging men's and women's collections; merging main and pre-season collections; or adopting the timing of the pre-collection calendar (December and June).

Another challenge that the CFDA addresses in the study is the industry's favor towards shifting delivery dates later to better match with the seasons. (Perhaps the poor sales on last year's inventory of winter coats was a red flag.) The association's "strong call for action" involves a targeted dialogue specifically between brands and retailers.

CFDA study. Photo: Screengrab

Although the ideas and models addressed by the CFDA aren't entirely new and have been practiced by designers — and have been covered by many outlets (including Fashionista) in the past — it's good that the association has carried out a more formal approach to these issues and is offering its designers options and the resources to carry out those decisions. A concluding statement in the study says, "Ultimately, it is up to the brands to decide what works best for them, and the CFDA will support designers as they experiment and define what is right for their collections."

Judging from the myriad of formats that designers adopted this past New York Fashion Week — from Rebecca Minkoff's consumer-facing runway show to "see now, buy now" capsule collections by Michael Kors and Proenza Schouler, among others — experimentation is already underway and will surely continue. According to the CFDA's study, they want to "alleviate the pressure for designers and brands to conform to a singular model." So it's only a matter of time for these brands, and New York Fashion Week as a whole, to figure out what will actually stick.

5 style hacks every man should know

Life’s hard. So if there’s an easy way of doing things, well, you can always colour us interested. Looking your best costs time and money, so to save you a bit of both, we’ve cobbled together a list of ways you can cut corners without sacrificing so much as an ounce of style.

1. Roll Your Shirt Sleeves Like A Marine

Sometimes it’s the little things that let your outfit down. Messily rolled shirt sleeves not only make you look like you’re about to do battle with a blocked toilet, they’ll also repeatedly fall back down your forearms. Annoying.

For a neat roll, deploy the marine’s approach:

1. Start with your sleeves fully extended and cuffs unbuttoned.
2. Bend the sleeve at the cuff, curl it upward and over itself until it’s inside out.
3. Straighten both the bottom and top of the rolled cuff, ensuring there are no creases.
4. Repeat the process as necessary, gradually folding up to the desired height on your arm.

2. Sock It To ‘Em

Nothing quite kills a carefully curated ensemble like a pair of wayward socks. Small (and mostly out of sight) as they may be, a flash of Spongebob under your glove-fit suit trousers instantly undoes any and all of your efforts.

Stop playing a game of chance with your sock drawer and stock up on styles that actually work with what you usually wear. As a general rule of thumb, match the colour of your socks to that of your trousers (a shade darker or lighter works too); or, for more seasoned players, try a contrasting colour that doesn’t clash so much as complement your trouser and shoe choice.

For more tips on this subject, check out our guide to matching your socks to your outfit.

3. Put A Stop To Pilling

Bobbles wrecking your knitwear vibes? Restore your garment’s true nap with a Sweater Stone. Simply stroke this pumice-like lifesaver gently over your pilling pieces and see the finish of your jumpers, jacket collars and cuffs instantly renewed.

In a pinch? Raid the bathroom cabinet instead. A disposable razor will do a similar de-bobbling job, but should be used sparingly as the blades can damage sensitive fibres.

4. Rotate

Not only is wearing the same thing day in, day out terminally boring, it’s bad for your clothing’s lifespan too. Leaving a day or so between wearing your favourite pair of brogues or that trusty white T-shirt allows them to absorb perspiration and dry thoroughly.

Fail to do this and your footwear’s shape warps, while your tees quickly acquire that pungent fragrance you’ll never quite be able to wash out.

5. Kill Creases With Ice Cubes

No time to iron? CBA to iron? Get rid of wrinkles the easy way by chucking your shirt into the dryer along with a couple of ice cubes and then run it on its hottest setting. Once the ice cubes melt to steam, the dryer’s hot, moist air relaxes creases, leaving your shirt smooth and fresh.

Don’t get heavy-handed, though – use two to three ice cubes max, and be sure to only run a couple of shirts, or a shirt and a pair of trousers, at a time.

Reissues Trends For Men 2016

Trainers, despite their ties to modernity and forward-thinking design, aren’t immune to fashion’s cycles. Which means perfectly good kicks often get cut way too early, only to be brought back in a big way some years later.

Luckily for us, savvy brands have been diving deep into their archives and reissuing some of the classic silhouettes and styles that made fans giddy all those years ago (albeit with prices more than adjusted for inflation).

Heritage-heavy brands like Reebok and adidas Originals are obviously the go-to in this respect: the Bolton brand’s recent reissue of the beautifully understated Club C 85 flew out the door and the Germans’ never-ending hallway of footwear heroes has provided a tonne of old-school kicks for the refined sneakerhead to get wet over.

New Balance, too, have jumped on board with the ‘Bringback’ (*eye-roll emoji*) 990 – one of the comfiest trainers there has ever been – and the success of Nike’s Cortez will surely prompt more of the big guys to dip back into its back catalogue.

REEBOK CLUB C 85

NEW BALANCE 900

NIKE CORTEZ

Current Styles

Sneakerboots Trends For 2016

If you’re uninitiated or have some kind of blindness to compound words (an affliction that must make 2016 a truly hellish time to be alive), a ‘sneakerboot’ is a hardwearing variant of the trainer aimed at the divergent audiences of svelte fashion bloggers and blokes who climb hills to Instagram photos of all this bloody wood that they’ve just chopped.

2016 – with its, thanks to climate change, unpredictable weather situations – might just be when this heretofore contentious footwear style comes into its own.

Nike’s new double-black Air Max 90 sneakerboot is the street classic on steroids. Beefed up beyond compare, it’s the discerning Roadman’s Big Weekend In The Countryside shoe and we’re all for that, along with the rest of Nike’s muscular All Conditions Gear (ACG) range.

The sneakerboots from outside Oregon’s favourite superpower are a little hit and miss, although adidas’ Tubular Boot (strictly for fair-weather boot fans owing to a soft suede construction) and the impenetrably cool Yeezy 750 certainly do their best.

CONVERSE TEKOA

NIKE AIR MAX 90 SNEAKERBOOT

Men’s Accessories Trends 2016 I Mirrored Glasses I Blue Suits I Tangerine Bags

Mirrored Glasses Trend

If you’re anything like us here at the Trendspotter, your collection of sunglasses is updated as often as you can find an excuse to do so. When it comes to guys’ sunglasses, the standard old athletic style is no longer your only option. Unlike women, who accessorize with jewelery and handbags, sunglasses have become an important part of a trendy accessory and a man’s outfit. So, looking the part by throwing on cool shades is one of a few opportunities to reflect one’s personal style. Seems as though this year, the sunglasses are coming roaring back into popularity in a big way. And we’ve spied a major trend to try this season are retro chic designs with mirrored lenses. That’s right, from the streets to the runways and back, mirrored sunglasses are back in action 90’s style. We can’t help but notice the plethora of mirrored styles modeled everywhere this season. Designers are going bolder than ever by introducing brightly coloured lenses in hues of blues, pinks, or purples feel fresh just in time for the new season. Whether you’re looking to channel a bit of that downtown cool-kid vibe or a glamour boy, the of-the-moment mirrored shade will provide an instant update from a simple polo shirt to a relaxed tux.

1.Le Specs Round Sunglasses With Mirrored Lens, 2. Westward Leaning Color Revolutions Acetate Square Sunglasses/Blue, 3. Marc Jacobs Sunglasses MJ 364S 06Q/89, 4. Ermenegildo Zegna Sunglasses SZ3249 589B A, 5. Costa Del Mar Sunglasses Cut Polarized UT 47 OGMGLP

Blue Suits & Jackets Trend

It’s no surprise when warmer months are around the corner, the colour preference in menswear becomes much more popular and acceptable. Well, this season is no exception. The high fashion designers are all about advocating colourful suits. If you are not one who does tailoring every day, perhaps a special occasion requiring a tailored attire can be an excuse to try this trend. And you’ll stand out for all the right reasons.Two of the biggest designers celebrating colour tailoring this season are Paul Smith and Gucci. Featuring colour suits in hues reminiscent of a Mediterranean summer, aquamarine blues and pastel turquoise suits and jackets created a colour palette that maintain the overall aesthetic understated and refined. Most blue suits offer a solid foundation for playful accessorising. Lending itself to a broad range of complementary shades, like purple or burgundy, blue tailoring demonstrates that colourful suiting can be toned down when paired with more restrained neutrals. When paired with white shirts, supper skinny tailoring offers a suit mod-like appeal. While a pale shade of blue gives even the most formally cut suit a playful air when put together with white loafers for a slick yet sophisticated summer feel. So there we have it. Both the high fashion and the streets are undoubtedly giving a nod to all hues of blue when it comes to tailoring this season. Will you?

Tangerine Bags Trend

Nothing makes a statement quite like tangerine or high-octane orange – a favourite shade among top designers this season. It has been declared the IT colour and the runways in Paris, Milan, New York and London were filled with it. Also known as red-orange, it is the ultimate way to wear bright bold colour this year. In men’s deparment, this bold colour trend has trickled down to the accessories department and the bags seem to have it. Fashion houses such as Salvatore Ferragamo, Hermes, Dolce & Gabanna and, Christian Dior definitely gave a convincing account why orange should be on your list this season. Paired with natural tones, like navy, grey, or white or juxtaposed to another one of the hottest trends this season – camouflage – tangerine is certainly striking yet really versatile statement colour to accessorise your outfit with . So, what about the shapes of the bags? Look for daytime clutches – medium in size – which are easy to carry, or opt for a top handle satchels, which offer both function and style.

Scarves for Men | Street Style Trend Inspiration

Scarves have been considered the most intriguing trend ever. Why? Because when you think about it, it’s literally just a simple rectangular piece of fabric. That being said however, this revolutionary accessory has been redeveloped over the years, with scarves evolving into a fashion statement rather than an economic tool to warm us up during the winter months. We now have so many styles of scarves that they can be used to complement any outfit in any kind of weather. Depending on the brand, scarves can either be cheap or extremely expensive, despite all of them serving the same purpose.

Large Scarves

These kind of chunky scarves are the perfect fashion accessories for winter. Due to their sheer thickness, it’s an obvious fact that you cannot tie these bad boys with the normal loop method, so it’s time to experiment. We recommend simply draping them over your shoulders or throwing one end behind you, that way it still highlights your fashion ensemble as a whole rather than detracting from it because everyone is staring at its enormous size. While large scarves are generally used in darker colours, that doesn’t mean you can’t play around with the brighter ones, especially if you’re looking to add a pop of colour to your wardrobe.

Statement Patterned Scarves

If you feel like something is missing with your outfit, a scarf is always a great addition to consider. That being said, if you already are wearing printed clothes, then perhaps a plain scarf would be a better choice. But if your clothes are all in one solid colour, then patterned scarves is the way to go.

There are a plethora of patterns to choose from including checks, cross hatch, striped – whatever style of scarf you think of, it has most likely already been produced. As a result, patterned scarves are ideal for any season. You can team them up with anything from denim jackets to sweaters, and coats. And if runways have taught us anything, it has shown us that scarves look absolutely astounding with blazers, transforming an entire outfit from being formal to being downright sophisticated and sexy.