This July saw the a welcome return to Jacket Required – the London based trade show demonstrating the very best of brands in menswear. Jeff Passan Luis Gil Logo T-shirt Amongst the midst of journalists, bloggers and buyers stood stand after stand of high quality collections from across the globe. From well-known menswear maestro Mark McNairy to overseas visitor Shipley & Halmos, spectators were treated to something truly spectacular. A brand energised by individuality and character, Triwa have certainly stuck to their roots with their latest spring/summer ’13 collection. Watches were featured in bright summery colours and played with natural leather, milky white acetate and stainless steel detailing. To compensate for the unpredictable British summer, they have also produced a three-piece collection of monochrome, cloud and blue wristwear. Soulland’s head designer, Silas Adler, founded the brand in 2002 and what started as a small company specialising in printed t-shirts has now grown into a well-established menswear label represented in stores across the world. Shipley & Halmos is a New York City based creative brand founded by award-winning designers Sam Shipley and Jeff Halmos. Through a variety of internal divisions, the company produces a range of men’s clothing, footwear and accessories. Making their European debut at this year’s show, the Americans certainly showed no signs of being the newcomer. The collection featured a selection of playful pieces – including patterned shirts, varsity jackets and nautical jumpers.

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Let’s be honest. The only way to know if a trend is really happening is to check social media. Jeff Passan Luis Gil Logo T-shirt Sure, we can scour the runway for the biggest handbag trends or find the best designer bags to buy, but nothing holds a candle to the power of peer approval in the form of someone purchasing the It bag of the moment. And when it comes to approving what trends are worth actually buying into, no one is quite as influential as the French fashion set. Call it cliché, but before a trend can pop off on TikTok, it’s most likely going to emerge on the streets of Paris—c’est la vie. So when it comes to discerning which handbag trends are likely to take over, you must first keep an eye out for what’s coming out of luxury French houses as well as what ends up being donned by French women. It’s not always easy, which is why I’ve done the heavy lifting for you and highlighted five bag trends that are trending in the Parisian fashion scene right now. These purses not only dominated various spring/summer collections but are also worth buying into, even if you don’t live in Paris. When it comes to trends, the French fashion set is always ahead of the curve. Case in point: the adoption of the curved-line handbag trend. It was only just last September that luxury houses like Balenciaga and Loewe were pushing bags with an emphasis on curved angles down the runway, but they’ve already hit the streets of Paris.