Acne your looks

Scandinavians have a great thing about design. Perhaps it's due to the fact that they are shrouded by darkness and merciless cold for most of the year that they resort to creating extraordinary aesthetics to pass time. Or perhaps it's just their diet that makes them special that way.


In the past, Scandinavia has been known mainly for their furniture design, which is very clean, practical and innovative. This principle seems to have been carried through into their clothing design. Two of my favorite brands is Acne (pronounced Akh-Nay to divert any thoughts of unclean skin) and COS, which are both from Sweden. The latter is the sister brand of fashion giant H&M and its high-end, fashion forward line. Both labels produce designs that are clean, practical, innovative with its silhouette, androgynous (some styles can be easily worn by both genders) and definitely fashion forward.


Here Acne shows us how it's done in its Men Spring 2011 collection. Simple pieces carefully layered in contrasting solid tones. Mens fashion can be somewhat tricky as the majority masses prefer not to be seen as too dandy. Too many embellishment tends to create that unnecessary overt-metrosexualness, which is why Acne does it well with a few simple details.


By layering simple pieces, the effect provide depth to the outfit while adding a subtle illusion of detailing - such offsetting colors, patterns or texture. The trick is to layer thin pieces together instead of sturdy cottons. Unless you want to look like a college jockey or an American. No they are not bad things, just explaining what the other options were. For beginners, layer with white as the color brings out the best in others and lends a note of refined casual.

Colors and silhouette also play an important part in creating a look - something that women have been learning and men have to learn. Play with bolder tones and strong colors by pairing them with muted ones such as white, beige or grey. Grey is that in-betweener of the fail-safe white and black, which gives it a unique authority that makes almost any color chic. Contrast large or loose volumes with slim lines to balance the overall silhouette.

The men's SS11 collection is a reflection of the women's RST10 collection. Which is great - because now girls may expand their wardrobes by getting a just-as-stylish-boyfriends.