Men's Fashion for Spring Tends to the Glam

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (MainStreet) -- A mild cold season across the United States means a subtle transition from winter to spring fashion. Much of Spring 2012 style was dictated on the runways from Milan to New York last summer, with many designers again opting for outlandish themes -- from Roman gladiators to dandies and Brit rock stars -- that required a bit of visual digestion before emerging as the looks of the season.

Suits are loud and proud going into spring, with stripes, tartans and check patterns being all the rage. Frida Giannini did it for Gucci through a series of dapper standouts such as the Marseilles 70s suit that melds a greyish black fulham check pattern on a jacket with wider notch lapel and five-button cuff. Sarah Burton mixes the trend for a layered look at Alexander McQueen, channeling a runway show of Iggy Pop and Mick Jagger inspiration through a collection that included a number of layered looks, including casual striped V necks, mix-and-match striped suits and three-button deconstructed jackets that can fasten all the way up the collar.

Color trends for spring can include muted, creamy pastels and beiges such as in H&M's simple shirt and trouser separates.

The most noticeable trend of the spring season for most men will be how ridiculous most of their suits now appear when juxtaposed to the stouter, shorter jackets that have made their way from top to bottom of the fashion food chain. From Marc Jacobs to Banana Republic, jackets are no longer the customary "end of the fingertip" length worn by men in years past. These days, jackets often lay at wrist length or even shorter in the various suited incarnations that graced the stages of fashion houses such as Lanvin, where several suits included waist-length jackets with double-breasted detail, and at Prada with its selection of sportier patterned blazers.