THE BRIGHTER THE BETTER

Brighten up your wardrobe and get ready for spring in glorious Technicolor.

STYLE

1. GLOBAL VISION

Globe-Trotter trunks have served the great and good in many ways during their illustrious history – Winston Churchill kept his papers in one during the Second World War and Sir Edmund Hillary used them for storage at the base camp when he conquered Mount Everest in 1953. Today, the Globe-Trotter suitcase is more of a fashion statement but it still retains its craftsmanship. Each trunk is made from vulcanised fibreboard, coloured to an exact specification. As the cases are entirely constructed by hand, only a few are made each day. In Globe-Trotters’ recent Centenary collection original designs are given a modern makeover in a range of exciting new colours.

FROM £210 (€280) www.GLOBE-TROTTERLTD.COM

2. JUST ADD COLOUR

To mark its 75th anniversary this year, luxury sportswear brand Lacoste has created a collection that celebrates vivid colours. Its famous polo shirts are particularly eye-catching, with bold prints, wide stripes and, of course, the company’s trademark crocodile motif. Since its inception in 1933, Lacoste has believed in leaving the past behind by designing fresh, modern classics for a contemporary wardrobe. Contrasting the colourful display seen at Lacoste’s summer collection with that of their first garment – a single, white polo shirt for playing tennis – no one can accuse the company of not sticking to its word.

£90 (€120) www.LACOSTE.COM

3. STRIPE IT RIGHT

Founded by a Ukrainian immigrant who came to America just before the First World War, Gant prides itself on combining American casual cool with European sophistication. Colour has always been an important ingredient in creating this fashion hybrid and Gant’s latest menswear range boasts bold tones that transform traditional tank tops and checked shirts, making them modern, preppy and excellent summer staples. Gant has also worked its magic on ties, usually the epitome of European formality, by relaxing them with a rainbow of colour.

FROM £49 (€65) www.GANT.COM

4. ART ATTACK

Thomas Pink is using artistic licence this summer to create a collection inspired by three great British artists: Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, JMW Turner and David Hockney. The men’s Casual range, for example, pays homage to Hockney’s Canyon series, painted in the 1980s, and prompting the quintessentially British Thomas Pink to create Western-style shirts, colourful linings and collars trimmed with grosgrain ribbon. Accessories are decorated with graphic patterns, and there’s an artist’s palette of colours to choose from.

SOCKS FROM £15 (€20) www.THOMASPINK.CO.UK

5. ONE TO WATCH

The success of Italy’s ToyWatch lies in its ability to appeal to both purist watch collectors and the more style conscious, delivering fine time keeping in a chic fashion accessory. Aficionados are impressed by the tourbillon mechanism, found in many models to ensure accuracy, while aesthetes will appreciate the mother-of-pearl dials, brushed steel straps, cool colours and intricately decorated watch faces. Whichever category you fall into, you’ll be in good company: Madonna, Robbie Williams, Michael Jordan and Sylvester Stallone all own one.

FROM £115 (€154) www.TOY-WATCH.IT

6. NO LIMITS

Diversification is something many companies aim for but few achieve: Asprey is a lesson in how to do it properly. Founded in 1781 as a silk printer, today the luxury British brand boasts leather, silver, clothing, china, glass, homeware and even guns among its stock. Asprey’s cufflinks and jewellery are particularly coveted for combining traditional craftsmanship with modern design, but if none of that takes your fancy, the company runs a no limits, commission service that allows customers to order a design of their creation in any colour, no matter how ambitious.

YELLOW ENAMEL CUFFLINKS £275 (€368) www.ASPREY.COM

VIKTOR & ROLF

BRAND FOCUS

CREATING CLOTHES THAT LOOK LIKE WORKS OF art, but still have a mass commercial appeal, has been a successful formula for Amsterdam duo Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren, more commonly known as Viktor & Rolf. Their designs are packed with witty details: an upside-down, lopsided dress or a collar decorated with a life-sized violin. Such concept designs have won them many celebrity fans, among them Cate Blanchett, Gwen Stefani and Tilda Swinton, but there’s a serious side to the silliness, their sharp tailored clothes habitually breaking through fashion boundaries.

Viktor & Rolf met while studying fashion at Arnhem Art Academy and gained the fashion world’s attention when they won the prestigious Festival d’Hyeres prize in 1993. It wasn’t until five years later, however, when the duo put on an underground show during Paris Fashion Week, that they caught the international media’s attention. Ever since, journalists have loved their eccentric designs and theatrical shows. One autumn/winter collection, for example, saw each model wearing scaffolding with her own lights and music attached.

Despite their unconventional style, Viktor & Rolf created a 60-piece wedding-inspired collection for Swedish high street chain H&M in 2006. The collaboration was a massive success, with queues of customers keen to snap up the limited edition items. The designers enjoy working with other brands and, in 2009, plan to team up with luggage label Samsonite to create a selection of quirky ‘travel pieces’. With such partnerships, Viktor & Rolf have made the transition from underground movement to mass-market phenomenon, but, unlike many labels, they’ve managed to retain their original approach to fashion.

WORDS BY CHARLOTTE BECKWITH