When it comes to trends forecasting, one of the most common assumptions (that is also one of the most debatable) is that, in times of economic recession, fashion tends to follow rather than direct consumers perambulating the path of style. As the cycle of fashion weeks to showcase menswear collections for Spring/Summer 2014 comes to an end, the evidence that this postulation remains accurate seems, indeed, unquestionable. However, if designers chose to incorporate sartorial looks and details inspired by informal and utilitarian (and, by association, seemingly afashionable) realms (such as biker jackets and padded pants, bomber jackets, sweatshirts with raglan sleeves, shorts and safari jackets with patch pockets, to name a few), they have done so by simultaneously reinterpreting codes of menswear in very ingenious ways.
The most ubiquitous garment for Spring/Summer 2014 will be, without a doubt, the bomber jacket. If this garment had made appearances on the runway over the last couple of seasons, it was never as unavoidable as during the latest fashion shows that took place in London, Florence, Milan and Paris during June 2013. Whether by reproducing the original designs conceived for pilots during World Wars I and II (and also adopted by skinheads), or by recreating them to feature luxurious fabrics, more tailored cuts, innovative fastening formats and colourful prints, it seems that fashion designers worldwide agreed to comply to a secret memo incorporating guidelines on how to publicly celebrate the bomber jacket as a staple of urban style.
