I took a trip round three of Cambridge’s mainstream clothes shops to explore what the high street has to offer for men this spring and I discovered the good, the bad and the downright surprising.

The Good – River Island

River Island list their top recommendations for looking good this spring as shirts, trousers, t-shirts and shoes. An original season then. Funnily enough RI do seem to have broken from their 2011 trend of taking exactly what All Saints had on offer and making it less expensive, and now seem to be offering a look of their own, even if some of their looks are so alternative even those scary people who inhabited Kambar (RIP) wouldn’t consider wearing. Lurid oranges and blues are apparently the order of the day for an early summer look. Really?!

On the other hand, there is a slightly more muted range that they’re calling ‘Ship Shape’, offering lots of simple stripes, polo shirts and chinos, along with a great selection of denim shirts – my top recommendation for this spring. I am, however, still slightly confused about how apparently anything with blue in it has now been turned into some kind of ‘sailor chic’. Another top spot – a great range of boat shoes, which look great with tan chinos and a striped t-shirt. It isn’t a massive departure from their usual standard, but there’s plenty of choice for someone wanting to make their wardrobe more versatile and interesting. There is, however, a thin line between a simple, muted look, and just plain boring – watch out. Overall verdict – very positive. River Island is managing to still make great clothes while keeping prices student-affordable.

River Island: Shirt – £35, T-shirt – £14, Boat Shoes – £40, Chinos – £30

The Bad – Topman

At first glance, Topman seem to have really reacted well to the negative press they received last year over their offensive graphic t-shirts that supposedly incited men to beat their wives/girlfriends, and compared other mens’ girlfriends to breeds of dog. The most offensive that this season’s range manages to get is a shirt emblazoned with a picture of Keith Lemon and a bright blue vest covered in pictures of balloons. A word to the wise: Neither of the above items should be worn outside the privacy of your own bedroom.

Our visit to Topman Cambridge ended up being a rather covert affair – we were keen not to be seen looking at or trying on some of the truly hideous clothes (and there were lots of them). Top on our list of things to avoid were these turned-up maroon short shorts with a kind of hideous wannabe-Indie-rainbow at the hem, and a continuation of the ridiculous obsession Topman seems to have with covering t-shirts with the faces of B-rate celebrities. Jessie J’s open-mouthed gawp is not the sort of thing I want to see across someone’s chest. Perhaps the highlight of their season this spring was a pair of mustard yellow moccasins. To quote photographer Tom Porteous, 1^st Year at Caius, “Are those meant to be shoes or are they just slippers?” Overall verdict – Truly ridiculous in every way, my only recommendation for shopping at Topman this year is AVOID AT ALL COSTS.

Topman Moccasins – £30

Topman T-shirt – £22

Topman Burgundy Shorts – £28

The Downright Surprising – Jack Wills

I must be honest here; I was never a fan of Jack Wills. I never really thought that there would be anything on offer there that I would even consider. I am happy to say that I have now changed my mind, to a point. There was still the predictable gilet, though now it’s available in a garish turquoise. Not a sensible choice. There was also the usual selection of hoodies, which although extortionate (£69 plus), are easily the softest things known to man.

This year, JW seem to have followed the River Island trend of thinking that sticking nautical images on clothes makes them cooler. It doesn’t. Personally if I see you in the street with a big anchor on your chest, I will just shout ‘Hello Sailor’ related jokes at you. As well as their wide selection of interesting tops and jackets, my top buys in Jack Wills this spring include their jeans – great fit and really nicely put together – one of the few clothes they sell which is really worth the price. Their chinos, which although twice the price you’d pay elsewhere, are superbly made and eye-catching while remaining subtle. Overall verdict – A bit mixed. If you like Jack Wills and want more of the same, go for it, you won’t be disappointed. If you don’t normally like what they have on offer, give it a go – they don’t charge you for just looking…Yet.

Jack Wills: Gilet – £98

Jack Wills: Hoodie – £69, Jeans – £69, Shoes – Model’s Own

Photography by Tom Porteous

With 20s being such a huge trend this season, and the constant style inspiration that 90s grunge-chic offers, it was time to merge the two.

Mixing looks from two such iconic fashion eras is a way to give any outfit that extra edge. Team the clean, yet statement shapes and colours of the 1920s with that over-patterned, in your face attitude of the 1990s. Try clean makeup, bold outfits – and don’t forget your accessories! Check out this week’s shoot for inspiration.
Styling: Tom Rasmussen

Photography: Eliska Haskovcova

Model: Helena Izett

All clothes from local vintage/charity shops.

Stylists: Bonnie Richardson and Laura Dennehy

Photographer: Amy Jeffs

Models: Jo Hall, Robyn Taylor and Victoria Lee

Make-up: Frankie Elliott

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All dresses are provided by Alora - a dressmaking service run by students that sells hand-made, bespoke gowns, all for the cost of the high street. The profits from the project fund a tailoring school on the outskirts of Hanoi, Vietnam, where disabled and disadvantaged women gain the skills to earn a comfortable living.

The next fitting is at The Union on Friday 27th January. Click here for more information or email alora@sifecambridge.org.uk with any questions, or to book an appointment.

Introduce the ethereal to gritty, urban glamour with pastels, chiffon and a touch of gold. Wipe off your eye liner and enhance your lips and brows for beautiful intensity. 

Stylists: Joy Starkey and Tom Rasmussen

Photographer: Eliska Haskovcova

Model: Ella Jackson and Sana Ayub

By definition, a fashion classic is something that never goes out of style. It’s versatile, ageless and easy to wear – what more can you want? Elena Pala shows us how we can wear the queen of classics: the white shirt, so if you’re trying to find a present for that frustratingly fashionable friend of yours, look no further…

Styling: Elena Pala

Photography: Edward Quekett

Model: Elena Pala

Clothing: Stylist’s own

Twelve hours’ unpaid work, wearing a silly orange hat and harassing visitors at one of the best known museums in London: any takers? How about free booze and the thrill of lounging in a backstage area swarming with models, frenzied dressers and fabulous clothes? For me it was heaven.

I was working at the V&A Fashion in Motion extravaganza, a series of live catwalk events set against a unique backdrop.

This successful series brings catwalk shows by leading international designers to the public free of charge: previous editions showcased collections by Alexander McQueen, Christian Lacroix, Jean Paul Gaultier and Vivienne Westwood. I was privileged enough to catch up with Peter Jensen at the event.

Elena Pala: How do you choose your best pieces, when you love them all?

Peter Jensen: For a show it’s very complicated. You can’t just pick your favourite pieces. Everything must fit together in the running order, everything has to make sense – the show must flow, it needs to be a story in itself and not just a random selection of looks. It was hard but we had a lot of fun putting it together, going through our entire archive and rediscovering our collections.

EP: Tell us about your time at Central St. Martins?

PJ: I have nothing but positive things to say about that place. I had a great time there! I liked the atmosphere of healthy competition – it doesn’t have to be mean, but it helps the industry a lot if everyone wants to be the best, to do better than everyone else in their course.

EP: How did you feel being scouted by Italian distribution company Eo Bocci Associati?

PJ: They came to Central St. Martins, looking to invest in fresh blood. And I couldn’t believe they picked me! I didn’t even want to start my own label, I would have been happy to work for a good designer and learn from them. But it happened. So here I am! My friend Tim Walker photographed a few of my designs, for Vogue Italia – and woah, I thought, if they’re good enough for them, maybe they’re actually good!

EP: During your time at St Martins what was student style like and what’s your advice to us mere mortals who want to look cool but don’t have hours to put an outfit together? 

PJ: Well, first of all, things were very different in the ’90s! Topshop and other popular brands of today did not exist, and high street labels in general were not in favour. So obviously everyone was after second-hand deals…you could find a pair of Levi’s jeans for £2.

Everyone does vintage today but back then it was quite new. So don’t imagine us wearing Prada’s latest designs to class! But the most important thing is to develop your own style. There’s no universal rule to be stylish: find out what works for you and experiment with that!

You heard the man. And if you need inspiration, check out his V&A show here.

As we are fast approaching Christmas, we see an eclectic array of extravagant accessories at our disposal; from bejewelled beetles to fetish leather and plumed feathers, no one has an excuse not to adorn themselves. The one rule is excess.

Model: Fran Molesworth

Stylists: Joy Starkey and Tom Rasmussen

Clothes and Accessories: Stylists’ own

On Friday night the Denim extravaganza brought the weird and wonderful out to play. Genders were mixed and fashion rules were liberated. It was a glorious sight.

READ: Our review of Denim here.

Mason Robert Edwards from St Catz and Avalon Lee-Bacon from Trinity

 Scharolta Si from Magdalene

Harry Carr from Peterhouse and Amrou Al-Kadhi from Corpus

 Phoebe Lindsley from Queens’

 Charlie Parham from Queens’

 Lucy Butterfield from Magdalene

 Emily Carlton from Queens’

The fashion industry is the master of taking tradition and putting a modern spin on it. From China to the UK, a huge part of this season was celebration of our heritage. Mixing tweed with leather, adding in chunky cable knits and combining hunting boots with pretty dresses is the way to work this trend. Think farmer-come-glamazon, and venture deep into the woods. Who knows what you’ll find…

Stylists: Joy Starkey and Tom Rasmussen

Photographer: Eliska Haskovcova

Models: Allegra Le Fanu, Judith Musker Turner and Harry Prance

Clothes from: John Lewis

All bets are off. The winter coat is back in season, literally. The beauty of this trend is dual-pronged: it’s practical (which is rare) and it requires very little playing inside the lines. The way to work a coat this winter is to go for a bold colour or print and a statement shape.

Stephanie from Trinity Hall works an understated Sherling lined parka – an absolute classic for winter warmth.

Caitlin, from St John’s, pops her fur collar (a style essential this season) while maintaining a minimalist look.

Beautifully understated, Tian from Lucy Cavendish, looks great in all black with a textural camel coat thrown on.

Maddie from Clare has layered this outfit perfectly – with a shorter cardi beneath this fab, brown suede coat.

 Paula from Clare really goes for gold in this jaguar print fur. With the understated dress and minimal accessorizing this coat makes just the right kind of statement.

Grace, a Tit Hall fresher, works this cream, oversized tailoring as her outerwear. Crisp lines combined with an oversized cut add instant elegance to any outfit.

We love the teaming of the coat with the maroon roll-neck jumper (another must have this winter). Good work, Ed from Downing.

Harry, a classicist from Queens’, teams a tie-dye jersey vest with this updated bomber style jacket. The leather sleeves are the icing on the cake!

Mark from King’s, rocks a trench-go-camel. Throw a coloured scarf on to look effortlessly stylish.