It’s been thirty years since Giorgio Armani started his own brand jeans line, and while lot has come and gone since then – including eighties shoulder pads, lyrca shorts and of course the mullet – one trend has rarely left our lower bodies, which is the trusted and classic indigo jean.

In the build up to this significant 30 year anniversary, Giorgio Armani plans to pay homage to the blue universe and to celebrate the history of the indigo jean he’s launching a special collection for men and women. Christened “Goldenblue” the jeans have been created in a special fabric obtained from a fusion of indigo and gold – blue for the warp and gold for the weft – creating a distinctive frosted look. And just incase you forget you’ve shelled out a pretty penny on a pair of Armani jeans, each pair bears the full signature of the man himself.

And just so you, and everyone else, knows what an exclusive pair of jeans you’re wearing you’ll receive a special limited edition t-shirt when you buy a pair of the jeans, with the very subtle ‘Goldenblue Boy’ emblazoned on the front.

A fitting tribute to the spirit of indigo jeans we think you’ll agree?

Goldenblue will be available from the end of July in all Armani Jeans sales outlets throughout the world.

With Paris Men’s fashion week now in full swing we finish our round up of Milan Men’s fashion week from the 21st and 22nd of June.

Ermenegildo Zegna
The cravat was key at Zegna, in shades of burnt ombre, rich khaki and royal blue, it was worn just often with the more casual shirting as well as with the traditional suiting. Suits came in shades of peach and marl grey and was worn with tailored shorts and brogues, or worn with open necked shirts that were finished with a cravat. More casual looks had a slightly urban influence with parka style lightweight jackets in rich orange, worn over a striped jersey and paired with bright whites and sandals. But the Riviera influence was never far off with models donning sunglasses and wearing straw hats atop their head or held loosely at the side, as well as checked blazers that gave a contemporary nod towards the classic look.

Gucci
The look was chic and sleek at Gucci with classic slim fit suiting in luxurious suede and stand-out tailored leather jackets. Like many of the shows blue was a key colour, here coming in smart dark denims, midnight blues and cornflower blue shades and mixed with rich suede browns and rusty orange. Head-to-toe and denim was seen in the form of a safari style suit as well as with the more traditional double breasted suiting done in a denim-look fabric. Knitwear was made for Spring, done light and white in colour and oversized in style, the chunky-knit funnel necked jumpers were worn with super slim trousers in the same shade for ultimate contrast in proportion.

Etro
Verdant pastures at the Etro show laid the way for a refreshingly light-hearted collection that showed intricate print and embroidery alongside bursts of zesty colour. Tailoring was relaxed and wearable in shades of khaki, putty and white while gingham prints were mixed together with paisley shirting and bold Moroccan feel prints were worn together with shirt and short combinations.

D&G
It was picnic time at D&G with models carrying their hampers down the runway complete with French sticks and wearing the perfect outfits for the occasion. Fun hawaian print short shorts were mixed with gingham print shirts in shades of vibrant green and rolled up shorts were trimmed with the same gingham print. Tailoring was lightweight in pastel shades and worn with rolled up cuffs for an ultra laid-back look.

Canali
Canali showed us the contemporary gent, with understated simple suiting and separates done perfectly and without fuss. On the more casual side of the show chinos came in shades of buttermilk and corn with touches of taupe and sandy shades in the form of simple sweaters, polo shirts and cardigans. Footwear was key to the modern casual look at Canali with models in plimsoles rather than the popular brogue style shoe. The suiting was sharp but understated with a nude coloured short funnel neck worn under a light grey double breasted ensemble, accessorised of course with the contemporary man bag and shades.

Giorgio Armani
There was a moody feel at Giorgio Armani with a colour palette built around midnight blues, blueish greys and denim tones. Tuxedo style jackets were played down in denim shades and given a lighter touch with v neck tops in pastel blue tones. Powder blue blazers were worn with slim fit trousers in deep bluish grey and offset with touches of bright yellow in the form of the belt and shoe combination.

DSquared2
It was bold and wearable at DSquared2 with a colourful mix of blazer and shorts combinations in fresh fruity colours. Short cut green tailored shorts were worn with a light blue open necked shirt and a pastel pink blazer for a fun but wearable city chic look. White chinos and a strawberry coloured blazer were cut more generously than the more slim cut styles from other designers which added to the accessible feel of the collection.

To see the full coverage of the collections from Milan Men’s Fashion week visit GQ online.

When pocket dresses first came on the scene, I was a tad envious of the comfort thrown the way of women. This slight bit of detail added to the ever so casual dress left an insatiable feeling within me as I frowned upon the four pockets that lay plastered on my pants.

As the trend became ubiquitous, I watched countless women prance up and down 5th Avenue with a renewed sense of comfort and an aura that exuded a solace I longed so desperately to have. Poise replaced awkwardness and I wanted that…

I wanted more pockets; comfortable, effortless pockets that you didn’t feel like you were digging for gold just to get your hands into them (which is often the case when you wear fitted jeans or pants).

Those desires and odd urges to plunge my hands into some ornate comfy pockets have finally come courtesy of Richard Chai and Giorgio Armani SS09 collections. If this is due to telepathy, I’m thankful because it seems these two heeded my want for an alternate port of escape (I’m trying to purge those fidgety moments of nail biting) for my busy hands.

I know we men may be a bit cagey in some facets of life, but pent-up we are not when it comes to expressing our masculine sensibilities of comfort. Both Chai and Armani’s collections trumped ease over a close-fit and left me smiling over the newfound androgyny in garments with oddly placed pockets!

I admit though, for us men, the frontal pockets of a hooded sweatshirt are a suitable refuge to comfortably bury one’s hands into, but they don’t rival the chic of the pocket dress. What’s more, we’ve one-upped the pocket dress by having the choice of pocketed shorts and shirts! Women 1, Men 2!

[Images: Men.Style.com]