Giorgio Armani

When David Miliband visited India this year, the British foreign secretary looked rather uncomfortable in his streamlined suit during a photo-op in a rural cowshed. Political pundits criticised not only his diplomatic style but also his appearance, complete with the inevitable Mr Bean comparisons. After all, no matter how devoted a man might be to slender silhouettes, the sweltering heat has a way of transforming a compact jacket into a rather cramped one and precision tailoring into something positively paralysing.

“I’ve got a small frame so I’m destined to wear fitted clothes,” says Wandson Silva, a foreign exchange agent for American Express, who regularly travels from the company’s London office to branches around the country. “But that means that in tighter clothes, the long commute gets unbearable in the summertime. So when I’m home on the weekend, I’m constantly looking for outfits that are smart yet comfortable, without being too baggy.”

Why not look to the south for inspiration? The world’s tropical and arid regions have provided us with templates for years – tunic shirts, slouchy trousers and the like – though they’ve always been in need of some tweaking for western men. Designers have begun to take up the torch of “immigrant chic” by reinterpreting long or loose voluminous shapes with a western flavour.

From Ann Demeulemeester to Giorgio Armani, the shops are filled with spring/summer looks that evoke the flamboyant swagger of southern climes in tandem with a relaxed fit and soft tailoring. Indeed, the oversized shirt and cropped trousers combination, popular on the runways of Demeulemeester and Marni, is a successful reinvention of a traditional Oriental silhouette – like the Pakistani kurta and churidar – but in a modern and cosmopolitan way. And Demeulemeester’s pleated-front pinstripe linen suit with broad brim soft hat doesn’t just hark back to Mexican migrants in turn of the century America, it also opens up an urban man’s options to more gentle, fluid tailoring.

Etro

“I believe as long as it’s done tactfully and doesn’t cause any offence, that men in the west can adopt summer clothing styles from the immigrant population that might originate in hotter climates,” says Jonathan Lewis, a faculty leader at a London secondary school. “I like, and could see myself wearing, some of the lower hanging trousers from Kris Van Assche and Yohji Yamamoto, for example. But for me, it would have to be a modern interpretation because I couldn’t see myself in a pair of traditional harem pants. I’d feel too much like MC Hammer.”

“I’m sure our customers will embrace the cross-cultural style for this season as it was so apparent on the catwalk but they’ll wear it in their own way – looking on trend as opposed to being too literal,” says Stephen Ayres, the men’s wear buying manager for Liberty, where labels such as Dries Van Noten and Haversack have particular resonance with the trend this season.

“Vivienne Westwood has included low hanging trousers within her men’s collections for many seasons now and with strong commercial success. I think people like the unusual silhouette they give and the freedom and comfort,” Ayres says.

Still, for many men, New York-based designer Yigal Azrouël has also gone a step too far in presenting draped trousers with super low-hung crotches. Even if many streetwise, south Asian youths wear a similar combination in cities across the UK, simply contrasting salwar bottoms with sporty jumpers or leather jackets doesn’t make the look accessible. Is this a classic case of the runway to reality gap?

Marni

“No, I don’t really think it is,” says Robert Johnston, associate editor of GQ magazine. “You’re certainly not going to see this look in the stands at a West Ham match but if you walk across Regents Park on a summer’s day, I honestly don’t think most people would blink.” Johnston says that, while revolutions in men’s wear tend to be remarkably slow, he could envisage these styles as a viable look for many GQ readers. But not everyone is convinced.

“I have to admit, as a big follower of the snug fit, I’d find these silhouettes a tad too difficult, although I have been known occasionally to sport oversized tailored pants by Martin Margiela,” says Nikos Dimitros, a marketing executive in publishing.

Similarly, Comme des Garçons’ use of long flowing panels under jean jackets might not look all that different to Bangladeshi teenagers striding around Brick Lane in flash trainers and linen dhotis, but unless you’re a part of that community, imitating Comme’s look is probably not that realistic. And Etro’s wrap trousers may be reminiscent of the beautiful kikoy cloth worn by east African men but they also act as a short-cut to the perennial non-debate of men in skirts.

Easier to wear are draw-string cotton jodhpurs from Giorgio Armani paired with a crinkled, silk button-down shirt or a Nehru jacket; Roberto Cavalli’s long navy tunic shirt with black appliqué offset with slim trousers; and Burberry Prorsum’s short white Moroccan tunic with cutaway embroidery – a top that can be worn without fear of retribution even on the meanest street.

Yohji Yamamoto

“I’m not sure that tunics, in a literal sense, are an easy option for guys but there is definitely a shift in the proportion of shirting, mainly being longer at the back, and this certainly takes its inspiration from tunic shapes,” says Ayres.

“I’m not sure if wearing these clothes is a question of cultural licence,” says David Pagliaro, a financial services executive who works in credit and risk assessment. “It’s more a question of wearing them for the appropriate occasion. If I were on holiday in a warm, beautiful location – such as a Greek island, Bali or somewhere in Brazil – it could be fun to wear some of these looks. I know many friends and colleagues who would be equally comfortable wearing them on holiday.”

Wandson Silva, meanwhile, says, “I respect the office dress code like anyone else but I’m still in my 30s and this is London after all. I go dancing and to music festivals and for weekend breaks. I look like everyone else when I’m at work. Why can’t I look different on my own time and experiment a little with such outfits?”

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Details

www.anndemeulemeester.be
www.burberry.com
www.doverstreetmarket.com
www.driesvannoten.be
www.etro.it
www.giorgioarmani.com
www.haversack.co.uk
www.johnbartlettny.com
www.maisonmartinmargiela.com
www.marni.com
www.robertocavalli.com
www.viviennewestwood.com
www.yigalazrouel.com
www.yohjiyamamoto.co.jp