Introduction

Although you may currently be wrapping yourself in swathes of fabric in order to protect yourself from the (seemingly never-ending) snow, we want to give you an insight into the sort of trends we will be seeing when the seasons start to thaw out.

One of the trends for spring/summer 2013 that appears to have divided opinion in a big way (with more haters than appreciators) is the notion of sleeveless blazers and jackets.

Although the overwhelming feeling towards this trend has been negative (including my own opinion if I am absolutely honest), in the interest of fairness and the hope that there is at least one supporter out there, we are going to breakdown exactly who was advocating the sleeveless blazer and discuss the possibility of this unconventional piece becoming popular next season.

On The Runways

Due to the sheer number of collections which featured sleeveless blazers and jackets on the high fashion runways, it’s clear that several designers feel this trend is something to watch out for. Everyone from James Long to Jil Sander to Matthew Miller produced their own unique take, but by far the biggest proponent for this trend was Versace.

The Versace collection featured several outfits that provided an inspired twist on the shorts suit look, matching tailored shorts with sleeveless double-breasted blazers and hi-top trainers.

Most of the blazers were paired with shirts in the same fabric and colour to create a two-piece feel, and they appeared in several variants including a soft grey hue, a more vivid deep green, a wide pinstripe pattern (with matching shirt) and a single-breasted subtle geometric pattern.

The collection by Versace also featured several sleeveless jackets that were utilised as separates, including a pearlised peppermint jacket, a neon pink leather double-breasted blazer and an ambitious asymmetric biker-style jacket in mint green: