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Like any self-respecting menswear addict, you probably spend an unhealthy amount of time trawling through street style blogs like The Sartorialist, Jak & Jil, and StreetFSN. Who doesn’t right? In the process of picking up some new outfit ideas you’ll have noticed a few familiar faces popping up, too. But did you ever wonder who these stylish men actually are?

Guys like the impossibly dapper Nick Wooster, fashion director for some of the flashiest department stores in New York, who combines immaculately manicured facial hair with suits so sharp they should come with a health warning. Or Robert Rabensteiner, a fashion editor at L’Uomo Vogue (Vogue for men in Italy), whose beard is almost as impressive as his wardrobe – an effortlessly cool mix of relaxed tailoring, polo-neck knitwear, wide-brimmed hats and tortoiseshell shades.

Meanwhile, Beyoncé’s Creative Director Jenke-Ahmed Tailly is a master of accessorising, but it’s his signature style with long t-shirts and shirts paired with slim trousers that has the street photographers fawning.

And last but not least London-based publisher Jefferson Hack, ex-boyfriend of Kate Moss. What he lacks in whiskers he makes up for in fashionable threads, and is never seen out of a tailored tweed jacket, smart white shirt and grey jeans (in case you wanted to know exactly what look works on a supermodel).

1. Steel collar
I adore this steel collar. I wear it with buttoned-up shirts for an added edge to any outfit.

2. My bowl of rings
I have so many rings, but I keep collecting them.

3. Ballet shoes
I cannot live without my pointe shoes. I study ballet and doing pointe work is by far my favourite part.

4. Underground Creepers
I have about five or six pairs of Underground England shoes, but these are extra special because I found them in a charity shop for £4!

5. Burberry Prorsum shoes
These are just incredible. So high at a towering 6" but comfortable, too.

6. Fannie Schiavoni chainmail top
This piece is incredibly special to me and I only wear it on special occassions. But it looks brilliant over pretty much everything.

7. Lucette biker jacket
I collect biker jackets and this is the favourite in my collection. It's a little different and the texture of the leather is lush.

8. The Cambridge Satchel Company neon yellow bag
The loudest thing I own! People either love this or think it's hideous. I love it so much I intend on buying a neon pink one, too.

A fashion show might be about presenting the clothes you’ll be wearing in six months time, but everyone knows there’s more to it than that. A show is an event – an eight minute long piece of theatre, really – with everything from venue to music to models and set design coming together to make something truly memorable.

There are certain brands that can be depended upon to come up with the goods. See Marc Jacobs – both with his own label and his work for Louis Vuitton. While previous seasons has seen models emerge from a cardboard box, and arrive in lifts onto the runway, this season’s Louis Vuitton show had a merry-go-round, with the girls (including a certain Kate Moss) on horses. Chanel, of course, will never be outdone – designer Karl Lagerfeld has, in the past, featured a giant iceberg on the runway. This season saw Florence Welch recast as a mermaid, in an underwater land, while his pre-fall collection had the front row sitting down to a silver service dinner, with a toy train going across the tables. Wow factor, it seems, was guaranteed.

There are younger designers getting in on the wow act, too. Giles Deacon staged his show in the ultra-gothic environs of London’s Royal Courts of Justice – all the more surreal for his swan-like creations – while Christopher Raeburn’s presentation was tech’d out. Each item from the collection was fitted with a sensor so a sound was let off when it was touched. The best newcomer prize, however, has to go to Meadham Kirchhoff. Their show was indescribable – with balloon arches, dancers dressed as Courtney Love in powder wigs, baby ballerinas and models walking as if in fastforward just some of the elements. Provoking a standing ovation from an audience including Anna Wintour, this was show business at its best.

What do you get if you mix up Jude Law’s wardrobe in The Talented Mr Ripley and the training outfit of the latest Olympic hopeful? The answer might be seen on the menswear catwalk this season. Nautical style à la Dickie Greenleaf, and best seen on a playboy found on a yacht in the 50s, is being mixed with go-faster stripes for a thoroughly modern mister.

See Alexander McQueen, where stripes were found both on classic jerseys and more sporty blouson jackets perfect for a cool-down at the end of a race. Or Dries Van Noten, who added stripes onto loose knee-length shorts for a relaxed look. Lanvin, on the other hand, went for a punk take: stripes were sprayed on models’ jeans to add a rebel yell.

Other designers went for a more straight-ahead sporty vibe. See Christopher Raeburn’s great cagoules, with abstracted stripes in fresh colours like apple green, or the block stripes at Umit Benan’s 80s-inspired collection. This retro, Americana look had legs – also seen in polo shirts and sweet cardigans at Marc by Marc Jacobs and classic rugby numbers from Michael Bastian.

And then, of course, there’s that Dickie Greenleaf favourite – the Breton. Never really out of style, this season it was spotted at French trend arbiters including Balenciaga and A.P.C., as you might expect, but also in a hoody version at the very American brand that is Band of Outsiders. Stripes might be a perennial but they can be endlessly reinvented. In fact, finding something new is the fun part. With this classical but sporty edge, they are sprinting ahead of the pack once again this season. Mr Greenleaf, for one, would be proud.

The phrase la dolce vita could sum up a fair proportion of this season’s looks. Full of the charm and romance of mid-century Italy, get lost in a trend made to wear whilst wandering around a piazza, sipping an Orangina or sharing a plate of pasta at a sweet little trattoria. It is, you might say, bellissima.

Italian labels, of course, have served this up al dente – cooked to perfection, that is. Dolce & Gabbana went for a totally Italian point of view – their collection was themed around food, with chilli peppers, aubergines and cabbages decorating full skirts worthy of Sophia Loren, and earrings made of pasta became a cult item.

Other brands got the spirit across through bright colours, fun prints and easy, feminine shapes. Prada – always able to turn something familiar into something new – created a collection full of sugar almond shades, va-va-voom car prints and great boxy jackets perfect for a gal to wear on the back of her guy’s Vespa. Marni, meanwhile, added an edge of kitsch to proceedings – with bold, 60s-style flower prints in unexpected colour combinations. Who knew brown and yellow together could be so alluring?

Others kept the mid-century theme but made it more modern. Raf Simons at Jil Sander was inspired by a 50s design purity and used paisley to mix up a majority-white collection. And Marco Zanini might have been designing for the quintessentially French brand Rochas, but his Italian roots came out in a collection perfect for a 50s Rome-based starlet. Based on the cinema, and full of full skirts, cat’s eyes sunglasses and those sweetie shades, it was irresistible.

1. Parka perfect
A bright orange fisherman-inspired parka will go with everything from blue denim to black trousers.

2. Navy graphics
A multi-colour striped jumper gets a preppy edge with a shirt and tie layered underneath.

3. Modern sailor
The classic nautical tee gets bolder and a contrast collar. Pair with bright blue chinos for extra style points.

4. Sixties yacht
Try layering a coloured shirt under a double-breasted navy blazer and white trouser captain look.

1. Ladylike neon
This neon dress with a Peter Pan collar, full skirt and sheer overlay hits on all the spring trends.

2. Urban boxy
A boxy t-shirt looks best with slim cropped trousers and sky-high heels. And don’t forget the contrast clutch!

3. Orange crush
The colour of the season makes a bold and beautiful statement with this bracelet-sleeved jacket.

4. A-line sweet
A printed A-line skirt teamed with a satiny cap-sleeved shirt is perfect for running around town in.

With underwater seascapes being a big inspiration this Spring it comes as no surprise that prints in blue nuances were everywhere. Erdem exchanged last season’s fiery look for a cool and soothing one, drawing inspiration from British Wedgwood china, while Jason Wu’s dotted blue looks were more of the fun but pretty variety. At Giorgio Armani the inspiration was mother of pearl, marrying both the metallic and the underwater trend of this season.

So if you have a feeling you want an alternative to the wild prints-clashing that we’ve seen lately, a relaxing blue mix might be your answer.

The message from the catwalks is clear: opt for white shoes this spring for something fresh and modern. Look to 3.1 Phillip Lim’s chunky block heel, Alexander Wang’s pointy-toes, Diane von Furstenberg’s flats and Calvin Klein’s t-strap platforms for inspiration. The perfect complement to light colours or bright prints, white shoes are just as versatile as black ones. Give it a try – new season, new shoes!

Those Cheerios from Glee are onto something: high ponytails not only look fab whilst being thrown in the air, but they also add sophistication to any outfit. In fact, Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren and Temperley were all proponents of the look. Our tip? Add some texture to your “tail” with a salt spray or curl the ends under for some extra bounce. Either way, by scraping your hair back into this classic hairstyle, we get to see your pretty face!

If anyone knows how to rock an oversized blazer it’s Kim Wilde. In Kids In America, her breakthrough hit from 1981, she pairs a slouchy jacket with a striped t-shirt. But soon enough her videos were turning sexy with slinky leather dresses or short cocktail numbers, always in black.

But why is she so hot this season? Two words: bared midriff (a major trend for the season). Kim loved showing off her stomach, often with a shocking pink or bright red bustier underneath a bolero jacket (sometimes fringed, but you can skip that part).

Mixing something tailored and something sexy is a simple way of looking both dressed up and relaxed – making it the perfect look for today. You can skip the bolero of course, adding a leather jacket or a blazer. And instead of a bustier, a camisole or see-through top could work just as well.

Of course you don’t have to go for the female mullet she’s sporting, but her tousled yet styled hair still looks great.

1. Nowness.com
Brought to you by the LVMH group, Nowness showcases “daily exclusives for you to love.” While fashion dominates, the films, images and articles – often in collaboration with the top names in the industry – also deal with art, gastronomy, film, travel and more.

2. MyFDB.com
MyFDB is the IMDb of the fashion world. That is, a database in which you can search by cover, campaign, editorial, people and companies – all the fashion credits around the world. As it grows and grows, you’ll be able to find anything your fashionable heart desires!

3. The Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum
The venerated Italian designer unveiled his “Virtual Museum” this past December. A downloadable desktop application, it features almost five decades of Valentino’s work in over 150 videos and 5000 images, including original sketches. Plus it’s all housed in a 3D-rendered building that would be over 10,000 square metres in the real world!

4. Models.com
An indispensible fashion resource focused on, naturally, models (female and male). Part database and part source to see covers and editorials before anyone else, you’ll also be able to find the top rankings of various categories. There’s a handy directory, too.

5. Vogue Archive
Also just recently launched this past December is the American Vogue Archive. Every page of every issue from 1892 is now available online, though access does not come cheap: an individual membership is $1,575 a year.

1. Stephen, interior designer and blogger
How would you describe your style?
Urban preppy.

What's your best styling tip?
Wear tight jeans and boots all the time, it's always fierce.

What did you buy?
I came to look for something sparkly to wear.

Where's the best place to party in the city and why?
Scarlet in Boystown because they have a great atmosphere. It's the classiest gay bar.

2. Nicole, hostess
How would you describe your style?
Simple, nice, happy.

What's your best styling tip?
Be elegant but be yourself.

What did you buy?
I came to buy a coat.

Where's the best place to party in the city and why?
I have no idea, I'm from Malaysia!

3. Sam Bush, art direction student
How would you describe your style?
A mix of urban and bohemian.

What's your best styling tip?
I've been really into the cuffed pants and boots look – you can't really go wrong with that.

What did you buy?
I usually come buy cardigans and jackets.

Where's the best place to party in the city and why?
I'd say the area of Wicker Park, just for the younger crowd. It's definitely fun.

4. Christine McFadden, works for a stationery design company
How would you describe your style?
I like very structured lines. I also wear a lot of black.

What's your best styling tip?
Don't discriminate between stores. You can always find something great in each shop.

What did you buy?
I'm looking for a great black dress with long sleeves.

Where's the best place to party in the city and why?
I don't know, I'm visiting for the weekend, you tell me!

Photos: Isa Giallorenzo