Addicted to Fresh: Men’s Spring Fashion

[Photo: Reebok Legacy]In the past year, we’ve seen 16-year-old kids trying to bring back a colorful ‘80s decade that they weren’t even old enough to witness, but nonetheless, they’ve influenced the bright color boom seen in street fashion today.Last year, strident colorways were reintroduced on everything from kicks and tees to collectable toys and Kanye […]

[Photo: Reebok Legacy]In the past year, we’ve seen 16-year-old kids trying to bring back a colorful ‘80s decade that they weren’t even old enough to witness, but nonetheless, they’ve influenced the bright color boom seen in street fashion today.Last year, strident colorways were reintroduced on everything from kicks and tees to collectable toys and Kanye West album covers. This Spring, fashion buyers are saying expect more of the same.But don’t think you’re getting leftovers from Spring ‘07. This season, designers are dipping into their retro and neon color palettes to mix and match patterns and designs in order to lace us with a fresh coat dope enough to replace our winter digs.Here are some spring line looks that use bold color designs that are contemporary, so you won’t look like a Will Smith knock-off from the first episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.Kid Robot made it cool for grown ass Hip-Hop heads to have toys. The toy producers have teamed up with high-end lines like Lacoste to jump in the limited-edition apparel game. They have dope cardigans and tees in their lookbooks, but their expressive hoodies are what’s good when it gets chilly. Kid Robot’s Gingha Boxer and Doma Sky Hoodies standout as good starters if you could only cop one, or two. The Gingha Boxer hoodie is a loud piece that screams fresh. Kid Robot also teamed with New Era to release a Gingham Boxer fitted that has the same pattern, but wearing both of these pieces at the same might leave a few eyes sore.  The other long sleeve is just as it’s named- the sky as seen through the eyes of Doma street artists. The only thing about Kid Robot apparel it’s always only sparsely available because, as in the case of the Doma Sky hoodie, it’s a limited-edition. Only 777 were produced, so good luck finding any. Both hoodies run under $200 a piece and the hat goes for about 50 first presidents…(it’s George Washington, people). Lean toward jeans with the washed look this spring. Keep it simple and stay with what works – a classic BBC Washed Running Dog Jean. Top off your look with these Adidas Forums from their 25th Anniversary Collection.When it comes to showing your colors on tees, it takes a little more effort than “shmedium” with a brightly colored iron on graphic. Quality is just as important as design. Brands like Zoo York, Obey and Insight use high-quality tees to compliment their creations.If your shoes are leaving you with a shoestring budget than you can still pair fly $20 tees with your pair. This neon disco tee by Brooklyn clothing company Obey gives you the strobe effect without leaving you disoriented.True Religion has some dope Turquoise Painted Pocket denims that work well with the tee and a fresh pair of Air Max 90s.If you’re more the subtle type, or if your brokeness is only allowing you to cop one shirt that ‘goes with everything’ than Zoo York’s Popcracker tee might be the way to go. It’s a basic black so you get that much needed versatility but the dope multi-colored artwork design in the screen print logo lets you stand out among the sea of regular white tees overwhelming the bus stop. Keep it classic with some LRG Saavy jeans and Puma blue suedes. If you’re able to go a little more high end than you should check for this premium Pop Girl tee from Insight. Mixing ‘80s pop graphics and abstract art design, this shirt makes even the coldest cats 20 degrees cooler in sunny weather but, it’s only for those who can charge close to a bill to the game on a tee shirt. Some black straight legs by 10 Deep and the recently released Nike “Hot Lavas” (Air Tech Challenge II) mesh well with the shirt’s expressive colors. If you can, than you could also go hand painted. Philly clothing company Miskeen has a battalion of dope artists in a warehouse that do nothing but push out original hand painted tops and use the bathroom every once in a while. It’s like an assembly line of fresh, and the joint below is an example of how canvas art becomes fashion.A fresh Kool-Aid Smiley Face fitted cap on your dome and a pair of Pro Legacy kicks, both by Reebok, should do the trick.