Men's fashion trends in 2016: What to look out for this spring

Earlier this week I wrote about the current cold snap, and how it's managed to catch many of us off guard; an unseasonably mild December had many of us assuming we might not have to spend on a new winter coat. Yet here I am writing about what we might be wearing come the summer. Such is the changeable nature of fashion, to be constantly jumping forwards then backwards between seasons.

So, what should you look out for this spring? Well, if, like me, you're partial to classic and understated clothes, you may well be in for a bit of a shock, if only because one of the most attention-grabbing trends to emerge from the Spring/Summer 2016 collections was the use of lace. Both Burberry and Gucci were awash with frilly lace shirts (7 - see gallery above) and this blurring of gender lines has been recurring for many seasons now. Either way, I don't think I'll ever wear anything that resembles an oversized doily, no matter how finely made.

Easier to digest was the predictable floral trend: every summer, designers will play with botanicals in an attempt to come up with something new. And this season was no exception: from the experimental J W Anderson (2) to the Gallic chic of Hermès, florals are blooming everywhere. Even this season's signature outerwear, the Souvenir jacket (3), is embroidered with Japan's national flower, the cherry blossom.

If that's all a little too fey for your tastes, you can fall back on the open neck bowling shirts and wide leg trousers trend (1). In fact, voluminous trousers (5&6) have been making a slow but sure return to menswear over the past few seasons, so much so I've been left with the most irritating of side-effects: I can't get the 1980's Madness hit "Baggy Trousers" out of my head.