Written by Bec Loades in Trends on the 11th February 2015

I love a good revival and one article of clothing that seems to be making a repeated appearance in men's collections, and in my opinion a welcome appearance, is the retro/varsity style sweatshirt. Not only have they widely been featured on the men's catwalks but they are also featured across the board in the womenswear department! My wardrobe is full of them!

What I find to be a major plus is that it is very hard to get a sweater wrong when it comes to styling.

They are a go-to piece if you aren't quite sure what to put on in the morning and especially if you are someone who doesn’t like to cross too many boundaries by keeping it simple, but with a cool trend in mind. 

Brands that have stood out in the men's sweater department most recently are Givenchy, Carven, Kenzo (with the classic lion emblem) and Acne Studios. Having recently taken a trip to the Acne store to have my usual catch-up with the fantastic sales associates, it is apparent that the brand is seriously focusing on the improvement and development of the materials being used through-out their collections.

The simplicity of the design and clever logo's/prints used with the sweater is a major eye-catcher for myself. I even find myself raiding the men's department for my own purchases! Check out their new pre-season sweaters in beautiful hues of burgundy and forest green or the classic ever-wearable grey melange. 

Carven's Spring/Summer '15 sweaters have re-featured their floral design (yes men, you can wear flowers and look cool!) with their eponymous logo and simple embroidered snowdrop. Guillaume Henry has also introduced the bang on-trend seasonal colours of bright orange and electric blue to brighten up your wardrobe!

If you are looking for something at the high-end of the spectrum then Givenchy has continued for Spring/Summer with their classic black sweaters emblazoned with, again, fantastic florals or dramatic shark/basketball graphics! These always stand out amongst the crowds, however at around £600 a pop this might be a bit of a reach. So it is definitely worth checking out the offerings of other brands such as Folk and APC for something less bank-breaking!

One major plus side of the sweater is the casual effortless look, suitable for all shape, size and age! The simple round or crew neck, cuffed sleeves and reaching the hip in length gives them a relaxed feel and fit. They can be paired with a smart pair of trousers or worn with the after-work worn-out jeans. They are great for this time of year as most come fleece-lined and can easily be layered up with a crisp shirt (for a cleaner look) or casual t-shirt underneath and then easily transitioned into Spring/Summer to warm up a pair of shorts (fingers crossed!). 

So no need to make your wardrobes complicated, dust off the 70/80's and bring back the simple retro sweater!

A look at the trend and popularity for slogan sweaters, emblem sweaters and printed sweaters by brands such as Kenzo and Givenchy.