Joe Fresh Spring 2012 - Brave Brights & Manly Delights

Joe Mimran, the man behind Joe Fresh, is calm, cool and always collected before his big show. The reason?  He wears bad-ass skull slippers.  Yargh!  (Photos:  Sarah Francis)

I wish I could find fault with Joe Mimran;  I wish I saw his collection and thought, 'Yawn', or could be snooty about the fact that his line is sold at grocery stores.  I've heard all the hater talk:  that they're expanding too quickly and that maybe we should knock Joe Fresh down a few pegs before they get too big for their chinos; that the really great runway looks never actually make it past the big city stand-alone shops, leaving the rest of us with the basics. 

But when it comes right down to it, none of those things bother me because I'm a true Joe Fresh fan.  In only 5 years, Joe Mimran has created a bit of a fashion empire, in a country known for its talent, but not for its bulldozing rule-breakers.  His collections are always sharp, sweet and refreshing, his models are always at the top of their game (this season, every one was Canadian) and for a girl like me who lives in a little town, his affordable clothes are my everyday fashion lifeline.

The Spring 2012 show proved that Joe Fresh just keeps getting better.  The collection was full of no holds barred saturated brights which popped beautifully against crisp, bright whites.  Juicy orange blazers (for him and her), went right to my mental must-have list, as did a pretty low-backed striped tank dress.  A white shirt with a crisp yellow collar and an assymetrical colour-blocked yellow sleeve was far from average and a pair of floral-printed aqua pants looked anything but budget. 

The real showstoppers came, most surprisingly, in menswear.  Where once the Joe Fresh men's collection seemed a little bit like an afterthought (both on the runway and off), Spring brought the boys to the forefront.  Checked pants worn with a navy trench and covetable blazers galore in super fun prints were a huge departure from seasons past.  This new collection (assuming it comes to stores) should push some Canadian boys out of their comfort zone a little and since it's Joe Fresh, every guy will finally be able to afford to take some fashion risks.

Check out the collection below.  It's not even winter yet, but I'm already yearning for spring.  Thoughts?

Photo Credit: George Pimentel, courtesy Joe Fresh

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