Out and about at the London menswear shows, one thing became clear early on: menswear isn't just for the boys. While they were watching the spring 2015 shows, we spotted a few things that wouldn't go amiss in our wardrobes for spring 2014. Which is to say, now.

Aertex-inspired materials
It might bring back traumatic memories of freezing netball matches and scratchy gym skirts, but Aertex-inspired materials were all over the LCM catwalks, and on the backs of the attendees, too. A narrower gauge material than out-and-out mesh, Aertex is in fact a trademarked fabric, and while we can’t necessarily verify that all of these beautiful fabrics are definitely Aertex per se, the principle remains the same. Styled in sweaters tied around the waist at YMC, and seen in panelled inserts at Lou Dalton, this versatile material was showcased best at Christopher Raeburn, in a playing card-adorned black tee that was certainly a bit more jazzy than our old PE kits. Raeburn’s quietly successful womenswear line always takes inspiration from his men's, so look out for it at the next shows in September.

Denim jackets not made of denim
An incontrovertible wardrobe essential, the denim jacket is not only a lovely garment, it’s also an icon of modern design and 20th century culture. London’s menswear designers have been toying around with the form for a few seasons now, but iwhat they'd done with it really stood out this season: using the denim jacket's shape, they modelled and re-made it from other materials. Matthew Miller’s beautiful, moving show of pinstripe patchwork showed that this casual classic could work in a traditional suiting material, while Richard Nicoll reimagined it in a lightweight summer cotton. Lou Dalton has been playing with the denim jacket shape for years, but our favourite was from Common: in a rich, black cotton, it’s the kind of jacket that wardrobes are built around, and we want one.

Technical outerwear, aka cagoules (sorry)
If you're lucky enough to be going out with a Stone Island aficionado (the label is the last word in wet weather gear and performance fabrics done with finesse), you’ll know that there’s little boys like more than technical outerwear. Like a Range Rover, a coat must be able to cope in sub-zero temperatures but – also like a Range Rover – its fortitude in these conditions is unlikely ever to be tested. This season, designers seemed to embrace the technical jacket silhouette, as both a play on their 'boy's toys' appeal and as a means of broadening of their product range beyond the merely 'fashionable'. Women will be queuing up for Christopher Shannon’s motif-adorned tomato-hued number, but you could also try brands like YMC or Hentsch Man. Or Burberry, where signature trenchcoats were reworked as short and durable rain jackets. Or you could just borrow your other half’s Stone Island when he’s not looking.