Fred Perry x No Doubt: A Supercool Collaboration for 2013

Be still, my beating heart - it's time to rock steady as one of the most perfectly matched collaborative efforts of the fashion and music world hits stores in early 2013. Say hello to a meeting of stylish minds as the talented team at Fred Perry fuses with the unutterably cool band No Doubt, whose recent revival could not be more welcome in my eyes. Having had much of my childhood and teenage years defined by songs like Don't Speak, Hella Good and Ex-Girlfriend, I was really excited to see what this collaboration would look like. 

Not your average bomber jacket - this one has the edge of Gwen Stefani (£150). 

[All images via FredPerry.com]

What I'd style it with: 

Feel free to mix up your look with this one, as the jacket combines a classic American shape with British tartan. Bombers are great for teaming with black miniskirts and Doc Martens, but if you want to smarten up the look then team yours with oxblood or navy heeled ankle boots instead. Keep make-up minimal: just add a slick of lead singer Gwen's failsafe red lipstick - I've heard that she uses MAC's Russian Red.

 The classic slim fit shirt (£60) gets its reggae on.

What I'd style it with:

There's no question that this piece works best with trousers, but the style is fairly flexible - skintight, drop-waist with braces, capri pants or even one of this season's single-stripe trousers, seen everywhere from George at Asda to J. Crew. Just make sure you don't wear it with flares under any circumstances, or you really will be taking things too far. Instead, be playful with make-up and add liquid eyeliner in one of the reggae colours from the No Doubt stripe - red, yellow or green - before either slicking back your hair or adding a quiff.

 There's a colourful but preppy edge to the v-neck sweater (£90).

What I'd style it with:

I would dress this down for daytime with a vintage calf-length skirt in a plain colour - either a 50s-style full skirt (perhaps with a petticoat) or something a little more figure-hugging from the 40s. Alternatively, tailored charcoal trousers with low-heeled court shoes or slouched boots would also work. If you wanted to accent the magenta in the pattern then now's the time to do it, as both Sonia Rykiel and 3.1 Phillip Lim are currently selling trousers in this colour.

The pieces won't be available until next year, but that isn't going to dampen the enthusiasm for many of us, especially as you can pre-register your interest online to be notified about when each product goes on sale. As with any Fred Perry range, the price point can seem prohibitive, but you are paying for a heritage label which has die-hard brand advocates from all backgrounds: it's just that some of us save up for a little bit longer than others in order to pay for that coveted laurel wreath. 

There's a whole sub-section on their website discussing emotional attachment, which is something that is much rarer with today's in-your-face labels who have to chuck special offers at you every five minutes and run re-tweet and follow competitions to get your attention. The fact that Perry has its own entire music-filled subculture, enjoyed by people of all ages, is a testament to its enduring appeal. By joining together with No Doubt, the brand has proved that it still knows what the people want.