It is September, well past Labor Day and the season is officially changing! The fashionably intelligent gentleman knows that trends come and go but there are always those classic pieces that ring most true for each season. Below, are five pieces that we believe should be more curated for the fall as opposed to simply being purchased. Just think before you purchase these items. For they are the backbone of any gentleman’s fall wardrobe and warrant the investment.
ONE: The Trench
This is sort of like a friend that you’ll always have around. He never lets you down, especially when those spring showers come around. But he also gives you a lot of mileage as the fall season begins and paves way for a winter filled with harsh elements. Best of all, he doesn’t cramp your style when you’re wearing a suit. As a tip, invest in a classic style like in tan or black. Subtle patterns are fine; just don’t make your only trench a bright red one.
TWO: The Chambray Shirt
This piece started as a trend but the heavily twilled cotton is here to stay. A staple in retailers like J.Crew and Gant, it is the perfect shirt for looking professional and also staying warm and stylish all at the same time. In blue, Chambray has never looked better. It is the perfect complement to browns, tobaccos, camel and virtually any other color you fancy.
THREE: The Tweed Jacket
Other than the obvious warming function of this piece, the tweed jacket brings unrivaled fashion flexibility to your outfits during the fall season. Channel upscale easily with a crisp shirt and trousers. Simultaneously, express casual cool with denim and even a t-shirt.
FOUR: Cashmere Cardigan
Yes it’s luxurious and elegant and no, it’s not only for women. Cashmere, especially in a staple like a cardigan, catapults the garment’s practicality to the realms of the plush. Indeed, this one is for the fashionably intelligent. A creative alternative to blazer, it brings with it a sense that is untroubled, perfectly suitable for the office or an evening out on the town.
FIVE: Wingtips
Wingtips are the perfect piece of fall footwear. The low-heeled shoe is uniquely characterized by robust leather and decorative perforations. This brings forth a sense of functionalism and elegance. Much like the tweed jacket, wingtips double up as dressy and casual at the same time.
Just when you thought you were caught up with Ralph Lauren’s various collections and labels, the American style icon unleashes a new line to mark this fall season. Denim & Supply embraces all things American, sans the prep of our beloved country’s eastern coast. It is a much younger, ragged collection that pays more tribute to industrial Brooklyn than say trendy Manhattan.
Steeped in New York nonetheless, the well-worn collection is vintage rendered but alternative rock inspired. While this sort of direction is nothing new, European retailer Pull and Bear has been interpreting and reinterpreting this style for a decade now, Denim & Supply is rendered brilliantly.
Nautical fleece pullovers are given the vintage treatment, along with ragged sweaters and heritage denim jackets that translate that sun-drenched, washed look from the summer into cooler dispositions.
The Warehouse is the collection’s digital destination, featuring a magazine, artist profiles and a journal presenting the essence of the collection in contexts other than apparel and accessories.
Here at DAMstyle, we appreciate all kinds of footwear; and sometimes it seems like we preach the mantra that you simply cannot have too many shoes. In this day and age, men’s footwear has extended beyond the two or three standard shoes. My staple pieces of footwear these days have been mostly limited to espadrilles, chukkas, wingtips and loafers. But the sneaker is the best sartorial mediator. Even more specific to this prescription is the canvas variety. For starters, they actually look good with a suit. We all know, too well, that editorial look we have all been exceptionally inspired by. And if a full on suit is too much for you to fathom, just see how fun they actually look with a nice pair of trousers. The same effect works effortlessly with khakis, cords and even shorts.
There really are not much pieces that have the ability to blend so peacefully between different kinds of garments and accessories.
Sneakers are not a product of the 80’s or 70’s for that matter. They date back to the late 18th century where a more primitive prototype known as plimsolls was popular. Later, Keds enhanced this piece of footwear by adding a canvas top. As demand for the sneaker soared, Marquis Converse created the first sneaker exclusively made for basketball. While taste and preferences evolve as we mature, it is a funny thing this canvas sneaker.
This simple piece of footwear is worn by both genders, and all age groups seem to have in their closets.
We have talked a little about this iconic piece of outerwear and how it has managed to redefine its orientation in the contexts of the sartorial. Sometimes referred to as a letterman jacket, the varsity jacket is steeped with a rite of American passage that is attributed to a student who has earned their letters in the fields of sport, performing arts or academics.
Michael Bastian’s varsity jacket for Gant which debuted not too long ago, was an elegant repositioning of a piece that has managed to emancipate itself from the realms of the excessively casual and sloppy. The scorched orange color of that Bastian jacket, complemented with cream leathered sleeves was presented splendidly. Accordingly, in a post-skinny denim era, everything is cut a little slimmer and with more than a few nods made to the 1980′s, the revival of the varsity jacket seems completely logical.
It is yet to be determined whether this piece will become a staple of American fashion, positioned in the ranks of aesthetics like American prep. Nonetheless, Ralph Lauren, the king of prep has employed the varsity jacket in recent collections. This fall, retailers worldwide are banking on a more aggressive revival. H&M and Topman are offering varsity jackets that both run under $100.
While the fall season lends itself to a more polished sensibility, today’s varsity jacket is appropriate for an evening out on the town or a weekend hang out. Fitted denim and boots make for a great pairing, but relaxed dark washed jeans can work just as well. Think about the jacket, with or without letters and how it can layer (not only because it will keep you warm), as it unleashes an interesting play of depth and color.
I do not want to get caught up in editorial land and only talk about lifestyle and luxury. Resources are limited, especially in this day and age. Further, I know most of you are people who work, with things to do and places to go. Consequently, the perpetual banter on fashion can seem a little out of touch with reality.
That’s why we’re going to talk about business trips as opposed to a getaway or vacation. While conferences and business trips are mostly short work related visits they grant you an opportunity to change things a bit. Part art project, part confidence booster, this is an opportunity to explore new sartorial directions while you travel. Perhaps it is the idea of a new place and meeting new people that will get that creativity percolating. Here is an opportunity to think about colors, fabrics and textures that you never typically wear.
More on the practical side, compiled, is a list of tips and things to pack for that business getaway:
To maximize limited wardrobe space, wear things that you know you can travel and work with. For example, a sweater that looks like a blazer is a perfect travel and business companion. Regardless of the season, higher altitudes (if you are flying) mean lower temperatures, rendering this quasi piece of outerwear as quite useful should you get cold. Further, it keeps your demeanor professional, especially if you are working during the journey, or traveling with a colleague or boss.
Unless you are flying from an airport directly into a big meeting (and for that you can still find a way to change your shoes), always wear slip-ons with no laces. This makes taking off your shoes at airports more like kicking them off, saving time and effort.
Never check anything in. Unless you are traveling with a lot of luggage, which would be absurd for a business related trip. Save time and money, even if the expenses are paid for. It is just good practice.
Pack shoes in shoe bags and use rolled up ties and socks as stuffing for your shoes. These act like shoe-trees, saving you space and keeping your shoes in shape while they experience all sorts of turbulence.
Pack extra underwear and socks and an extra shirt or two, just in case.
Try and pack your suit bag in your suitcase. Today, suitcases come with all sorts of bells and whistles that can accommodate this.
Last, but not least, while it is a business trip, pack something for you. Something that helps you relax and stay at the top of your game, even if is something that for a split moment can make you think that you are on vacation, e.g. flip flops or your favorite cashmere sweater.
Frida Gianinni brought out an impressive Spring Summer 2012 collection for Gucci in Milan recently. Tailoring was impeccable as usual, but this time there was a clear tribute paid to the British dandy. A survey of checks and patterns, particularly Prince of Whales were rendered beautifully.
Gianinni’s men’s collections are always presented with some restrain and a fashion statement that somehow always seems obfuscated. Nonetheless, the clothes had a tinge of rock-star to them, as opposed to high society. This presented Gucci in a different light, all the while retaining the house’s heritage. Interesting highlights were the incorporation of trench fabric in pieces other than the trench, trousers lined at the cuff with bright pops of color and the aforementioned impressive exhibit of patterns. Accessories played a pivotal role too, a classic modus operandi of any fashion house. Summer bags got red and white stripes and were presented in luxurious leather and alligator too.
Henry Alford’s article in the New York Times published last month, titled “Does this Swimsuit Make Me Look Fat?” has ignited some really interesting discourse on the topic of men and body image, particularly within contexts of the seaside and summer. Thankfully, culture has been considerably gracious to men with its expectations of the handsome. Nonetheless, we are playing catch up with the contrived moulds that women are too often snared into. Alford’s diatribe wrestles with the inevitable: age, decline of metabolism and the body. He amusingly describes his as a Weber grill. Before getting on a tangent and waxing poetic on fit and style, it is important that we note and happily accept our bodies for what they are and respect their threshold. We should exercise and consider the beach season as an opportunity to tone up and lose some of those extra pounds, but at the same time we cannot expect to all have six-packs and a body that is always beach ready.
Park and Ronen, J.Crew, Ami Sanzuri, Saturdays and D&G are all swimsuit makers that should have styles that will flatter most of you guys out there regardless of age and body size, even if you have pot bellies or chicken legs.
I will say as a rule of thumb though, leave the Speedos for the athletes or swimming workouts and not for the beach, unless you workout on the beach, well that’s another story. Also, ditch the board short style; it’s too reminiscent of pubescence.
From left to right, Ami Sanzuri, Park and Ronen, J.Crew, D&G and Saturdays.
There are those who will don a tank with no sleeves and no hesitation to do so, and there are those who will not, no matter circumstance or temperature. While sartorial convention would perhaps err on deeming the style as a little crude, fashion and style have changed so much that it is possible to pull something together that involves a tank and looking good. More importantly, these won’t peg you as one of the trailer park kids.
Here are some cool tanks to consider:
1) With no retail stores, online retailer Alternative makes some great tanks, that fit well, are super comfortable and stylish. Alternative makes clothes for men, women and babies.
2) Great for shorter and smaller men as they carry smaller sizes that actually fit smaller people. Topman has revolutionized fast fashion as we know it, and continues to be a relevant player in the summer tank market.
3) Urban Outfitters has an impressive tank selection and their collection runs the gamut from the vintage inspired to the classic. You can easily layer their tanks with a blazer or cardigan. Keep your eyes peeled for their J.Press collaboration, pretty impressive.
4) Michael Bastian’s collaboration with Gant, which debuted in the fall proves a transcendence from the realms of the cold into the breezy spring and summer. This summer tank is appropriately chic, yet fun and nautical at the same time.
