Fall presents so many opportunities to upgrade your style. My friend Brett Fahlgren is GQ‘s executive merchandising stylist. We got together to discuss Fall’s key trends and address some of the most common questions guys ask when I’m making my rounds of NM stores.
What do you wear when an invitation says creative black tie? We break out of the black-tie box and explain what the alternative evening wear trend is all about.
This season suits are textured and in slimmer proportions. Whether you favor houndstooth or windowpane, we are here to help you shop and style the season’s patterned suit.
Men’s wear has been a consistent source of inspiration for women’s ready-to-wear, appearing in borrowed-from-the-boys fabrics and tailoring. Although, lately it’s the way men style their outfits that I find most inspiring. It’s the creative layering of mixed patterns, and the individualized look they create that is covet-worthy. Naturally Eddie Nunns, NM’s VP of Creative, has an eye for design and it shows in his daily pattern-mixing ensembles.
Nunns’ attributes his keen sense of mixing patterns to his graphic design background. Always being drawn to crisp graphics – stripes, checks, and plaids. “I’ve never been a floral or paisley kind of guy, I love the sense of order that linear patterns lend to fabrics,” says Nunns. He creates interesting looks by playing with the scale of geometrics together.
Nunns describes himself as a classicist. “I love how there is this trend in reinventing the classics.” A repp stripe tie is thinner than it was 10 years ago. Gingham shirts are in unexpected colors now. Brogue wing-tips are chunkier and color is being added to the soles and heels of the shoes. A seersucker suit is trim and fitted, “not baggy like Colonel Sanders,” says Nunns. These are the details that push “old school” into modernity.
Earlier this year we road tested Spring men’s wear in Miami with IndyCar driver EJ Viso, but he’s a very busy man these days, with the IndyCar racing circuit nearing its season’s end. This weekend he competes in the Go Pro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma. Next it’s on to Baltimore, then back to California. And not only does EJ race, but he manages other drivers. Busy! So when our friends at Tumi started shooting their Case Studies, a look at the packing habits of stylish globetrotters, we put our favorite speedracer forward. We can all learn something about packing from a man who has this little time to fuss around.
Earlier this summer, we cheered EJ at the Texas Motor Speedway.
This season we are tied up in a new men’s trend – colored laces. The pop-of-color that stepped onto men’s soles in the Spring now loops to laces. For Fall, classic black and brown brogues get a kick of color with shoe strings in a spectrum of cool hues.
hook+ALBERT waxed cotton shoelaces.
After discovering the micro-trend on blogs, the NM Men’s buying team collaborated with burgeoning men’s accessory label hook+ALBERT to design waxed cotton shoelace sets that are exclusively at NM stores. Even better — the fun packs contain a guide on how to string your dress shoes in a variety of creative ways.
Assistant shoe buyer Chris Buffington shows two variations of lacing.
The laces come four to a pack for $25, in your choice of 2 sets.
A look at the laces in the Men's shoe sample closet.
Hi guys. Remember when we showed you the craftsmanship that goes into made-to-measure tailoring? Now that you understand the journey of the product (from Naples perhaps,) I wanted to give you a sense of the MTM customer’s experience. And who better to guide us than Bruce Halus, VP of tailored clothing?
There is a tell for a made-to-measure suit. The buttonholes on the jacket cuff are functional. That might seem irrelevant, but once it’s your cuff that’s casually unbuttoned, revealing a treasured pair of cufflinks, you might never look at a jacket cuff the same way again. Wearing a made-to-measure suit is a game changer.
The fit speaks for itself. It’s a powerful thing to step into a suit made just for you. A man in even simple navy wool—which is a great starter—will stand out. There is an extra touch of sophistication.
A lot of guys I know worry most about the time going made-to-measure involves. But in the long run, you’re actually saving time. The fitting can take about 30 minutes, but you only have to do it once. The tailors will measure your chest, collar, inseam and arm length. Then all the info is kept on file. Unless you go on a crazy diet (we won’t even mention the opposite option), your only subsequent work will be sifting through fabric swatches. And waiting patiently for six to eight weeks.
This can be fun. I was surprised how interested I was in the process the first time I ordered a suit. I didn’t realize I could customize the lapel of a Brioni jacket, or switch an Ermenegildo Zegna to a double vent. It was like picking out features on a sports car. And, sure enough, once I got it back and saw my name monogrammed on the inside breast pocket, I started considering the next one.
Come to think of it, there are two tells for a made-to-measure suit. The second is how man stands. It might be the confidence that comes with knowing he’s the only one in the world with this suit. Because he made it.
The Made-to-Measure Event runs through August 26 in Neiman Marcus stores.
Tom Ford shoes and bags are now online, ladies and gents. They’ve been in stores for a couple of seasons. Now Neiman Marcus Group is the first and only retailer to offer these accessories online. So you can be the chicest woman or man in…wherever you are.
Sweet relief from the heat of Milan! In Paris it’s always intriguing to see the creativity of the fashion students who crash the line for shows, alongside the pros. Everywhere, I’ve noticed bold prints, fleece crewnecks (often with backpacks) and a few monochromatic looks as well. When we can get away from the runways for a while, we scope indie brands at the trade shows. At the Capsule Show, guys looked deliberately casual, as they have for most of PFW.
Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana sent a cast of everyday Sicilians down their Men’s Spring/Summer 2013 runway. The decision to ditch traditional models in favor of regular boys from small towns and villages was a reflection of the collection’s origin of inspiration and democratic wearability. A traditionally dressed Sicilian band set the cultural tone for the collection comprised of high-waisted cropped pleated pants, linen striped T-shirts, tank tops, and woven leather sandals.
Miuccia Prada went back to the basics – print-free, simplistic shapes – for her Spring/Summer 2013 collection. Seventies-inspired team colors – maroons, mustards, tans – worked with gym gear fit for an old school wrestling or bowling team – think oversized tanks, bowling shirts, sweat bands. Interspersed within the line-up of chiseled male models, Prada placed her women’s resort line, which sported similar athletic lines and hues.
This season Christopher Bailey added an element of fun into his typically masculine men’s wear collections. Flashes of metallic foil in cardigans, trenches, and baseball jackets illuminated darker slim fit navy and gray suits. Silk short-sleeve button front shirts in pajama-like prints topped with contrasting prints and/or Burberry’s never-fail basics continued the whimsical approach to rainy weather.
John Varvatos’ Spring/Summer 2013 collection was for the man who wants to look sleek but not stiff – signature to Varvatos’ rock n’ roll attitude. The mix of tailored touches – double breasted jackets, neckties and pocket squares – were juxtaposed with deliberately rough accessories such as wide brim straw hats, varnished canvas boots, and canvas duffels.
For Spring/Summer 2013, Bottega Veneta’s Tomas Maier offers a collection inspired by the ease and informality of the pullover. The near-universal garment recalls clothing as varied as naval uniforms and South Asian kurtas. At Bottega Veneta, it’s casual and lightweight, with a breezy, retro sensibility. Narrow, cropped pants worn with pullover shirts and T-shirts have the effortless feel of sportswear. The slim, natural-looking silhouette is enhanced by nuanced tailoring and offhand layering.
The heat wave follows us to Milan Men’s Fashion Week. A lot of the guys are wearing woven shirts to keep cool, but it’s surprising how many are still layering. Khaki, white and navy blazers aplenty. Crewneck layers, in the form of T-shirts or modified sweatshirts, add pops of color. Minty greens appeared both off and on the runway. (Burberry Prorsum and Ermenegildo Zegna showed them.) Linens and straw fedoras are very appropriate.
Tim Blanks of Style.com
Burberry Prorsum Spring/Summer 2013
Eugene Tong of Details
Crewneck layer
Crewneck
Alex Badia of WWD and Menswear mag.
Blue blazer
T magazine's Bruce Pask, casual in navy.
Cardigan/blazer
NM's Matthew Singer is rarely without a navy blazer these days.
NM's Matthew Singer
NM's Matthew Singer
Beppe Modenese, president of Italy's Camera Nazionale della Moda, sartorial icon.
