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.
Chris wears Jimmy Choo's Belgravia camoflouge hi-top sneaker.
Women around the globe have been spellbound by Jimmy Choo stilettos since the Nineties and the craftsmanship, luxe aesthetic and exclusivity of the label continues to keep us on our toes. Now guys can officially start collecting Choo, too. The Jimmy Choo Men’s Collection features camo and colorblock hi-tops, and chunky biker boots for that street-styled look; and formal slippers covered in plush velvets, embroidery and glitter for that city slicker who intends to make a statement with his soles. I asked two dapper gents from the NM men’s shoe buying team, Chris Buffington and Max Lysak, to show me their kick picks.
Assistant buyers Max Lysak and Chris Buffington kick back in the Men's department of the NM flagship.
Chris wears the Sloane smoking slipper and Max wears an exclusive to NM star studded slipper.
Lobster rolls at the wedding. Photograph by Gregg Peterson
Seersucker suits and floral bow ties worn on their special day.
Whale watching in Martha's Vineyard.
The Pilgrim Monument, built in 1910 to commemorate the arrival of the Pilgrims in November 1620.
Aquinnah Cliffs
"More delicious lobster."
The Menemsha Inn fishing vessels.
An old pier just south of Harbor Master Pier.
Crab catching during low tide.
As the man who develops the cocktails and wine selections for Neiman Marcus restaurants, “wine guy” Frank Zack gets to drink for a living – and in some swell places, no less. So you can be sure that when he got married in Provincetown, Massachusetts and honeymooned in Martha’s Vineyard, it was a delicious affair. The celebration kicked off with the guests’ welcome gift—a bottle of Truro Vineyards Cabernet Franc. The party continued, at the wedding, with white Burgundy, Rhone, Champagne and local beers served alongside mini lobster rolls, and whole lobsters at the wedding reception. The lobster roll extravaganza continued into their honeymoon. “We ate every lobster roll in sight, some version of it every day,” says Zack.
Cape Cod According to Zack:
To eat: Lobster! Lobster and shrimp frittata at Cafe Edwige in Provincetown and lobster rolls at Aquinnah Cliffs.
To drink: Patio has the best white sangria.
To do: Vintage shopping at Marine Specialties (our new favorite store).
To see: Sit on the porch at the Anchor Inn and watch the world go by.
Last week national magazine editors had the privilege of being first to preview the mother of all design collaborations, the #Holiday24 collection from Neiman Marcus, Target and 24 CFDA designers. After braving a bizarre NYC hailstorm, they were astonished at the breadth and desirability of the products. It’s a cliche to say there’s something for everyone, but the collection really does offer something unexpected for everyone on your holiday checklist. Don’t just take my word for it; see what some of the editors had to say. Thanks to our friends at Target’s blog aBullsEyeView for the video.
