12 Designers' Fall Fashion Choices
Imagine a world in which everything, from our financial system to our
international relations, can be reset and reinvented every six months.
Sounds pretty nice, right? That's one of the great things about
fashion: Each new season gives men an opportunity to start all
over again.
PRADA. Miuccia Prada has always been one of those designers who can see around corners, and for fall she's picturing legions of men returning to work wearing classic shapes and sober colors: beefy, double-breasted jackets and coats with wide lapels, trim wool trousers hemmed with thick cuffs, and round-toed shoes that look damn near indestructible.
Double-breasted wool overcoat ($2,895), double-breasted wool jacket ($1,555), cotton shirt ($430), wool trousers ($595), and leather shoes ($695) by Prada.
BOTTEGA VENETA. If there's anything Tomas Maier doesn't know about making soft, deconstructed clothing, you wouldn't know it from looking at his new collection for Bottega Veneta. Suede, cashmere, and flannel make up the guts and glory of his easy-fitting suits and coats, and even the brand's woven leather bags have a lived-in texture that speaks to the times.
Wool coat ($2,750), cotton shirt ($420), cashmere tie ($390), and woven leather weekend bag ($3,980) by Bottega Veneta. RALPH LAUREN. Ralph Lauren is pretty much in a league of his own when it comes to combining subtly distressed sportswear (weathered leather bombers, worn-in jeans, crumpled button-down shirts) with classic tweed and flannel tailoring. That he does it so successfully this season, and that so many other designers seem to be following his lead, suggests the perfect marriage of a man and a moment.
Leather jacket ($1,395), wool jacket ($795), and wool tie ($115), Polo by Ralph Lauren; cotton shirt ($125) by Ralph Lauren. BURBERRY. In Christopher Bailey's vision for the fall, we'll all be back in business wearing dark shades — blacks, grays, and midnight blues, with a dash of deep greens and purples — and suits, overcoats, and trenches with rounded shoulders and generous fits. Just because the times are serious doesn't mean one can't be comfortable.
Wool overcoat ($2,995), two-button wool tweed jacket ($1,795), cotton-and-linen shirt ($450), and cotton-and-wool trousers ($895) by Burberry; leather loafers ($1,500) by Berluti; leather briefcase ($2,600) by Louis Vuitton; vintage whangee Fox Paragon umbrella ($40) from eBay. GIORGIO ARMANI. With its natural shoulders and ample helpings of cashmere, flannel, and velvet, Giorgio Armani's new collection has all the deconstructed luxury that first made him a star in the U. S. in the early 1980s. Then, as now, Americans were reaching for soft tailoring to ease their way out of the economic doldrums, and now, as then, they'll find it in Armani.
Two-button wool jacket (part of suit, $1,145), cotton shirt ($315), and wool trousers ($435) by Armani Collezioni.
VERSACE. Among Donatella Versace's priorities for men this fall, looking sharp and staying warm seem tied for the top spot. From her belted shawl cardigans and turtleneck sweaters to her white wool suits and tweed overcoats, she's committed to helping men weather this season's storms. Umbrella not included.
Double-breasted wool overcoat ($4,885) and wool-and-silk trousers ($625) by Versace; cotton shirt ($250) by Versace Collection; leather shoes ($595) by Fratelli Rossetti; umbrella ($940) by Bottega Veneta.
CALVIN KLEIN. Italo Zucchelli loves himself some gray, and this season the Calvin Klein designer is using all different shades of it (with some blue and white thrown in for variety) to fashion clothes both traditional (classically tailored tweed overcoats) and modern (nylon shirts and high-tech padded jackets).
Wool overcoat ($3,495), cotton shirt ($295), wool tie ($175), and silk-wool-and-cashmere trousers ($675) by Calvin Klein Collection; leather shoes ($1,265) by John Lobb; leather attach‚ case ($598) by Coach. LOUIS VUITTON. This is a leather jacket, but turn it inside out and it's also a cashmere jacket; such a canny combination of comfort, ruggedness, and versatility summarizes a lot of what Paul Helbers (Louis Vuitton's design director) and Marc Jacobs (the company's creative director) are up to with their tailoring and outerwear this fall. The jackets and pants fit a little looser, the coats feel a little softer, and the men who wear them relish the comfort that comes only from wearing supremely well made clothes.
Calfskin-and-cashmere reversible jacket ($5,000), wool sweater ($700), and wool trousers ($700) by Louis Vuitton; ceramic Ingenieur Automatic watch ($7,400) by IWC. DOLCE & GABBANA. Chunky cashmere sweaters, velvet smoking jackets, and big, enveloping shearling add a layer of volume and softness to the design pair's reliably trim business and cocktail suits. The Dolce & Gabbana customer is still a creature of the night, but his evenings just got a whole lot more comfortable.
Wool-and-silk sweater ($1,495), wool-and-silk vest ($1,150), cotton shirt ($495), silk tie ($165), and wool-and-silk trousers (part of suit, $2,895) by Dolce & Gabbana; stainless-steel Speedmaster Broad Arrow watch with leather strap ($5,280) by Omega.
DRIES VAN NOTEN. Our favorite Belgian (sorry Mr. Van Damme!) has a record of making men's clothes that are at once forward-looking and uncannily familiar. We think it might be his super-naturally acute eye for detail. Take, for example, his tightly focused fall collection. There is something of a 1950s austerity about it: big, heavy belted coats and thick, tweedy suits, their collars turned ever upward, protection perhaps from the winds of change.
Wool overcoat ($1,773), two-button wool suit ($1,580), and cotton shirt ($297) by Dries Van Noten; steel-and-titanium Santos 100 Black Collection watch ($7,000) by Cartier.
PAUL SMITH. Looking at Paul Smith's new collection brings to mind Noël Coward's famous line about work being more fun than fun. Style, in Smith's hands, is more fun than fun, with his eclectic, appealing blend of tailoring and sportswear made up of punchy plaids, checks, and argyles.
Two-button wool Black Watch tartan jacket ($1,570) and vest ($785), cotton shirt ($535), and wool trousers ($820) by Paul Smith; stainless-steel chronograph ($295) by Seiko.
GUCCI. Deploying razor-sharp, slim-fitting suits as well as a few variations on some of the fall's strongest recurring themes, e.g., tweed suits, plush velvet jackets, and the almighty double-breasted coat, Frida Giannini is giving the Gucci man an extra shot of swagger for the fall.
Moleskin coat ($1,660), two-button three-piece wool suit ($2,125), cotton shirt ($370), and silk tie ($180) by Gucci; leather shoes ($480) by Cesare Paciotti; umbrella ($940) by Bottega Veneta.
(Source: Esquire)
