Time for London Fog

It is the time of year to break out the London Fog.  Classic styling, good quality all-weather coats come from London Fog.  The coats are for the most part under $150 and will keep you dry and warm when needed.  It is time for London Fog to be broken out.  And if you don't have one to pick one up.

How bad can a brand be that uses Gisele Bundchen in their ad campaign as such?

Fall Necktie - Paisley

The closer we get to the cold weather of fall the more I think about about paisley ties. My favorites are wool or flannel material paisley ties, but this season there are a lot of great paisley ties.

Ben Silver makes this great wool tie. I prefer the mustard and red versions of the tie but it comes in multiple different colors.

Drakes of London makes these two Paisley ties. Their bespoke ties are the ultimate of luxury.

Faconnable makes a great paisley pocket square & tie.

Robert Talbott makes a beautiful paisley tie this season. It has a beautiful design more focused on other elements than the paisley tear drop.

XMI makes this great paisley. The colors are all utilized in fall and make this tie quite versatile.

Enjoy the paisley.

Fall Essentials - Shawl Collar Sweater

Retro is back in fashion and that is certainly evident with shawl collar sweaters. I am still a little undecided if I love or ate the look, but it is certainly something different, which is always needed in men's fashion. Plus, shawl collars were popularized by Steve McQueen and Paul Newman, who can doubt their style?

Rugby Shawl Collar Cardigan - in the picture aboove

Rugby College Stripe Shawl Collar Sweater

Woolrich Shawl Collar Cardigan

Woolrich Shawl Collar Sweater

Rugby Shawl Collar Cardigan

Ralph Lauren Cable Knit Shawl Collar Sweater

J Crew Shawl Collar Sweater

J Crew Shawl Collar Cardigan

Hugo Boss Shawl Collar Double Breasted Cardigan

Hugo Boss Shawl Collar Sweater

Hickey Shawl Collar Sweater

Fall Essentials - Purple

Every season a new color becomes popular. A color that represents the season and the overall feeling of the season. This fall, my guess is that the color will be purple. It is certainly a color I want to use in my wardrobe. Here are my favorite purple items of the season.

Shirt & Cashmere sweater (pics 1 & 2) by J Crew. Tie by J Press. Cardigan by Rugby. V-Neck Sweater by Calvin Klein.

Fall Essentials - Tweed Herringbone Trench Coat

Theory has made a tweed herringbone trench coat for this season. This is a perfect jacket for anyone living with severe weather and needs a great alternative to a cashmere overcoat. I would certainly think about picking it up if our weather was actually cold (Los Angeles has great weather, but that certainly limits the clothing options). What is great about this jacket is that it would easily go with any fall suit in the typical fall colors: navy, heather gray, black, olive and brown. Theory has done it again, a fashionable, practical, yet unique piece. This piece is available at Bloomingdales for only $795, for a jacket of this quality that is quite a good price.

Fall Essentials - Tweed Herringbone Jacket

My favorite odd jacket for this or any fall/winter season is a gray tweed herringbone jacket. I have had one for about 2 or 3 years now and love when the weather turns cold enough to wear it. It is the perfect jacket for jeans, chinos or accessory for your normal work slacks (black, navy or heather gray work best from a color stand point).

The jacket is sophisticated casual. It has a very English countryman heritage so it has the old elegant sophistication that comes with such a heritage. Historically this jacket would have leather elbow patches for hunters. Hence the jackets heritage is casual, due to this it is typically made only as an odd jacket. (But I would highly encourage making a slim fit tweed herringbone suit with bit 2 inch cuffs on the pants, but that is my personal style and not something everyone can pull off.)

This season stick with a beautifully tailored slim fit gray herringbone tweed. Rugby (by Ralph Lauren) has my favorite version of the jacket this season (top picture). Rugby makes a very casual, cool and aggressive version of the jacket with details like: stitched patches instead of the English style leather elbow patches, colored lining under the lapels and a hidden stitched skull and crossbones under the left lapel. Fashion is often in the subtle details and Rugby nailed it with this version of the jacket ($350 or so).

Theory & JCrew both have more traditional but modern versions of the jacket, so you will not have to worry about looking like your Grandpa, but you can still look hip on your date (JCrew & Theory pictured above: JCrew has the tie). Uniqlo also has a version of the jacket that will be coming out in the next month or so, this might be the best financial option as long as you live in New York or have a friend in New York who can ship it to you (Uniqlo only has one store in the US, in New York, and they don't take online orders).

Rock the tweed herringbone as one of your go-to-jackets, this fall. Leave the leather jacket at home and instead rock the herringbone, it will keep you just as warm and you will have classic and sophisticated alternative to leather. The ladies & the fashionably aware men will appreciate your sartorial decision.

Fall Essentials - Boots

Obviously, the change of weather in fall means that you must have shoes to handle the puddles, the mud, the ice and the snow. This means breaking out the boots. New or old, boots are an absolute essential in fall, and this season is no exception. In fact, more boots are popping up at more stores and by more designers than ever.

I am digging the round toed boot this season (square toes are so 2000). I also am a fan of buying brand new clean, non-distressed boots and breaking them in yourself. With as much as you will be wearing the boots this fall, don't worry soon they will have their own patina, their own scratches and wounds, their own individual wear and tear. They will be uniquely yours. The best way to break in a pair of boots is to wear them out one night to a crowded bar, that many drunks will be sure your boots are good and scuffed up. Also this season I am voting for brown boots, I just like the way brown boots get broken in. I like it better than black.

If you don't know how to wear brown boots, well try am with your favorite pair of jeans an oxford and a navy blue blazer. Or wear them with some tweed slacks, a dark shirt and tie and a matching leather jacket. You can also wear them with chinos and a cashmere sweater for a casual relaxed date look. Its the total cat's meow to wear a pair of chunky boots (scuffed or un-scuffed) with a heavy weight suit (make it a heavy wool, tweed or herringbone, the fabric needs gravitas for it to look right). Boots are the winters version of Chuck Taylors, they can be worn with almost anything and anytime and look damn good.

It is time to start thinking about Fall clothes

Believe it or not, its time to think about fall, not because the weather change is eminent, but because in the fashion world, the fall clothes are in stores. I like seeing the new seasons clothes, the selections that are available at stores and then make a mental list of what each store is presenting as their trends for the season, what the trends are at each store and what the universal trends that are at every store. I then filter the trends that I see at stores through my own personal style barometer, what trends do I like? What articles of clothing are cool? What articles of clothing are universal? What articles of clothing are so unique that I must pick it up this season, or can I wait for the item to go on sale?

That is probably what I like more than anything else, making a mental list of the pieces in stores that I want to buy and then making a decision will this be around in two months on the sale rack? Or do I need to think about buying it now? If I think I might need to buy it now, I need to decide if I can find it at another store (for cheaper) or if it will be around in another season. If it is truly unique, that is when I pick it up. If it is not, then I will wait for it to go on sale. Most of the time I wait... sometimes I get disappointed, but usually I can pick it up on sale.

Over the next few days I will be posting my take on the fall trends and styles. There are some things I love, others can wait, others we can forget about all together. But I will share my thoughts and opinions.