Fashion moves fast, along with each season come new emerging trends so most times it’s hard to find what you need. Fortunately for you, I have some advice: only follow certain trends. Trends come full circle, so the best suggestion for you is to stick to classic pieces. This upcoming fall and winter season, we witness plenty of classic pieces that are altered for modernity’s sake reemerging from the depths of history. Check out the top five trends for this fall/winter 2011 season.
1. Varsity Jackets This slice of perennial outerwear isn’t for just jock quarterbacks or the high school band tuba player anymore, this iconic piece of menswear will look good on any guy. Forget all the graduation numbers, the felt school symbols, and the pins denoting what club you’re a part of; focus on one thing: simplicity. Stick with leather sleeves and a wool body, or take a higher route and go for an all leather aesthetic. If you really want to differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack, grab a well fit vintage varsity jacket with slim sleeves and snug torso; either way you can’t lose.
2. Corduroys This gives you a chance to break away from the days of only denim or khaki, plus, corduroy gives you a little more heft for those colder autumn days. With corduroys you can do a lot, so don’t be afraid to experiment with new colors like shades of burnt orange, merlot, or take the traditional route of the beige and brown colorway. Corduroys look best worn in and even tucked into your favorite pair of beat up combat/work boots. Cords will give you a very classic Americana work wear style, so beat them up and enjoy.
3. Double Breasted Blazers Frankly, a double-breasted blazer should be something that doesn’t need to be a trend; it’s a timeless piece in menswear and deserves to be timeless. For the sake of trends though, we see the reemergence of beautifully crafted double-breasted blazers for the taking. This season’s most popular color of the timeless piece is a camel color, but trust me when I say this, that’s not the only color you need. Simple colors like a good navy blue or a gunmetal gray are perfect for the blazer. Don’t be afraid to wear it down with even a worn in t-shirt underneath, it’ll give off that cool yet sophisticated style that every man wants. Just one rule though, always keep it buttoned, a double-breasted blazer should NEVER be worn unbuttoned.
4. Drop Crotch Pants A favorite of minor avant-garde or untraditional tailoring, drop crotch pants give you a reason to toy with the proportions of your clothing (which is also a trend to watch for this season). Drop crotch pants have been on a tear the past few seasons, especially for this upcoming fall season we saw plenty of designers incorporate the pants into their collections. The fit that will most likely look the best is a drop crotch with legs that slim out, this gives you that difference in proportion but allows you to still keep the slim silhouette that is oh so popular.
5. Cropped Peacoats This won’t be your traditional Naval peacoat, expect many peacoats for the colder season to be cut at the hips from a much more modern style. To stand out from the rest of the traditional black peacoats, go for a much more militaristic color like Army green or safari beige. Peacoats were created to keep the Naval officers warm on the high seas, so hearty wool is what peacoats are made out of; keep the tradition alive and stick to 100% wool.