Pocket Guide: Men's Fall | Winter Trends 2010-2011

Okay, we have something more to hold you guys over until our, well, "surprise."

We've created a Mini Pocket Guide for Men's Fall|Winter 2010-2011 Trends and Styles. This covers a few basic fall & winter trends that all Urban Gentlemen should know...

Crew necks: You may or may not have noticed the change, but designers are slowly switching back to the classic crew necks and moving away from the wide scoop necks and trendy v-necks. Of course you can still do a slight V if needed, but a classic crew will suit you, and all your masculinity, best.

More Topman...

Selvedge Denim: Everywhere I go, I find myself getting into "deep" conversations about selvedge denim... people are obsessed, some are a bit too passionate (usually the newbies), but it's understandable. Be sure to invest in atleast one pair of selvedge denim.

More Evisu...

MINI Lesson on Selvedge Denim: "What is Selvedge/Selvage Denim?"
Selvedge denim is basically premium denim, its the crème de la crème of the denim family. "Selvedge" describes the way the fabric is produced. The denim is made on a shorter loom, making the time to create them longer. In a pair of selvedge jeans you can actually see where the weaving stops and is finished by the loom... long story short: if you flip a pair of selvedge jeans inside out you can see the production and "self-edged" finish. The quality is higher, the fabric is heavier and more durable, and more thread is used to create them. Some companies mark their jeans on the selvedge with a woven stitch in a certain color. Some even mark the inside selvedge line with their company's name.

What folks love most about selvedge denim is that you can "wear them in" yourself- so no fake wear marks (even though these days some companies will scuff em a bit). Within 6 months of wearing them the jeans will customized to your body... some will argue longer times, many people wear their's for a year without washing to "completely" break them in... honestly the "breaking in" time all depends on how often you wear them.

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Classic Boots: Whether it's vintage or workwear inspired, you must have a pair of quality classic boots. Some may go with duck boots, others may opt for chukkas, while the manliest will be keen on rugged utility boots. Choose your favorite brand and style in a color that fits your wardrobe and make it your staple. Or choose several to increase your fall and winter footwear options.

More Frye...

Hint Of Camo: You heard it here first. Just give em a hint of fatigue this fall and winter. Unless you're a solider, we need not see you in all over army fatigue... not yet anyway. Just a hint... a jacket, socks, a bag, whatever you like.

More Toms...

Canvas: Whether you sport a canvas backpack, watch, or jacket... its the chosen material for so many stylish things these days.

More Fossil...

Stay Tuned for the Complete Guide.

The School Yard Wardrobe

Certain "things" are going a little slower than planned, so though we wanted to wait on posting the "back to school" article, we're going to go ahead and post it now because of high demand.

The School Yard Wardrobe

It's back to school for everyone from grade school to graduate school. So we've prepared The Schoolyard Wardrobe for all the Urban Gentlemen that are about to hit the books (and make straight A's.). We'll be combining basic essentials with trends to prepare you for the new school year.

Like we do in school, let's outline the article:

I: Summary
A: Checklist- the contents of an urban gentleman's wardrobe
B: Trends- the latest men fashion trends

II: Clothing, Shoes, Accessories (separate post)
A: Sales and Deals- the best deals from around the internet for men's clothing

III: Example Photos (separate post)
A: Urban Gentleman Kanayo King gives us examples of looks for The School Yard wardrobe

The Checklist

We'll take this from our Wardrobe Guide. If you haven't already been through it, then take a few minutes to atleast skim it (it's from last year, so it's slightly dated, but should give a general gist on what you need). We have to assume you have the basics, and are simply replacing a few items or adding a lil' girth to the urban gent wardrobe you already have.

The Trends

There will be a full-on trends article later, but for now we'll play with what we know.

The Urban Gentleman has made "a hint of fatigue" very official, ever since we featured it I've seen an increase all around town-- whether it's a fatigue bandanna in the back pocket , fatigue shoe-strings, or jacket.

More Prada...

Plaid is just going to be in until we're all just done with it. But I mean, how many more patterns are there-- gingham, paisley, stripes... the point is-- adding a little more plaid won't hurt you.

More Ralph Lauren...

Monochromatic hues are still a favorite, and we're going to properly explore that over the next year. There's not alot of it on the streets because most people don't quite know how to do it, so we'll re-tackle that at some point over the next few months.

Not-so-skinny jeans are being happily received by those who thought jeans would just keep getting tighter-- nah, we had to nip that in the bud. "Skinny" (or more like slim-fit) is still a yes, but skinny-as-hell is a no (basically bulge should not be seen, lol).

More Rugby...

Boots all year round in different types and materials.
Jean jackets and jean on jean.
Era themed-- whether it's 50s, 60s, 80s, or 90s.

And you guys can peruse through last year's fall/winter trends and this years spring/summer trends for the rest...

And while looking at these trends remember our motto, "We Collect Fashion, We Create Style". Think about how you can integrate these trends into your own personal style; adapt the trends to your style, don't let the trends change your style.

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Next up, we'll have a list of sales and deals from around the internet to purchase clothing, shoes, accessories. For now, you can look through last year's Back to School Wardrobe List.

Spring 2011 Men's Fashion Shows: A Few Favorites

So here's a quick run down on a few favorites from the Men's Spring 2011 shows...

Trussardi 1911.

Talk about a home-run hitter, Trussardi's collection is the most comprehensive I've viewed thus far. They mix the best trends with forwarding-thinking luxury fashion, while mixing in retro American style the whole way.

The collection has something for every type of guy: the traditionalist, the prep, the rocker, the 'whatever category you put may find yourself in', there's atleast a couple pieces in Trussardi's spring collection that's for you.

The collection transforms from slick retro red, black, and white to updated 90s American prep, gotta love it. The prints? Native-American. check. Stripes. check. Plaid. check. And get this-- Trussardi even gives us a "hint of fatigue", lol. Is Milan Vukmirovic in my head... I think he is. (He's Trussardi's creative director, btw). But more than anything, Trussardi's Spring 2011 collection gives us proper elegant summer layers-- shawl sweaters, a variety of jackets, swanky footwear, and bags (that don't look like purses).

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Corneliani.
"From the Safari to the Polo match."

Corenliani's Milan debut collection certainly asserts the Italian brand's position amongst other great designers. The beginning of this collection gives me flashes of classic Tarzan and a "proper" wealthy person's safari (in a good way) then progresses to give potential examples for other gentlemen activities-- such as polo or perhaps croquet.

There's this very easy elegance about the collection that keeps every look appealing; I think it's the loose tailoring-- there's lots of triple-pleated trousers, roomy jackets, and relaxed knitwear. With an abundance of overall gentleman's versatility, Corenliani's offers pieces that can easily manifest into any gents spring wardrobe.

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D&G.
"Ode to Suburbia"

A direct ode to the casual lifestyle of 50s Americana suburbia-- polos, gingham, vintage safari/beach vacation prints. This is a great collection

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Canali.

"Classic Perfection"

Canali is for grown men, it's just one of those labels that makes you very official-- as far as being a well-dresses businessman goes anyway. And Canali's spring collection falls in line with their usual grown man swag, but with a fresh 50s/60s edge. This collection is full of suits that can be dressed up or down.

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Spring 2011 Trends: So far the trends are pretty obvious... we're still paying tribute to the 1900s-- mainly 50s, 60s, 80s, and 90s. For all you guys that were never into the skinny stuff or are tired of the skinny stuff-- smile, menswear is making subtle switches to looser pants. But skinny-lovers don't fret, it's just to give you guys more variety. And last, but not least modified versions of espadrilles are seen through a number of designer collections, so if you don't have a pair you may want to scoop a pair of Toms now.

photos via wwd.com