Shades of Grey

Call it soft-core fashion porn.  As the book title suggests, there’s 50 shades of grey out there, and they were all represented in just about every men’s runway show for fall.  The great news about grey is– it’s the easiest, most versatile color to work into your existing wardrobe, it naturally matches with everything.  Get a chunky, grey wool sweater, like this one from Nautica and wear it every weekend with flannel trousers or jeans.  For a dressier alternative, get a thin, merino wool, v-neck, like this one with elbow patches from J. Crew, wear it with your suit on cool fall days, or with a t-shirt on the weekend.  In the market for a new suit this fall? Opt for a slim fit grey model, like this one from Band of Outsiders, guaranteed almost all of your shirts and ties will look great with this light shade of grey.  Avoid an overly 90s monotone look by pairing your greys with bright colors like red or orange, like this winning grey look from Michael Bastian Collection featuring a bright orange vest.  Although wearing grey this Fall probably doesn’t guarantee a freshly graduated college virgin will fall in love with you, you will look at least 50 shades of amazing.

Luxurious Leather

Leather, the perennial bad-boy favorite, is having another major moment right now.  Seen on the runways in every incarnation, from leather pants at 3.1 Phillip Lim  (proceed with extreme caution), to covetable bomber jackets lined in brightly colored shearling from N. Hoolywood, to amazing car coats from Emporio Armani, that will look great over your suits.  For exotic skinned, Kanye-budget, motorcycle jackets check out Balmain.  Keep the look unexpected, pair a motorcycle jacket with skinny wool trousers and a tie, wear a shearling lined bomber over a suit, however you wear it, leather tends to unleash your inner rebel, even if you’re wearing it to your job on Wall Street.

Glen Plaid Moves Up the Ladder

Up until now, Glen Plaid’s most visible advocate has been Pee Wee Herman in his iconic, too-small Glen Plaid suit.  With all due respect to Pee Wee, it’s time to elevate Glen Plaid beyond geek-chic to just plain chic.  Thanks to designers like Hackett Collection, and Hardy Amies, Glen Plaid is back in a major way for Fall.  The subtle, muted check of Glen Plaid is the perfect way to break free from the solid-color-suit ghetto in your closet without going over the top like a Tartan Plaid would.  Don’t go overboard with the look, keep your shirt and tie subtle and solid. Double bonus, Glen Plaid looks great in grey, so you can rock two Fall trends at once. But, do skip the bow tie, again, all apologies to Pee Wee.