New York Fashion Week Fall 2010: Men's Trend Report

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Written for AskMen.com, click here for the full article (with images)
Written by Sachin Bhola

Remember when men ardently awaited New York Fashion Week -- a time when newsstands experienced the onslaught of guys fighting over the latest copy of a fashion magazine and who had spent the last week forecasting future trends rather than forecasting stock prices? Neither do we.

Men don't relate to fashion with the same zeal as they do the Super Bowl, so attempting to glorify fashion week would be as convincing as Tiger Woods' statement tomorrow morning.

So, why should you care that, say, tweed is a major fabric for Fall 2010? Well, for starters, it's moisture resistant and durable -- something we look for in clothing. Check. A tweed blazer can easily be worn with gray flat-front trousers for the conservative; it can be fused with resin leather sleeves as seen on the jackets at Yigal Azrouel for a cool streetwear look; and it will be available at your local mass retailer next fall. Versatile, accessible and affordable? Check. We think these are pretty good reasons to care.

New York Fashion Week: Fall 2010 wraps up today and, after a week of countless shows, live tweeting, partying, and throw in a snow storm for good measure, AM is here to break down the trends you should look out for later this year.

New York Fashion Week Fall 2010: Men's Major Trends

English Inspired
"I'm looking for something new" said Eddy Chai, cofounder of Odin New York, when discussing the omnipresent American workwear theme that has taken over menswear. We couldn't agree more -- haven't you seen enough plaid shirts for 2010? One solution is to look across the North Atlantic, where many U.S.-based English designers brought their heritage stateside.

rag & bone: "We were initially inspired by early 20th century British explorers, so the collection references England in all of its colonial glory... particularly the men climbing Mount Everest in Harris Tweed," explains design duo David Neville and Marcus Wainwright of rag & bone. "Traditional English fabrics are a focus for the outerwear this season, softened by ikat printed silks, superfine wools and technical fabrics mixed with shearling..."

Duckie Brown: While the formality of this English-inspired trend lends itself well to dressing up, we like how Daniel Silver and Steven Cox of Duckie Brown interpreted it in a youthful, rebellious way that channeled a punk rock Brit. Key items: tartan trousers, tweed jackets, fingerless alpaca gloves, and wingtip army boots.

Simon Spurr: How many times have we told you to find a tailor? From peacoats to double-breasted blazers, it's Simon Spurr's tailoring and attention to detail that caught our eyes. Key items: double-breasted jackets, bold checks and stripes, and leather bombers.

The AM take
Based on New York Fashion Week Fall 2010, the conservative should invest in tailored topcoats, a double-breasted suit (bonus if it's in tweed or herringbone), tweed trousers, a fitted three-button blazer, a bold-striped button-down, a thick, neutral-colored knit, and a trip to Savile Row. For streetwear, look into tartans and combat boots.

Layering
Layering in itself isn't exactly a groundbreaking trend; however, we did see some interesting execution via color, print and texture. The best part about this trend? It couldn't be easier to pull off.

Lacoste: While some of the looks featured men wearing crimson head-to-toe, we preferred the upbeat combination of colors (as in the deep kelly green, mustard and wine shown here) with a basic like black. It's wearable and will liven up an otherwise neutral fall palette.

Michael Bastian: From herringbone to check, plaid to striping, tartan to fair isle, Michael Bastian successfully pulled off layering many of these prints in a single look. How can you pull it off? Instead of buying your typical pair of black trousers next fall, choose a fine pinstripe option -- then pair it with a mini check shirt in the same color scheme.

Calvin Klein Collection Men's: How does onyx bonded suede, iron embossed nylon and pewter optic square prints sound? That's some pretty technical stuff. So, our takeaway advice is to mix textures, say a pair of patent leather shoes with a wool suit, to create a similar play between textures.

New York Fashion Week Fall 2010: Men's Carryover Trends
In case you were wondering, a carryover trend is one that appeared last year -- Fall 2009 -- that we're seeing reemerge this season. No, it's not our way of calling out a designer's lack of creativity; it's our way of helping you save a few bucks. Why spend money on something you've already invested in? Here's the scoop for Fall 2010:

Urban Warrior
3.1 Phillip Lim featured shin guards and knee-high strapped boots that were reminiscent of Duckie Brown's ninja masks last fall. We don't recommend any of the above. However, the "protect yourself in the concrete jungle" theme was still present. While this trend is most directional for streetwear, we took a particular liking to the severe black suits at Diesel Black Gold and the leather cargo jackets at Michael Kors. Keep your tough leather jackets, combat boots and military fashion on standby.

American Revival
The homegrown aesthetic has morphed from workwear to preppy over the seasons, and is still going strong. Highlights included hand-aged denim shirts and waxed cotton field pants at Billy Reid, and slim corduroys and rugby shirts at Gant by Michael Bastian. Mass retailers from the Gap to H&M have already tapped into this trend (have you walked in to one lately?), so you won't be hard-pressed to find similar pieces well in advance of Fall 2010.