Lord Chesterfield penned "When a man is once in fashion, all he does is right" almost 200 years ago. The same can be said today, provided the style-wise urban male does his buying with an eye for wearables that are really in fashion and not just passing fads. In order to help you separate the sartorial wheat from the poorly designed chaff now on the market, we've devoted this and the following pages to a variety of togs--some of which are conservatively au courant, others of which are more adventurous. All, however, are important styles that we predict not only will produce a maximum fashion impact during the next six months but will also substantially influence the direction mens wear will take for several seasons to come. For openers, we foresee that duster and maxi-length outercoats in both wool melton and synthetic fur will continue to be worn by tall chaps who can carry off the look correctly. If you don't measure up to this eminently elegant offering, you might consider either a shorter-length full-belted real- or imitation-leather trench coat or a herringbone double-breasted overcoat similar to the Malcolm Kenneth design on page 149. Fashion details to watch for in an overcoat include a full inverted center pleat and a half belt. While adding to your fall-and winter wardrobe, also plan to suit yourself with at least one completely new look, perhaps a suit that's patterned and tailored like what was being worn in the 1930s--styles that featured wide peak lapels, a longer jacket and an inverted center pleat. If you go this route, we recommend that you also choose a solid-color or striped dress shirt with a long-pointed collar that's crisp and slightly formal looking, and a 4-1/2-to-5-1/2-inch-wide silk tie. Then top off the outfit with a neat hat trick: Try on a wide-brimmed and high-crowned black-felt chapeau similar to the one shown on page 145. And, if your footwear supply is unstylishly out of step, demonstrate your shoemanship by checking out the latest in two-tone bals and bluchers or pulling on your choice of boots: various heights are available, from ankle to mid-calf, while leather treatments range from high-polished to rough-and-ready unfinished.
As we see it, the colors of this fall's slacks selection will be more subdued than in seasons past. Although the gaudy rainbow hues are rapidly fading from the men's-apparel scene, in favor of more subtle shades of brown and gray, slacks legs will still hang (text continued on page 152) wide and loose. Bell-bottoms in widths from 20 to 26 inches are certain to be the fashion front-runners, with less extreme flared-leg slacks that are cut broader from the knee down coming in a close second. Regardless of whether you're a flared- or a bell-bottomed-leg man, you can have your selections tailored with at least two-inch cuffs, or you can keep them cuffless but angled (lower at the heel), so that your ankles stay covered as you walk.
Drop by any men's boutique and you'll see "suits" that radically depart from the familiar shaped and Ivy silhouettes. Jump suits, tunic suits, pullover suits and shirt suits--they're all designed to be worn on occasions when you feel like trying something new. Some styles, such as the double-knit Ruben Torres suit with a zippered front placket on page 149, boast a futuristic look, while others have more romantic overtones. If a wool melton cape with a lion's-head throat closure as shown on pages 150-151 isn't your bag, perhaps a belted sport suit is. So wear what you like and have a ball doing it--that's what today's fashion scene is really all about.
