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• January 15, 2009
• Trend Spotting

Man in Uniform

A guy's guide to dressing in 2009. By Xiyin Tang

When it comes to fashion, you guys don't always have it so easy. Updating your favorite wardrobe staples could easily be a no-brainer, but somehow, the idea of adapting runway trends to real life always turns into a bit of a fiasco. That's why we've assembled a venerable man's manifesto for dressing in 2009. From your jeans to your sideburns, we've got your checklist of what to buy and how to wear it whether it's a new pair of blue suede shoes or a classic baseball jacket. As an added bonus, we've gathered some dressing dirt from industry insiders like the very dapper designers from Shipley & Halmos and Eddy Chai of the perennially chic boutique Odin. Read on for how to get your look exactly right in 2009.

1. Update Your Suit.

What can a fella do after the craze of Hedi Slimane's revolutionary skinny suits? While the long and lean look isn't going away persay, the movement toward a roomier silhouette seems inevitable, and even desirable. "I've always found that baggier clothes or loose silhouettes can be really elegant on guys, combined with more fitted pieces," says Eddy Chai of the New York boutique Odin. Consider a pair of pleated pants slightly looser in the legs or a summer-light blazer with unstructured shoulders. Add to that, the recent favoring of double-breasted sports jackets—yes, a boxier cut is better than ever. (In the words of Archetype Showroom Menswear Director, Steve Rojas: "Will somebody please kill off the super skinny jean and start dressing like real men?")

Above, from left: Spring '09 looks from Acne, Burberry Prorsum, and 3.1 Phillip Lim.

2. Head Back to School.

We've already proclaimed our love of varsity jackets and saddle shoes, both of which are staples of a sort of half-nerdy, half-stylized Ivy League look perfected by band-of-the-moment—and Columbia grads—Vampire Weekend. Band of Outsiders also worked a geek-chic look on the spring runways with a full-on madras ensemble, all finished off with a pair of preppy boat shoes that would look right at home on the Cambridge campus.

Above, from left: Spring '09 looks from Corpus, Band of Outsiders, and A.P.C.

3. Get Onboard with the Newest Denim.

Continuing with the girls-borrowing-from-the-boys-and-vice-versa trend, it seemed only appropriate that Current/Elliott, who makes the perfect pair of boyfriend jeans, is finally launching a line just for the guys. And the slouchy cut is universally guy friendly—distressed, extra-soft, and vintage-washed, we can already seen them cuffed and rolled and paired with some old school loafers or tennis shoes.

Above, from left: A shot from The Sartorialist, Current/Elliot's new men's line; a spring '09 look from Gilded Age.

4. Get Groomed and Refined.

Oh, the ongoing facial hair debate. Shorty Maniace, manager and head barber extraordinaire at FSC Barber, tells us: "With hair, we're definitely seeing the pompadour style getting more refined. Less of a DA (duck's ass) and more of the refined tapered out haircut. There's a growing trend toward clean cuts that are very Mad Men—a bit slicked back with a more defined part. It's a classic look that's more elegant. With facial hair, heavy beards are on their way out but moustaches are coming back. Not this thick Magnum P.I. thing, but more Errol Flynn. Overall, there's definitely more of the gentlemen look coming back altogether." Or as fashion consultant Wayne Gross puts it, "I'm seeing a sort of 'new elegance' emerging—a pulled together, refined look that reminds me of Alain Delon circa La Piscine."

Above, from left: Mad Men, a spring look '09 from 3.1 Phillip Lim, Erol Flynn.