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• January 26, 2009
• Trend Spotting

Shades of Autumn: It's Not All Blacks and Grays at Menswear Fashion Week

By Xiyin Tang

Okay, okay, Guy Trebay—we get it. In your recent New York Times article, you lamented the absence of color on the menswear fall '09 runways—there were somber-looking black suits at Jil Sander, an army of darkly-clad ghosts at Burberry, Miuccia's bleak story of survival during tough times at Prada. But it's not all a funeral march. Looking on the bright side, as always, we found plenty of color on the catwalks from the shot of liquid sunshine at Hermes to the sharp blue cobalt pull-over at Raf Simons.

There were also reimaginings of classic autumn colors—romantic maroon, rustic brown, and hunter green shades straight out of an enchanted woodland fairy tale. It wasn't exactly a rainbow parade, but these six color trends pick up on fall's rustic, refined, and mysterious palate— keeping the dark without losing sight of the light.

Above:
Hunter Green—Whether dipped in velvet at Cavalli or injected as a shot of color in the form of a hunter's cap at Lanvin, this woodsy hue recalls lush forest scapes, shimmering like its brighter cousin, emerald green.

Left to right:Looks from Lanvin, Marni, Roberto Cavalli, and Junya Watanabe.



Maroon—The lesson at Gaultier, Galliano, Thierry Mugler, and Lanvin seemed to be: If you're going to wear maroon, make it a full-on suit. Of course, you could always go halfway with a velvet suit jacket or a sexy robe, Hef-style. Left to right:Looks from John Galliano, Lanvin, John Paul Gaultier, and Thierry Mugler.

More color combinations below the break.


Camel—The classic shade for fall's trenches or leather jackets, we loved Maison Martin Margiela's take on the color with his whiskey-hued jacket. Meanwhile, at Alessandro Dell'Acqua, the trench got an upgrade with a cropped and double-breasted version. Left to right: Looks from Alessandro Dell'Acqua, Maison Martin Margiela, Alexander McQueen, and Hugo by Hugo Boss.





Blue—We predicted that blue would be big this year, and lo and behold: Dries Van Noten showcased a head-to-toe cornflower blue look, while Marc Jacobs proved that blue might indeed be the new black with a sharply-cut, razor-perfect suit at Louis Vuitton. Left to right: Looks from John Varvatos, Louis Vuitton, Raf Simons, and Dries Van Noten.





Canary—Like autumn leaves on crack, there were canary yellow sleeves popping out underneath a neutral vest at Junya, and a slick raincoat at Hermes that would brighten up the grayest of rainy days. Left to right:Looks from Junya Watanabe, Hermes, Paul Smith, and Hermes.





Brown—Brown gets amped up this time around--we're talking a rich belted coat complete with fur lining at Thierry Mugler, and a velvet hunting jacket and pants ensemble for all you woodsmen out there. Left to right: Looks from Dries Van Noten, Veronique Branquinho, Junya Watanabe, and Thierry Mugler.


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