Mens Fashion By Season - Stylish Looks For Fall 2009

Although designers and men's fashion retailers alike come up with numerous outfits and looks every season, there will always be some sort of trend that stands out. That was easy to see, from the Eastern inspired aesthetic of a couple of years ago to the severe looks of a couple of seasons ago. As September comes in with the new season, it's time to update your look with the new trends of fall 2009.

Making the Man
Up to a couple of seasons ago, there was a big movement toward a 'softer' kind of men's style. Slim fitting cardigans and slouchy scoop neck shirts ruled the runways. The tide appears to be shifting this season to a manlier direction.

Perhaps the legendary suit labels like Ermenegildo Zegna and Ralph Lauren were right all along with their unflinching belief in the suit. There's nobody around to say for sure, but they're definitely on trend for this season. It's not just the two-piece office suit, but the three-piece (yes, there's a vest) formal affair that's coming into men's boutiques near you.

Don't just think formal gala or red carpet awards night. Imagine the clientele at a men's club in Victorian England, where all you need is a walking stick to look straight from the period. The look is a little dour and staid with its sombre colors and consistent structure. But as you consider this kind of style, you can't help but want to be the kind of man who's wearing that kind of suit-and-tie, walking that kind of walk.

Stylish Vagabond
Luxury labels used to be all about, well, luxury. The Bohemian aesthetic was reserved for real starving artists and repeat performances of RENT. But even that kind of thinking is being challenged as the new season comes in.

It's a movement being spearheaded more by up-and-coming designers like Rag and Bone than by the old monoliths of men's fashion themselves. Who knew that the uniform the homeless guy on the corner always wears would become a style statement one day? It's time to bring out your chunky knits, distressed leather boots and fingerless cotton gloves; the stylish men of the season are going to be the wanderers o'er glen and dale.

Mix and match is at the heart of this aesthetic, especially when it comes to unlikely pairs of pieces. A bright colored beanie, perhaps, to offset a stone gray outfit, or a bright check shirt used as a belt-like accessory. Loosen the necktie, roll up the blazer sleeves and put on your grungiest boots. Unkempt this season is also undeniably fashionable.

End of the World Style
Apocalyptic prophecies are nothing new. In fact, someone might be proclaiming that the end is nigh on your office's very sidewalk right now. But when it's the high fashion labels themselves doing the proclaiming, you'd know that something is amiss.

Enter another trend for the season, the depressing, dead-sombre and oh-so-dramatic end of the world look. Imagine pieces so structured to the point that the outside is a tough shell reminiscent of Star Wars armor. Think studded, spiked boots that could give every kick some real damage. Think functional severity.

Granted, there are some things in this trend closer to wearable street fashion than the ones already mentioned. There's an execution of the black-on-black trend that would fall under this aesthetic when it's done with stiff, structured pieces. Boots with about a kilogram of hardware also get the message across that, when it comes down to the end of the world, it's also every man for himself, sartorially and otherwise.

This season's new trends present a great chance for you to reinvent your look, especially since they take a very different direction from last season's styles. While none are entirely new to begin with, each one comes with a completely novel execution that you'll want to try.