OUT's street style blog for Fall 2011

An enduring classic can still turn heads -- even on the streets of New York.
Name: Mark Edio
Age: 32
Zodiac sign:Cancer
Occupation: Makeup Artist
Hometown:Born in the Philippines but raised in LA.
Three words to describe your style:Easy, clean, with a sense of humor
Three artists and/or songs that are currently in heavy rotation on your iPod: Haircut 100 via Pandora, Theophilous London, Amy Winehouse
Your idea of a perfect weekend day is: Going on a food tour of NYC.
Favorite meal and/or restaurant: Anything from Sea by the Beach
Your drink of choice:Martini with Ketel One, with a twist
You can invite four people to a dinner party (dead or alive). Who would you invite?Grace Jones, Tina Turner, mom and dad
Favorite fashion/style icon of all time: Grace Jones
Something you'd never wear: Tevas!!
Best city in the world, and why: Paris -- watching women with effortless style!! So chic!

Photography by Shannon Sinclair

 

The Navy Blazer is a classic that's instantly new. It's a must-have that you want, a standard that can turn extraordinary, and an endlessly fashionable contradiction of terms. With a crest it's preppy, but pair it with a loose-fitting tank and jeans and you're turning Yale on its head. Roll the sleeves and you're ready-to-work, wear it with shorts and you're ready-to-sail. It can be a cover-up the morning after a long night (that everyone will see right through). This season, the navy blazer pops best with a tan or camel pant (that's the color, not the hair). But in the end, it can be whatever you want it to be, which comes along rarely in the grander scheme of fashion trends. So seize the blazer, and do with it whatever you'd like. It'll work.     

Strike a Cord
We look to the street for more style inspiration.

We spend a lot of time -- and we mean a lot -- looking at street style blogs for inspiration. One of our most frequented is definitely Streetpeeper. Photographer Phil Oh stalks the streets of the world to deliver an international does of sartorial stimulus. These three gents are perfect examples of how to take one article of clothing and put your individual stamp on it. While each is wearing corduroy, you get three completely different feels from the way they are incorporated into their outfits. From dandy prepster to dapper lumberjack, corduroy can if into anyone's wardrobe.

Photos courtesy of Streetpeeper.com

Style Icon: Wes Anderson
The Hollywood director has a sartorial stand-by in the corduroy suit

When Wes Anderson burst onto the Hollywood scene in the late '90s, he was noted for the archly stylized visual worlds he created. His obsessively nuanced films—Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic, The Darjeeling Limited and Fantastic Mr. Fox achieve a quirky sophistication thanks to Anderson's eye for mannered detail. Fittingly, the director himself cuts a stylish figure and adheres to a formulaic pattern for success. Almost always dressed in a slimly cut, rumpled suit, the auteur is a master of the dorky-cool look. For a hint of retro polish, his suits -- usually in a neutral tone—are often of the corduroy variety, but avoid looking dated with modern tailoring details, proving that nothing ever goes out of style.

Photos by Getty Images

We caught up with cutie Kris as he was headed to dance rehearsal, sporting one of fall's hottest trends.
Name: Kris Seto
Age: 26
Zodiac sign:Taurus
Occupation: Writer, dancer, choreographer
Hometown:Mukileto, WA
Three words to describe your style:Crisp. Clean. Casual.
Three artists and/or songs that are currently in heavy rotation on your iPod: SBTRKT, Little Dragon, and I've been revisiting Erykah Badu lately.
Your idea of a perfect weekend day is: Sleeping in, spending a lazy afternoon at MoMA, and a backyard barbecue that includes drinks with my friends. Maybe a dance class if I can squeeze it in.
Favorite meal and/or restaurant: This summer, I had one of the most amazing meals in Barcelona at this unassuming little restaurant, La Podega Tinaja. It was super simple—cured meats, cheeses, and great wine—but it blew me away.
Your drink of choice:Vodka-tonic
You can invite four people to a dinner party (dead or alive). Who would you invite?Alexander McQueen, Freddie Mercury, David Sedaris, and my mom (cue the canned ). I think we'd have a fun time.
Favorite fashion/style icon of all time:Bill Cunningham
Something you'd never wear: Those toe shoes give me the heebie-jeebies.
Best city in the world, and why: New York City—everything's here (except sanity).

Photography by Shannon Sinclair

 

For fall 2011, designers almost unanimously seemed to be saying that they've grown tired of jeans. Surely, denim will always be an integral part of the contemporary wardrobe, but from New York to Paris and beyond, there was a plethora of other options offered. From brightly colored and printed khakis to rich, sumptuous corduroys, it seems that denim has some attractive competition.

Sporty Spice
Perhaps the reason the nylon "tech" jacket has become so popular is because its so versatile

The best and most convenient aspect of the tech jacket, is that any piece of outerwear can be given an athletic makeover by simply rendering it in a new fabric. Collegiate letterman jackets, sturdy trenches and windbreakers all receive a jolt of youthful energy when re-imagined in a more casual, forward-thinking material. Additionally, designers who are thinking more about the modern man and how he wears his clothes — and fashion is, ultimately, a game of thinking ahead, not looking back — offering some decetively simple solutions. The three pictures above perfectly illustrate how men can take one concept and truly make it their own. How do you wear it?

Photography by Shannon Sinclair

Out Hits the Streets
We go trend-hunting on the streets of New York
There was a time when a small group of editors would sit at fashion shows and dictate trends to the world via the glossy pages of their respective magazines. Thanks to the Internet, those days are long gone. Now, any teenage with a keen eye, an old pair of jeans and some scissors can become a fashion icon. Ironically, now the streets are where world class designers now source their inspiration. We, too, are not immune to the charms of stylish "real" people — normal folks just living their lives who look great doing it. We found George cavorting on the streets of Manhattan's Meatpacking District making this week's trend — the tech jacket — work perfectly. Check out our team snatch him up an shoot him in his natural environs.

The fashion industry has finally embraced the world of technology with geek-chic designs.
Name: George
Age: 35
Zodiac sign:Aquarius
Occupation: Art Director
Hometown:West Seneca, NY
Three words to describe your style:Random, simple, and borrowed.
Three artists and/or songs that are currently in heavy rotation on your iPod: Serge Gainsbourg, Belle and Sebastien, Cults.
Your idea of a perfect weekend day is: A good Bloody Mary, not showering until 4 p.m., a walk to get coffee, finding a great kisser.
Favorite meal and/or restaurant: Please see the next question.
Your drink of choice:Gin martini, Proseco, boxed wine…beer, mouthwash….
You can invite four people to a dinner party (dead or alive). Who would you invite?Dorothy Parker, Colette, Amy Sedaris, Paul Rudd (why not?).
Favorite fashion/style icon of all time:Querelle, James Dean.
Something you'd never wear: Boxers.
Best city in the world, and why: New York. It's home.

Photography by Shannon Sinclair

 

The zeitgeist's obsession with modern gadgetry would eventually have to impact fashion in some way. Now, designers and labels are clamoring to incorporate technologically-altered fabrics and sporty design elements to blend business and casual. The more we move forward, the further the line between appropriate office attire and sporting attire blurs, with surprisingly stylish results.