Punks, Preps, and Sports? Exactly what Maurizio Modica and Pierfrancesco Gigliotti offer up for Fall 2010. As anyone would tell you, no stone is ever left unturned at a Frankie Morello show. Mixing polar opposites and even giving into the world’s current vampire craze, the design duo known to always put on a performance each season do it bigger and a little hardcore this season.

With a giant screen acting as a backdrop and the usual Morello extras bring the runway to life, shattered stain glass cathedral windows marked the opening to what would be Morello man gone punk. Backpacks with belt straps, pleated skirts over stone washed jeans, suspenders and studs – who would’ve thunk it. Last season’s prim & proper equestrian man becomes a rebel. Well…sort of.

Not leaving their sporty side packed away for another season, the collection was also sprinkled with sports bags and soccer influences. How the two themes fit together is beyond me, but the magic of Simon Nessman’s motorcycle suit speaks for itself. We have all seen motorcycle pants thanks to the likes of Cavalli and Decarnin, but we have yet to see the technique put into a suit, or a jacket for that matter.

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In the mood for a little nostalgia? Well, it’s the 50s all over again. For Fall 2010, Tomas Maier takes you back to the late 1950s.

If you were to cut the latest Bottega Veneta collection in half and remain fixated only on the show’s first 16 looks, chances are, the hair won’t make any sense to you. First sending out a series of weather repelling looks in shades of deep plum, black, and green – never in a million years would you have though the 50s were anywhere in sight, until pants became cuffed and socks seen. Starting out in more casual denim looks, then graduating into suits and more formal looks, after Garrett Neff took to the runway, no pant or jean was safe from a little cropping or cuffing (sometimes both). Now making idea of ankle baring pants, a very Veneta signature.

But as the hair and 50s-ness of it all took center stage, something else also broke down Bottega boundaries. You know, it’s not every day you see woolen sweatpants on a Bottega Veneta runway.

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When you are celebrating 10 years in the world of menswear, why not do things big(ger) than you normally would do on any other day of the week? Expanding on the idea of a less polished Dolce & Gabbana man this season, with a man-clutch no where to be found, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana take you on a testerone driven ride through Milanese fashion.

Typically, when Dolce & Gabbana and celebration get put into the same sentence or even paragraph….you would think that the duo would break out the tuxedos, bow-ties, pocket squares, and what not. Going into unexpected territory, this time around we get ripped thermal pants, distressed/paint destroyed jeans, and torn/tattered shirts. Pairing ripped shirts and distressed mud stained boot with herringbone and three-piece suits.

Someway…somehow…through it all, you will still manage find the usual Dolce & Gabbana dapperness in it all. From the pleats at pockets to the contrast stitching on some of the jeans. At the end of the day, the quality is still all the same quality that has keep the Dolce & Gabbana faithful coming back for the past 10 years. Man-clutch or not.

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Les Hommes Fall 2010, all of next season’s trends done in such a such a subtle manner, you can’t help but be interested. Multi-zip jackets, above-calf boots, mutant half-knit/half-canvas coats, and even things to keep your mouth covered. If you have decidedly chosen to tune out of fashion week for some reason, Tom Notte and Bart Vandebosch have you covered.

Moving away from last fall’s transparent tops, lace button-ups, and renaissance style collars, at Les Hommes this season you will find a military going man with refined taste and edgy attitude. Opening the show with wide trousers that cut just above combat boots, then slowly moving into more body snug territory, and keeping a consistent constant between the two shapes throughout the show, your basic pant now features an asymmetrical flap and little zip detailing that will match your coat.

Offering up as much variety as one needs to make it from fall to winter.

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It’s as simple as basic math. 1 knit coat + 1 canvas jacket = 1 completely new Costume National jacket. Taking the pre-school concept of cut and paste to all new level, Ennio Capasa plays with texture and saves you the hassle of finding two separate piece to throw together to create one winning look, this coming Fall. Kind of like the time when Miccuia Prada faded mohair into just about everything back in Fall 2007.

Being quite picky when it comes coats, rarely do I find a coat that I will truly like all throughout a season. But how many coats do you know are the mutant and beautiful offspring of knit, canvas, mohair, and satin? Not many. While the technique of ombre is fading one color into the next, in his latest collection Ennio Capasa fades on fabric into the next. Doing so in what I would like to consider the coolest way possible – crisp, clean, and with the right measure of edge. Using a color palette of darkened hues to create a mood perfect for winter and subtle greys to showcase how you should be spending the season’s more relaxed days.

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