Son of the South Pre-Fall 2012 Lookbook

The transition from the taxing days of August to brisk September evenings has us reaching for heavier-weight knits, shirts and scarves. The South and its penchant for American-made workwear inspires us—duck canvas jackets, twill trousers and handmade leather goods round out a rugged yet kempt look. The manicured lawns of historic homes and the fun-spirited nature of an afternoon on the trail lend equal influence. It’s natural slub tees layered under flannel shirts, Cone Mills White Oak denim made in the heart of Appalachia and the sense of freeness to put together functional outfits your own way. This pre-fall find your new favorite piece to bear an Indian summer, start a semester or express your individual look. - Two Inch Cuffs

Club Monaco 2012 Fall/Winter Lookbook

Since taking over the design reigns at Club Monaco, Aaron Levine has been creating the kind of clothing that men actually want to wear — complete, approachable collections that mix equal parts casual and sophisticated. For Fall/Winter 2012, the label’s highly wearable offerings include a balanced mix of classic American garments and trending, patterned pieces. Timeless outerwear, chunky knit cardigans, winter-weight suiting and even sweatpants all make appearances in a neutral, fall-appropriate color palette — greys, olive, navy and oatmeal — while Levine turns up the dial on the interest factor with the infusion of Fair Isle, autumnal plaids, and a host of subtle prints. Look for the Club Monaco Fall/Winter 2012 collection to hit stores soon.

Interview: GC Watches talks about 'Smart Luxury'

GC Watches arose out of Paul Marciano's desire to create a brand for people like himself who aspire to a sophisticated standard of living. GC is a 15 year old Swiss-made watch brand that combines the best of Swiss quality and precision with remarkable European design.

So what exactly is Smart Luxury? David Yim, the COO of Sequel AG, a division of Timex Group which manages GC Watches, tells Anchor Division more about the philosophy of Smart Luxury at the Moments of Smart Luxury event where they honored GC's rising stars.

Anchor Division: Can you tell us about the brand ethos behind GC?

David Yim: Sure. The brand is Smart Luxury. Our event tonight is to honor those who have found a way to live out their dream creatively and figuratively. The brand is a promise to recognize the luxurious moments in life but at the same time not to blow the bank, not to overscale things. Our brand is all about time and timing, and recognizing the fact that life goes by quickly. You have to savor precious moments and smart luxury moments that occur in everyday life.

I had a Smart Luxury moment earlier this week. I travel a tremendous amount. I live in Connecticut just outside of the city and I have two boys, a 7 year old and a 6 year old. Normally they're in school but I brought them into the city this week since it's the summertime. It turned out what they wanted to do was just order Dallas BBQ, sit in the hotel room, and play Monopoly. And that was my Smart Luxury moment, but everybody can have a Smart Luxury moment.

AD: Can we talk a little bit about your definition of Smart Luxury? Most people think of luxury as being expensive and decadent. The way you describe your Smart Luxury experience was spending quality time with your children doing something they really wanted to do.

DY: Luxury is the ability to do what you want to do without boundaries. That's luxury. In a lot of ways today's society has really defined luxury as more as "what can you afford". 'Afford monetarily' is a great dimension of luxury but it's not the only one for both our rising stars as well as all of us in our life. Our brand is designed to allow people to recognize that luxury is not just in the format of how much you spend. Our product displays that because we have great quality stuff that is really representative of how people want to dimension and reflect themselves.

A lot of times fashion and accessories are a way of expressing yourself. People will find a way of doing it but not in a way that sets them back or that is an unwise thing. Luxury should never be an unwise decision. That's what we're all about.

AD: How are your ambassadors working with your brand and exhibiting that Smart Luxury?

DY: Our ambassadors are the embodiment of people who have found ways of being smart and luxurious at the same time in the way they live their lives and the way they define their passions in what they get to do every day. We've been embarking on this smart luxury emphasis for almost two years now. All of these people share a thread of commonality where they've discovered in their own selves what they're passionate about, what they want to do.

We're honoring Shaina and Moises, who have found a way to parlay that passion into what they make a living out of. They're our rising stars. They're able to have that be a part of their every day life. We think that's spectacular. We applaud it. We want to lift these people up all over the world and give them a platform, not just for our brand but for themselves as well to describe how smart luxury is a part of their everyday. It's the perfect synergy for our brand.

AD: What can we look forward to in the future?

DY: That's a great question. A lot of people feel like this is a culmination of smart luxury for them. For us this is really the beginning. GC is a brand of Swiss made watches. It's been around for quite some time. We're celebrating our 15th anniversary globally. It's something that in the US is more of a launch. It's more of a new brand for the marketplace. Amongst the global Swiss-made brands GC is number 15 in the world in terms of watch units sold globally.

In the US we feel like we're getting off the ground at 15 years old, but it's an exciting thing! We're looking to follow in the footsteps of our Swiss parent company and our other partners around the world who really make GC a part of the Swiss watchmaking industry. At 15 years we're super excited about what that means. We're in a league of folks who have been making watches for a much longer time than that but we do feel like we have a unique point of view. I think our ambassadors are the embodiment of that point of view. It's really exciting.

AD: Awesome. Thank you.

DY: Thank you. I really appreciate it.

Penfield Fall/Winter 2012 Lookbook

Penfield introduced their Fall/Winter 2012 lookbook 'Camp Wandawega', which was shot on location at the shores of Wandawega Lake in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. You can feel the brand's New England roots permeating the book, as the new collection was inspired by America's great outdoors, which showcases new styles like the Dyersville glacier jacket, and the Eska, a versatile down insulated shirt.The lookbook features their Black Bear, Classic, and Trailwear collections along with their newer 1975 collection. This season their autumnal color palette includes burgundy, burnt orange, and bright cobalt, in addition to more traditional muted tones of charcoal, navy, and black. The collection will be in stores in September. If you can't wait until then, check out Penfield's collection on their website.  

Albam 2012 Fall / Winter Lookbook

British label Albam have just released the lookbook for its Fall/Winter 2012 lineup, the inaugural lookbook for the five year old label. Incorporating new influences, the lookbook showcases some very clean looks punctuated with hits of color courtesy of carefully designed indian block print scarves. Other pieces of note include the knitwear offerings crafted in Scotland and the outerwear and coats produced in London. Altogether a solid showing for the labels initial lookbook. Available starting September 1st, you can find these pieces at Albam’s web store.

J. Lindeberg Fall / Winter 2012 Campaign

Peter Lindbergh shoots the main line J. Lindeberg Fall Winter 2012 campaign images. Using black and white imagery (nothing new to Lindeberg), Lindbergh’s imagery helps showcase both select looks for both men and women.

Schott NYC Collection Fall / Winter 2012

Schott’s Fall Winter 2012 collection while inspired by the railways of WWII era offers us an opportunity to look at outerwear which is well timeless. Outerwear from the likes of Schott will remain in your wardrobe longer than most jackets. These classic garments with just a touch of modern fit. Check the shearling leather bombers, the moto-inspired fitted leather jacket, and the safe peacoat shown above,. These are indeed trend-proof staples for any man. Pass them down to your children, when ready.

Scott James Spring / Summer 2013

Scott James present a few looks for Spring Summer 2013. The brand “rooted in Anglo-Italian tradition” focuses on smarter pieces for the warmer weather.  Light blazers, knee length pleated shorts, plenty of pastels and a general air of ‘catch me in the piazza drinking tiny strong coffees’. Shame they missed a trick sketching faces onto those mannequins.

Mr. Porter - The Look: Mr. Carlos Huber

Mr Carlos Huber, the founder of perfumer Arquiste, has simple advice: "Don't be afraid of florals." With a background in architectural design, the Mexico City-born entrepreneur launched his line of niche fragrances that "transport you to another place and time". Currently in the process of mixing his seventh scent, Mr Huber's goal is to preserve time and history with his creations. From his childhood memories of buying flowers for his mother to the Palace of Versailles, he's masterfully created a series of time capsules that translate into intoxicating smells. Here, he fills us in on finding the perfect white tee, the proper way to apply aftershave, and why a floral base can more often than not be the most masculine scent of all. Check out the full interview HERE

Neighborhood Fall/Winter 2012 Lookbook

Japanese brand Neighborhood is back this season with a new website and along with that also presents for the first time an official digital collection lookbook for its Fall/Winter 2012 Collection. Highlighting stand out pieces from its new collection, a lookbook is always a great way of not only focussing on specific product, but more importantly the overall look and style of a brand and the way the brand imagines their clothing to be combined.

Neighborhood presents a nice range of solid outerwear for the new design and once again impresses with an incredible amount of detail on each one of their collection pieces. The accessories range is also great, including from more regular pieces, such as caps and bags, to more unique pieces, such as biker helmets.