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SEPTEMBER EDITORIAL

Suit Vest at Center of Fall Men’s “Must-Haves”

by Michael Altman

Trading a Reds tee-shirt for a Bengals’ jersey doesn’t cut it for fall fashion anymore in Cincinnati. As boutique clothing stores increasingly pop up around the city and suburbs, the message is clear: the Cincinnati man is fashionable and here to stay.

This fall will feature the return of the suit vest as the center piece, top Cincinnati male fashion enthusiasts are saying. Along with it are coming a few changes that will let a man express himself at dinner, at the office, at the lunch meeting, and on the weekend.

Basics that a man must have are the “Marino wool half-zip mock turtle neck and the half-zip polo,” according to Jim Elkus.

Elkus, owner of Bolero menswear on 4th and Walnut in Downtown Cincinnati, also says that the knitted cap with a bill will be stronger than it was last year, when it began to hit the scene in the Midwest. These are elements that can be dressed up or dressed down. They can literally be worn with anything.

Matthew Cox, a major young designer in Cincinnati, and a fashion specialist for Banana Republic says “the big must-have is a vest, [like] what you would wear under a suit.” It will be worn layered over poplin button down shirts.

“J-Crew has them right now. Banana [Republic] is getting them in for their winter line,” Cox says. “The one at J-Crew is the most affordable and nicest designed at [around] $100.” Local and national fashion houses are also featuring their take on the fall wardrobe must.

Jim Elkus says that the shirt to wear underneath those vests will be “solid, in really different colors.”

The pants for fall will be wool Glen Plaid-also known as Prince of Wales Plaid-and corduroy. Nearly every store, from Denim in Oakley, to Bolero, to Banana, is carrying some version of each pant.

Ties that will dress those pants, shirt, and vest up will be “smart and clean” according to Elkus. Some will repeat a simple pattern or feature a tone-on-tone look. He says about fall colors for ties, “green is going to really strong.” Elkus also says the colors to look for are ochre, burnt orange, and the “still strong” pink accent.

Cox says, “Tons of animal prints for men are being shown at Barneys, YSL, and Dolce & Gabbana in ties and shirts.” Zebra and leopard prints are the cutting edge trends, for the more confident and trendy dresser.

The final piece to the fall wardrobe will be the man-bag-canvass or leather totes for men. Cox says, “They have been [available] for a while but they are getting a lot more mainstream.”

Formal wear will be highlighted by the “Peak lapel, which is a slimming suit,” says Robert Buchet, wardrobe consultant and direct sales for Romualdo, near Indian Hill.

Buchet says to look for “A lot more details. More monograms on the cufflinks. You might see an ascot or two.” He says that the “Classic black pant and a black velvet sportcoat” will be the hot formal look for nightlife this fall.

“Suiting will have a lot more pattern pants with a quainter jacket,” he says, pointing to the Glen Plaid as the dominant pant.

He confirms that the vest will be the crown jewel of the fall fashion as he declares the return of the 3 piece suit. Buchet advises, “If you’re going after your first 3-piece suit don’t over think it. Go for the chalk stripe, not the pinstripe.” He says it is a very clean look.

The story for the fall: a vest, some cool pants and a solid shirt will be key with your leather man-bag. Don’t think too hard. Have fun. Robert Buchet concludes, “If you’re not wearing plaid you’re going to be wearing black.”

And if you can accessorize it, you can score a custom Bengals pro-jersey with your name and number for $279 at Koch’s Sporting Goods.