Find your own style

I stumbled across the above image amongst the eye candy over on youmightyourself and it had got me thinking about my own style for the coming season. On my commute in to work today I read the depressing news that the MET Office has declared that the best of the Summer weather is now over. Yes we must have blinked and missed the season! Onwards and upwards though, lets look on the bright side it is time to look forward to dressing in rich textures and layers again. The leading image is taken from Beams' AW 2009 Look Book (as unveiled on hypebeast) which the Japanese retailer has packed full of covetable products. As interesting as the products are it is the 'Find your own style' tagline which has inspired me most. There are a number of AW09 look books which are inspiring me to reevaluate my wardrobe and rethink my style for the colder months of 2009. None more so than Casely-Hayford's which was driven by demonstrating innovation through tradition...

A number of labels attempt to combine a street and sport aesthetic with formal tailoring but very few truly pull it off. Casely-Hayford undoubtedly built on the successes demonstrated in their debut capsule collection with a fully drool inducing collection. I am still dreaming about these clothes, months after getting a sneak peak at the look book for Fashion156. As part of the feature for F156 I got the opportunity to speak to the father and son design duo and this comment still rings in my ears and inspires...

"Things have moved on since the days of the Duke of Windsor, and although he is a great inspiration and a foundation for the brand, the modern sartorialist has a different appetite. Our requirements, desires, and practical needs have been drawn towards this synergy between the formal and athletic."

The tailoring fits perfectly with my current sartorial aesthetic as it is full of interesting features such as a dropped hem on a single breasted jacket and the ribbed cuffed trousers in tweed jersey. This is tailoring for the twenty first century gentleman and I would love to be that gentleman. My favourite look of all is featured below and sees the combination of a transparent plastic coat with tartan trim worn over a quilted panel shirt. It is the combination of fabrics, both traditional and modern, throughout the collection that come together to create such great texture which excites me most.

Return of the Jedi? Two looks from Christophe Lemaire AW09 which have got me thinking...

I only recently rediscovered Christophe Lemaire's relaxed volumes and natural textures. His usual heavy figure silhouettes, interchangeable and even unisex pieces and subtle dark palettes were all so richly demonstrated in this AW09 Look book. As the sun begins to set on Summer I am longing for the time to wrap myself up in soft fabrics such as these and why not reach for a luxurious cummerbund! I love how the clothes appear extremely comfortable and fluid, how could you not want to wrap up in cotton fleece, judo fabrics, silk, linen and woolen tweed?

Which AW09 look books are still lodged deep in your brain, inspiring future shopping trips and conjuring up new looks for the fast approaching season?