T Magazine, the New York Times’ style title that is also sometimes confusingly called The Moment, published an online editorial yesterday called Common Thugs.  Ostensibly tied to the ludicrous and highly-publicized “Stop the Sag” campaign, the photos addressed the resurgence of baggy clothes among high-end menswear designers, referencing early 90′s hip-hop and classic streetwear shapes.  Really, it takes clothes like this to show how much skinny jeans and cropped suits have saturated the market in recent years — enough that these saggy shapes in streetwear really look like a throwback.  More photos from the shoot below.  For credit information, visit T Magazine.

8 1/2 (1963)
Director: Federico Fellini
Starring: Marcello Mastroianni, Anouk Aimee, Sandra Milo

See some of my other classic picks here.

Listen, as the proud owner of a pair of acid-washed, elastic waist jeans that resemble nothing more than a pair of maternity pants for men, I’m clearly a big supporter of taking some fashion risks.  But I will admit that the current penetration of leopard print into the world of menswear has given me pause.  Much love to Steven Tyler, but this is a trend I can’t 100% endorse — minus a few exceptions.

Leopard print for men is certainly nothing new.  Countless illustrious men throughout history have donned the skin of this elusive animal, from Dionysus to Alexander the Great, from Dali to Amber Rose.  But it does seem to have some new life behind it.

See exhibits A through G, below:

That would be Burberry, Paul Smith, Acne and A Bathing Ape, among others, not to mention recent looks from Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Alexander McQueen and Jeremy Scott for Adidas, all making use of the Official Fabric of Menopause.

But just because your spiritual guru does it, doesn’t mean you should, too.

Leopard print runs the greatest risk of making you look like an aging, drug-addled rock star since leather pants hit department stores in the late ’90s.  There is really no reason for 99.9% of the male population to own a leopard print shirt, jacket or pair of pants.  But, I do think leopard print can work on men in a practical sense is if it’s kept to (relatively) simple accent pieces like the shoes above — of which I’m a pretty big fan.  Trust me, small accessories in leopard print go a long way.  When done well, they can add a little bit of fun and irreverence to your wardrobe without going too far.  And it’s very easy to go too far with a lot of this craziness coming down the runway.

So have some fun with it, but keep yourself in check… or else you might end up looking like this guy:

In the fall of ’07, bolstered by a strange fascination I had at the time with The Specials, I decided I wanted to purchase a great pair of black and white saddle shoes.  This is weird on a few levels, namely that I just tried to find a picture of anyone in The Specials wearing saddle shoes and wasn’t able to do so, even after a stalker-deep Google search.  So, I’m not sure where I got the idea that they wore them.  Also weird that I wanted to dress like a semi-defunct British ska band, but it must have resonated pretty deeply, because I also bought a pair of Fred Perry suspenders for the same reason and wore them in public approximately once.

Anyhow, after resigning that I couldn’t justify buying the pair of saddle shoes I saw in the Bergdorf’s window on my entry-level PR budget, I went ahead and got a tan and brown suede pair from J. Crew (you can see them in an earlier post here).  There were a few problems.  As anyone else who wears a size 12 or bigger can tell you, sometimes shit doesn’t translate well that large.  These shoes were huge and clunky, which led to problem #2: at the time, the only jeans I owned were skinny (thankfully that fact cannot be traced to any sort of ska style inspiration).  Still held captive by the shackles of a business-casual dress code at work, I refused to wear khakis outside of the office.  So, after a few ill-fated attempts, the saddle shoes pretty much sat in my closet for about a year, until I broke them out again last spring and found that, like everything else you wear, the likelihood of any piece of clothing or footwear succeeding for you increases dramatically if you don’t give it too much thought.  I wear them now pretty regularly.

Had my saddle shoe fixation kicked in a few years later, I would have had a lot more options.  Saddle shoes are all over the damn place this spring, and don’t appear to be letting up any time soon, with more styles rolling out by many designers this fall.  Forgiving my shoddy Photoshop collage above (I’m tired), you can see a few current and upcoming offerings from Mark McNairy, Florsheim by Duckie Brown, Billy Reid and Opening Ceremony.  I’ve already showed you some great ones from Band of Outsiders, and there are more popping up every week on the blogs.

So, I guess being a clothes-hoarder and holding onto those J. Crew suckers did have its upside.  Since I already have the saddle shoes, I can spend my money on other items brought on by bouts of 80′s nostalgia.  LIKE THIS.

Jewelry designer Philip Crangi embraces many elements of personal style that would give lesser men pause: copious tattoos, prominent glasses, a full-on mountain man beard and, of course, more jewelry than Mickey Rourke (RIP Loki). And he does it with an ease and an effortless cool that has won him countless admirers, from The Sartorialist to Teen Vogue.  Despite all of the ornamentation, you never get the sense that Crangi’s playing a part or dressing in costume; the impression is he’d be wearing a railroad spike cuff and an anchor pendant no matter where he lived or what he did.

“Everything you wear, you should feel like yourself when you’re wearing it,” Crangi said in an interview with GQ a little while back.  True words from a man with one of the most clearly realized visions of personal style.  After the jump, a brief survey of Crangi’s signature look.

After a “25 Most Stylish Men in the World 2010″ feature that was decidedly meh, GQ has really upped the ante on street style with their A+ man-on-the-scene portfolio from Paris and Milan by photographer Tommy Ton.  Sure, it helps that Ton is taking photos on the streets where many of arguably the most stylish men — or at least those most invested in style — are congregating, but his keen eye for detail puts that other street photographer (the one with the homeless fetish) to shame.  Pelayo Diaz Zapico and his trademark kilt even make a cameo.  And with snapshots this carefully observed, I’m not mad at the in-house self-love thrown in the mix, either.

See the full series here, or have a look at what Sartorially Inclined has to say here.

I’ve long admired Paul Smith for his mastery of some of my favorite aspects of contemporary menswear: splashes of bold color, pattern mixing, and the combination of youthful, rebellious flourishes with classic pieces.  It’s all very British and rakish and punkish.  So, needless to say, I geeked out over the FW10 collection, which had all of these elements I love and more.  Seriously, if I could afford to eat, drink and furnish my wardrobe primarily in Paul Smith, I’d be rather content.

The collection has some killer suits, including a skinny electric blue number, knitwear that I haven’t seen from Paul Smith in past seasons, and enough plaid blazers to satisfy the somewhat irrational attraction I have toward such things.  Naturally, there are some great tweeds and there’s a pretty badass leather jacket, too.  Pairing boots with slim-cut trousers is on-trend for fall, and bringing in some sneakers is a nice nod to the high-low mixing that is still both an appealing and realistic style option for many consumers.  While incorporating color is an area where Paul Smith always really shines, the collection integrates a muted palette well, too, layering on contrasting fabric to keep things interesting.  Enjoy some highlights below.

All photos via GQ.com.

In case you needed more proof that old people are having the best week ever, the eyewear upstarts at Illesteva have released the lookbook for their Summer 2010 collection and it is chock full o’ the elderly.  The collection was inspired by the golden age of Havana in the 50′s, when the “Latin Las Vegas” brought in all types of high rollers for some living large in the Caribbean.  Bypassing the complications of traveling to Cuba these days, the Illesteva crew instead ventured down to the famous Calle Ocho Boulevard in Miami and employed some of the domino-playing locals to model the frames.  The sunglasses themselves are made from materials ranging from steel, to titanium,  bamboo and acetate.  And, if you’re willing to shell out $2,000, you can even get your hands on a pair of buffalo horn shades with photochromic lenses.  And if you’re not?  Guess you can wait until they make a collection inspired by Atlantic City.

See some more of the lookbook after the jump.

If Napoleon Dynamite dropped out of high school, discovered weed and got laid, his hair would probably look a lot like Erik Hassle’s unruly, asymmetrical mop.  But, as we learned from Snooki, there’s more to a person than just their problem hair.  In the case of Sweden-born, London-based singer-songwriter Hassle, that includes a soulful voice, some infectious pop songs and a personal style that leans toward the messy, tight and possibly unlaundered.  In short, he looks how a rockstar should look.

Whether it’s his ever-present leather jacket, his 90′s-era cross earring or his somewhat incongruous tats, Hassle looks refreshingly unpolished, saving the sheen for his music instead.  You can also see the influence of London in his Fred Perry polos buttoned to the top.  Throw in the occasional cardy and denim jacket, and you’ll find yourself looking past the hair.  Take a look at some more photos below.

Fred Perry is one of my favorite labels, a classic British brand that manages to stay fresh with top-notch and interesting collaborations with the likes of Raf Simons and Comme des Garcons.  This selvedge edge denim chambray shirt is a perfect example of the innovation that has reinvigorated the brand in recent years.  I especially like the small collar.  The sleeves are admittedly a bit awkward in length, so I recommend styling it like they do at oki-ni (on the weird unibrowed model they use for everything), by giving it a little cuff that still shows off the selvedge detailing also found on the back yoke and front pocket.  Speaking of oki-ni, this shirt is currently on sale there — so if you or someone you love is a size L or XL, jump on it.  A few more pics after the jump.

(top photos: Fred Perry; bottom two: oki-ni)