Underneath shaggy haystacks of inky black hair, the models were pale, wan and listless. They channeled Johnny Thunders’ disaffected glam and Robert Smith’s gloomy romanticism, with floral patterned suiting and bowler hats adorned with ribbons. Rei Kawakubo clearly used punk and goth as reference points for Comme des Garcons’ Fall/Winter 2012 show, but it was the prevailing androgyny of both that left its mark on the collection. It was seen in the cropped pants and skirts that left shins exposed, as well as the dark textured blazers matched with frilly shirts and an oversized damask rose print on a distaff trapeze-like jacket. The assembled looks blurred gender lines as easily as they did the boundary between playful and dark.

Junya Watanabe’s Fall/Winter 2012 collection seemed to hark back to an earlier time, when men toiled in the work field and wore only the stuff that could withstand an honest day’s hard labor. The guys were outfitted in barn jackets built with canvas and denim, along with bib-front overalls and unwashed rigid jeans worn loose with the cuffs rolled. The proletarian sensibility shone through in the rugged boots and earnest fabrics — there was no shortage of tweed, corduroy and flannel. Intermittent bursts of vivid color, seen in the plaid shirts and wide suspenders, broke up the somber mood, effectively shifting the vibe from Steinbeck to Sonoma.

Our Legacy’s specialty is taking menswear staples and imbuing them with character and a sense of history. Their pieces wear like old favorites that you go to time and again, not because they’re fashionable, but because they feel right. It’s a quality that’s embodied in the brand’s Great Sweat, which is remade for Spring 2012 in a comfortable cotton/silk blend. Washed for an appealing weathered look, the crewneck features raglan sleeves and a throwback silhouette — boxy but not too wide, with ribbed cuffs and waist. It’s available in Cold Grey or Washed Red colorways, and is in stock now at Our Legacy retailers like Por Vocacao.

Some of the menswear conventions we now take for granted — zippered trousers, tropical weight wools, tailored suits for different body types — were first developed by Hart Schaffner Marx. The groundbreaking company, originally founded in 1887 Chicago by immigrant brothers Harry and Marx Hart, turns 125 years old this year. To celebrate the milestone, HSM is set to release a commemorative collection made up of seven key pieces for Fall 2012. A new video shows president and chief creative officer Joseph Abboud discussing his company’s rich history, as well as the hand-crafted suits (still made in the original Des Plaines, Illinois, factory) that make the brand relevant to today’s man of style. Also included, a sneak peak at the upcoming capsule collection. Check out the video following the click.

Oak Street Bootmakers presents three new classic silhouettes for Spring 2012, all designed in Chicago and handcrafted in Maine. First up is the Field Boot, built with an upper crafted from brown Horween Chromexcel leather and olive waxed canvas. The moccasin-styled boot sits on a rugged Vibram commando sole and features waxed stitch detail and genuine rawhide laces. The Town & Country Chukka bears design similarities to the Field Boot, but loses the waxed canvas panels and trades in a leather sole with stacked heel in favor of the Vibram outsole. Rounding out the collection is the Loden Vibram Sole Trail Oxford, also featuring Horween Chromexcel leather in a handsome loden green colorway and anchored with a lightweight Vibram crepe sole. All three styles are in stock now at Oak Street Bootmakers’ online store.

A recurring motif for Maison Martin Margiela’s Spring/Summer 2012 collection is the interplay between the luxurious and the rustic, refined and unfinished. It’s a complex dynamic captured in a relatively simple accessory, the Paint Effect Hold All Satchel. The spare, modernist design of the bag is contrasted with a jute fabric exterior, its coarseness made to appear more severe through a deliberately uneven hand-painted finish. The interior is lined in cotton and features multiple pockets and a zippered compartment for valuables. A detachable shoulder strap and signature stitch design on the side round out the details. The Hold All Satchel is available now through oki-ni.