We’ve already showed you the Bespoken F/W 2011 collection, and now we have the short film showing the clothing in it’s natural habitat. Being inspired by their great-grandfather’s British Royal Navy days, the film was shot in a snowy shipyard. “With all it’s shams, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world,” says the narrator, as models in the collection alternately look cold, gaze out over the ocean, enjoy a few sips from a flask, and horse around like young men do. The film was directed by Spring69 and styled by Julie Ragolia.

Here we have a Making Of video for the Bespoken F/W 2011 presentation. As you watch the lighting go up, the makeup being applied, the models being dressed, and the props being placed, there is a sense of controlled calm to the rush of activity. The models are arranged in vignettes with sepia-toned images of the sea, crates, antique lanterns, and instruments of navigation, befitting the navel theme. But it’s the close ups on the garments that are the real reason to watch, the quality and attention to detail can clearly be seen here.

There is always a sense of urgency in fashion with no time to reminiscent on the past. Not so with designer Kyle Fitzgibbons as the young presented the Fall/Winter 2011 line of Native Son. Overlooked the spacious Chelsea Piers, Fitzgibbons teleported audience members through a triptych of time, a visual time machine of how men looked in the past, the present, and forecast of the future. Fine men’s suiting, usually associated with Savile Row, met head-on with American rustic. Cummerbund over a one piece pin-striped suit, fingerless gloves with double breasted blazer, all tied in with cropped hems and slim silhouettes.

Like his collection from previous seasons, Fitzgibbons accompanied the presentation with a video. Created by Isaac Rentz, the finely crafted commentary “The Track, The Train, The Traveler”. Featured 3 individuals from different walks of life – a carpenter, an artist, and a film student, each was to be restricted within a room no bigger than 10’ x 16’ for a total of 36 hours and asked to accomplish 3 separate goals. With each tasks an indirect influence on the next, the film drew the often invisible creative process of making something out of nothing, the interaction with designs by others, and the inevitable nature of disruption and need to rebuild.

With the combination of Michael Bastian’s Swedish influence on Gant’s pre-Americana, the new F/W 2011 collection is a study in well-crafted wardrobe staples. Mixing outdoor workwear with ski-lodge chic, the collection can call to mind the relaxing on Adirondacks or even getting all Winter’s Bone in the Ozarks. The mix of plaids, camo, strips, and solids leaves many options for the wearer of these rugbys, heavy knits, and jackets. Standout items include wool blazers, Fair Isle sweaters, and a herringbone fur collared jacket. Earth tones meld easily with muted colors in this collection as well, which is a welcome sign to a style that can easily become hackneyed.

Rad Hourani’s sometimes sci-fi aesthetic took a slightly softer turn this season, although his collection was far from traditional. Hourani presented a completely unisex collection, showing the same pieces on male and female models, right down to the heels and tights. Where he may once have used more synthetic and hard-looking materials, he went with softer, more familiar materials like flannel, wool, jersey, and crepe to build his wardrobe. And although it may be a small one (there are only a handful of different silhouettes) the garments can be wrapped, layered, or even worn backwards to create a multitude of looks. Long sleeved knit shirts, asymmetrical skirts, belted tunics and leggings were the building blocks of a surprising number of looks. These were topped with either a boxy funnel necked jacket with skinny arms, or a shorter jacket with a dramatic flyaway collar. The look was still all edge, especially in black and gray, but it was a slighty cozier version of the future than we usually see from Hourani.

The Marc by Marc Jacobs collection had a 1940’s by way of the 1970’s theme this season, like a vintage-wearing hipster, only much more polished. The looser fitting pants that have been showing up this season showed up on Jacob’s runway as well, although his pleated pants, in a classic tweed and styled with a thin leather belt, striped sweater and cool canvas sneakers, were easily one of the most wearable versions we’ve seen. The collection was heavy on suiting, in many variations. There were herringbone tweed pants, velvet blazers, plaid suits, and double-breasted jackets, most worn with striped knits (and one very masculine leopard print) or thin turtlenecks. Details like fur trim on coats, jewel tone silk ties, and skinny 1970’s Olympic team style track pants added a Richie Tenenbaum vibe, but still maintained the line’s refinement-with-a-wink aesthetic.