Androgyny is nothing new in fashion but that doesn't mean each season doesn't bring about new manifestations of this permanent trend. After fashion beat us over the head with the concept of women wearing jazz shoes or men wearing skinny jeans (again), we're sure by now that even the most conservative among us can get down with the boy/girl paradox. Of the menswear we saw on the Fall 08 catwalks, our favorites were the cropped trouser suits by Dolce and Gabbana, the sharp shoulders by Jens Laugesen, and the rough rocker vests and trousers from Alexander Wang. The long blazer, the drop-crotch trouser, and the oxford shoe are all big pieces we'll see this fall, and between the shows and individual items, we think androgyny is a trend that won't be hard to spot.

For our photo shoot we layered structured pieces as if they were three piece suits--a little forearm was all that was left uncovered, showing that the key to pulling off an androgynous look is too keep it covered. We ended up being big fans of the oxford heel from Opening Ceremony when our brilliant stylist, Liz Baca, paired them with her own plaid socks. The vintage version of this look was also rather inspired, especially when that Versace jacket was given the heave-ho in the sleeve department.

Below, check out a spread of our current favorite menswear staples and, below that, a trend gallery with androgynous looks from the fall shows.

We've been trying to imagine the Spring 09 trends the way a seven year old shakes their presents under the christmas tree. Transparency is one we've been thinking about. Transparency, the break-out trend for Spring 08, has pushed on strongly enough. We predict the numbers will be high come Spring 09. The trend-forecasting seminars always tell you that the trends for next season are the same as they were two seasons previous. No miraculous discoveries--just summaries of what, because of various websites, we've seen plenty of already. So our thoughts on transparency aren't unsupported. Just in case a little evidence is needed, however, here's some of what we've seen since Spring 08.

Fall is a season that calls for heavier layers and so transparency is necessarily peripheral because of its impracticality. We did, however, see plenty of it crop up on evening frocks and on blouses that could be easily layered. Ashleigh Verrier used it on feminine frocks that were made season-appropriate by way of fur stoles and thick hosiery. On the darker side of things Alexander Wang used it on shell tanks and leggings in many of his Fall looks and Preen (shown left) used transparency despite every other aspect of the collection being wintery perfection.

Then came Resort and with warmer weather; more freer usage of the textile. Christian Dior used generous portions of transparency for his cruise ship-worthy evening gowns. Chanel, on the other hand, stuck to mini-frocks that were prefect for the Miami-staged runway show. Calvin Klein (shown right), our favorite by far, showed a few examples of transparency in the colorless, structured collection.

Finally menswear came along and gave us the duds that will sit on the other side of the boutique and closet and dresser drawer to ours, come Spring 09. Transparency--check. We saw it unabashed and blazing from Givenchy, we saw it in lace from Yohji Yamamoto, and from Costume National (shown left) masquerading as a normal work shirt--complete with blazer and tie.

We think it's time to stop shaking the present now. We're pretty sure we know what we're getting when it's time to open the gifts. You never know though, like when you're a kid, there's always one that surprises you...

Sometimes being half-dressed is just as attractive as wearing the perfectly put together ensemble. That said, the Conference Of Birds Spring 09 show conjured the dressed-up business man who had just gotten himself into a little bit of after-hours mischief. Untied neckties and bow ties, sweats and pajama bottoms mixed with blazers and trouser shorts, gave this collection a cool perspective on the modern state of dress. This is a style we see in New York quite often. Many fashion forward young men in New York who buy clothing at a contemporary price point are in creative professions or are otherwise self-employed. For this particular group of men (and it is a large group), there is no uniform for them to adhere to and though they enjoy suiting just as much as the next gentleman, they don't part with their sneakers and t-shirts and jeans. So we see a lot of this, style-wise in New York (and we'd venture to say, America) but it's especially neat to see designers playing off those trends. Conference of Birds is designed by Andrew Holden who is known for mixing American workwear with British tailoring. This is his second collection and, we have to say, it seems he's onto something.

Everything was light and easy at the Obakki Spring 09 Fashion Show. The show was part of the contemporary community's attempt at reviving men's fashion week in New York. No matter who sponsors this, if it all works out, we hope that men's fashion week will be known just as 'Pier 92'--it just sounds so cool.

Anywho, the Canadian brand Obakki, headed by designer Treana Peake, is all about super refined pieces that are clean and easy. Everything from Spring 09 looked light as air and mix and matchable. The palate was diverse but most of the shades were toned down to their most muted versions (punctuated by the occasional jolt of color). Our favorite looks were, for women, a pair of smart grey trousers and lab-like overcoat, and for men, a classic blue shirt, buttoned up all the way, paired with dusty blue trousers, rolled up at the bottom. It's the kind of smart, type-A clothing that makes you want to gut your wardrobe and give your desk a Muji makeover. A welcomed aesthetic, if you ask us.

A very interesting article landed on our desk this morning (teehee). Portfolio's Lisa Marsh wrote an article on the discord between the menswear shows and buying season. She used this week's 'abbreviated schedule' of men's shows that took place in accordance with the trade shows happening in New York right now, Capsule, Collective, and Project, as a talking point for whether a men's fashion week would ever pick up in New York. Basically, about a decade ago, there was such a thing and it came after Milan and Paris in July. American designers, felt their collections weren't given enough attention because of this (no one wants to be the third in line and right before women's kicks off) so they started moving their showings to Milan instead. And the rest is recent history. New York's men's fashion week kind of faded away and now, we're left with the remnants. Yesterday we were meant to attend the Obakki show but had a really intense (but fun) shoot that ran late. Normally a show and a shoot wouldn't have even been scheduled on the same day to avoid that exact problem but we figured we would already have covered Capsule and wouldn't need to see some random runway presentation--if worse came to worse. What we found out today, in the article, was that the Obakki show was part of a handful of shows happening this week that are trying to revive a menswear week in New York. It was, to our surprise, kind of an organized 'let's revive men's fashion week' thing. Well, brand reps, you could have fooled us! We certainly appreciate the invitation but wish we'd know that the show had a context. In the end it's really not anyone's fault. The point is that menswear is experiencing some tricky booking conflicts and will (we hope) sort itself out in the coming years. Everyone says menswear is back in New York (meaning that men are dressing better than ever and the collections from contemporary to high price points are more interesting) and we just hope that means a proper fashion week is in the works.