Brooks Brothers Fall Preview 2010

I like to think that I'll look back on 2010 as my "Summer of Prep," the year that I finally came home to the style that suits me best, and towards which I've always tended to gravitate. You see, throughout my teen and young adult years, my casual summer wardrobe was fairly uninspired. I always had summer jobs, so I was focused on work clothes. (Perhaps it's fortunate that I haven't bought many summer clothes until now; it's taken me this long to figure out how they should fit!) This year, though, I haven't been working for most of the summer, so I seized the opportunity to expand my wardrobe with colourful shorts, polo shirts, boat shoes, and ribbon belts—all those perfect preppy staples.

In the process, I've really started to become a fan of Brooks Brothers. Not really in terms of wearing the merchandise, since their sizing tends to be problematic for me and it's hard to get the stuff in Canada, so much as in admiring their aesthetic. I love how they manage to be both timeless and of-the-moment, while infusing their clothes with more colour and vibrancy than you typically get even from someplace like J. Crew.

Now that fall is peeking around the corner, I'll have the opportunity to think about what prep means for the cooler months. Unquestionably, it means layering, and sweaters galore, particularly cardigans and cable-knits. As far as colours, I'm thinking vibrant orange, chocolate brown, and jewel tones, along with the usual staples of blue, white, and green. I'd say I'm generally a fan of rich, rather than bright, colours for colder weather. I've got a pair of burgundy pants from Club Monaco that I'm itching to break out, which I'll probably wear with brown suede tassel loafers.

And of course, I'm digging the styles showcased in Brooks' Fall Preview 2010. I can safely say that there is nothing there that I wouldn't love to wear. They really do have something for everybody, and I don't think you could go wrong pulling out any or all of those looks to inspire yourself this fall.