New Modern Classic...AHEAD OF THE PACK

Salvatore Ferragamo

Nylon and leather duffel bag, $1,100, ferragamo.com

Bally

Kensi leather travel bag, $1,195, available at Bally NYC, (212) 751-9082

Louis Vuitton

Leather overnight bag, $2,700, vuitton.com

Valextra

V6C84 soft leather duffel, $3,330, valextra.it

Urban Outfitters

Jitney canvas weekender, $58, urbanoutfitters.com

New Modern Classic...AHEAD OF THE PACK

Ralph Lauren

Cooper travel bag, $3,700, polo.com

Tumi

Townhouse Travel & Business Montague duffel, $795, tumi.com

Banana Republic

Nylon weekend bag, $168, bananarepublic.com

Paul Stuart

Leather duffel, $847, paulstuart.com

Want Essentiels

Deurne 48-hour bag, $1,595, available at Opening Ceremony NYC, (212) 219-2688

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Saint Etienne-London Conversations

Saint Etienne were purveyors of a groundbreaking mix of various British indie styles and straight-up dance music. The ensemble--comprised essentially of old friends Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs, with the addition of Sarah Cracknell as the permanent vocalist--formed in the early 1990s, and garnered both critical and commercial acclaim for its intelligent, witty, and highly danceable amalgamation of nearly the entire spectrum of British pop music. Over the course of its existence Artist have dabbled in everything including electronica, club sounds, '60s pop, reggae, indie-pop, and even folk.

Saint Etienne:

Sarah Cracknell (vocals, percussion); Bob Stanley, Pete Wiggs (keyboards, synthesizers).

London Conversations - The Best Of Saint Etienne

It's hard to believe that nearly two decades have passed since one time Heavenly Social mainstay Bob Stanley started Saint Etienne with fellow capital based DJ Pete Wiggs. Initially nothing more than a side-project for their more dance-orientated pop, Saint Etienne went on to become something of a household name by making easy-listening 1960s pop fashionable again, simultaneously adding 'kitsch' to the list of sub-genres we still see bandied around today.

Somewhat surprisingly, Saint Etienne never actually achieved a Top Ten single - but even though their commercial success never quite matched the critical platitudes, their music continues to attract a whole new generation of followers, particularly now, in the dance-heavy climate the UK's guitar underground currently finds itself in.

London Conversations compiles thirty-five of their best known songs, making it the nearest thing to a Saint Etienne anthology you're likely to find. Although some may argue that their presence in the grand scheme of musical development is hardly worthy of such a hefty collection, it would be fair to say that the majority of this record stands the test of time well, the older material even more so than those songs taken from most recent record Tales From Turnpike House.

"One of the Decade's Best"

New Modern Classic...The Overinfluencers

They're bona fide visionaries, true game-changers

Now if only someone else would come along and take their place.

twelve effect on the world is so pervasive, we're calling for a ban on any

further reference to them (After this story, that is)

Ian Curtis

We love Closer. We love Unknown Pleasures. We even loved the movie about those albums, Anton Corbijn's Control. But so, apparently, does everybody else. The late Joy Division singer has recently inspired more designer collections than we care to count, plus a Burberry ad campaign—even a model of the Zune. Hey, all you depressives, time to find a new hero?

Photo: Steven Richards / Retna UK

Jonathan Ive

We'd be surprised if you haven't seen a product designed by Jonathan Ive in the last 30 minutes (in fact, you're probably reading these words on one right now). The Apple design honcho, left, really has revolutionized the aesthetics of gear, so you can't blame the folks at virtually every other brand for trying to copy that success. On second thought, sure you can.

Photo: AP Photo/Susan Ragan

Taavo Somer

Believe it or not, there was a time—late summer 2004, to be exact—when the taxidermy-enhanced aesthetic of Somer's Lower East Side restaurant Freemans seemed almost radical. Since then, of course, the look has been commodified into a brand of off-the-rack rustic that's enough to put us off our organic pork chops. Is it asking too much to want to have a nice meal without catching an antler in the eye?

Photo: Rahav Segev / Retna Ltd.

Steve McQueen

Whether driving like a maniac in Bullitt or romancing costars like Ali MacGraw, McQueen practically invented his own brand of unflappable, authentic cool. In other words, the man wasn't trying to emulate anyone else—he was a true original. Hard to say the same about someone who starts his day by asking "now what would Steve McQueen wear…"

Photo: Paul Slau

New Modern Classic...The Overinfluencers

Ian Schrager

After helping to pioneer the velvet rope and the sleek boutique hotel, the man behind Studio 54 and the Mondrian, left, has moved on to that rare American third act, creating distinctive properties like the Gramercy Park Hotel and 40 Bond. His legion of imitators, meanwhile, continue to churn out hotels whose bland, dime-store minimalism almost makes you happy the economy's headed south. (Almost, we said.)

Photo: Chris Weeks/WireImage

Thom Browne

With his meticulously constructed (if occasionally three-legged) menswear, Thom Browne has inspired countless other designers to put their own spin on the classic white-collar uniform. Well, he inspired a few, anyway. The rest seem content to take Browne's truncated silhouette and simply duplicate it. Could it really be time to start asking who's the next Thom Browne?

Photo: Getty Images

J.D. Salinger

There's one in every high school class: That kid toting a dog-eared copy of Franny & Zooey like a security blanket, certain that he's every bit as exceptionally odd and oddly exceptional as the Glass clan. And then he grows up and subjects the rest of us to watered-down versions of that wishful vision. From the canon of Wes Anderson to the cutesy self-love of the Mumblecores, Salinger's acolytes just can't stop trying to raise preciousness to high art. Maybe there's a lesson in what that other Salinger character said about phonies.

Photo: Evening Standard/Getty Images

The year 1992

To those of us who remember seeing Bill Clinton play sax on Arsenio Hall, 1992 wasn't that long ago. But a generation of club kids, rappers, scenesters, and designers is just discovering that magical year for the first time. New York's weekly "1992" party (thrown by hosts Vashtie, left, and Oscar, right) pays tribute with neon jumpsuits, door-knocker earrings, and vintage Polo, while further upmarket drop-crotch Hammer pants showed up on Spring '09 catwalks. "Where were you in '92?" bellowed M.I.A. on a recent track. Let's just hope the kids of 2024 are smart enough not to do the same to 2008.

Photo: Kreg Holt

New Modern Classic...The Overinfluencers

Vinnie and the boys

Not that long ago the term "douchebag" called to mind those moments when you don't feel, you know, all that fresh (well that and a certain SNL sketch). Then Vincent, E, Drama, and Turtle arrived on the scene, transforming what was previously an innocent receptacle for used douche into the most annoying male subdemographic since the Promise Keepers. Note to all our postfrat friends: The guys on Entourage are fictional characters, not role models.

Terry Richardson

We never thought we'd say this, but we're starting to get sick of hipster tits. Is it just us, or is the amateurish (if not actually amateur-produced), washed-out look that Mr. Richardson helped popularize feeling a little, well, washed-up? Note to all you Leica-toting youngsters: Maybe it's time to learn how to set the f-stop.

Photo: Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images

J Mays

To shake up some tired concepts, car designer J Mays looked back to the future in the nineties, dreaming up VW's New Beetle and the retro Ford Thunderbird, left. And that's probably where it should've stopped. Lately, a new generation has taken things a step farther, copying the guy who copied the old models. The result: a glut of retro cutesiness where new ideas—both under the hood and outside it—are what's needed.

Photo: Bruce Benedict/Transtock/Corbis

Moses

Listen, dude, it's not our fault our neighbor's wife is hot.

—By Matthew Schneier

Photo: Courtesy of Everett Collection

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Hot and Covered...Designer Forecast

Forward Thinkers

with the global economy in a...well, let's call it a "Transitional" state,

we asked an eclectic group of designers-from armani to ervell-how they thought

fashion would change in the year ahead. as expected, the responses were as

varied as the collections themselves.

Illustration: Mickey Duzyj

Dries Van Noten

"We could hope that the current sartorial individualist attitude of men's dressing will continue. Yet what was almost exclusively sharp, angular, and urbane may now be beginning to melt ever so slightly around the edges. There may, in parallel, even be a subtle slide toward the conceptual."

Frida Giannini, creative director, Gucci

"Brands like Gucci have seasonal trends, and so it will be next year—keeping the iconic and contemporary element, but always staying truthful to the brand's core values and DNA: glamour, luxury, craftsmanship, and made in Italy."

Giorgio Armani

"It is difficult for me to talk about what other designers will do, but in terms of look, I suspect we will see a return to more elegant, classic dressing. This will be because people will want to purchase clothes that have a longer life span and are therefore a better investment. I have always preferred this design aesthetic, so there will be no great change in my approach. Clothes and accessories should, to my way of thinking, be more about style than fashion, and have a sophisticated, timeless quality, rather than be slaves to transient trends."

Italo Zucchelli, men’s creative director, Calvin Klein

"In 2009, menswear will begin to reflect a bold optimism as an antidote to the current hard times. Each season, menswear continues to adapt more multifunctional yet practical aspects to address men's modern, busy lives."

John Galliano

"Fashion has an insatiable appetite for change, for the new and for the innovative. Anything goes, as long as it's exciting."

Hot and Covered...Designer Forecast

Patrik Ervell

"In any moment of crisis, recession, war, national tragedy, etc., conventional wisdom holds that fashion gets more serious and sober. But if you look at the history of fashion, that idea has never really been borne out by facts. From a business standpoint, many designers will be forced to focus on classics and easy sells. But from a creative standpoint, chaos and collapse can lead to great things and new beginnings. I think a little bit of creative destruction can be healthy and bracing."

Raf Simons

"It will be a reality check. It will be creativity versus reality. Can they meet in this moment? How will they meet? But in any case, even in this climate, we have to give the audience beauty and something to be excited about and something that stimulates. Enough reasons already to think dark."

Thom Browne

"I don't know what the future of men's fashion will be like. I just hope that everyone does their own thing… Because that is what I'm going to do."

Tommy Hilfiger

"The consumer is going to be much more selective with what they will buy, so fashion in turn will have to become more flexible to accommodate them. We've already seen a trend where consumers are moving toward reasonable luxury; quality brands that are reliable, yet affordable.”

Yohji Yamamoto

"Am I still going to be alive in 2009? I really hope so. I am a designer; I will go on designing until I die. This is my way of talking about 2009, 2010…"

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Hot and Covered...So Fine with chunky-sweater

with chunky-sweater weather a couple of months away, now's the time

to surround youself (or someone you like a whole lot) in one of the season's

best ultralight knits. After all, if you can't stop global warming, you might as well

dress for it.

Photo: Jeffrey Graetsch

Brunello Cucinelli

Fine-gauge sweater, $780,

brunellocucinelli.com

Prada

Cashmere-silk-blend sweater, $730, neimanmarcus.com; Christian Louboutin shoes

Uniqlo

Extra-fine merino V-neck sweater, $39.50, uniqlo.com; Christian Louboutin shoes

Malo

Cashmere V-neck sweater, $1,215, malo.it; Araks panties

Paul Smith

Tan cashmere sweater, approximately $1,355, paulsmith.co.uk; Cosabella panties; Jimmy Choo shoes

Hot and Covered...So Fine with chunky-sweater

Calvin Klein Collection

Gray V-neck sweater, $395, calvinkleincollection.com; American Apparel thigh-highs

Louis Vuitton

Fine cotton-cashmere integral-knit sweater, approximately $734, louisvuitton.com; Chantelle panties; Christian Louboutin shoes

Burberry

Merino V-neck sweater, $350, burberry.com; Christian Louboutin shoes

Gap

Merino V-neck sweater, $44.50, gap.com

Lanvin

Cashmere turtleneck, $1,590, barneys.com; Chantelle panties; Jimmy Choo shoes

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Eugene McGuinness-The 21-year-old is Brilliant!

Domino are proud to announce the release of Eugene McGuinness’ self-titled debut full length album, on October 13th.

"One of the most unique."

After The Early Learnings Of - a mini album of 8 songs - was released to great critical acclaim last year on Domino’s Publishing Label Double Six, Eugene headed to the studio to make his first full album proper for Domino. The result is twelve utterly charming pop tracks, which skip between boundaries with gleeful abandon and an acidic sense of humour.

From the post-punk sturm and drang of Fonz to the skiffle-beat pop confections of Rings Around Rosa to the disarmingly beautiful 30’s-style balladeering of Those Black And White Movies, the album veers from unabashed, starry-eyed romance to pre-coital forked-tongue come-ons via a sound that’s simultaneously cinematic and yet endearingly ramshackle.

Eugene McGuinness’ album contains knowing winks and phrases drawn from personal experience, but mostly made up scenarios full of joyous verve and unpredictability. It is a collection of songs gloriously out of time yet thoroughly modern, with one foot in reality and the other somewhere else entirely, where every silver lining has a cloud and one unexpected turn of phrase can lead you down a new musical rabbit hole.

"Gloriously out of time yet thoroughly moderninfectious jangly indie pop guitarstwistedridiculously charming lyrics and Eugene's dizzyingly creamysoaring vocals add up for another triumphant effort from one of the most unique and fascinating songwriters of the current crop of young neo Brit-pop stars."