Hermes Menswear F/W 2008-09

It's easy to spot a Hermes man out of the stylish male crop. He's a cashmere person than your typical button-down shirt typo, prefers to drink vintage champagne than cold beer, a refined dandy who does not blink an eyelash on a half-a-million gunmetal croc skin jacket, and appreciates the finest things in life.

But somehow, classic takes a new turn and the Hermes man is no longer imprisoned in his thousand dollars "su misura" suits.

Instead, he chose to embrace contemporary urban styling with a dash of sophistication, which brings us to the mood of Hermes' fall/winter 2008-09 collection by designer Veronique Nachanian.

Now, before you can say "it's awkward to have a woman designing the menswear", just bear in mind that Nachanian has been designing menswear for Hermes since the last 20 years when the house first introduced its menswear line.

Suits are sharp and smartly tailored with jackets conformed to the body, exposing the masculine silhouette of the wearer paired with slim tailored trousers. Double-breasted blazer is worn unbuttoned with a pair of tailored pants in suede-y textured material.

There's also vest, the staple of last season and current, paired with long black scarf and checked sweater in yellow/red with ribbed cuffs and hem paired with the same pair of suede-y textured pants and a cool pair of leather brogues, giving an impression to styling back in the late Sixties and Seventies.

Casual jackets are cut from soft buttery leather and one sported standing collars with shearing trimming while the other is long and plain down to the knees. A non-leather version is available as well, a velvety single breasted jacket with two flapped pockets at the front.

But what is Hermes without the highly-anticipated special appearance from the Jurassic reptile that had survived millions of years on earth a.k.a. Mr. Crocodile. If last season, crocs are turned into long outer coats, this year, the lush hide is reincarnated as a cool zipfront peacoat complete with hoodie and ribbed at the hem. I bet P. Diddy will be hunting for one after this.

Last but not least, complete your fall/winter wardrobe with chunky knits such as sweaters with rolled neck and ribbed hems, solid v-neck sweatshirts, and buttonfront fitted sweater. Apart from brogues and oxfords, boots with shearing trim is a Hermes' must have footwear of the season.

Hermes fall/winter 2008-09 menswear collection will be available at Hermes stores come Fall 2008 while the spring/summer 2008 collection are in stores now.

*Photos by Armando Grillo for men.style.com

Hermes - Lot 2.27.01, 2.27.08, and 3.29.00, Level 2 & 3, Pavilion KL, 168 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100, Kuala Lumpur; G38, Ground Level, Suria KLCC, Jalan Ampang, 50088, Kuala Lumpur.