San Francisco

Rag & Bone

A man's outfit should be sharp enough to command admiration when he does something positive (raises a witty toast), but subdued enough to blend into the shadows when things go sour (someone raises a witty toast about him). Get stealthy style, with Rag & Bone.

From a pair of Kentuckians, R&B started as just jeans before morphing into a full line of increasingly tasteful head-to-toe threads, culminating in fall/winter 08 -- a noirishly modern collection inspired by 1982's Blade Runner (when Rutger Hauer was Oscar-worthy, and Edward James Olmos only looked 60). Outerwear starts with a wool ribbed/multi-pocket shearling bomber in black/grey leather (and another in uber-soft blue cashmere), a heavy-duty zip-up/oversized hip-pocketed waxed cotton jacket, and another in black herringbone w/rounded lapels -- a pauper-chic look that'll let the guy ladeling your soup know you dive in only the ritziest dumpsters. On the spiffier tip are black wool double-breasted tux jackets, classically cut, slimly contoured vests in grey tweed, an open-collar "Mac" overcoat in black cashmere or mushroom cotton, and a grey cutaway coat entirely devoid of exterior details, which you'll sweat anyway, because it's wool.

Also available: weathered long/short sleeved tees in sheer pima and terry cotton, and accessories ranging from cotton/silk/wool bowties, to triangle-topped, feather-banded hats, to leather-strapped totes and weekender bags -- for stylishly going on the lam when there's no shadow dark enough to hide your gaffe.

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