Fall/Winter Fashion Essentials – Fashion Trends

Award-winning designer debuts high-end franchise collection

The Scene:No longer just a suit shop for your fat brother-in-law, Brooks Brothers has gone conservative-chic with its new Black Fleece collection. The new high-end brand is attempting to attract a younger, more fashion-forward clientele and has enlisted the services of Thom Browne as guest designer. Browne made fashion headlines as the recipient of the 2006 Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Award for Menswear.

In Browne's debut collection for Fall/Winter 2007, an elegant and playful line emerges with high-end cashmeres and whimsical jackets in modern cuts. Capturing the Brooks Brothers legacy while maintaining a modern theme, the collection is geared more towards city women, with sizes running from 0 to 10. Prices, which are about 40 percent higher than traditional Brooks Brothers clothing, range from $180 dress shirts and $600 cashmeres for men to $1,900 herringbone-lined trench and decadent $10,000 astrakhan fur-trimmed cape for women.

Photo: Brooks Brothers