FROM OUR FEBRUARY ISSUE: CHICAGO FIRE – FALL TRENDS
The entire MR team is proud to present our February 2024 issue. You haven’t gotten your copy yet? Feel free to page through a digital copy at Issuu, and we’ll continue to post individual stories here on MR-mag.com. If you haven’t been getting MR in print, be sure that you are on our mailing list for future issues by completing this form.
A new season always conjures lists of what’s in, what’s out, and what’s next, and the Chicago Collective is a great place to seek early 2024 men’s fashion direction. This year, expect to see both the raglan sleeve coat and a luxurious take on the short jacket taking center stage. Trousers get wider—pleats are back!—while showing off dressy boots. Sweaters, always important for fall, meet us right on the corner of Preppy and Grunge.
The Raglan Sleeve Coat
Last year’s quiet luxury is evolving into decidedly retro Hollywood glamor. We’ll see it again in trousers, but we’re loving outerwear’s return to the long, dressy woven topcoat, especially when shown with raglan sleeves. Above, an exploded Buffalo check, inspired by the 1950s jazz and nightlife scene of New York City, adds a decidedly modern yet almost outdoorsy touch to this classic twill coat from Les Deux.
Palto adds adaptability to the classic style, offering water-resistance and zip-out, season-spanning quilted linings, and removable hoods.
NN07’s take offers a sophisticated take on Charlie Brown zigzags, offering a somewhat subversive punk aesthetic.
The Wider Leg And/Or Pleated Trouser
Comfort is key, and men are ready for a little more room. The wider leg offers both a practical and a fashionable solution, while pleats add 1940s (or 1980s, depending on your perspective) panache. Zanella, above, gets behind the scissor pleat for a clean update to the classic.
Matinique keeps it sleek and modern.
34 Heritage maintains a plain-front but still offers that classic Hollywood backstory.
The Short Jacket
This trend has staying power! Think Eisenhower, chore coat, or bomber, but rendered in elegant, luxurious fabrics and worn as an alternative to a blazer or sport coat. These jackets do double-duty as early season (pre-markdown!) outerwear. Vince, above, offers a sophisticated take on the chore coat.
Lords of Harlech celebrates another season’s trend, floral for fall.
L.B.M. 1911 shows clean, soft sophistication.
The Dressy Boot
A great dress boot hasn’t been this important since the Beatles movie A Hard Day’s Night premiered. Whether it’s a true boot or just a much higher collar, it doesn’t matter if they’re tied, pulled-on, or zippered; we’re seeing much more coverage. It’s like our feet have suddenly gotten modest! Polo Ralph Lauren’s Bryson expresses materials blocking, another important trend for the season.
Tricker’s Bookbinder Limited features a high gloss finish that is typical of shoes from the 1930s.
Magnanni’s slip-on desert boot offers a low-key look in soft taupe suede.
Meet The Mart
Yes, we know you attend the Chicago Collective for fashion, but did you know that The MART edifice itself is iconic in its own right? As you walk the trade show floors, here are five fun facts about this Chicago institution.
WHEN CONSTRUCTED IN THE 1930S, THE MERCHANDISE MART WAS THE BIGGEST BUILDING IN THE WORLD.
Marshall Fields and Co. constructed it so wholesalers and retailers could buy all of their wares under one roof, not unlike the nine major trade shows (including the Chicago Collective) it now hosts. It remains the largest privately held commercial building in the United States (now owned by Vornado Realty Trust).
DURING WORLD WAR TWO, THE BUILDING SERVED AS THE MIDWEST PENTAGON
From 1938 to 1945, it was a wartime hub until the Kennedy family purchased it and returned it to its original purpose of a wholesale showroom.
THE EXTERIOR SERVES AS A ROTATING DIGITAL ART EXHIBITION
Although you’ll have to wait until the August show to revel in the art (the show is on hiatus in January and February), Art on the Mart is a rotating art show projected on the exterior of the building featuring a variety of artists both locally and from around the world. It’s not to be missed.
SUSTAINABILITY IS PARAMOUNT
The MART is Gold LEED certified and runs on 100% renewable electricity. Management is committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2030.
THE MART IS HOME TO CHICAGO’S TECH HUB
You’ll still find a ton of design showrooms and trade floor space at the MART, but did you know that it’s also home to some of Chicago’s most creative businesses? 1871 and Mater both serve as incubators for innovative start-ups and are headquartered in the MART.