New York Times’ Fashion & Style section published a great photo essay, “Dress Codes | Plaid” covering the latest looks in plaid wear. Check for blazers from RL, wool Burberry pants, and much more. View the full photo essay at NYT.

Views  “Dress Codes | Plaid” at New York Times online.

With the election over it is time to focus attention squarely on the future. That said, peaking back to the sea of promotional and propagandist material that swirled around us in 2008 has merit. Steven Heller, author of the excellent Iron Fists: Branding in the 20th Century Totalitarian State (Phaidon, 2008), has selected a few favorites for today’s New York Times. The corresponding article is a quick history of campaign buttons, interesting even when divorced from the related slide show.

A few more of Heller’s selections appear after the jump.

Assessing trends in menswear has, perhaps, never been easier. The number of trackers, media outlets and blogs (we all know) is staggering. Contextualizing trends and drawing comparisons between eras is less common. Thanks are due, then, to the New York Times. David Coleman’s “Looking Good: The Sequel” refers the current vogue of classic Americana and rugged outdoor layering back to the late 1970s. A nice read with a related slide show that is its equal.

A sure sign that workwear is about to the mainstream is a mention in a major newspaper. Though the New York Times may not be the first NYC based newspaper to pick up on the theme of workwear (see the Observer’s story from 10/7), they do get it right in finding the right people to historically reference the significance of the movement.

“When the going gets tough, the tough shop the hardware aisle…’You can count on them,’ Ms. Toledo said, referring to her carpenter pants, the light denim trousers with a high-rise waist, wide legs, topstitched seams, side pockets and loop for holding a hammer. ‘You know how they feel. You’re confident in them’… There is one other thing in their favor besides utility and longevity; they cost about $25 a pair.”

A solid read for anyone interested in workwear. Find it now at The New York Times.

Much noise has been generated over Zaha Hadid’s Chanel Pavilion. Located in Central Park, the structure is designed to house a pop up exhibition of art inspired by the 2.55 handbag. Entry is free, but requires advanced RSVP. The event itself an overindulgent exercise. Few people have understood Chanel’s marketing campaign as well as Nicolai Ouroussoff. His article in today’s New York Times, “Zaha Hadid’s Chanel Pavilion,” hits the nail right on the head. Bravo Mr. Ouroussoff! Many thanks are needed for putting the lunacy of this “exhibit” in firm context.

Read the piece here.

The new Fall 2008 Design Issue of the NYT’s T Magazine is available now. "The issue looks at the renewed interest in clean, functional furnishings; checks out the design scene in Philadelphia; visits a cutting-edge artist who works in glass; and spends the weekend at a new shopping mall with its own condominiums. The British design guru Ilse Crawford gives us a peek at her sophisticated yet comfortable aesthetic…" (via themoment)

NYT’s Guy Trebay brings to the masses a story regarding the trend of above the knee shorts and their surge as part of the businessman’s casual Friday look in the workplace. "The bare ankle migrated from country-club Saturdays to meeting-room Mondays and suddenly men, whether shod in wingtips or loafers, were widely seen without socks. Now it appears that, after some stops and starts in recent seasons, the men of the white collar work force are marching into the office in shorts."

Read "Shorts Crack the Code" over in the Fashion & Style section of the New York Times.

Ptown; known for decades as Cape Cod’s Mecca for gay and lesbian summer outings is now beginning to shed its fashion negative looks. NYT’s Mike Albo describes "the sporty college jock look has been a reigning summer style for guys for more than a decade, and it needs to die." in his latest piece, "Marc Jacobs’s Excellent Vacation." "Now a Marc by Marc Jacobs has set up shop here. I thought it would be full of precious, overpriced safari bags — and it does have them — but here’s the shocking thing: a lot of stuff here is cheap and pretty great."

Read the full story online in New York Time’s Critical Shopper.

The NYT times spent some time with waterproof backpacks recently. They examinedand reviewed a stack of them in their latest product slideshow which can beviewed online here.

David Coleman explores the touchy world of clashing wardrobe combinations on men for NYT. “To someone learning English, or learning how to dress, it is not the four-syllable words or the obscure necktie knots that provoke the most confusion. It is the simplest idioms — say, “That doesn’t go” — that are the most baffling.”

The multimedia slideshow accompanying the story shows a variety of working combinations on men that do indeed work.