In praise of chinos, button-downs, polos and other spring perennials

The return of the bow tie at Club Monaco.

This year it's skinny and striped.

For all the closet kilt-wearers out there, this is your year.

Judging from superstar designer Marc Jacobs' appearance in a black skirt during Paris's most recent fashion week and the fully-pleated flouncies by Japan's Comme de Garcons, swinging free and easy below the belt is the bold trend for men this spring.

However, this flash-without-pants fad may be more suited to those who live on runways, Mars or, at least, Fiji. There, tailored, knee-length sulus function as acceptable businesswear. Not so in Canada. Here, it means a man intends to bend gender expectations for the whole day or hang around a circle of bagpipers.

So, let's skirt around the skirt trend and find what top-notch fashionphiles picked as their fresh essentials for spring 2009...(continue in the Vancouver Sun)