They may not necessarily be staple footwear but a saddle shoe makes an excellent addition to a fall wardrobe. These Florsheim by Duckie Brown saddles shoes look great with seasonal tweeds, wools and dark denim and the color way gives you the opportunity to go just as bold with your sock selection (or lack there of). You may even wish to try pairing them with a well tailored charcoal grey suit and a wool tie. The gentleman at Park & Bond, the exceptionally curated men’s full price site from Gilt Groupe, carry them for $325 but take a look around if that price point is a bit steep, there will be plenty of saddles out there this season.

Yesterday while flipping through the astronomical number of blogs I read daily I came across a post on The Sartorialist of a gentleman in Milan rocking a quilted sport coat, over a glen plaid sport coat, over a cutaway collar dress shirt. Now, I realize it’s still relatively warm on the east coast but it will be cooling down any day now. A great way to stay warm and stylish for fall is by taking a page out of the Italian’s book and throwing on a quilted sport coat. It gives you a more tailored look and is an appropriate midway point between no jacket and a heavier fall coat, let’s say a car coat for example. The coat above is by Polo Ralph Lauren but there are plenty out there this season at various price points.

Young the Giant is an awesome band out of southern California who is hitting the music world hard right now. Within weeks of each other I saw them open for Incubus at Merriweather Post Pavilion and perform live at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards. They have a great sound and their front man Sameer Gadhia puts on a captivatingly enthusiastic performance. Check out the video above and their eponymous debut album to see what I mean.

I can’t believe that it’s taken me three years, but I’ve only recently learned about this gem of a boutique just a short walk away in Georgetown. Opened up in June of 2008, this men’s store specializes in only the best pieces of menswear for the fashion forward. The store is run and owned by the fashion expert Kelly Muccio, who personally selects all of the clothing. The store adds a glimmer of hope to the stylish and trendy Washingtonians who, like myself, can be overwhelmed at times by the mass of pastel polos and top-siders. -MG

Yes, it costs nearly $2,000 but after my time living in Italy this will definitely be $2,000 I won’t mind spending. I’ll probably be purchasing this before a couch. Never said I was the smartest guy.