While perusing a friend's menswear blog I caught wind of a great line right out of the Chi. The line is Creatures of the Wind and it's headed by two School of the Art Institute(Chicago) alums, Shane Gabier(who you might remember from Gen Art's 03/04 Fresh Faces show) and Christopher Peters. Both designers are perfect examples of the talent that the SAIC is churning out.

I couldn't find any pics of their Fall Winter 08 line to show the boys how it's really done this season, but I did find some great shots of things to come for Spring 09. If you take an look at their website, you'll instantly notice their clean aesthetic. Clean lines, muted palette(white, sky blue and grey) and a tinge of safari inspiration. To add variety, the designers accessorized with sun hats and a very cool acorn bolo tie, which I personally hope makes an appearance on the streets next Spring/Summer.

As a Chicago fashion follower and menswear lover, I am so excited to have been introduced to this line. I can only cross my fingers that more of this talent of this kind comes to fruition in the Midwest.

Now that a chill has fallen over the Midwest, it's time for to winterize your wardrobe and prepare for the harsh weather that is yet to come. Sounds easy but for most guys the tricky part comes when choice of "fashion or function" comes into play. 

And while I'm sure you have some horrible ski jacket or weird thrift store find that's oh-so-warm, you might want to reevaluate and think about a fashion-forward update.

An easy way to do that without breaking the bank is by heading to Zara. I just caught a glimpse of their Fall ad campaign and found it to be a true inspiration for the boys out there who are still holing on to their 900 series. Yes, they're warm but wouldn't you rather look cool?

Zara | 34 Old Orchard Blvd | Skokie, IL

Philip Sparks knocked my (and his models) socks off at Gen Art's Fresh Faces fashion show on Wednesday. His muted color palette with pops of mustard and modern, yet dapper designs showed Chicago guys that it's time to step up their game.

Some tips:

Trade in the North Face for a fitted blazer or rugged biker jacket.

Lose the sneakers and get a pair of leather oxfords or loafers.

Several of the said men in the audience scoffed at the sight of the models in short-shorts but, hey, that's the Midwestern man for you.

I say if you got it, flaunt it.

As of late I've started to use The MidWasteland's Style Pile as a place to proclaim my undying love for Gossip Girl. I truly can't help it. It's a mixture of my favorite things: television, teenage drama and fashion.

And, being a girl, I tend to report on how hot the guys are, who's doing who or how much I love a particular outfit, even though I know we have male readers and GG has male watchers(my BF being one). Sorry, I'm selfish.

To give a little bit back to the boys, I found a website that will give you "a slightly more masculine take on the Best Show On Television", I Am Chuck Bass.

The guys who do the site, B & C, tell it like it is, dubbing Dan's loft "The Williamsburg Waffle House, aka Vanessa's Cockblocking Kingdom" and even found a way to blame Serena for all of Derena's relationship problems.  Yea, because Serena's the psycho...right.

So, if you're a guy that loves GG as much as I do, I Am Chuck Bass is the place for you.