Veja has been around a while, but the fair trade sneaker company (and favorite of Josh Spear) has finally graduated from Adidas knockoffs and produced something worth buying for non-charitable reasons.

Behold the Grid. The color is “moonrock” and the look is decidedly spaceman-inspired. It’s simple, stripped-down, and just offbeat enough to warrant a second look from whoever you happen to be meeting. And, naturally, it blends perfectly with the rest of your monochromatic ensemble.

And just because it’s French doesn’t mean you’ll have to pay shipping charges. Click through for a list of stateside locations»

We ran into this Thom Browne number again now that it’s in season, and it looks a lot different than it did on the runway. The sharply visible grid gives it a touch of the drafting table, which has always been part of Mr. Browne’s appeal, but it’s still pretty easy on the eyes. The gray suit is an underestimated part of any wardrobe, but we doubt anyone will underestimate this.

Plus, it should look great with a little foliage.

Yoko Devereaux has always been more concerned with forward-thinking style than wearability, so there are more than a few items in the latest batch that would look out of place on the sidewalk. But if you’re looking for the sweet spot between futuristic moon suits and the everyday staples, we suggest the gray jacket in the middle, or the high-cut blazer on the right. (We’re seeing a lot more of those lately…)

And we can always use more high-cropped pants.

Rabbit, Run: Surreal photography continues to scare the crap out of us. [NotCot]

Winter Sports: A friendly face introduces us to the terrifying world of snow polo. [Luxist]

Going Minimal: Does good design flourish during a depression? It depends how you feel about the barrel-top. [Unbeige]

Going Gray: The enduring appeal of the gray flannel suit. [A Suitable Wardrobe]

Men.Style just posted another of their ridiculously influential trend reports. This time around it’s titled “The New Severity,” and while it’s all new enough, we’re not buying the severity part.

As usual, the slideshow tries to trace the common threads between this season’s runway shows, items, and architectural projects, but when it comes time to tie the whole thing together, they come up short. Everyone who’s looked at a stock ticker recently is feeling severe, but all the Condé crowd can come up with on the runways is that there are a few more acute angles going around, and there’s an awful lot of gray and black. But…isn’t there always?

And if this Duckie Brown jacket projects anything but Old Vegas opulence, we’re certainly missing it.

The gray wool pant doesn’t get much credit as a wardrobe staple, but it’s every bit as versatile as those cords. It may give off a bit of a Ward Cleaver vibe at times…but now that we think about it, Ward was a pretty stylish guy.

This pair comes from Wings + Horns and boasts a subtly tapered leg and an almost invisible blue thread in the fabric. An entire suit of it might be too formal, too busy, or just too warm…but a pair of trousers is just about right.

Provided you aren’t afraid of showing a little sock.

The club collar has been having quite the resurgence lately, so it’s nice to see one that’s still on the rack—and without the usual banker-style color contrast.

This faded gray oxford from Patrik Ervell sums up the appeal pretty well. It’s not flashy, but the rounded collar gives it a subtle nineteenth century feeling that’s hard to get without looking like you’re in costume. The subtle gray is just unusual enough to be remarkable, even under the standard issue black suit.

Get ready to see a lot more of these.

We’re not sure how planned out this particular scene is, but we will say that this gentleman from Phnom Penh is by far the most stylish Cambodian metal-worker we’ve ever seen…and we’ve seen quite a few.

Most surprising of all, the occasional silver polish smudge only makes it work better. Of course, this kind of stylish dishevelment takes years to master—especially that frayed pant leg—but starting off with a rugged gray cloth certainly doesn’t hurt.

There’s a lot to learn from the chap, but our takeaways were as follows: 1) sternum-level buttons work a lot better than you’d think, and 2) match your suit to whatever’s likeliest to stain it. (Time to order that Burgundy three-piece.)