Billy Reid | Southern Collection

New York has a way of changing a man’s style, whether it’s Joe Namath wearing his mink coat, or Joe Namath wearing Suzie Kolber’s mouth. Letting New York influence him in less gross ways, Billy Reid.

Just dropped, AID-educated Reid’s fall line retains his Southern-gentrified look while also incorporating Manhattan-inspired heavier fabrics and tailored fits, the overall affect being that of “a boxcar traveling blues musician, a Southern lawyer’s library, and the East Village” — just like Blind Atticus Ramone used to wear. Dressier offerings include the two-button, chocolate moleskin “Ruston Patch” sport jacket, with narrower lapels and a lifted closure; the three-button, tan camel-hair, dark elbow-patched “Henry Patch Pocket” blazer; the gray/red plaid cotton “John T” button-up w/ high shoulders, and short, broad-angled collar; the wool “Graham” flat-front pant in charcoal and brown/gray plaids; and the black merino wool “Shawl Collar Pullover” with a high two-button placket and several types of cable weaves (and you thought Time Warner and AT&T were bitter rivals). More casual numbers include the garment-washed espresso leather Mechanic Jacket with brass zippers and a high button-flap breast pocket; the long-sleeve felt-lettered “Alabama 54″ T-shirt (referencing Reid’s Manhattan flagship at 54 Bond St, not Lee Roy Jordan), and the hand-distressed cotton, black & yellow-patched ballcap “Make Cornbread Not War”, a pacifist mantra coined by Viet’s Mom.

The collection’s self-described anchors are hand-made, field-tested cordovan shoes and boots “that have city-street toughness and edge” — preventing you from ending up with knee replacements after years spent running after girls mumbling “I want to kiss you!”.

Piksis has the brands with the southern charm and urban sophistication.