"Be Vewy, Vewy Quiet, We're Hunting Wabbits"

Every model, publicist, designer and retailer knows there's nothing warm and fuzzy about the fashion business: it's a blood sport. That's why tough-guy gear is perennially popular. Denim, of course, has become the default setting for every man, woman and child, but a dash of military surplus or classic work clothing also projects enough irony to offset expensive watches and extraordinary shoes.

Canadian twins Dan and Dean Caten, designers of DSquared, do a lot to popularize a rugged, outdoorsy look (all very tongue-in-cheek, of course). They take wool hunting jackets, heavy leather topcoats and plaid shirts, reshape them to make them sexier (and more fashionable), and unleash perfect storms of male archetypes: lumberjacks, ski bums, and Canadian Mounties galore. Paul Bunyan, meet Tom of Finland.

The hat and bag here aren't "fashion," per se, but that's why we like them. The carry-all is L.L. Bean's Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife tote (we own it in camo print): you can choose one of four animals embroidered on the side, and part of each sale is donated to conservation efforts. The hat (spotted on a friend in Williamsburg, Brooklyn) is Stormy Kromer Mercantile's waxed cotton cap. Both are giving so much realness they could pass muster in a UP Michigan bar, yet they hum with enough personality to set fashion antennae quivering. Let the hunting and gathering begin.