Ok, maybe it's not live from New York, but since I'm in Manhattan shopping for Fall 2010 and I've seen a couple of our most important brands, I might as well provide an update on what I've seen, starting with Peter Millar...

As a company, Peter Millar is growing fast, and by Fall, they will have a much more prominent role on our website and in our store. In addition to their golf shirts, sweaters, & driving moccasins, we will also be bringing in a few, soft-constructed sportcoats, an in-stock program of 18 different dress shirt styles, fancy trousers, neckwear, mufflers, and a handful of new leather goods.

Cashmere is one of Peter Millar's biggest classifications, and there, they have re-engineered their basic Cashmere sweater from a 2-ply to a 4-ply, while retaining the same weight (in other words, it will be a much tighter weave) and the same pricepoint ($295). The 30 Gauge Full Turtleneck we had last Fall will return, and we're buying more given how fast we sold through what we bought last Fall.

The Luxe Blend they introduced last Fall that is 90% wool/10% cashmere will return. Though I don't fish, I'm most excited about the Fisherman Knit Turtleneck. It's the heaviest sweater being offered, and can't help but evoke images of battling The Perfect Storm while remaining impeccably dressed.

Merino Wool has an updated palette of colors within the traditional V-Neck sweaters and vests, but the real action is in the pieces with personality: a full-zip sweater you'll have to see, an open-bottom cardigan stitch with a hidden zipper, a shawl-collar sweater, and a herringbone quarter-zip sweater.

In Outerwear, the big news was the introduction of pieces that incorporate Loro Piana's famed Storm System into wool coats. Windproof and water resistant, the Loro Piana Storm System is made via a patented treatment that creates an invisible barrier that causes water to bead away from the fabric and protect from dust, dirt and liquid stains. My only complaint? Let's do one piece in Loro Piana StormSystem cashmere!

And last but not least, there will be new Golf Shirts in their cotton lisle, performance yarns, a satin-washed polo, a "throwback" pique polo, and the sun washed polo, as well as woven sport shirts in a dozen styles.

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, we consider ourselves 37.5% flattered. Of the 8 holiday gifts for your favorite golfer suggested by Golf Digest's "Mr. Style", On The Fly carries 3 of them.

All three are long-time best-sellers of ours. The Mulholland Brothers Flat Shave Kit is the #1 dopp kit we sell, available in 4 different leathers and 3 different scratch-proof/water-proof polyvinyls.

Davek umbrellas have been flying off the shelf since wet weather has kicked in across the country, but the true golfer might prefer the Davek Golf Umbrella that has the hidden spike to keep your umbrella grounded while you take your shot. All Davek umbrellas come with a lifetime warranty, and a Loss Prevention card that gets you a 2nd umbrella at 50% off.

And while Mr. Style picks out the 30-gauge Cashmere Zip Sweater, any of Peter Millar's sweaters would make a fantastic gift. Our favorite for this season is the classic cable with a zip for a twist, available here in Oatmeal or Black.

See the spread in this month's Golf Digest here.

Back on May 22nd, right before Father's Day, I wrote that Golf Shirts are the new Necktie. That may have been considered blasphemy so close to the holiday most associated with the necktie. I didn't cite any facts, but my gut told me there was a great deal of truthiness behind my assertion. Wouldn't you know -- 13 days later, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Men's Dress Furnishings Association -- the trade group representing American tie makers -- was shutting down.

Don't get me wrong -- everyone knows the workplace has been getting more casual. But the "death of the suit" and "death of the necktie" prognostications have been put forth every few months since the introduction of "Casual Friday" and, later, the dot-com bubble that featured billionaire CEO's in t-shirts, jeans, and sandals. The ambiguity of Casual Friday gave rise to acceptance of a golf shirt and khakis as appropriate office attire at least one day a week.

Rather than buying Dad a tie for Father's Day, we noticed more people buying golf shirts for Dad. And why not? There are several reasons why a really nice golf shirt -- like those sold here -- make a great gift:

1. Golfers and non-golfers wear golf shirts. He can wear it on the course, in the office, or both.
   
2. Golf shirts are the Goldilocks of men's shirts -- not too formal like a dress shirt; not too casual like a T-shirt. 
3. Golf shirts are versatile. They can be worn untucked or tucked in (we prefer the latter). They can be worn solo, or under a sweater, vest, or blazer. In fact, there are some sweaters that just look better over a polo shirt than they do over a collared shirt.
   
4. Subconsciously, men love golf shirts for reasons they don't talk about at cocktail parties. It evokes the sights, sounds, and smells of the fresh cut grass in the 1st tee box on a Sunday morning. 

The golf shirt is a timeless gift idea, and it seems as though it has replaced the necktie as the go-to gift for many Dads. To branch out a little, you might also consider a Mock Turtleneck (#1 seller from Oct-Dec), or add the popular Merino Wool Windsweater. You can browse our golf shirts here...

Disclaimer: there is no truth to the following post; only a great deal of truthiness.

The necktie has been the #1 Father's Day gift since 1006 A.D. A mere 1,000 years later, in 2006, NPR broke the news that the gifting of a tie for Father's Day had jumped the shark, calling the "ubiquitous but anachronistic artifact of Western culture" both "sad" and "as cliché as giving a blender as a wedding gift" (oops! is that cliché?).

With the "casualization" of America over the past few decades, the ol' four-in-hand is slowly being replaced by other gifts. In particular, electronics, tools, BBQ accessories, and gift cards are gaining in popularity, but there is one item of clothing that appears to be overtaking the necktie as the quintessential Father's Day gift: the Golf Shirt.

It makes a lot of sense. Many dads golf, and according to recent polls, a plurality of their children believe he should be wearing a shirt while doing it. Just like ties used to afford the opportunity to give Dad something with some color, so does the golf shirt. They are also both excellent gift ideas around $100. But most importantly, the golf shirt has become an accepted top for men for business casual wear (or at least for Casual Fridays). So for the Dad that no longer gets to wear a tie to work, a crisp, new, colorful golf shirt has 999 years left before it will become cliché.

And, as a reward to our most clever, loyal readers, we've got a $50 gift certificate for the comment that offers the best example of another "ubiquitous but anachronistic artifact of Western culture".