Golf apparel certainly has entered new territory. Today’s styles and trends reflect the new era of fashion and fit, with comfort and versatility among the primary attributes that both men and woman place high on their priority list when it comes to outfitting themselves.

Fairway and Greene, the Shelton, Connecticut-based company that has been providing fine golf clothing to country clubs and resorts since 1995, has taken a decidedly modern approach to their latest lines of apparel, even though their client-base is one that many would call old school.

As Andy Bell, the president of Fairway and Greene noted recently, the times—and golf attire—are changing.

“People are more aware of fit than ever today and of the performance aspect,” said Bell.  “Our newest golf shirts are not your father’s knit shirts.  They have that fine luxury cotton feel that our original customers loved. We strive to constantly improve our fabrics but keep that feel in our new Pureformance™ fabrics that are easier to care for. Our high tech knits are a cross between the benefits of these moister-wicking fabrics and the luxury cotton feel that our original customer loved.”

Energizing its traditional customer base and expanding to golf’s younger and newer enthusiasts is apparent in Fairway and Greene’s new clothing arrivals for the fall.

“We are introducing a broad range of new colors with a diversity of product,” added Bell. “We think there is more of a ‘buy now, wear now’ mindset for the golf consumer who is looking for a wardrobe to be versatile.  They want product that fits into their lifestyle so that they can wear on the course and then to socialize in the club later or to their kid’s soccer game.  They want their wardrobe to do more.”

The Fairway & Greene Men’s fall 2010 Collection includes four distinctively colored and styled collections for every taste and geographic region. In this group, late summer transitions into cool pastels, moves into sun-drenched brights, then into warm fall jewel tones until finally concluding with a sophisticated range of heritage classic natural shades.  

The Monterey Bay Collection—which includes knit shirts, Pureformance™, Pureformance™ fleece, classic jersey, sweaters, woven shirts and bottoms—was inspired from the sky, sand, sea and landscape of this spectacular, popular California coastal location.

The collection’s color palette (pool, butter, cricket, linen, ink and

white) is comprised of the blues of the ocean and the greens of vegetation, blended with the neutral sand and clear skies. The shirt selections are comprised of the company’s original Signature Lisle, which is a 100 percent mercerized Egyptian cotton shirt and F&G’s Pureformance ™, which is a proprietary blend of cotton and wicking polyester.

The Savannah Collection represents a departure—a new experiment, if you will—for F&G. The Savannah Collection feels more like the islands—or the Southeast, Southwest or California—than the company’s typical Fall color palette.  While Savannah’s silhouette is targeted to attract younger golfers, the collection still will appeal to older golfers. There are also some vintage, bigger, bolder rugby stripes in the collection, which is a little preppy.

The Savannah category—which comes in marine, flamingo, jade, coral, plum, white and chambray—includes knit shirts, Pureformance™, Pureformance™ Fleece, Classic Jersey, sweaters, woven shirts and bottoms.

The Donegal Collection features the quintessential Fairway and Greene Fall color palette, which is very reminiscent of Europe and, in particular, Northwest Ireland—hence the Donegal name.

The classic, rich menswear colors speak to the company’s customers, and play off on some gorgeous colors such as rich European plaids and paisleys. F&G also added vanilla as an accent color instead of white.

The Donegal Collection—which comes in French blue, wine, fir, straw, java and vanilla—includes knit shirts, Pureformance™, Pureformance™ fleece, classic jersey, sweaters, woven shirts, bottoms and outerwear.

Fairway and Greene has found most men consider the golf shop as their own private clothier, and the Kensington Collection is very reminiscent of the Kensington section of London, which represents high society. Kensington is a refined collection, with a very narrow delivery. Most of the shirts feature self-fabric collars with luxe fibers. Kensington also takes a trip back to some vintage heritage pieces, such as baby alpaca vests. Baby alpaca is the fine hair garnered from the first shearing of a baby alpaca. Kensington—which comes in moonlight, merlot, vanilla, cognac and black—includes knit shirts, sweaters, woven shirts, bottoms and outerwear.

The Fall line for ladies from Fairway and Greene features versatility, added Bell. “We wanted to have choices that are versatile on and off the golf course.”

For Fall 2010, F &G has introduced three uniquely colored ladies’ collections—Coral Gable, with its bright pinks and greens; highland, which features autumnal blues and reds; and Sutton Place, whose sophisticated browns, oranges and blues are reminiscent of a typical fall day in New York City.

The buzz surrounding the company’s ladies’ selections centers around new fabrications, which range from active blends of nylon and Supplex, to cotton and Lastol, to nylon and spandex. These new fabrics blend the best of technology with ease of care and comfort. The new ladies’ Fairway and Greene Tech is the company’s inaugural launch into the technical knits category.

The ladies’ collections, much like the men’s line, are all about attention to details—including color blocking details, feminized plackets and silhouettes, zipper pulls, buttons, trims and finishing touches.

Fairway and Greene’s very cheerful Ladies’ Coral Gable Collection is designed to be fun. Besides petal and strawberry, the other colors in the Coral Gable Collection—which includes bottoms and knit shirts—are white, clover, black and martini print.

The Highland Collection is named for areas that typically see a change of seasons. In fact, the line represents change, and features a true fall color palette that includes navy, which, when blended with the rest of the collection’s colors, provides a superb look. Highland—whose colors include navy, neacock, white, pomegranate, camel, Skye paisley print and gemma grid print—consists of bottoms, knit shirts, F&G Tech, pima interlock, sweaters and outerwear.

The Sutton Place Collection’s colors are reminiscent of New York in the fall—ever changing. The inspiration for this line is the sights around New York City. Sutton Place’s colors are slate, mango, sable, vanilla, Dalton plaid and Carnegie cable prints. The line consists of bottoms, knit shirts, F&G Tech, Pima interlock, sweaters and outerwear.

For more information on Fairway and Greene: www.fairwayandgreene.com