Rugby Chic - Maybe it's my fevered imagination, but doesn't it seem like rugby apparel is in this Fall? Not only is Old Navy running those "Rugby Bunch" commercials -- you also have the classic look at J.Crew. Then there's Abercrombie. I don't think I'm the only homo to notice that butch is back. And I have a theory.

Ruggers didn't play as prominent a role in our 9/11 consciousness as firemen and police officers, but they were there. Among gay people, one rugby player in particular gained a certain mythic quality. I speak, of course, of Mark Bingham, one of the "heroes" of Flight 93, who post-humously became The Advocate's person of the year. Now gay men (especially the urban subspecies) are well known for their sensitivity to trends. The testosterone bath that we all took in the media coverage post-9/11 couldn't fail to register. And who runs the fashion world? ExACTly. So here we are, a year later, just in time for the product designed six to nine months ago to arrive from garment manufacturers in Korea and China and begin stocking the shelves. Rugby jerseys, always a sartorial also-ran, have been given a new lease on life. (They sure are an easier sell than protective fire gear.)

Continuing the trend, look for those rubgy jerseys to be unbuttoned to reveal a thick thatch of chest hair. You won't see me complaining.