River Island seeks to separate itself from the Topman’s and H&M’s of the world with its Autumn / Winter 09 collection and, to a certain extent, it does just that. What works is the play with classic pieces–using nontraditional colors like a yellow cardigan and blue Fair Isle-ish sweater, offering iconic loafers and jeans in modern silhouettes, and well-tailored sport coats and outerwear. On the other hand, the drop-crotch trouser cut, while trendy in some circles, doesn’t seem to fit with the tone of the rest of the collection, as does a wool varsity jacket with a neck just slightly too high in the front. Not a collection to overlook, as it does feature some nice individual items.