Fashion War: Blake Lively vs Valeisha Butterfield

Spotted:Valeisha Butterfield and Blake Lively in the same Herve Leger Dress

Actress Valeisha Butterfield wore the black and gray Herve Leger dress at the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network's Fifth Annual Action Awards at Capitale last February 25, 2008 in New York City. Meanwhile, Gossip Girl star Blake Lively dressed into the same dress during the shooting of Gossip Girl TV series at the STK restaurant in New York City last Tuesday.

Who wore it best?

A. Valeisha
B. Blake

Girls who are boys who like boys to be girls

Oh I was quite the Blur fan as a youth. Marjan Pejoski is known for pushing gender boundaries in his collections and this collection is no different, however I've not been too drawn to the pieces until now. These looks are inspiring and most importantly wearable. Susie recently posted about this collection but I wanted to talk again about the menswear on offer. Yes the collection is pretty androgynous but I don't want to be sharing any of these pieces with her!

The AW/08 collection is something for guys and girls to swap, interchange and mix up in textures and shapes...

The beauty is (as always with good menswear) all in the cut and the drape. With a simple monochrome palette (although my favourite piece is the pistachio jacket), Pejoski is pushing menswear in ways other than colour. He is not afraid to play with the female silhouette, reforming it for the male, at times with spectacular results, at others interesting. Although it is stifling hot in London at the moment, I have to admit I am thinking about my next winter coat and Pejoski's outerwear is inspiring.

Christina Aguilera By The Wall Of Flowers In Macy's 150th Anniversary Ad

I've never been to Macy's store (obviously) but seeing Christina Aguilera in the store's campaign ad, I decided to write a post about it.

According to Pop Crunch, as Macy's celebrates its 150th anniversary this October, celebrities such as Christina Aguilera, Donald Trump, Martha Stewart, Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein were commissioned to pose and have their photos taken by famed Rolling Stone photographer Mark Seliger for a series of commemorative photos.

For a start, Christina Aguilera had a photo in a stunning vibrant dress by a wall of flowers.

She looks good in this photo but I just wish that it was somebody else's face. How about you?

China Olympics Fashion Influence

"One World One Dream", this is the theme of the upcoming 2008 Beijing (China) Olympics which will be held on August 8-24, 2008. As of today, China and other countries seems to be Olympic-themed and focused when it comes to fashion. Vogue and Harper's Bazaar magazines as well as Polo and Adidas comapanies set up a fashion shoot, presented campaign ads and created special collections to follow the crowd.

For China Vogue August 2008 Issue:
The magazine seems to be having some fun with their idea of Olympic fashion. The following shots are remarkable because of a fine selection of exquisite and colorful sporty apparel and sports equipment.




For Harper's Bazaar:
Lucy Lui have teamed up with Harper’s Bazaar to create an Olympic themed spread. The photos aimed to demonstrate that it doesn't matter whether you lose or win, it's how you dressed that counts.







For Adidas: According to Adidas, Impossible is Nothing because:

• I never lift alone.
• Alone I jump, together we soar.
• Ever seen a nation fly?
• I run with 600 million legs.
• They see me, but they'll feel us.
• No one gets up when a whole country kicks.

For Polo:
Inspired by the rich past of the Olympic Games, Polo Ralph Lauren brings an elegant and contemporary style to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams. The collection offers casual sportswear styles in patriotic combinations of red, white and blue adorned with the U.S. Olympic Team and iconic Polo Pony logos that Olympic fans will surely adore.

Gossips About Gossip Girl TV Series and The Fashion That Comes Along With It

I came to know Gossip Girl TV series through a blog of a Filipina celebrity where she cited Blair Waldorf's fashionable outfits. After reading her post, I got curious with the series so I do some online search and finally watched the whole Season 1 episode.

I admit that I am so into it because of the show's fashion statement. Outfits of Blair, Serena, Lily, Jenny and others appealed to me so much that I enjoyed watching it. I can't just can't get enough with the crested blazers, layered polo shirts, kilts, argyle sweaters, daazling jewelries, plaids,knee socks, high boots and most of all headbands!

It's good to hear the news that the Gossip Girl's 2nd season will be aired on September 1. However, amidst the "much anticipation" of fashionistas and glamoristas, "Gossip Girl" is getting lots of attention because of its sexy new ad campaign that depicts its main characters in steamy situations with negative quotes from the Boston Herald ("Every Parent's Nightmare"), the Parents Television Council ("Mind-Blowingly Inappropriate"), the New York Post ("A Nasty Piece of Work") and the San Diego Union Tribune ("Very Bad for You").

As for me, inspite of the critics and negative comments, I will continue to watch closely at what Blair and Serena will be wearing for the rest of the season. Why? Because I'm already 25 years old and I'm totally old enough to be subjected under Parental Guidance..hehehe

By the way, Gossip Girl has already an online store where you can find your fave outfit worn by your fave character.

Here's a slideshow of the Gossip Girl stars with definitely superb outfit:

Photo Source

Picture postcard: I think holidays may have made me crazy

Heed these wise words, Steve, heed them well.

This picture actually hurts my brain a little. Part of me thinks that this is utterly amazing- it's a freaking hat made of his own hair after all! Look at how much effort must have gone into it! Another part of me thinks 'good grief, that's a lot of effort to make hat hair'.

Still, like it or not, at least it's a bit different. Doing the best you can with what you've got (going by the writing, rather than the picture now) is always to be commended... surely? So the question is: if you could grow a fro hat, would you?

Now this dude has the right attitude. To think I used to look at Will Smith in the Fresh Prince and be amazed...that was nothing compared to this. We need people like him over the coming weeks as we look to explore the limits of blogging. Pure dedication to the cause...persistent, imaginative and crazy (we all need that important mix of crazy).

Call to arms

Greetings men's fashion bloggers!

This is not strictly speaking a men's fashion post, merely an idea we've been bandying about. There seem to be so few of us out there that we want to get a bit of unity going- strength in numbers! We want to try an experiment (a mass collaboration if you will), but we need your help. If you are interested in taking part, people drop us a line (our email address can be found on the right hand side) and we'll let you know what we're thinking of. I'm not trying to be deliberately mysterious, I've just not firmed up the details yet.

Many thanks

EJ and Steve

Beach Towel Most Foul + Cute Mocs!

So, we're off to the beach tomorrow for a whole week! I needed beach towels, so, despite the fact that it was raining like the end of days, I went to the haven of schlocky closeouts that is Conway (it's like a dollar store went on a crazy meth binge and robbed a Sears). I knew I'd find some delightfully tacky misprints, but I had NO clue I'd find something so deliciously foul... Observe:


Go ahead -- click on that shit. The dude's cut-offs are SLIDING OFF, and it looks like he stuffed a potato down what's left of them.

I bought four.

This dude's like a cross between early '80s Michael Jackson and the Unabomber. Amazing. (And speaking of bombs, please try to disregard the fact that my bedroom looks like one detonated seconds before this photo was taken. I think my room couldn't handle the gravity of the towel and shit just started flying toward the door in an attempt to escape.)

On the reals, on my way home, I also bought myself an early birthday present:

($55, Minnetonka, Epaulet)

I'd been wanting a pair of mocs for forEVER, so I stopped in Epaulet on Court Street, where MK got her Melissa + Campana rubber shoes last month. I'd wanted a white pair, but the natural flavor in the middle appealed to me the most, so I went with those. I'd been into Epaulet before, but this is the first time I'd purchased anything. I chatted with the owner, Mike, who's super nice. Great great shop -- you must go!

And speaking of go, so must I! To the gym. Gotta look HOT when draping myself across my King of Pop/ Ted Kaczynski towel. HEEE HEEE!

Wishing for my Summer Holiday...whilst going back to work

Back to School with Head Porter

It is unbearably hot in London (for me anyway) at the moment and to make matters worse the body clock of the child in me is going crazy...I should not be dreading the fact that tomorrow morning I have to get on a cramped, smelly, disgusting tube and commute into work. Tomorrow should be the start of my six week summer holiday, the beginning of many an adventure...in the park, on the beach...to far off distant lands (like Bournemouth)...but no, instead I have to come to terms with being a grown man and off to work I must go. To make my life a little more like how I yearn for it to be I might just have to experiment with the whole 'back to school' drive. The new Head Porter "Lesson" collection has arrived in the Honeyee Store, consisting of bags, backpacks, pouches and all things school related such as pen cases and folders, this would certainly make my work desk more appealing...now all I need to do is find my beloved Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles lunchbox.

Hot Flops = Hot Mess!

Ohhhhh b'gosh. Check out these "AMAZING NEW FLIP-FLOPS" called, disturbingly, "Hot Flops." Gah... Kind of a misnomer since yes, they're "flops," but no, they're not "hot." Though actually, they could definitely be considered "flops" the more I think about it.

Basically, someone took regular fucking flip-flops and glued some craft store dollhouse miniatures on them. WHOOOOPDIEDOO! Observe the traumatic, craptacular results in highlight form:

Oooh! The poker version! Gotta know when to fold 'em, folks!



Fashion FORE!

Seriously, someone was asleep at the wheel during the brainstorming sessions for these... if there WERE any brainstorming session. NOT ONLY is there a HUGE, TACKY clump of grapes (like the kind you'd see on a jug in some shitty tableau next to a statue of a jolly, stereotypically fat chef in a crappy Italian restaurant) on this otherwise innocent flip-flop, but somehow a dragonfly got roped into the situation AND -- look carefully -- you'll notice, a pineapple. That just makes me hate all pineapples now solely because of this one pineapple's involvement here. Oh yeah, you can also choose from FIVE OTHER fruit-themed "Hot Flops." You know -- if orange isn't your thing.

Like Chi-Chi's for your feet! A celebration of... crap!

These MIGHT be cute... if you're like 14 months old and not cognizant enough to realize what the fuck you're wearing.

Uhhhh????

Anyway, for additional torture, check out the poorly conceived subcategories of Hot Flops -- "Fruitflops," "Sportflops" and the especially disturbing "Coolhotflops." Again -- neither cool, nor hot. Weep. Morts Bagorts! :<

Panty-hose Is a Hit Of This Season.

What we should wear panty-hose with? In fact panty-hose IS NOT a "passive" addition to our atire any more. It became a domitating thing in ensemble. This season a panty-hose is a thing from your wardrobe that will help you in your the most courageous experiments.

Cosy heat.
Synthetics and kapron. It is so good that these fabrics are unfashionable for a while. Soft cotton, gentle wool and other natural materials are preferable. You will feel very cosy when it's cold and your clothes will not electrify.

Good combination.
Dense panty-hose will look marvelously with knitted capes, crocheted cardigans, woolen dresses picked up in tone. If your outer clothing is neutral combine panty-hose with gloves and scarfs.

Volume.
Dense stockings demand massive shoes, volumetric boots, thick heels.

Texture.
Woolen stockings - woolen things. Light skirts and transparent blouses are inappropriate.

1. Versace 2. D&G 3. Gucci 4. Gucci

Write it, get it, paste it, save it,

I love the Internet. There I said it. It's out there. I have to admit though that this wasn't always the case, there used to be a time where it could get in the way of what I called the 'real world' (EJ can vouch for this) but now I've come to accept that there is no 'real' world or 'virtual' world, everything is in one big pot. The downside of all this is that I have (like you no doubt as you are reading this after all) become an addict of stimulation in both written and visual form. There was a time when monthly, quarterly and even bi annual magazines used to be enough. Of course I would go into the best newsagent in town and have to ask the owner about when an issue was coming out, annoyingly the hell out of them but I like to think that they probably miss me now (NB - I still do this but there are just so many great magazine stores in London that I no longer have a local store to befriend). The Internet has preyed on my slight magazine weakness to make me a fully fledged addict. I regularly walk into stores now preying that for some reason the new issue of Fantastic Man would have been published months early, 10 Man, HE, Squint Homme and Monocle woud all be there waiting for me and who knows maybe even Vogue Hommes might have found there way...alas normally I walk out empty handed and frustrated. Now however, m frustration doesn't last that long because I can go home and access so much online, which leads me to my point (I did actually have one)...I stumble across so many great blogs everyday...I read somewhere that every second two blogs are created which is awesome (Just to balance the scales I would add my own stat about how every second at least one blog writer gets bored and stops). Yesterday, I came across thenonplace.

I love the simplicity of it all. A font and layout similar to that of Fantastic Man, images are accompanied by a brief paragraph of text. For example the entry above is accompanied with the following text: Another summer sale buy, I have gone a little over board of late! Visvim Nez shirt from last spring summer lovely quality exactly as expected and a great fit.

It is something I can look at work to relieve my eyes from spreadsheets and delivery reports. According to the archive the blog has been going since June 2007 which is the same month that myself and EJ decided to write our own after talking about it for months. The blogger is Stephen Mann, a stylist based in London. who regularly contributes to Arena and Qvest as well as working with designer Aitor Throup. Thankyou internet.

Can't...Resist...American...Apparel

My boss told me today, after commenting on my poufy, pleated "potato sack" skirt and the appearance of my ass in said skirt as opposed to the actual size of my ass, that he'd like to see me in jeans, a wifebeater, and cowboy boots. Inappropriateness aside, it sort of made me want to go shopping. So, obviously, I went out and bought a skirt at American Apparel. It's superswingy and cute. I'd advise sizing up so it can hang a little lower than Dov Charney (and probably my boss) would like.



American Apparel natural denim circle skirt, $45. It also comes in fun salmon and "blueberry" blue (basically unnatural-denim blue).

When I grow up...

Image taken from i-D (the Artisan issue - which is an extremely good issue for menswear)

I've discussed my recently developed love for architecture (I would love to be an architect when I grow up), this fascination with me being me naturally includes how the architect styles himself. Ole Scheeren is the German architect blowing people's minds with his gravity defying design for China's Central Television Headquarters and is featured in the latest issue of i-D (the Artisan issue - which has a great deal of interesting menswear). Ole's interviewer for the piece gives him the following introduction..."Handsome, talented and well dressed, Ole is as much a hit amongst the ladies as his buildings are revered on streets across the world"...this might be a tad shoddy but it covers the main points and the grainy image shows that the man can dress - I'm not a fan of unbuttoned shirts but this artisan pulls it off with ease.

His CCTV Building has been described as two drunken, upside-down Ls leaning against each other for support and has been compared to a man adjusting a pair of ill fitting trousers, it is certainly one the world’s most ambitious architectural challenges which looks to have worked..

We look on as man adjusts his ill fitting trousers

On the CCTV Tower Scheeren remarks "At bus stops, in bars and on the street, people had started to speculate what this building was going to be and to recognise that architecture could possibly do something completely different to what they thought it was. It had started to capture the public mind, and in that sense made a contribution to the life of the city before its completion." One day I will capture the public mind. In the meantime I will dress the part.

Maggie Gyllenhaal Jumped into Jumpsuits For "The Dark Knight" UK Premiere

Celebrity stylesetters are jumping into summer in sleek jumpsuits. They wanted wear the new all-in-one chic outfit, something you can put on and be done but feel totally together in.

Last July 17, Maggie Gyllenhaal jumps on the trend train and sports out a backless Stella McCartney satin jumpsuit with a plunging neckline at the UK premiere of The Dark Knight.

Here's some celebrities who already joined the trend too: