Oh, hi! I've been laying low lately, did anyone notice? I'm yawning back into the binge zone because I need to know: WHICH BOOTS TO BUY?? So many, many, many lovelies. Help me decide, won't you?
I've been dying for a pair of off-white boots since Aiken was a boy. These might be the Ones! Seychelles "Dirty Laundry" boots, $179.95. They also come in tan and black. Which brings me to my next hmmmm:
BCBGirls "Petler" boots, $178.95 with an instant $25 off = $153.95. A reader tipped me to these as a nice alternative to Loeffler Randall (aka $750) boots. These look mighty fine to me.
Steve Madden also has some tempting boots this season, and after getting so much mileage out of the pair of his I got last year, I'd gladly sign up for another pair. Such as these "Intyce" boots, $199.95. Comes in black too...which to buy?? I might have to boycott, however, based on the ridiculous spelling. Seriously, there's no call for that.
And obviously, these Frye "Sam" boots, $398, are just f'ing awesome. Someone buy for me? Perhaps with the thousand bucks I was just overhearing we should all be stuffing under our mattresses for when the world ends? Just a thought.
Speaking of Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week got a little more fabulous, chocolate and brunch lovers/ Will & Grace fans! Check out photos of Sasha Baron Cohen as Bruno crashing the runway in Milan, and then check out video footage of the stunt.
Nursing a hangover and all alone in the flat (because Susie is in Paris for the week) Sunday has been a lazy day for me. My time lounging on the sofa was well spent though because Film4 were showing the perfect Sunday afternoon film, Monkey Business. The film has a star studded cast including Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers, Marilyn Monroe and Charles Coburn but more interestingly than boasting stars the film shows them in a very different light than to how the audience expects to see them.
There is no doubt that Cary Grant is one of the most stylish men ever. While most have seen Cary Grant and indeed remember him for the romance and Hitchcock films of this decade such as An Affair to Remember, To Catch a Thief and North by Northwest, Monkey Business is reminiscent of the screwball comedies of the 30's. Very funny and full of just plain silliness, this film is a great way to pass a Sunday afternoon. Although in a more comedic role than I'm used to seeing in, he's still as stylish as ever. The style on display is more than similar to Mad Men. As Valet showed us how to get the style from the show of the moment and I just had to share it with you all once again.
1.) Sterling silver tie bar by David Donahue, $40 at Nordstrom. 2.) Lemtosh frames, $169 (without prescription) at Moscot. 3.) Sidecar gunmetal briefcase by Dunhill, $1,240 at Dunhill, 212.753.9292. 4.) Bow tie by Band of Outsiders, $92 at Blue Bee. 5-7.) Ties, (from left) Mike & Chris, $83, Ralph Lauren, $125 and Shipley & Halmos, $92, all available at Blue Bee. 8.) Suit by John Varvatos Star USA, $795 at Nordstrom. Shirt by Theory, $125, at Nordstrom. Tie by Hickey, $115 at Hickeystyle.com. 9.) Wool hat by Rod Keenan, $360 at Barneys New York stores. 10.) Cotton handkerchiefs, $25 for a pack of seven, at Brooks Brothers.
I will leave you with a piece of wisdom from Grant's character - "You're old only when you forget you're young." Now I'm off to buy a pair of braces after being inspired by this film.
The stylish smartypants over at Refinery29 did a de-gorgeous jobber culling together some of the most lovely color trends seen on the runways during New York, London and Milan's Fashion Weeks. Here are a few of my favorites: mustard, plum, and red (like the wine), respectively.
I've been waiting for the new issue of Fantastic Man (the issue is No. 8) for months now, thankfully the waiting is nearly over. The issue includes Fergus Henderson, a look at Chanel Menswear, Spectacles, Bowler Hats and so much more I'm sure. If only newsagents were 24 hours and stocked up on Men's Fashion/Style journalism...I'm afraid I'm going to have to sleep on it and rush to Borders in the morning before work. Sweet dreams.
"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower" Albert Camus
Both of us at Style Salvage love Autumn because for us, it's the season where men's style becomes that bit more interesting. Men can't hide behind a simple combination of t shirt, jeans and wayfarers, more thought is required and most importantly and most interestingly this also means more layers. EJ is going to post her thoughts on Autumn shortly but as I'm so excited about the prospect of crunching leaves underfoot in Hampstead Heath that I just had to share my current inspiration for the season with you.
This is my always-impeccably-dressed (and highly talented!) friend Neil, who was captured on Racked and braved many of their readers' absurd comments. Neil is ALWAYS dressed like this -- retro social club-chic dude -- in an unironic way, and it's always great. He's got his own haberdasher and has perfect suits. Yay, Neil!
Absolutely love these (they're referred to as "peacock," for some reason, not sure why, but I'll take 'em!), and I wish I had a big-ass house with a whole room with wallpaper in this pattern.
Cute, sweet little peacock feather hair clip. It'd look so sweet with your hair sort-of messy and half-up, you know? Just pluck it in there and go go go.
This Shultz Bakelite bangle is driving me up a wall with ravenous envy. Too bad it's bonkers expensive (though it looks like it's almost on the cheaper end for Shultz Bakelite). I still say you guys OWE IT TO ME for all that $ I'm saving you, right? Sigh. This is so the kind of bracelet I WISH I could find at a flea market for like $8. Swoonfromafar!
I really really am. No irony, no shame. Now, I'll be honest, I watched like four total episodes of Sex and the City. Couldn't stand the show, had no patience for it. Thought they were obnoxious trannies perpetuating obnoxious myths about city dwelling (though Friends did a good job of that too with that 24,000-square-foot apartment and mouse-free coffee shop), and their version of being in control of their lives was acting like men with inverted penises. And they looked like trannies.
But I DID like the Patricia Field element of the show, though I do absolutely realize she was single-handledly responsible for trannifying the ladies. Regardless, Patricia Field has always been a style hero of mine, and I truly love the funners that is her Destination Style New York collection for Home Shopping Network:
Yes, it's THE SARAH-JESSICA PARKER SEX AND THE CITY FLOWER SHOULDER CORSAGE dress, but in black, and I think I like it better in black, actually. Especially if you're not Sarah Jessica Parker-weensy: Also, the HSN version isn't AS intense -- doesn't look like an entire garden is blossoming upon your shoulder and rising up to eat your face. And that's a good thing. Granted, the model is a WEEEE bit too '80s-ed up AND like an underaged Balkan prostie, but it'd be super fun to wear the black version to a party, no? I sorta wanna have it just so I can look at it in what's referred to as a closet, but is really just a small crack in my wall that I've shoved clothing into.
Sequins are HAWT now, y'all. If this were red or white or silver or something, that'd be bad bad bad, but I love it in black. Very Dynasty. Makes me wish I were Joan Collins and I could rip Linda Evans' head off.
I didn't see the Sex and the City movie, but apparently trannyboy SaMANtha wore this, which wouldn't actually stop me from wearing it. It'd look so smooth with a little fitted blazer and tank.
Also, on a side note, I'm watching The Rachel Zoe Project right now. The episode where her studio floods. I love that she refers to that as a disaster. Um, now I'm not meteorologist, but wasn't Katrina a bit more of a disaster than a few couture gowns that need to be hung out to dry? Also, I love how, at Fashion Week, her token gay boy refers to the second row as "right behind the front row." Yes! Very good! And the alphabet consists of letters! Also, Rachel Zoe is like drowning is her own fat.
Finally, check out this amazing clip from Dynasty. By the time Joan Collins takes a spill down the stairs, you can TOTALLY tell it's a stunt woman in a wig. Classic.
Despite being out for almost a month now, only yesterday was I able to pick up the latest issue of VMan...but it is well worth the wait and it has well and truly wet my appetite for the coming season. The sun might be shining in London and it's so hot in my living room that I'm just wearing shorts as I type this (did you want that mental image on a Saturday afternoon? Perhaps not, but I've said it... there's no going back now) but all I want to think about is Autumn (more to come on this later this weekend). As the weather is against me on my quest for all things autumn, I thought it best to put my autumnal oohing and aaahing on hold for a day or so, so let's talk about Kanye's clothing line, Pastelle which was featured in VMan (despite Kanye's reported cold feet on showing the shots). I have been eagerly waiting to catch a glimpse of Kanye’s (with the help of Kim Jones) design aesthetic. The preview showcased in VMan has as a star studded cast including Rihanna and Lupe Fiasco modelling pieces of the collection...there just aren't enough shots though! However, from the three looks shown, you can definitely see the influence of Kim Jones on the collection.
Kanye recently gave an interview with Complex magazine where he spoke about the line:
"Just getting the right designs. It’s a gift and a curse. You’ve got all eyes on you, so if you deliver something great, it’s gonna get held as, “Oh, it’s supposed to be great.” And even if it’s good or it’s OK or something, it’s gonna get bashed. There were phases where I could just do the bear on a Polo and it would’ve made $100 million. At a certain point. But I always say I was a designer before I was a rapper, and I really wanted to get into design. So then, trying to start designing and goin’ with my girl down to the fashion district and stuff, and looking at fabrics and stuff like that, I’m like, “Oh, shit. This is real.” I’ve learned so much about materials and fabrics and applications and sequence and shiny fabrics and fits and all type of shit…"
The line should be in stores by November and from what I've seen of it, it's going to be a solid first collection which will no doubt make Mr West a lot of money. It is certainly going to be much more than just putting a bear on a polo shirt and slapping an extortionate price tag on it.
- Accessories: It's not one of the most used tags on the blog for no reason. They step any outfit up a level and give you an excuse to be a bit eccentric- bow ties and buttonholes anyone?
- Photography books: I love poring over glossy photography books of any era and almost any subject. My favourite in terms of style inspiration is Cecil Beaton portraits. I love tiny details like Gary Cooper's sideburns and more obvious things like suits, poise and posture.
- A pair of killer trainers: my love of Adidas is well documented, but I can have my head turned by all sorts of trainers (and I do mean that literally... it's not uncommon for me to almost smack into people because I'm looking the other way at someone's feet!)
- Superfly hair: tousled or slicked back, I'm not too fussy and I can appreciate guys making almost any sort of effort with their hair (why do so many men just ignore or mismanage their hair??) ...though of course my favourite is a brilliant quiff.
- Galleries: not so much a style essential, but believe me when I say that I couldn't do without them. The National Gallery in London is one of my favourite places to be.
Steve
- Everyday bag - These come in all shapes and sizes and the choice should depend on the day's activities. My current workday bag of choice is my vintage Polaroid bag but I'm also in the hunt for the perfect tote.
- iPhone - I love this piece of technology, it just makes my life a lot easier and is beautiful at the same time.
- Moleskin notepad and any pen I can find. Simple, elegant and just the job. In a fast paced world it is essential to be able to write down an insight, otherwise it might just be lost...if there aren't any insights to be jotted, you can always doodle.
- Borders - A well stocked newsagent is a necessity and Borders is heaven for me. Whenever I have a few minutes to kill in London I head to Borders. Magazines are so important to me, if it wasn't for magazines like The Face and even GQ who knows what I'd be doing right now. I'm a magazine addict and love nothing more than flicking through a new issue of Fantastic Man, 10 Man, Monocle, Man About Town, Nylon Guys, VMan, GQ Style....
- Wallet - The home of the key to all things shiny and new. I can not understand men who don't use a wallet. Mine is a Commes Des Garcons black wallet complete with coin purse.
Gian
We forgot to mention it on the last essentials post but Gian has posted his essentials over on his blog. Go and check them out!
Uh, that almost sounded bad... anyway, Lindsey's lips belt is really cute. (BTdubs, she looks like Blake Lively in this photo.) I'm sure it's like a bazillion-dollar vintage Vivienne Westwood piece, but here's a more affordable down-market version:
Um, so yeah. The platform of these shoes also pull double duty as a TIP JAR! For PUTTING COINS INTO! For when you work EXTRA HARD at work... and earn... CHANGE! For working REALLY REALLY HARD. On a POLE! With NO PANTS ON!
It's probably for the best that the black version of this is sold out, because I'd have definitely bought it, and the last thing I need is more costume jewelry. And seriously, I would've bought it. It's glass and it's gorgeous. And seriously, I LOVE Patricia Field's HSN collection!
