what i'd like to see on the street. just this week. come ON, one of you, make me happy.

i mean, i get it.  we're all sick of hearing about his weight loss, his tattoos, his ex boyfriends . . . but gotta love a boy who can work his legs in a kilt.  and a big mother fucking hermes bag.  and from the look of his attitude, a healthy sense of humor.

and who doesn't want a navy kilt?  no, really.  i'm serious.

i think it's because marc jacobs must be in a place in life where the fear of judgement is gone, where he can explore himself and what he needs and desires, and his collections have never been more creatively intense or exciting.  the fact that he can throw all this on at once, and make me smile rather than cringe . . . says something about how men COULD approach their presentation to the world.

with a sense of joy, humor, and experimentation.

and then someone show me this :

hot.

check the boots.

check the banding on the pants.

check the sheerness of the shirt.

it's couture meets skinhead.

and has the same sense of release and relief that the outfit above it.

confidence,
however you express it,
is sexy,
my friends.

go forth and propogate the word.

what we can learn from women - BOTTEGA VENETA RESORT 08

let's face it,
guys just don't get the options or the range women do,
and even though that is changing rapidly
(roland mouret is doing menswear!  look it up.  it's major.)
we are still left out of many of the changing whims of fashion,
for better or worse.

resort is actually an example of the "worse".

a season that used to be primarily for the very very wealthy who would escape to resorts during the holiday season, "resort" has become a fourth season in fashion, primarily due to the shifting nature of both weather (thank you global warming), and the travel patterns of the world's influencers, with clothing that is almost season-LESS.  think great infusions of color in the middle of a drab winter, and great pieces to layer. 

witness bottega veneta for women.  it's a lesson in indulgence, timelessness, and the use of COLOR:

use this as inspiration for HOW to use color.  note the grounding of gray.

note the classic cut on a leather coat, but the new use of color. 

craftsmanship.

and color.

again.

and hell yeah.
a sense of humor, baby.

cause you might be a guy, but the best way to do color,
is to NOT TAKE IT SERIOUSLY,
and suddenly, it all loosens up.

luxury is not knowing that you have anything on, baby.

act naked, and anything can work.

models i have known : stan

i'm sure he has a last name,
we shot him for a denim campaign at old navy,
and he caught a certain wistful quality i wished we had put more into action
in the finished work.

this recent spread with a new york publication shows off this quality,
somewhere between feminine and classically masculine,
he's the friend you had in college
who you only remember through photos.


and are struck with nostalgia.

perhaps in my new life,
a chance to explore this side of him . . .

MAKING THE BRAND : KRIS VAN ASCHE

buzz. 
it's like crack for a brand.

and sometimes a print campaign can do it.  generate that talk value, get the internet buzzing, and start everyone searching for the ads, and eventually the brand.

kris van asche hired a noted art photographer known for his work with porn stars,
making their oeuvre something of beauty,
then hired gay porn stars,
rented a laudromat,
and . . .

a hypnotic brand statement is born.

and people have been looking it up for months.

from the mouths of BABES : festive

something holiday to get y'all going.

now go.  adorn.

i'm thinking rose gold.  it's so very now.

SAM SAFFMAN (file under "male models i have known", petite crushes, good guys, and "casting tapes that mysteriously end up on the interwebs through no fault of my own".)

i've worked with many models,
and some just rise to the top.

stop it, you pigs.  i mean they're pretty talented and they are pros,
AND they manage to be pretty nice normal guys.

i worked with sam for about three years at old navy,
and watched his career expand over time.





this was the first casting tape i ever saw him on,
and it kind of hits you right away what you have to do
if you want to be a succesful model,
but also a good all around guy:

1) learn how to bashfully tug on ear.
2) develop irresistable accent.  (practice by growing up in leeds)
3) occasionally display incomprehensible tattoo under arm
4) be genetically blessed.
5) get guys to gush like twelve year old girls on their blogs about you.

there.  that shouldn't be so hard for you guys to accomplish.


i'd start practicing.

now.

A.P.B. (bring me the head of rick owens)

ok, if anyone sees this man,
please bring him directly to me.

do not stop go, do not collect anything he has lying around his showroom,
do not spend inordinate amounts of time chatting with the exquisite white-faced boy child he has manning the floor of his tribeca flagship, do not attempt to charm something fur-related from the charming woman in his place on the palais royale.

simply gather as much merchandise (medium) as you can get your hands on,

example A:

example B:

example C:

then,
grab him by his big muscley arm,
pull him out of that damn fog he's so fascinated with,
and drag him to my place.

and try to get here by six,
i'm having coctails on the roof and i really hate to start parties without all the guests there.

it's rude.

STARTING FROM SCRATCH : khakis

i've always said that certain retail chains could turn their whole damn chains around
if they'd step away from all denim all the time
and try and re-imagine a category.

take khakis.

they're just as, if not more so, functional as denim.
they are a touch more versatile in the dressing up category.
and done right, they actually make you look unique in this denim mad world.

but they have to be rethought a bit.

first, the fit.
don't we all want a waist?  i think waists are great.  i think all the crunches and laps in the pool are done for a reason.  and even if we're just sitting at starbucks on santa monica watching the waists go by, we WANT them.   so how about cutting a khaki that emphasizes that, huh?  so hard?  really?

and perhaps we can leave the pleats behind.  as in "the trash".

i think now is probably the time to add a little volume to the leg.  much more modern.  nothing viktor and rolf-ish (for those of you that missed the reference, e-on over to style.com and look it up.  you people really need to read the syllabus before you come to class.)  but a little breathing room so you can sit down. 

and perhaps a slightly fuller lower leg.  i'm not asking for hammer pants, just something more like this.

add a bronze button, a pair of trainers, and a tee, and suddenly, you're neither the chelsea clone, nor the dockers boy.

how refreshing.

alright, i'm done with you.  go away.

FROM THE MOUTHS OF BABES - investment dressing

this is in reply to a question richard posted on my other blog

about how many lanvin trainers i own.

i find that an intensely personal question,
so instead of answering in a direct and honest fashion, i'm going to point out to you all that when you find something of quality that makes you feel special, something that works more than one way for you, something that gives you that little thrill inside, you should buy multiples to cover your bases.

this holds true for every category in fashion, from american apparel deep v necks to good denim, to brazilian pool boys. 

i, personally, continually strive to reach the nirvana of the perfect closet,
well stocked with casual basics (by rick owens),
everyday wear (by martin margiela and raf simons)
and that "item" piece that pulls the twain together (most often, lanvin.  surprise.)

so, in closing,
i would say it's rude to ask "how many"
and more polite to ask
"how do you like the latest pair?  isn't navy wonderful?"

sorry, dropped off there for a bit. but i'm a guy.

i get to do that.

it's like how when we first met, and you gave me your number, and i didn't call for three weeks,
then i was drunk one saturday,
and i called at three in the morning and asked if i could come over.


so i'm just calling back to say thanks.

i had a great time.

you're swell.

from the mouths of BABES : on fooling yourself

Illusion is the first of all pleasures. 

- Oscar Wilde

a man who knew a thing of two about the sartorial life.

and made a life out of illusion.

AMPERSANDS : damn opening ceremony and their boots

in the series of accesories that make life worth living,
the chukka boot as interpreted by opening ceremony.

i have a few pairs.  now i see this.

yes, it is simply black leather.

 

why do i find this insanely, impossibly, dirty sexy?

calvin klein home, home, on my range -

looks like calvin klein (the brand)
is getting into furniture.

here's hoping it's masculine, clean-lined, and done with luxurious materials.

you know, like gold leaf, leather, and walnut.

STARTING FROM SCRATCH : sweat it.

the sweatshirt.

please, try something without a college logo.

or, any logo.

think a color, or gray with an accent.

think slimmer fit, more like a sweater, more like a shirt,
and look to a higher gauge fabric than cotton,
something that might last you a few years.

then, let it mix with flannel pants,
khakis,
and nothing else.

if you buy matching pants, you are reading the wrong blog.

taking the picture that's in your head -

how to take a good picture (of yourself):

1)  have a sister who modeled.  lauren was the girl who, in every single picture, was dazzling.  even though it was the eighties, her hair was high, and her dresses made lacroix look tame, she stood out.  she almost radiated.  i hated her.  she told me that all you had to do was throw your shoulders back, pivot your hips to camera, and smile, using your teeth.  i thought she was drinking.  it couldn't be THAT simple.  but, i tried it, cause i was gay, vain, and desperate to look good in a picture.  it didn't work.

so, when confronted, she told me about the secret.

2)  you have to practice.  every face is different, but mirrors are our friends.  eventually you'll see the angle, the smile, and the eyes that work.  so i did, and it got better.  but not perfect.  i kept practicing, and nothing improved much.  so i tackled her in the hall, held her down, and threatened to spit in her mouth, until she relented and told me:

3)  you have to fake it.  she said "look. you have to fake that you are happy.  that you are laughing.  and that's key, cause everyone looks better when they're laughing, or coming right into or out of a smile."

and she was right.

why this ramble?  cause men need to learn not just how to dress themselves,
but how to present themselves,
and how to make sure the world sees them.

cause a good portrait goes a long way to securing what you want these days . . .
it is a social-networked, blogged, im'd environment.

now go get a mirror.  and practice.

you want to be perfect, right?

ICONS OF STYLE : Paul Newman

ok,
let's face it.

the man had NO "style".

he just was.

and that's all you need. 
i actually think his calm confidence was best (stylistically) expressed
in shots with his life's love,
joanne woodward.

he was a man with no style.   but the confidence to pull it off.

DON'T try this at home.

uniform redux : the angelina example

HERE,
this is what i was talking about.

rumor has it that angelina used to have it in her contract that she ONLY would wear black or white,
no matter the role or the event.

seems she's branched out a bit over the years (though knowing that and seeing her films, it seems pretty precise), but there is a definite limitation of silhouette, palette, and mood to her clothing.

a "uniform" if you will:

the deep v gown,
or strapless,
nothing fussy:

she loves a good trench coat:

VERY rarely (because even a uniform needs some flexibility),
a pop of color:

course,
it doesn't hurt to pop this doll head on top of the simple dress code:

i love a man in a uniform -

who doesn't?

but i've recently been pondering the possibility of a "uniform" for day to day.
not having to go into an office,
where the "jeans and a blazer / pants and a tee" attitude made getting dressed pretty easy
(there is no uniform for creatives in my field, but there was always a desire on my part to dress it up a bit, not treat the position with any disrespect.)
has made my day to day
a bit of a dilemma.

my upstairs neighbor is a writer,
and laments the "sweatpant" issue
which i gradually began to understand.

when the days bleed a bit, it's far too easy for a guy to slide into sweats, a tee, anything that makes it easy.

but i found that made me depressed.

i LOVE clothes.

so,
i have started mandating a dress up moment
every day.

and hence, the uniform idea.

i've spent the last few years limiting the palette i buy to colors that work for me,
that make me feel powerful.
it's a very navy and stone colored world.

now i've narrowed to shapes, pieces, labels even
that fit, marry, and make me feel
powerful, comfortable, adult.

does this constitute a uniform?  and if so, do other guys find themselves
not in a rut,
but in a refined form of presentation?

RUNWAY RUNDOWN : gilded age spring 09

i've told my friend todd a few times
this is the way a MAN dresses.

you know, if you're the guy who can pull off the
"handsome" not "cute" thing,
or the guy who can be called
"rugged"
or the guy who can legitimately claim to have smoked and ridden horses
and been on a billboard.

or if you want to BE that guy,
then gilded age is your label.

doesn't matter if a purse falls out of your mouth when you open it,
these clothes are gonna butch up your world, fast.

what you can't tell from the pictures
(though feel free to click on them and examine with fervor)
is the attention to detail in this line,
the fact that much of it is still woven on original 19th century looms in north carolina,
or the density of the fabric and unexpected weights and hand-feel in the mixing and layering.

this is a man's line,
that doesn't seem to borrow from anyone else's line,
and doesn't go nostalgic.