Bertigo shirts

If you are the type that is edgier then most, you should check out the Bertigo shirt collection. With a unique use of fabrics, patterns, and materials, Bertigo is able to infuse all their shirt collections with a modern feel that is right any season.  One of the things we really like about Bertigo is their creative use of buttons. It is not something that most people think about when buying a shirt, but owning a shirt with square buttons, wood or metal buttons will set you above the pack.  The cut of the shirt is impeccable, slim, modern and most importantly: all Bertigo shirts have the same fit. The use of patterns, for example adding paisley assent to a solid color shirt, adds enough pizzazz to the shirt that it makes it a wonderful piece.  Of course, if you are trying to be edgier that effect all but disappears if another person is wearing the same thing as you, which is why the fact that few stores carry Bertigo is good.  By being carried by few, it is more selective because your neighbor will not simply walk past it at Bloomingdales.

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Bold Color All Year

Corbin pants

DL1961 Premium Denim

Bertigo Shirts

Winter means that closets will change their color and become monochromatic.  But damned be the season, this winter you should be an evergreen and keep your color.  But when defying the norm you must make a statement out of it.  This means that to pull off color in the winter it must be bold colors.  Red is perhaps the boldest color so add something red to your wardrobe this season.  Just be weary of not overdoing it.  If it looks like a rainbow vomited on you, it is too much.  Just because you are being a rebel does not mean that you can throw aesthetics out the window.

A bold color does not have to be a bright color.  A deep violet is bold but it is not bright.  On the other hand white is bright but hardly bold, for the notable exception of white jeans as these are defying a norm in of themselves.  So a way to know whether a color is bold is by first impressions.  If a color at first sight does not cause a strong reaction from you it is safe to say that it is not bold.  if the color screams, in a good way, then it is a bold color.

Elk Accessories

Elk is an Australia based accessories designer company that has a fresh, contemporary aesthetic.  The company’s products are delightfully minimalistic in design and color palette.  Elk is committed to using high grade raw materials and to working with small manufacturers to produce high quality products.  Elk’s website mentions that “accessories should be a statement, easy to wear, comfortable, affordable and instantly recognizable” which contains their entire fashion philosophy.

The simplicity of the products is a breath of fresh air in an over-designed atmosphere.  The color palette is based on a natural color palette.  This color palette gives the accessories a refined masculine feel.  The air of refinement is further reinforced by the clean cut lines in the design.  Their document wallet is a perfect example of the style.  The document wallet is navy with a brown latch.  The design is leather, nothing more.  But it is in not having more that is actually more.  Minimal design is tricky, too minimal looks bare but the right amount of minimal is more.  And I think that Elk’s accessories are the right amount of minimal.  Having one of their accessories will certainly make a state.

Bow Ties

from Dee & Ricky Oswald - James Bond 007 bow tie, $125 at deeandricky.com

          Bow ties are becoming big and there is no sign that this will change. I think this is more than just a trend. There is a growing need in the male fashion scene for diversity and bow ties fulfill that role without the stench of a trend. Unlike ties, there is no shame in using clip on bow ties. In fact most stores that are carrying bow ties are carrying the clip on kind. If you choose to wear a bow tie frequently, it will tend to have a whimsical air. The playfulness of a bow tie will diminish the formality that is usually associated with bow ties.

           Whimsical however does not mean goofy. When choosing a bow ties opt for slimmer kind, it is a more refined look. As to the pattern, the rules that apply to ties apply to bow ties. That is to say that your bow ties should be as well chosen as a tie, and if you choose to wear a pocket square while wearing a bow tie do not go matchy-matchy. You should not be afraid to don on a bow tie, rather wear it proudly and stylishly.

Fashion Week Digital

Fashion Week Digital offers exclusive online fashion shows, making it the new innovative way to gain access to all things fashion. Fashion Week Digital has made it possible for all fashion lovers the world over to take a front row seat at exclusive fashion shows. The first online fashion show week will be broadcasted live August 25^th thru September 1^st.

The website ( www.fashionweekdigital.com) is a members only website, with membership available on the Fashion Week Digital website. Members get access to backstage interviews with designers, the opportunity to watch the exclusive fashion shows, win prizes, pre-order fashion items and get discounts.

The collections and shows are exclusive to Fashion Week Digital. It is all about the designer and the fashion lover. If such exclusivity to fashion shows was not enough, Fashion Week Digital also features content about style, designers, and fashion items.

Facial Hair

image from http://whatthehipster.tumblr.com/

Properly grooming your facial hair can do wonders for your look.  Doing it wrong can have terrible consequences, of which looking bad is the least of your worries.  It can be difficult to know what will make you look good, so experiment.  However do not experiment like if you were in the early 2000s.  Do not go outside if it looks over groomed or as if you were shaving and decided that just a pencil thin beard looked good.  Do not leave a neck beard, it makes you look unkempt.  Do not use a style that you might expect to see in a 70s porn star.  And for the love of all that is fashionable, never ever go outside, or let there be a record of you attempting Michael Jordan’s Hitler mustache.

Now into the benefits of facial hair.  If you are able to grow a non-patchy beard-sadly I cannot-make sure that if you smile no bare skin can be seen on your chin.  I would be weary of wearing a mustache by itself, it will sadly make most of us look like pedophiles. However mustaches have been growing in popularity in the last few years, so find someone who will be honest with you and try out a new look.

Image from Yahoo Sports. Available at http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Charles-Barkley-says-what-we-re-all-thinking-abo?urn=nba-246853

 

Male Jewelry

Recently Iran banned the importation of necklaces for men as part of their fight to protect the moral purity of their people.  That’s an insane ban.  But what kind of jewelry should we as men wear?  Stores like Topman, Forever21, and H&M are catering to a growing demand for male jewelry.  With a suit very few pieces of jewelry will ever be acceptable, and a necklace is certainly not one of them.

Any jewelry you do choose to wear on a daily basis should look like you wear it in a daily basis.  That is to say that any piece of jewelry you are wearing gives the impression that you have been wearing it for a long time.  The reason for this is that if it looks new and out of place it call for unwarranted attention, as if you were wearing the price tag.  So experiment with jewelry, it is a fun way to add something extra to your wardrobe; women have been doing a great job at it for centuries.

Style vs Fashion

Someone who is fashionable is not necessarily stylish and vice versa.  A fashionable person is someone who keeps up with the daily whims of the fashion world.  A fashionable person is always up to date on the latest fad, but is also always dated.  They are dated because all you need to know when one of their pictures was taken is to look at their outfit.  Anyone with sufficient disposable income can be fashionable.  All you need is the latest issue of GQ and your credit card.
A stylish person on the other hand is someone who has an air of self-imposed fashion and rules.  A stylish person is someone who has gone beyond the rules and whims of fashion and has become their own person.  A stylish person will always be stylish by the way they wear their clothes, always in some way asserting themselves through their outfits.  The stylish person does know the rules of fashion, but in knowing the rules also knows how to break them.  It is always better to be stylish then to be fashionable.  A fashionable person stops being fashionable person when their credit card is denied.

The Silver Tie Bar

The tie bar is the accessory that both literally and aesthetically brings an outfit together.  The tie bar or tie clip should only be silver color.  End of story.  Any other color appears too experimental to have the effect that the silver tie clip has.  It might seem a bit traditionalist to advocate for a single color in an accessory, but a silver tie clip has so many advantages over other colors that any other color is useless compared to it.  The silver tie bar is simply never the wrong decision, it is basically impossible to mismatch it with any color and it will always add a debonair air to your look.

If you are using skinny ties -as you should be- it might be a little difficult to find a tie bar that fits your ties.  Thetiebar.com and cufflinks.com have several options that will fit the slimmest of ties.  If you are using skinny ties, adding a tie bar to your wardrobe will make your look oh so Italian.  There is much to be said for the minimalistic style of Italy, but one thing that is for certain is that to have an Italian looking wardrobe is never a bad thing.

Suitjamas – Looking good ALL the time

Do you tear off your clothes the instant you get home, searching desperately for something more comfortable to wear- like that ratty old college sweater or oversized shirt?
The clothes we wear say many things about us (intentional or not) and can be instrumental in creating your personal image as well as convincing that attractive young lady to accompany you home.
But how often do you think about your appearance in the bedroom, especially to your partner? Those faded out college shirts & oversized track pants you’re walking around the house in certainly aren’t doing you any favors.
Enter Suitjamas™,  who have humorously combined the raw sex appeal of a man wearing a Suit with the comfort of Pajamas, to create an incredibly luxurious (and sexy) set of sleepwear suitable for the bedroom or just lounging around the house. Made with a Silk/Cotton blend for maximum comfort and improved breathability these Suitjamas have acquired a loyal cult following in social media circles thanks in part to being worn by Barney Stinson in a recent episode of How I Met Your Mother. Currently a limited edition run of 300 Armani Grey Suitjamas have been manufactured to be sold exclusively to fans who visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Suitjamas
Suitjamas- “It’s about looking good ALL the time”