from OrlebarBrown.com. Model is Red Bulldog, available for 265$

As the heat waves continue to buffet the country you probably want to hit the ocean waves and cool down by the beach or a pool.  But just because you are going swimming doesn’t mean that you should slack off on your style.  So as you putting your beach book inside your bag, take a second look at your bathing suit, is it baggy and long? If the answer is “yes” then you must upgrade your beachwear.  You should cool down in style, and very few companies make stylish bathing suits like a luxury swimwear company. The Classic Collection from Lahco, a Swiss swimwear company, harkens back to a vintage 1960s-esque elegant style with simple lines and well-cut trunks.  Their nostalgic style, of elegance through minimalism, will certainly allow you to cool down, while looking cool.
If color is your thing, the Swedish Napapijiri company is well stock with bold, yet sophisticated solid colors. The cut of the trunks is slim, but still loose enough so you don’t feel like your trunk is painted on. If you wish to show off more skin then most, while still looking like you belong in a GQ issue and not in Magic Mike, then the “shorter” short colletion from the Orlebar Brown collection is for you.  The “shorter” short comes in over twenty solid colors and ten patterns, which all but guarantees you will find one you like.  And if you are ambivalent about buying on a luxury bathing suit, remember, while you are sunbathing someone might be watching you, and you don’t want to be wearing some oversized, unflattering swim trunk.

The Ember shoe from Donald J Pliner.
Available for 298$ on donaldjpliner.com

Long ago, in the Dark Ages it was the case that being interested in shoes was the sole magisteria of women, but we are in the Enlightenment and the shoe-bonanza for men has never been more varied and fun to explore.  One style that has pique Modus interest is shoes with contrasting, colored soles.   This style has become rather prominent in the last few years, reaching all sections of male fashion.  Literally every brand that makes shoes for men-that you should wear-has several shoes that have been reinvented with a color sole.  And reinvented is the correct word here.  It used to be the case that you would have a black pair of shoes and a brown pair of shoes, but now every new style that you have added in the previous years, e.g. desert books, chukka boots, boat shoes, etc., can be added again, and again because you can acquire them in all the colors of the rainbow, and then some.

We believe that you can judge a man rather well by the shoes he wears, and if they are a fun, modern suede shoe with bright orange soles, we can say with great confidence that that man has style.

Available for 275$ on http://store-us.hugoboss.com

Cufflinks are not as popular or as essential to a man’s wardrobe as they once were.  Which means that if you are using cufflinks you are trying to make a statement with them by defying the new norm of cufflinklessness.  But because their isn’t a large demand for cufflinks it is difficult to come across unique cufflinks.  A good option for uniqueness is hand-painted cufflinks.  What is most interesting about the collection in paintedcoins.com is just how vast it is.  Given its large selection it is more likely that you will find something which you like.  The craftsmanship involved in the cufflinks gives them an air of elegance.  If you are using cufflinks you should check out hand-painted cufflinks.

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 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.

Back in July the Coin department store in Milan used live mannequins for a promotion.  This is not a new thing, back in 2009 live mannequins were used in NYC’s fashion week.  And the Fifth Ave Abercrombie and Fitch store frequently has models at the entrance of their store.  But in Milan the use of live mannequins was criticized by Italy’s trade union as being the merchandisation of the human body.  The workers responded by holding signs that stated that “modeling is also a job”.  We completely agree with them.  The difference between being a live mannequin and being in a photo-shoot is a camera.  Models choose to go into modeling and their choice should be respected.

Using live mannequins is a creative way to market clothing.  In the traditional forms of advertisement the customer is separated from the model.  In a usual shopping trip you walk down aisle with the clothes arranged such that you are enticed to buy them, the workers will ask you how they can help you shop, while mannequins stare coldly at you.  Live mannequins break this monotony while bringing warmth that a worker cannot.  Live mannequins add a human touch to what otherwise is dehumanized shopping experience

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.

images from webpages.shepherd.edu

Trends are set either by the fashion industry or celebrities. That alone should make you weary of them. The fashion industry is fickle and often unpredictable. What it sees as acceptable today can be laughable tomorrow. Celebrities can set trends by merely being popular and the incessant desire of people to imitate them . A celebrity only matters while they remain the flavor of the month. Celebrities can outlast the fickleness of the media, but whatever trends they create during that period do not. The danger of following trends is that you are always at the mercy of fickleness which will alway prevent you from grounding yourself and creating your own style.

If you develop your style properly, away from the ever changing trends at times there will be trends that hint at your own style. Whenever this happens, do indulge a little in trends, but always make sure to get out when it has left your style. I cannot stress the importance of your own style enough. In creating your own style you find a little of yourself and bring it out for everyone to see. Trends are not create by you and therefore do not represent you, beware trends and embrace style.