Live Mannequins

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

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.

Beware of Trends

 

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.

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.

The Man Makes the Clothes

\image from  http://apothegms.wordpress.com/2009/02/04/clothes-make-the-man-sic/

          When the clothes make the man that is because the man is not a man, but merely a mannequin.  When the man makes the clothes it is because that man understands what clothes should be.  Clothes should not create your status nor your style. Your clothes should reflect who you are.  Use your clothes like how an artist uses his art materials. When an artist creates a new piece he uses his materials in order to help him expose a part of his inner self to the world.  When you choose a new outfit think of it as attempting to show the world a part of who you are.  An artist that merely buys the most expensive materials and throws them together is not an artist. In the same spirit, a person who buys the most expensive clothing is not creating anything, they are merely consuming.  Use your clothes as materials and yourself as your canvas. Be an artist through your style and create something new.

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.