December 20, 2009

Holiday Warm-fuzzyness

Hi everyone,

I know I haven't posted in a while but my laptop has taken a break and coupled with finals season my time has been stretched thin.

Today has been a great day and I have had a lot of warm fuzzyness come my way thanks to two websites I love very very much.

The first one is Givesmehope.com which in a format that is very similar to FML brings out quite the opposite, those little things that give people hope and inspire us all.

The second one is a personal favourite and source of strength and inspiration in less pleasant times. What was once just an idea of Blue Devils United, Duke's Student LGBTQQA group, has materialized itself in BlueDevilsUnited.com a thriving blog about what it is like being LGBTQ at a big American University.

I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I am and if you do like them please comment below. I often wonder if anybody actually reads this blog!

Thank you and Happy Holidays to all!!!

RFW:)

September 8, 2009

Fall brings Winter, all rejoice!

"Frosty is the morning;
But the sun is bright,
Flooding all the landscape
With its golden light."

Yes, ladies and gentlemen it is now officially fall on my beloved campus and while putting away the colours of summer and the memories of the Aegean Coast is a little hard, Fall is still my favourite season. It is time to whip out the ingredients needed for proper layering, put away the boat shoes and replace them with some nice sneakers and a good pair of leather or suede boots. While Autumn here in North Carolina is not by far as cold as the Autumns of my European childhood, I still relish the crisp morning air as I walk to class, thinking of all the colours that are soon to flood Duke's campus.

With the coming of Fall a change of colour is also needed on top of a change of items worn. Some popular fall colors this year are softer and darker shades of green, blue, grey and purple with a splash of golden, ochre and olive green for blending in with the chromatic explosion of the equinox.



A common faux pas with the advent of Fall is eliminating colour altogether once the first raindrop falls. While Fall does indeed require a rethinking of one's palette in terms of tone and hue, it certainly does not imply an all-out purge of all that binds us to Spring and Summer.



Contrary to the antiquated rule of not wearing white after Labor Day, the more daring sybarite is more than welcome to add a little contrast to his wardrobe although one should expect harsh critique from the more nescient of friends (Check this nice little article about wearing white after Labor Day and how this slightly ridiculous idea came into being)

winter-white

For anyone living in colder areas of the United States, bringing out the cable sweaters, chunky cardigans and cashmere scarves is definitely acceptable and gives room for endless combinatorial possibilities. If there ever was a time of year when men should attempt to rival their female companions in terms of style and panache, Fall and Winter are definitely it.

As I always try to bring forth items and people that transcend mere utility and beaute, looking through some Ford Models portfolios these past few days I found one male model that somehow captures the essence that every beginning of Fall imbues in me and who was the inspiration for this post

Please enjoy and have a Happy Fall!

chris clayton3chris clayton

August 7, 2009

It’s not easy being Green!

And for most, it certainly isn’t easy to pull it off either. There’s the issue of the different shades of green, which range from puking pastille green to the beautiful Royal Green, then also having to match it or make it blend in with the rest of the outfit. He who dares however shall be rewarded and a green addition to your look can do wonders, as long as it’s not anything pukey, too flashy or resembling of Hulk’s complexion.

I’ve gathered some images of different Green items that I found to my liking and with this post I open up a new series of posts which will contain collages of different items from a certain colour family.

 

Green1

August 5, 2009

FashioNation - Embracing Fashion As An Art Form

I have been asked countless times why most runway fashion shows contain so many outfits that are clearly unfit for actual 'street-wear'. As best as I can put it, fashion should not be viewed solely as a reservoire of ideas for personal style but moreover as a form of art in itself.


To that extent, modern day designers have gone from simply searching for pragmatic fashion approaches and have ventured into exploring the interactions between the human body and anything that comes into contact with it, and thus becomes a second skin. In such a world, the fine line between the male and female genders becomes less distinct and elements of both worlds blend to form a disgendered ideal:



One website that I simply love and which is almost entirely dedicated to promoting the artistical qualities of contemporary fashion is FASHIONATION.


(Photos from top to bottom: Comme des Garçons/Y. Yamamoto - model Kerry Degman; A. Symons/J. Richmond - model Ryan Thomas; VMan - Swimsuit Edition)

July 5, 2009

Burberry Totalus!


Harry Potter's heartthrob Emma Watson took some time off from the sets to be part of Burberry's new Ad campaign for the 09/10 Winter Collection.


While Burberry has used celebrities in their ad campaigns before, having Emma Watson as their poster child definitely brings a new perspective to urban chic. Her smoky eyes and semi-grungy hair style finally portray Emma Watson as what she probably would like people to see her as. A good-loking stylish teenager who wants to be normal.



June 17, 2009

An award does not necessarily make you a better (fill w/ noun)

…but is sure does get you the extra attention designers need nowadays, in times of financial recession.

Yesterday marked the day of the 2009 CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America), which to all American-based designers and a lot of fashion-aficionados is a day to look forward to. For Designers an award can represent the culmination of a lifetime of work or the beginning of nationwide exposure while for followers of mode it was something on the lines of a mini-Oscar ceremony.


Founded in 1962, CFDA is a not-for-profit trade association, whose 350 members are amongst America’s foremost fashion and accessory designers. The CFDA awards have several categories but the most important ones are of course Designer of the Year (Menswear, Womenswear and Accessories), the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award and the International award.





Womenswear Designer Of The Year
The Award in this category went to the Californian-based Rodarte, who has seen a meteoric rise to celebrity since the two Mulleavy sisters started their company in 2005, after graduating from U.C. Berkeley. Rodarte’s founders have been featured on the cover of Women Wear daily and have even met with the infamous Anna Wintour, Edito of American Vogue Magazine. Several Rodarte pieces have been seen on celebrities such as Cate Blanchett, Kirsten Dunst, Keira Knightley and Dita von Tesse.





Menswear Designers Of The Year

CFDA 2009 scott sternberg
82306571BG024_Calvin_Klein_
This year, the award was given to two designers since results of the voting declared it a tie. Scott Sternberg of Band of Outsiders (Left) and Italo Zucchelli (Right) of Calvin Klein Collection both received an award. Scott Sternberg had received the Emerging Talent award last year so this year’s achievement only enforces his talent and vision, showing that he has not disappointed his fans.











The Award for Accessory Designer Of The Year went to Jack McCollough & Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza Schouler. There were also three Swarovski awards which went to Alexander Wang for Womenswear, Tim Hamilton for Menwear and to Justin Giunta for Subversive Jewelry.

CFDA 2009 - Anna Sui
The Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Anna Sui for her long and successful career in fashion. Having started working out of her apartment in the late 80s and early 90s, following with the launch of her store in 1991, Anna Sui is now a staple in womenswear as her clothing, shoes, fragrances, cosmetics, and accessories are recognized globally in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Sui now joins the ranks of Yves St Laurent, Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren, Diane von Furstenberg and Bill Blass, who are all past recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award.
CFDA 2009 - Marc Jacobs2


International Award
Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton was recognized again this year by being awarded the International Award,his fourth CFDA award having won one the erry Ellis Award for New Fashion Talent in 1987 and thus becoming the youngest designer to ever receive this accolad, one in 1997 for Womenswear and one in 2002 for Menswear. This year Jacobs was ranked 15th on Out magazine's annual list of "50 Most Powerful Gay Men and Women in America" and this month he has announced his intention of marrying Brazilian advertising executive Lorenzo Martone, his boyfriend of one year, in Provincetown, Massachusetts later this year.


CFDA 2009 RL and wife RickyPopular Vote Award
This year also marked the first ever Popular Vote Award. Through a website hosted by wwd.com, the public was given the opportunity to vote for its favorite fashion designer. An overwhelming number of votes were cast and the winner of the Popular Vote Award was Ralph Lauren, who came alongside his beautiful wife Ricky. His award is definitely well-earned and goes to show the recognition and gratitude shown by the American public for one of the founding fathers of Modern American Style.

CFDA 2009 blake-lively





Besides the usual crowd of designers and Fashion magazine editors and photographers, this year’s CFDA Award ceremony had two special guests that are very dear to me. One was the First Lady, Michelle Obama who was awarded the Board of Directors’ Special Tribute Award. The other person was Gossip Girl’s own socialite Serena Van der Woodsen aka Blake Lively who wore a beautiful neon-pink/fuschia dress by Michael Kors, a former CFDA Awards recipient himself in the Womenswear and Menswear categories in 1999 and 2003 respectively.

June 15, 2009

"Beauty, unaccompanied by virtue, is as a flower without perfume...”

...and perfume is exactly what I wanted to talk about today. I've been meaning to write about this topic for a while because a few of my guy friends weren't very sure about what it is they use as their daily scent. I assume most guys out there, possibly some girls too, think that perfumes are for girls and only cologne/aftershave is for guys.

They couldn't be more wrong! Perfume is definitely not just what girls wear! In fact, engendering perfumes is merely a marketing strategy to convince more guys that they should buy those specific perfume brands. While it is true perfumers keep in mind that men prefer fresh and woody
notes to their perfumes and women prefer oriental and floral notes, big perfume houses sell unisex fragrances as they agree, as do I, that the human nose is very similar between sexes and that choosing a fragrance should not be limited by the words men or women next to the name.

As a category, perfumes are a broad spectrum of perfume-oils and alcohol/water mixtures. Based on the concentration of the perfume oils, hence their intensity and longevity, perfumes are further classified into several types:


1. Perfume extract (Extrait)



The Perfume extract is the strongest of mixtures and its concentration is somewhere between 15%-40% (typically 20%) aromatic compounds. An example of Extrait designed with men in mind is Nasomatto's Silver Musk, a very clean musky scent that has slight floral and metallic undertones. Along with the higher concentration though, comes a heftier price tag - $190.



2. Eau de Parfum (EdP) or Parfum de Toilette (PdT)

A strong mixture containing between 10%-20% (typically 15%) aromatic compounds.Sometimes listed as "eau de perfume" or "millésime". A nice example of a gourmand EdP is Thierry Mugler's Angel Men or A*Men. With its sweet "edible" note of Chocolate, Coffee and Caramel, this fragrance is suited for a sweet-toothed guy and is only to be used in the winter!


3. Eau de Toilette (EdT)

A medium strength mixture containing between 5%-15% (typically 10%) aromatic compounds. Owing to their milder potency, EdTs are the most common male fragrances out there. One of my personal favourites is Armani Code, an oriental velvety fragrance that a lot of stylish guys like to use for more formal occasions.






4. Eau de Cologne (EdC)

Cologne is the most troublesome of all categories, mostly because the word itself has somehow gotten into mainstream usage and is now used by most people as a broad category for male fragrances. The truth however is far from that. 'Eau de Cologne' started out in 1706 in the city of Köln/Cologne in Germany as a specific fragrance and trademark. In time the term became generic for Chypre (see below) citrus perfumes (without base-notes). Its concentration ranges between 3%-8% (typically 5%) aromatic compounds.

5. Splash/Aftershave



While most guys have switched to the non-alcoholic, non irritating aftershave balm, there's still some guys who like their Old Spice Aftershave. Aftershaves are the mildest concoctions out there, with respect to intensity and longevity, with most containing between 1%-3% aromatic compounds. Two of the most well known aftershave manufacturers are Geo F Trumper and Floris, both of them British-based companies with a history in the market of Shaving/Grooming products.


Fragrance Notes and Olfactive Families

Besides knowing what exactly it is you're buying and using, I think all guys should be a little proficient in describing a scent. Although I'm far from being an expert in perfumery I'll do my best in summarizing what is important.
Firstly, each perfume has what is called 'Fragrance Notes' and very similar to what an oenologist (wine specialist) does with wine, a good perfumer is capable of describing a scent on three sets of notes that harmoniously (or sometimes not) create the scent. Due to the complex composition of perfumes and the volatile nature of alcohol and the aromatic oils, a perfume unfolds over time.

What the nose perceives right after application are called Top Notes or head notes and they consist of small light molecules that evaporate faster. Top Notes are very important in selling a fragrance as we base most of our decisions on first impressions.

As top notes dissipate, the heart of the scent, the Middle Notes kick in, and their role is mostly to mask the initial unpleasant impression of the base notes.

The scent that appears close to the departure of the Middle Notes forms the Base Notes, which, together with the Middle Notes forms the Theme of the perfume. The compounds usually used for the Base bring depth and solidity to the perfume, and are often richer and deeper scents which are usually perceived 30 minutes or more post-application.

On top of categorizing a perfume by its three notes, an olfactive taxonomy system has been developed to aid in initially categorizing a perfume based on its overall impression. For example, if a fragrance has mainly a scent of fresh notes, plus weaker scents of woody and citrus notes, we could say that this fragrance is Fresh, but with citrus and woody undertones. The dominant part is usually the heart of the fragrance.

While again I emphasize there is no actual divide between male and female fragrances, manufacturers have predominantly created male fragrances belonging to four families:

1. Fougère (pronounced foo-jer)

This is the most common male fragrance family. Fougère often contains Coumarin, Lavender and Oakmoss and is therefore characterized by its sharp herbaceous and woody scent. The name comes from the French word fougère, which means fern. While Fougère perfumes do not smell of fern the name comes from a now discontinued fragrance by Houbigant called Fougère Royale (Royal fern)which was the first fougère fragrance.

2. Citrus (pronounced sit-rus)



An old fragrance family (originating in the German city of Köln/Cologne) that until recently consisted mainly of "freshening" Eau de Colognes, due to the low tenacity of citrus scents. Development of newer fragrance compounds has allowed for the creation of primarily citrus fragrances





3. Chypre (pronounced sheep-re)

A Chypre, french for Cyprus, fragrance contains woody, mossy and floral notes. Often it will contain Oakmoss, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Labdanum, Bergamot and Vetiver. It was named after a feminine fragrance by François Coty called 'Chypre' from 1917.

Popular Citrus fragrances include: Givenchy Gentlemen, Fendi Uomo(EdT), Vetiver(EdT) by Guerlain, Aramis(EdT), Van Cleef, Arpels, Quorum by Puig, Antaeus by Chanel and 212 Men by Carolina Herrera.

4. Oriental
Oriental fragrances are common in both male and female fragrances. They are often warm and spicy, feature the sweet animalic scents of ambergris and labdanum and are often combined with ingredients such as Vanilla, Tonka bean and sometimes Sandalwood. Oriental perfumes bring to mind Victorian Era imagery of the Middle East and Far East.

Popular Oriental fragrances include: Obsession for Men by Calvin Klein, Joop! Homme by Joop!, Le Male by Jea Paul Gaultier, Equipage(EdT) by Hermes and Egoiste by Chanel.


5. Marine (also Aquatic, Oceanic or Ozonic)

The Marine fragrance is relatively new and is used to describe scents that evoke a feeling of sea air. This category appeared in 1991 with Christian Dior's Dune. An ingredient named calone, a synthetic scent discovered in 1966, is used to give perfumes the marine scent. Marine undertones are sometimes added to augument Floral, Oriental and Woody fragrances.



Popular Marine fragrances include: Kenzo Pour Homme, L'Eau D'Issey pour Homme by Issey Miyake and New West for Him by Aramis.

6. Floral

While in the past, floral scents have been considered very masculine, nowadays, especially in the West, they are slightly less popular as men's fragrances.

Popular Marine fragrances include: Agua Lavanda by Puig, Insensé by Givenchy

7. Gourmand (pronounced Gor-mand)



Last but not least is one of the most interesting categories in perfumes: Gourmand fragrances, which literally means epicure fragrances. It so happens that most of what we perceive as taste in food is mostly smell. Perfumers, knowing that, have started designing more and more fragrances that have 'edible' notes and have applied them to perfumes, grooming products and even dishwashing liquid. I know I was tempted to taste my almond shower-gel one too many times.

Some popular Gourmand fragrances include: Emporio Armani Diamonds for Men and London by Paul Smith.




To top it all off perfumers and fragrance enthusiasts have created a fragrance wheel for easier reference in categorizing perfumes:

Tying everything together I hope you've enjoyed this short immersion into the world of fragrances and don't forget the basic rules for applying any type of perfume:

- Never put perfume on your clothes! Firstly it can damage your clothes by discoloration and secondly it does not help in any way with the diffusion of the scent.

-The best places for perfume application is on your wrists and behind your ears. Guys, if you prefer spray a little between your clavicles in the summer and girls you can do the same with your cleavage.

- Less is More! Remember, our noses adapt quickly to a strong smell which means that in a few minutes you won't be able to sense your perfume although it is definitely still there. Best thing to do is ask a friend whether or not it can still be smelt.

References:

June 11, 2009

Chukka chuck chuck?!

While a final acceptable answer for the wood-chucking dilemma is yet to be found, the fruit of the collaboration between J.Crew and shoe-classic Sperry Top-Siders® is by no means unsatisfactory.

The J.Crew Original nubuck chukka Sperry Top-Siders ® boots are a mix between a chukka boot, defined by Princeton's online dictionary as a shoe that comes up to the ankle, laced through two or three pairs of eyelets and often made of suede and a classical boat shoe.

These boots, vaguely reminiscent of the 70s, are definitely a collector's item. Whilst J.Crew originally sold them in both Chocolate and Espresso, only the latter is still in stock and can be purchased online at Jcrew.com

Lined with cotton chambray, these boots can be worn with or without socks and paired with a straight-leg(Dur) dark denim jean in order to maintain that preppy look into the colder seasons.

June 8, 2009

Are you UNIQLO?


Whether you live in SOHO or not, you should have heard of UNIQLO by now. This Japanese Brand has been slowly expanding in the West since its official opening in 2005 totaling 58 stores outside of Japan and has managed to impose itself on the US market despite it having only one store in SOHO, New York City. The amazing thing about this store is that all their items are under $100 without compromising the quality.


I had heard about UNIQLO a while back but it caught my attention again recently, when one of their suits was featured by Star Trek's Chris Pine in the June edition of GQ. I must admit I was a little surprised with how good the suit looked on the new Cpt. Kirk. Browsing around UNIQLO's website, it's a little hard to picture how the clothes they sell actually look like, when all you get is a picture of the item as if it were on a hanger. This is one of the things I find very annoying with some online clothing stores, UNIQLO included. They don't show their clothes on a real model, be it a mannequin, a hot new actor or any average Joe. It's true I can see where they could be coming from, not wanting to type-set the image of the brand by the physique, physiognomy or racial category of their models, as other brands like Ralph Lauren or Burberry do. But regardless of their reason, not seeing how the item you want to buy fits on the body is a great turn-off from actually purchasing anything. I'm surprised some clothing designers haven't done their online marketing research yet.

All business aside this azure/baby-blue summery whipcord suit is just the epitome of what a light modish suit should look like. What I like the most about it, past it slim on-the-body look, is that when paired with a white shirt the whole suit works together to bring all attention to one's face. A very interesting article I just read by GQ/Esquire writer-at-large Tom Junod talks about the influence his father's fashion tips and grooming advice have had in shaping him as a person. One of the tips that he considers most important and applicable is "always try to wear white to your face, never brown or grey". As you can see, the suit's light hued colour doesn't take all the focus, that together with the white shirt which slightly contrasts the rest of the suit and Chris' face creates a nice profile that accentuates his facial features and bronzed skin. All this at a very affordable price of $120(Coat + Pants) and little extra for possible alterations from a good tailor and you're still way under the price range of similar quality suits. You can order the coat ($79.50) and the pants ($39.50) separately or together directly from UNIQLO, by calling their NYC store at (877) 4-UNIQLO (toll-free) or e-mailing them at (917) 237-8811.

June 7, 2009

Is Knit the new IT?!

I've recently developed a new mini-obsession with knit ties which probably spawned from their slow resurgence into fashion and my foray into my dad's 80s vintage wardrobe. Therefore I have added a few cool old knit ties to my wardrobe and on top of that, out of summer bum-boredom, I resurfaced my knitting skills (Home-Ed in 7th Grade had the entire class, boys and girls together, knitting for an entire semester) and with the help of my grandma, knitted myself an awesome tie that cost about 2$ (handiwork is obviously priceless) and which sells for approximately $50 at J.Crew.

My online inquest on knit ties and various ideas on how to best match knit ties and their patterns in existing outfits, brought me to a "look" that combines my new found infatuation and my previous fancy, desert boots, both:

Recap: Shawl Collar Cardigan, White Shirt, B&W Striped Knit Tie, Black Straight/Slim Jeans and a good pair of timeworn desert boots (John Varvatos in the look above) makes for a cool casual night out or preppy college campus look.

June 6, 2009

To TOMS or Not to TOMS?!

A while back I saw this pair of TOMS on Rugby.com and even though I was not, at that time, familiar with TOMS shoes I wanted to get a pair for two reasons. One was that they were a limited edition so chances of meeting someone else wearing a pair would be smaller and second TOMS has a campaign called "One for One", which means that for every pair you buy they give a pair of shoes to a child in need. So next time you consider buying a pair of light, trendy shoes think of TOMS. Make sure you check out the other Rugby TOMS while they last!

June 5, 2009

Hoodoo much ? CoN's Skeleton Key Boots !

Not only is the name of these CoN (Chronicles of Never) boots reminiscent of the New Orleans-based horror movie with the same name, but also their shine and construction bring about a certain allure of mystery. These boots would definitely be at the top of my newly-formed Desert Boots list were they not $450.


The Bliss of Apposite Gingham

In case your fashion sense has been hibernating recently, let me break it to you: gingham is back and à-la-mode! As long as you don't go into gingham overdrive, it can serve your otufits as being that splash of colour and texture we all should wear in the spring and summer seasons, without making your outfit seem contrived, on the contrary giving it a younger rebelde look of nonchalance.



A combination that is a perfect example of how to make gingham work for you comes from the cover of the May 2009 issue of GQ. A fashionable blend of Dolce & Gabbana bespoke silk suiting, combined with a Thom Browne blue gingham shirt, yields a suprising yet somewhat unexpected cathartic product. It is definitely one of my favourite GQ "looks" so far, because the more I look at it the harder I find trying to bring the combo down from casual-business limbo. The playful texture and crisp tailoring work well together regardless of where the status quo finds you, either in business or casual situations.



Having none other than American heart-throb Zac Efron serve in re-ginghifying (I might have just created a new word!) fashion in style, is the "cherry on top" of this chequered denouement.
GQ - May 2009

Ruinosus Angelus to Angelus Lapsus

A chance find on a random fashion blog, which brought me to the above outfit, made me first think why in the world this kitschy Playmate Angel was ever given the right to exist. This train of thought continued into why strapping a model with faux
-wings and bringing the concept "Angel" into a playful fantasies universe would be so appealing to soany people.

I asked myself why the concept of Angels as divine vehicles of the three Abrahamic religions (Islam, Judaism and Christianity) has emerged as a persistent element in our collective thought and most important what has it meant for the evolution of the human self. In response to the first issue I quickly thought of the human penchant for recreating the essence of the divine through acts of artistical creation. The closer to perfection and reality the artist got, the closer to the act of divine creation he considered himself to be.

On a second, less recondite line of thought, I wondered how Fashion would work towards the integration of a second skin, of an exo-skeletal, artificial shell. I also thought of whether it would just be creation for the sake of artistic license to incite controversy, or whether it is something more, that falls on the borders of envy towards the act of divine creation, and is actually an neoteric attempt at emulating the very act of 'de novo' genesis.

Unlike their Divine architect, Angels are beings of two worlds, torn between their spiritual origins and their physical duties. Divided from the immutable, sacrosanct Divine, Angels lean more towards human nature, where erring is possible. Religious texts often give these so called Fallen Angels as examples. Symbols of incogruity inspired by the unbeknownst vitiation of the Divine essence, and a thin line between ruin and damnation brings doubt to the presumed infailability of Divine work and hope in that it is remotely possible for Man to get closer to the work of God and Nature, whether it be daedalian or imitative in nature.

A subconscious analogy between Angels and Humans and the newly discovered common denominator, their propensity for sin, is now possible. A higher being's capacity for "falling" easily becomes justification for one's own human failing, followed by an increased acceptance of one's subjacency and complacency for Sin.