Designer Spotlight #2 - Indochino

Having left this series on an Oriental note in the last post in this series, I would like to continue as such and introduce you to Indochino, a Shanghai based company that focuses on made-to-order clothing. What sets them apart from other similar companies is that they do not only offer suits and shirts made to order but also winter coats and vests. Prices are also quite affordable ranging from $299 to $499 for their made-to-order suits and $79 to $99 for their shirts.

What I like most about Indochino, from what I can gather from their website at least, is that they put their customer's satisfaction first and that they run a very smooth operation from the time you place the order online till your item of clothing arrives at your doorstep in one of their very nice Indochino boxes. Indochino has summarized their process of making a suit jacket from start to finish in this short video:

A funny fact that Indochino prides itself with is that they are the only designer to feature a 40-character long monogram on the inside of their jackets.

Fashion Forward #4 - Lucky Number 7

Embedded photo courtesy of Rugby RL

As global warming only gets worse and temperatures rise worldwide, the weather is ever more permissive for wearing shorts. And the timing could not be any better, as it seems designers have finally gotten their sanity back and have returned to the original pre-2000 short pattern.

Runway looks should always be taken more as an exaggerated indicative to the trends of the subsequent seasons rather than "here's what you should wear" looks

The 80s saw the apex of short inseam shorts and no man was ever ridiculed for showing too much skin. Why exactly men began feeling emasculated by short shorts will always be a mystery, probably connected to why starting with the year 2000 and peaking around 2005-2006 inseams have gotten longer and longer, giving birth to monsters such as the over-the-knee cargo short. Luckily the exact opposite has been happening since then on the runways and I am glad to see that shorter inseams are cropping up in stores.

Please donate or burn any such shorts that are in your possession. They do not only scream of slacker and lack of self-confidence but are also down-right ugly and useless, just like they're longer brothers, the baggy jeans. Seriously though...do you have that much stuff you need to lug around in those over-sized pockets?

My personal favourite inseam length, and I know many other fashion bloggers would agree, is 7 inches, give or take half an inch, measured from the crotch down. Avoiding any and all 7-inch jokes and puns, this inseam length, also called a rise, provides sufficient coverage of one's thighs, yet is not too long for comfort and sartorial benediction. I am happy to report that European men, who are most always more brazen than their American counterparts, have adopted the shorter inseams quite well:

Lots of Kudos to these Swedish guys, including the middle one, bravest of them all. Also notice the absence of leg hair which is a definite must if you plan on wearing shorter shorts (check out the tips in the Slim on the Inseam post)

There are a few simple rules when it comes to working around the 7 inch inseam:

- Men with a more muscular build, whose thighs are thicker than the average man's should not opt for anything shorter than a 7 inch inseam unless he wants to give off the gym vibe

- Men who are a little on the shorter side should definitely avoid anything longer than 7 inches like the plague as shorts with long inseams make one look even shorter than he is.

- NEVER and I do plead that you listen, go with any short that passes the middle of your kneecap. Not only does it look bad but it also restricts movement and pretty much negates the purpose of the short pant. If one is however going for the Capri look then that's a different story and the former should be ignored.

Rugby.com posted a brief guide for lengths of board shorts and swim wear which also is quite applicable to any other shorts, swimming or not.

Here is a short clip from the New York magazine, featuring NYC-based stylist Charles Manning and his view on short shorts.

Celebrity Style #1 - Taylor Lautner

Taylor Lautner, werewolf extraordinaire, teen heart-throb and this year's "Zac Efron" has been getting a lot of hype lately due to the whole Twilight series shabang. While his acting might be questionable, his looks are definitely not. It takes a lot of work from any guy to get into such great shape and a lot of people have picked up on the dumbfounding effect his good looks have on everyone else. What prompted me to look more closely into Taylor Lautner and his style was GQ magazine's doubly featuring Taylor in its pages in less than a year. The editors at GQ are always in tune with what's hot and what's not and it seems like they are milking this baby right when its ripe (kudos GQ).

Even though he was not even 18 during the first GQ photoshoot, Taylor's look could easily pass as that of an aspiring YUPpie between the ages of 22 and 25. I for one love fitted shirts and the choice of model could not have been better. Taylor is a very photogenic guy and what's best is that he reminds you of a really nice guy who you could easily get along with, unlike some of the snottier looking male models out there.

Taylor Lautner wearing the slim-fit shirt like all men should, sans billowing and overflowing oodles of superfluous material. 1. Shirt, $40, by H&M. Tie, $135, by Salvatore Ferragamo. Pants, $195, by Boss Black; 2. Shirt, $325, and pants, $540, by Dolce & Gabbana. Belt by J.Crew. Watch by Raymond Weil; 3. Shirt, $325, by Ralph Lauren Black Label. Tie, $125, by Conference of Birds. Pants, $195, by Boss Black. Cuff links by Dolan Bullock. Watch by Raymond Weil; 4. Shirt, $395, by Dior Homme. Tie, $165, by Dolce & Gabbana. Jeans, $315, by Prada. Tie bar by Thom Browne New York; 5. Shirt by Spurr. Tie by Band of Outsiders; 6. Shirt, $600, by Trussardi 1911. Tie, $120, and pants, $755, by Michael Bastian. Boots $825, by Dolce & Gabbana. Tie by The Tie Bar. Watch by Paneral.

Now that he is finally 18 and all of us boys and girls that are of age can now rejoice for not thinking illegal things, Lautner came in for another photoshoot with GQ, previewing some of the Fall 2010 trends this time.

The black and white photography combined with a rehashing of so many vintage elements produces a cool and refined look. 1. Coat, $3,718, and pants, $745, by Louis Vuitton. T-shirt, $25, by A|X Armani Exchange. Boots, $795, by Burberry; 2. Suit, $895, and shirt, $225, by Calvin Klein Collection. Tie, $125, by John Varvatos. Shoes, $595, by D&G. Tie bar by The Tie Bar; 3. Reversible jacket, $595, sweatshirt, $98, and pants, $295, by Polo by Ralph Lauren. Boots, $1,500, by Ralph Lauren. Socks by Wigwam; 4. Sweatpants, $275, by Simon Spurr. Sneakers, $580, by Neil Barrett; 5. Coat, $2,370, turtleneck, $640, pants, $630, and belt, $235, by Gucci.

Now that we've looked at Taylor and how good he would look in stylist picked clothes, I'd like us to take a peek at Taylor's personal style:

Taylor likes to take on the casual approach to most situations and by that I mean jeans and a t-shirt or a flannel shirt however he can definitely pull off a slim suit better than most actors in Hollywood. 

For a man, or should I say an 18 year old teen, Taylor is definitely on the rightest of tracks when it comes to fashion and if perchance he strays away, I'm sure there will be someonewho will call him out

Hair and Grooming #4 - Million Dollar Hair

How many times have you wanted to cry out FAKE! when watching a shampoo commercial, thinking no hair on earth could be that smooth and shiny?!

The truth is, hair like that does exist and getting yours to look more just like it is not rocket science. The reason our hair looses its natural shine and becomes dull and lackluster is mainly air pollution and over-usage of hair styling products. The outer layer of the hair follicles has the ability to bind to chemicals and oils, so anything from alkali metals from hard water to harsh chemicals present in the urban environment air can get bound to your hair. On top of that, prolonged sun exposure and alcohol-based hair products contribute to drying out your hair which combined with one not using a conditioner can really damage your hair.

Following these three steps guarantees your hair will become healthier, shinier, smoother and any other positive adjective you can think of.

1. Remove muck and build-up

Before going about to hydrate and moisturize your hair the most important step is setting down the foundation which is restoring your hair to its natural state, free of all extraneous pollutants.

To do so, mix 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar with 1 gallon of distilled water and store it in a bottle in a cabinet or the refrigerator and used every couple of weeks to remove gunk. To use it, wet hair with warm water, or shampoo and rinse as usual. Then pour 2 cups of the vinegary mixture over the scalp and let mixture saturate the hair. Finish everything up with a cold-water rinse. Your hair should now be clean and free of pollutants.

2. Moisturize

Harsh chemicals in the air and washing your hair too much can rob your hair of essential oils naturally secreted by your scalp.

While it is true that regular moisturizers and other professional products like hydrating serums are effective, there are a couple of home-made hair masks that work just as good and give you the confidence that no unwanted chemicals come into contact with your hair. One of my favourite hair treatments is an Olive oil Avocado mask.

Bubbi from Bubzbeauty.com has already made a how-to video of the same recipe I use:

- 1 ripe avocado, mashed

- 2 egg yolks

- 2 teaspoons of olive

One other easy hair treatment is putting plain real mayonnaise into your hair, covering it with a shower cap and warming it up, either by placing hot towels around your head either by blow-drying the cap for a longer time to favour deep moisturizing  

While some of you out there might think these remedies don't apply to you because you have oily hair you're not quite right, because the over-secretion of oils by your scalp can be indicative of a couple of things, a pH imbalance at the skin level being one of them. These treatments help restore your hair to is natural state and as long as you avoid applying too much oil to the roots of your hair there shouldn't be any oily problems afterwards.

3. Bring out your natural colour tones

Depending on your natural hair colour there are a few things you can do to bring out your hair's natural highlights.

Boil one quart of water and add the following to the boiling water:

- For brunettes, a handful fresh rosemary sprigs (bruise by crumpling in your hand)

- For blondes, a handful of dried chamomile

- For "orange tone" redheads a chopped-up carrot

- For "berry tone" redheads a chopped up beet

-  Remove from heat, let steep for 10 minutes after which filter the mixture by puring it through a fine colander or a cheesecloth.

- Shampoo and rinse your hair as is your usual routine then put the warm colour-enhancing mixture into your hair and let it saturate it. 

-After 5-10 minutes rinse with cold water.  I usually reapply the chamomile tea over and over again until I am done with the quart of liquid

Having personally used all of the above treatments I highly recommend them so that you too can have smoother, shinier and healthier hair

How It's Made #3 - Suits

Suits are one of the staple items of a man's wardrobe and unless you've had the privilege of having a bespoke suit made, you may not be fully aware of the amount of work that goes into making a suit, even if, as is the case in the video below, the process is highly automatized. Next time you think a suit you see in a store is way too expensive, think again and come back to watch this video.

Designer Spotlight #1 - Spy on Henry Lau

The world of fashion as we see it revolves around four urban centres: New York City, London, Paris and Milano. What most of us fail to consider is that fashion does not exist only in the Western World and that many designers bring innovation into fashion on the other side of the world, in the urban centres of Asia.

Henry Lau of SPY HENRY LAU is one of Hong Kong's most prolific and talented up and coming young designer. His style is a mixture of both western  and autochtonous, eastern, elements which compared to the entrenched  cuts, styles and materials of western fashion is a much welcomed breath of fresh air. Modifying what have become the dull standards of fashion design, Henry Lau reinvents classic garments by adding superfluous shawl necks to t-shirts, playing with asymmetry in button placement or relocating collar tabs in shirts. My only big peeve when it comes most any Asian designers and their clothing is that they seem to have the impression that all humans are of one size and that their clothes should therefore be sold in only one 'free-fitting" size. While Henry Lau's website mentions that he would like to expand his customer base to Europe and the United States, I would like to offer him the friendly advice that he should look into building garments in different sizes if he wishes to succeed on these markets.

Here are my favourite Henry Lay items which you can purchase here.

1. Loose Sarouel Pants - $102 ; 2. Shawl Collared Checked Shirt - $102 ; 3. Stylish Plain Shirt - $90; 4.  V-neck Tee with Tie Scarf - $102; 5. Stripe Shirt - $90; 6. Cropped Length Check Shirt - $77; 7. V-neck Knit - $103; 8. Shorts with patchwork details - $90   

Hair and Grooming #3 - Oil Be Gone

Summer is upon us, at least in the Northern Hemisphere and the sun, heat and humidity that one would enjoy on a vacation, are all contributing factors to an undesired oily face. Oil secretion is a natural process by which your body is protecting the skin from drying up, however there are many circumstances where a shiny face is not very desirable.

Romanian actor Sebastian Stan, who plays Gossip Girl pseudo-villain Carter Baizen on a not so great day, oil-wise

Women have been secretly fighting their sebaceous glands for some time now, and I think it's about high time more men got on the anti-shine wagon.

While there are plenty of cosmetic solutions that involve creams, toners, serums and other concoctions of a similar consistency, I feel that most men wouldn't want to go through all the trouble of finding the right cosmetic products for their skin type.



The easiest solution that you can carry around in your pocket would be a little pack of blotting paper. There's not much to blotting paper: you blot (that's patting not wiping) the oily areas on your face and the paper absorbs the oil, after which you throw it away.

Blotting papers have a long history dating back to around 517 A.D. in Japan when Japanese professional dancers, called maiko, and Kabuki performers used specially treated paper made with hammered gold to blot their skin.

eHow.com 

When shopping for blotting paper/tissues don't go for the more expensive options. Not much can be added to blotting paper to make it worth paying more.

For the more independent and crafty of you, here are instructions for making your own blotting paper:

One other thing that you can use on-the-go to ward off any shiny areas on your face is applying a colourless blotting powder that absorbs oil particles on your face and leaves you with a matte look throughout the day.

How It's Made #2 - Jeans

If you've ever thought twice about dishing out a larger sum of money for a good pair of jeans, take a look and see that making a jean is not that easy of a job and price can portent to quality.

Fashion Forward #3 - Just Wearing My Blue Suede Shoes

Suede also Suède  (pronounced swayd) is short for Suède gloves, from French gants de Suède, gloves of Sweden, from Suède, Sweden. It has now represented as a type of leather that has a soft napped surface or any other fabric made to resemble suede.

In 1955, Carl Perkins wrote and recorded "Blue Suede Shoes" at the Sun Records Studio in Memphis, Tennessee. This original recording is considered one of the most significant and groundbreaking American songs of the 20th Century. As you may know, a young newcomer named Elvis Presley recorded his own cover version the following year. 

Quote from Epauletshop.com

Blue suede has been heralded as this Spring and Summer seasons' IT trend and I can definitely attest to its veridicity. Even here in my little corner of Europe where trends take some time penetrating into, I have begun to see more and more guys and girls donning the blue suede shoe. The Style forums have featured a lot of detractors that recognize the visual value of blue suede but fail to see its practicality in daily style. 

Well I am here to tell both them and you that blue suede is definitely here to stay and wearing it can be done in a very natty and easy manner.

What has become a trend for European men, as far as I can tell, is matching the colour of their shoes to their top item of clothing, but always the same shade or if an appropriate shade was not available, using a non-coloured item instead. While it is harder to do this with some of the more eccentric shades shoes come in nowadays, blue suede shoes can be so easily matched with either a nice blue blazer (wool if it's winter, cotton or chambray if it's summer), a V-neck sweater and even a nice v-neck t-shirt if you're wearing a more casual/summery blue suede shoe.

For the more adventurous of you fashionistos, you can try matching the blue suede with another colour. When it comes to what kind of pants you're wearing, I'd recommend either a dark blue/raw denim pant (straight or slim cut of course) or doing what the very fashionable Italian fella did in the picture above and go with a white pant, preferably without a bottom cuff. In some rare occasions, if the opportunity arises you can match a darker shade of blue suede to a dark suit pant such as the gentleman below.

In the case of picking a top to go with your blue suedes, always remember to check the colour wheel to determine what the best match would be for your shade of blue. Generally, the complementary and the triad colours are the best matches, however in the case of blue, I find that it's generally best to stick with just the complementary colour, orange (much like the shade of the Vespa above). If you do like to use some contrast, depending on the specific shade of blue the appropriate matching colours range from greenish yellow to purplish red.

Here is a compilation of some of my favourite blue suede shoes, which now come in great variety.

1. Alden for Epaulet Navy Suede Perkins Chukka - $425; 2. ACNE Delhi Suede Lace Boaters - $467; 3. Opening Ceremony Suede Desert Boot; 4. Closed Distressed Boot - $321; 5. A.P.C. Blue Suede Boots - $330; 6. Gordon Rush Royal-Blue Suede Chukka Boot for Saks Fifth Avenue - $495; 7. Emerica Reynolds  Blue Suede Cruisers - $59.99; 8. CAR SHOE Suede Tie Loafer - $372; 9. Dolce&Gabbana Navy Suede Shoes - $500; 10. Supra Vaider High Blue Suede Skate Shoes - $74.99

Last but not least, suede in general is very sensitive and blue suede isn't any exception. I would rather say blue suede is more delicate and sensitive than other naturally occurring coloured suedes. 

Here is a video on how to care for your suede:

You can purchase a Suede Care Kit from Amazon.com. It features a Suede Protective Spray, a Suede Cleaner Concentrate, a Suede brush and a Suede Scuff Eraser for only $10.85

How It's Made #1 - Alden Shoes

When it comes to great quality American-made shoes, Alden is one of the classic companies one would think of. Courtesy of Epauletshop.com we get a glimpse into the labour-intensive process that a shoe has to go through to transform from a sheet of leather into the beautiful shoes Alden has to offer. Enjoy!

Big Black Book - Spring 2010

Even though I know I'm a little late with posting about this but being abroad for a semester has cut me off from my beloved Magazines. If you're not familiar with Esquire you should really check it out the next time you're next to a news stand.

On top of its monthly magazine, Esquire comes out with a very nice biannual publication dubbed "The Big Black Book". The BBB as I like to call it contains a plethora of style information, self-improvement and different tips and tricks for the two seasons it precedes. For example the Spring edition covers Spring and Summer etc.

For the visual-savy of you guys, I've uploaded a sample of the current BBB for you to peruse.

I am not quite sure if The BBB is available at newsstands or not but you may certainly order it online, here.

Discounted Rugby

Hey everyone, I just purchased a nice looking cardigan from my favourite online store, Rugby Ralph Lauren and I got a 10% off coupon code. I am out of the country so it's unlikely that I will use it within the one month period before it expires so I decided to share it with you. I am unsure if it's single use or not but let me know via comments if you've been successful in using it or not.

RWF