Fashion Forward #14 - Have Yourself a Jodhpur Winter

Happy FestiChristmaHanuKwanzaa everyone and I hope that snow hasn't completely covered you yet! I've been travelling around the south of the USA, hence the lack of posts, however in the few moments that I got to surf the web, one item in Rugby.com's winter collection managed to pull me out of my winter lethargy and get me back in post writing mode.

If you remember, I wrote a post about the most interesting styles in men's pants/trousers a while back and the Jodhpur was one of them.

As I was browsing Rugby.com this break, I stumbled upon a gorgeous pair of red plaid denim jeans, woven in a jodhpur style. As far as I know, even though a lot of designers have flirted with equestrian inspired designs, Jodhpur denim jeans have not been done before. Check them out and let me know what you think!

Plaid Jodhpur Jean - $94 - Rugby.com

Fashion Forward #13 - Badge of Preppiness

Appliques, patches, crests, badges or decals are decorative surface applications of fabric that adds dimension and texture to the background fabric. The term derives from the French word appliquer (and the Latin applicare) that means to join or attach. While its early use was most likely to strengthen worn areas or serve as a patch over holes, appliqué developed into a creative art form used by many cultures over many centuries. (Scribner Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion, Volume 1)

Nathaniel Vanderbilt Archibald, wearing the Vanderbilt Family Crest on his jacket

The resurgence of Prep culture and its increased visibility on the runways has brought back wearing crests and patches on one's belonging. It has been customary for old families to display their family crest on suit jackets (as is portrayed by Nate Archibald, a member of the Vanderbilt family on Gossip Girl) as well as Prep School and Ivy League Alums to don badges and patches from their alma maters on suit jackets, sweaters, shirts, duffel bags and nowadays even on their laptops.

Rugby is one of the handful of designer houses that has been reinterpreting preppy elements and bringing them to the general public.

True Prep author, Lisa Birnbach states that being preppy is no longer a distant, veiled and often misunderstood way of life, non-preps becoming ever more fascinated and acquainted with it than when her Official Preppy Handbook came out in 1980. As such, preppy paraphernalia is at an all time high in popularity, and sewing or gluing a preppy crest or badge on one's possessions is one easy way of adding that so desired preppy element.

Chest badges are amongst the most popular.

Placement-wise, there aren't really any rules, however, many of the appliques I've seen were placed very similar to monograms, either on the left chest-side or on the cuff of the shirt, rugby or sweater. With bags or other accessories we truly have freedom of expression, and even going over the top with the number of crests, the sizing of badges or the discordance of colours is acceptable.

A clash of two worlds, the jeans jacket and sewed-on the crest, make for an interesting combination.

Most new appliques are iron-on nowadays, however, many machine-washes or dry-cleaning the piece of clothing can make the glue wear off. The safest and more vintage-looking option is still the sewed on look but if your needle and thread skills are lacking here's a guide to help you stitch an appliqué on successfully

A different assortment of badges and crests, ranging from school-inspired to nautical

You can find some of the appliqués featured above at these different online stores:  

• New York Design Shop (definitely my favourite)
• Family Crest
• 1FerretTreasures
• Laughing Lizards

Fashion Forward #11 - Ubiquitous Ties

Studying in a campus that is so reminiscing of Oxford or Cambridge, I often think how much alike my campus is to some other American staples, Disneyland or The Cheesecake Factory to name a few. Though all originally set out with the intention of becoming genuine replicas of European Universities in the case of the former two and a mix of European architecture and eclecticism for the latter two, the end product is a travesty of the original, a mere façade, veneer of vanity.

Saying that you're too busy with school to care about how you look is NOT an excuse!

The universities that are models for the American Universities, as well as many prep and boarding schools within the US still enforce some form of dress code. While many people think uniforms are means of torturous uniformization, they are nothing like that. Uniforms were first designed as a means of distinguishing students of these schools from other people living in the cities adjacent to the universities and moreover to hopefully instill school pride in the case of recognition of one's association with the school. The lack of uniforms, or in the least, of a proper dress code has brought the American student population down to the realm of exaggerated "je m'en fiche-ism". Take a walk through some of the more prestigious university campuses in the U.S. and what you will see will be nothing less than an incongruous image between the architecture that is meant to evoke high values and aspirations of academic excellence and the fleece-pant and hoodie wearing student, whose school pride sums up to nothing more than some bouts of pride during football or basketball season. What is worse is that whenever anyone tries to be more fashionable, without a preset purpose, or just for shits and giggles, as a friend of mine described it, the rest respond unfavorably and most times it's part of a defense mechanism rather than disapproval of sartorial choice.

Just putting on a navy jacket, a shirt and a tie is not even that much of a change yet it has prompted many questions like: "Oh, what's the occasion?"...well does there have to be an occasion for someone to put on a tie? The answer is No! it doesn't have to. With a resurgence of the traditional Ivy League Look, now more than ever, donning a tie in any combination uplifts your entire look and adds that special feeling that you took  a few extra minutes to get ready in the morning.

Ties come in a huge variety of colours, fabrics, cuts and patterns, however that will not be the topic of this post. What I would like to focus on instead, is the versatility of a tie, one of the few accessories that men can play and experiment with when dressing up. While there are many combinations, some of which I might not have thought of, here are the ones I think are worthy of your attention.

1. The T-Shirt and Tie

The most casual of all combos is wearing a tie, loosely knotted over a t-shirt. Though it's not exactly my personal style I have seen many guys don it in European clubs. If you decide to try it out just make sure your tie is on the slim side and not too somber looking (no wool). What's also popping up more and more these days are t-shirts that already have a tie attached permanently to them or one is just drawn on.

2. The Short Sleeved Shirt Combo

Also on the more casual side, wearing a tie with a short sleeved shirt is a funky and hip way of adding originality to your look. It's great for a summer in the city and if your work place permits it, a great summer office look. Same rules as above with regards to choosing a suitable tie.

3. Simple is not necessarily lazy: The Shirt and Tie

Now I'm pretty sure most of you are hyper-familiar with just wearing a shirt and a tie in the office or for events where a sports coat/blazer would be overkill. The rules of slim-ties apply here as well and please do tuck in your shirt. If you find there's some extra stuff hanging out, either think of something else to wear or put on a sweater to cover it up (read below). If you're not a big fan of short-sleeved shirts but you find your long-sleeved ones to be a little stifling in the summer, you can always roll up your sleeves stylishly (remember, rolling too little or too much over the elbow is not the right way to do it). 

Shirt, tie and jeans all by Dolec & Gabbana. Shoes by Calvin Klein Collection. Tie bar by Paul Stuart.

For the more daring of you, suspenders are another accessory that can enhance the almost bare look of a shirt and a tie. Keep the suspenders simple and do go with the ones that use leather tabs to attach to the pants rather than clip-ons. The Topman suspenders I introduced to you a while back make a great addition to any look

4. Wearing Vests is Tré Cool: The Tie and Vest 

Of all the casual appearances of the tie, its combination with the vest is probably the most wide-spread. Often hipster teenagers and metro guys going out are seen wearing a tie and a vest. Almost any vest works whether it was originally part of a 3-piece suit or is a fluffy down-vest.

5. Layering Up - The Rugby and the Tie

As fall descends upon the northern hemisphere and the weather gets chillier in the mornings and evenings, just a shirt won't be enough to keep you going so the art of layering comes in handy here. A simple way to keep warm is to add a rugby shirt over your shirt and add a tie for panache. Since we are no longer able to see the tie, whether or not you're wearing a slim or wide tie is of no importance anymore. A way to get creative is to step outside your tie-knotting zone and try a different knot each day, depending on your shirt's collar. You can always roll up your sleeves to complete the look and please do not forget to not pop your collar. Rugby.com has a nice selection of Rugby Shirts.

6. It's Getting Chillier, Break Out the Sweater: The Sweater and the Tie

As the temperatures plummet and a thin rugby shirt is not enough anymore, a cardiganm or sweater is a welcomed substitution. This is one of my favourite combinations as I am a big fan of sweaters, especially shawl-neck sweaters, although you can wear any type of sweater, even v-necks and crew-neck sweaters

7. Bring in the Blazers and Sport Coats: The Tie Meets the Jacket

The cherry on top, when it comes to layering is adding the final touch, the blazer, sports coat or jacket in our case. Whether you choose to wear your coat over the shirt directly or doubly layer it with a sweater or rugby is up to you as well as choosing the jacket to top everything up.

8. The Suit

Last but not least, the outfit your probably associate most with wearing a tie, the suit, will never loose its appeal and whether you're a fan of the double or single breasted suit or of peak or notch lapels, you'll still be wearing a tie to it.

I really hope you've enjoyed our little incursion into the different ways you can incorporate a tie into your daily wardrobe and that you will try to go out of your comfort zone a little next time and wear a tie. There wil definitely be some people who will ask you what the occasion is and it will get annoying, but you know what.. you feeling great is all that matters at the end of the day.

Tie Tips

- Avoid wearing clip-on ties or bow-ties, they are unproffesional.

- The front point of your tie should be just long enough to touch the waist of your pants.

- Your tie should be darker than the color of your shirt.

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.

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

Model Spotlight #1: Kerry Degman

ABOUT

Name: Kerry Justin Degman
Occupation: Male model
Date of Birth: Oct 4, 1988
Height: 6'0" (183cm)
Born: Portland, Oregon
Based: New York
Discovered: Dropping off his little sister at her modeling agency
Hobbies: Baseball, skate boarding and guitar.





Kerry Degman, one of hot All-American models, came under my radar through all the modelling work he's done for Rugby Ralph Lauren, H&M and various GQ photo shoots.

Check out his fan-made blog: http://kerrydegman.blogspot.com/

Rugby Ralph Lauren Video Campaigns

One of my favourite labels of all is Rugby, part of the famous Ralph Lauren Empire.Following you will find their video campaigns, which are always original and very appealing, in reverse chronological order.

Spring/Summer 2010

Holiday 2009

Fall 2009

Spring/Summer 2009

Holiday 2008

Fall 2008

Holiday 2007

Give In Style

As it has become Rugby.com's custom to support different humanitarian causes, just like a good Prep should do,  Rugby is hosting a 6 day event in which all of you can help the victims of the Haiti and Chile earthquakes. 

On top of receiving a 25% discount (Enter the discount code GIVERL) on any Rugby item you can feel even better about your purchase knowing that 10% of what you pay goes to support the cause. Get out your credit cards and shop for a cause, I'm sure your Spring and Summer wardrobes could use some new additions! Rugby.com is also great about shipping: free if your purchase is over $150 or a flat $5 fee otherwise.

Here's a few of my favourite Rugby Items, which I would definitely wear and wholeheartedly recommend:

Top Left: GRAPHIC PRINTED CHINO SHORT - $79.50
Bottom Left: BLACK SKINNY JEAN - $89.99 and ENGLISH ROSE STRIPED BOW TIE - $49.50
Center: COTTON CABLED ARM STRIPED CREW - $89.50 and CANVAS MESSENGER BAG - $99.99
Top Right: SCOUT DECK JACKET - $198
Bottom Right: WADHAM GINGHAM OXFORD - $69.50
Note: Prices are before the special Give in Style discount!

Keep it in style!

Trim It Up...Chuck Bass Does

There has always been a certain allure to non-conformism. Untucking your shirt as a kid, staying up late or missing your curfew as a teenager and the possibilities are endless now that we are adults. Stylistically however, to step outside the boundaries of the "norm" and get away with it requires either an unshatterable ego (i.e. Chuck Bass) or icon status (i.e. Anna Wintour, Lady GaGa). Anything else is a clear fashion faux-pas and should not be recreated.

From these experiments of unorthodox fashion, the contrast trim blazer was born, and the great Design Houses were not far behind in adopting it. I personally love the added possibilities with regards to the colour and width of the trim, since I always bemoan how little we men can really do to vary our outfits in comparison to women. I have perused the market and came up with these great blazers for all of you to look at!

Beautiful Navy Linen Sportcoat from Ralph Lauren. Retails at $495

An Outfit that manages to pull itself up to par despite the intense matchy-matchiness going on. Interesting cotton Tennis Crest Jacket from Rugby Ralph Lauren. Retails at $298

Left: Cotton Jersey Club Blazer from Rugby ($119.99) on top and Seersucker Blazer from United Bamboo (Retailed at $565) on the bottom Center: T Wolf Trim Blazer by French Connection ($135): Right: Black Edjules Blazer from Peoples Market ($88) on top, Purple Velvet Sport Coat from Tallia Orange on the left and Velvet Tuxedo Blazer from Black Rivet on the right

Ed.: Just found this great Stone Piped Contrast Trim Trenchcoat ($140) from topman!

THE OFFICIAL PREPPY HANDBOOK or of The Virtues of Wearing Pink and Green

There are a few book in this world that are atemporal and very much enjoyable. Lisa Birnbach's The Official Preppy Handbook (also known as TOPH) is by far one of my favourites.

Written in a half-satirical half-serious manner makes it a highly enjoyable read for anyone who is at least slightly familiar with the Prep culture of the United States. I personally dislike it when people over-analyze it in their reviews as I think Mrs. Birnbach wrote it such that it requires taking it just as it was written, flippantly serious.

I have attached the scanned version of the book for all of you who are having a harder and harder time to secure a copy, although I would suggest eBay or Amazon (new versions start at $179.99 however) if you would like a physical copy of the book.

Besides some of the less updated items in the book, like stores and addresses, most of the information is very much current and applicable although I sheepishly remind you not to take it too seriously ( we all know from history where that lead in the past when another book that chronicled it was followed word-by-word) ! Some of you might discover, either to your liking or to your dismay that you are a prep, while some of you might learn a little about the world that has always seemed so inaccesible for us mere mortals.

If you would like to convert to "Prepianity" however, I would suggest investing seriously in some etiquette classes (The Emily Post Institute can do wonders with all but the most entrenched of troglodytes), a country club membership and of course Prep attire (Ralph Lauren, Rugby Ralph Lauren, J.Crew, L.L.Bean, Vineyard Vines and sometimes Lacoste are all great choices IMO).

Enjoy the book and if you wish to read it offline, please click on the Follow Blog button on the right side and you will receive a message containing the download link for the book in pdf format!


Comments are always appreciated. Let me know what you think about the book, do you think it's contents still apply to our modern society? Is Prep dying out?

I would also like to introduce you to the long awaited True Prep: It's a Whole New Old world, which is an updated-to-modern-times version of the TOPH. Order True Prep here.

True Prep looks at how the old guard of natural-fiber-loving, dog-worshipping, G&T-soaked preppies adapts to the new order of the Internet, cell phones, rehab, political correctness, reality TV and…polar fleece 



Authors Lisa Birnbach and Chip Kidd, giving us a glimpse at the process of getting True Prep ready for publishing!



Here it is:

Strapping Surcingle Sashes

Out of the few things a man can add to his persona as an accessory, the belt is by far the most embraced by men  of all statures, classes and fashion senses.

The belt itself comes in many shapes, sizes and materials and I won't go into details in this post, but one of my most favourite types of belts is the Surcingle Belt. 

The term surcingle (Et.: Middle English sursengle, from Middle French surcengle, from sur- + cengle girdle, from Latin cingulum) is an equestrian term that represents a strap made of leather or leather-like synthetic materials such as nylon or neoprene, sometimes with elastic, that fastens around a horse's girth area, and in our case, around one's midsection.

While most belts are either made of solid leather or braided leather or rope or plain canvas, the surcingle is a combination of the most common types of belts and almost always features a leather buckle and either a canvas or rope body. The surcingle is both trendy in casual and less casual situations. While I do like to wear a surcingle belt with most pants just for the sake of having a belt, I use it most to add a little colour to a jeans/denim/chino and sports coat combination. I'm not sure if having lived in the south has taken its toll on me or not but I definitely approve more of a navy coat, pastel chino combination if it is all tied together by a mono- or two-toned surcingle belt ( Major major kudos points for anything Anatidean).

In terms of the body of the belt, the surcingle comes in either a stretch version, which from experience I can attest can get annoying to re-buckle, especially after a couple of drinks, and a normal non-stretch version.

Surcingle belts are fashionable, durable and compared to genuine leather belts more affordable. I see no reason why you should not invest in one this summer and add a little colour into your wardrobe. 

The belts featured in this post are as follows from top to bottom and from left to right: Rugby - TWO-TONE SURCINGLE BELT ($55), Dann Clothing - ENGLISH WOOL SURCINGLE BELTS ($52.5), J.Press - STRETCH SURCINGLE BELT ($45)

Roll Me Up In Spring

Roll me up in spring and summer,

Lift me way above the clouds,

Show me sounds of endless summer

Give me never-ending crowds.

For us lucky ones that don't live in the north-east of the U.S., the weather has been steadily improving, bringing with higher temperatures and sunny skies. This is one of the turning-points of the year in terms of fashion, as one transitions from the Fall/Winter wardrobe to the Spring/Summer one, and one of my favourite things about spring is that the weather is chilly enough at times to wear a few lightweight layers but warm enough that you can shed the heavy Fall/Winter wool blazers.

Something that I keep seeing here in Europe is guys rolling up not only their shirt sleeves now, but also the sleeves of their blazers and cardigans. And although the neophyte's first reaction might we wondering why not just take the blazer off if you're too warm, the actual reason behind rolling one's sleeves has nothing to do with the temperature outside.

The whole trick to doing it, as our friends as Fashionbeans.com put it is pushing the sleeves on the jacket to just below the elbow and then folding the sleeve until it covers the ribbing, all this while remembering to have your cuff done up.

This look first came into mainstream view by means of Miami Vice, although the t-shirt under the rolled-up blazer look is not the best of combinations. I would advise either wearing a polo underneath and thus eliminating the need to roll 2 sets of sleeves or sporting a lightweight shirt that won't bunch-up too much when rolled. As for bottoms, some nice shorts look best in my opinion( but please no cargo shorts, burn them if you own any) or a nice pair of chinos that complement the look and give tribute to spring and summer( think spring colours, earthy pastels this year). 

In terms of shoes, if you choose the shorts recommendation, I would suggest going sock-less and sporting either a pair of loafers or a pair of nice leather oxfords or brogues. If you're not a fan of that either, go with the all safe boat shoe.

Items are, in order from top to bottom, left to right: Rugby - COTTON JERSEY CLUB BLAZER ( $168), photo courtesy of The Sartorialist, Rugby - SKULL BUTTON NAVY SPORT COAT ($398), Rugby - FOOTBALL CLUB FLEECE BLAZER ($79.99), photo courtesy of Swagger NYC.