PARIS - the quiet night before the storm, le baron + la fleche d'or, 09/29/07

LONDON - the doggy scarf, commercial street, 09/29/07

LONDON - sexbeat, 333 basement + wet shoreditch, 09/28/07

COLETTE EXHIBITION

If you are in Paris this coming month, between Le Louvre and Centre Pompidou, don't forget to visit Colette.

With "From the Street to the Night", the famous Parisian boutique is presenting the first global exhibition about street style and party pictures blog culture. Do you check these photographs everyday online? Enjoy to see them hanging on a wall for once...

LONDON - volume magazine party, aka + old blue last + on the street, shoreditch, 09/27/07

OCTOBER is gonna be SO COOL!

Here's my freezing line-up for the next weeks:

Paris (Women Ready-to-Wear SS 08 Fashion Week): Sep. 30 - Oct. 8
aka the biggest gathering of profesionnal fashionistas on Earth.

Stockholm ( & 1 day in Göteborg): Oct. 9-14
i.e. let's see what kind of clothes the Swedes are wearing for the Fall 07.

Reykjavik (Iceland Airwaves): Oct. 17-21
aka the "ultra-hip" music festival at the end of the World.

See you around.

LONDON - on the street, shoreditch, 09/26/07

Men fashion accessories: Perfumes

So far, there are so many posts in term of fashion accessories such as earrings, tie, belts, fashion bags etc. Today, we will touch on the sexiest item in the men fashion accessory lists, i.e.

Perfumes.

When it comes to creating long lasting impression on women, the first thing men choose is class fragrances for men. Modern men wear perfumes as an indication of their style and passion. Perfumes for men speak about the wearer's attitude and defines a fashion statement for him. The market is flooded with a variety of cologne man perfumes. When it comes to accessorizing wardrobe, designer scents for guys occupy a supreme position.

History

According to wikipedia, the world's first recorded chemist is considered to be a person named Tapputi, a perfume maker who was mentioned in a cuneiform tablet from the second millennium BC in Mesopotamia.

Recently, archaeologists have uncovered what is believed to be the world's oldest perfumes in Pyrgos, Cyprus. The perfumes date back more than 4,000 years.

Perfumes vs. Cologne

The most practical way to start describing a perfume is according to its concentration level, the family it belongs to, and the notes of the scent, which all affect the overall impression of a perfume from first application to the last lingering hint of scent. Perfume oil is necessarily diluted with a solvent because undiluted oils (natural or synthetic) contain high concentrations of volatile components that will likely result in allergic reactions and possibly injury when applied directly to skin or clothing.

Cologne perfumes have a higher concentration of alcohol. The terms 'perfume' and 'cologne' are often considered to be synonymous. But in reality they are different and the basic differentiation lies in the ratio of alcohol water base. When compared to colognes, perfumes are on a higher side in terms of essential oils. Also their fragrance retains for a long time and is more effective and prominent.

By far the most common solvent for perfume oil dilution is ethanol or a mixture of ethanol and water. Perfume oil can also be diluted by means of neutral-smelling lipids such as jojoba, fractionated coconut or wax.

A diverse variety of elegant fragrance perfumes are stored in shopping malls and is among the top hot shopping list of men of all age groups. The gamut of scents is pretty extensive and encompasses price friendly mass fragrances to luxury prestigious fragrances and hip hop style celebrity fragrances. The specialty of mass fragrances lies in the fact that its like a double bonanza offer with a combo of high quality and reasonable price. The packaging is also good enough to lure people into trying it. Some good examples are Adidas and Revlon.

Prestigious fragrances are more of a status symbol indicative of richness and royalty. They contain special ingredients for which people are ready to pay any amount.

Celebrity fragrances are selling like real hot cakes. These scents are endorsed by people's favorite celebrities like Brittany Spears who make these products popular among people owing to their charismatic qualities. To name few such as Dunhill, Polo, Guess, are few famous brands in the list of celebrity fragrances. So, go make your own fashion style with your unique fragrance.

Lastly, proper preservation of perfumes may keep them away from sources of heat and storing them where they will not be exposed to light. An opened bottle will keep its aroma intact for up to a year, as long as it is full or nearly so, but as the level goes down, the presence of oxygen in the air that is contained in the bottle will alter the perfume's smell character, eventually distorting them.

LONDON - on the street, tottenham court road & shoreditch + white heat, madame jojo's, 09/25/07

Man Daily Skin Care Tips: Shaving

Daily skin care is takes just a few minutes but can vastly improve your overall appearance. So what are men should watch out for their daily skin care, particularly SHAVING?

Skin: If your skin is dry, you will experience a tight, dry feeling after washing or shaving. In this case you should use rich moisturizers. There are many unisex ranges which offer this, as male-specific ranges tend to be quite limited. Men who suffer from greasy skin should use a light moisturizing lotion or lightly scented aftershave balm. If you experience shaving rash or razor burn (unsightly red bumps due to swollen hair follicles which are often itchy and irritated), use pre-shave cleansing and exfoliation to minimize the problem. If your skin still reacts, fragrance and color-free products should be used. Cleansing is the first stage of the daily grooming routine, followed by shaving, finishing with moisturizing. You need to cleanse and moisturize your face in the morning and last thing at night, even if you only shave once a day.

Shaving: There are several choices when it comes to shaving. Some methods have a more profound effect on the skin than others, therefore it is important to find a balance between the comfort and structure of the epidermis, whilst achieving the closest possible shave. There are two main methods of shaving: wet shaving and power shaving.

Wet shaving: Wet razors are either entirely disposable or just have disposable heads (the thicker the hair, the more often the heads need to be replaced). These slice off the hair at skin level, or just below it. It is particularly suitable for men with thick, coarse hair growth and is effective in removing longer hairs. However, razor burn is a common problem for those that wet shave and cuts often occur if full attention is not given when shaving. In order to maximise the performance of a wet shave, it is suggested that the skin is softened and lubricated first. Skin should first be cleansed using a facial wash, then a specialist cream, gel or foam should be applied to provide a smooth pathway for the razor. This prevents dragging and nicking. Exfoliation is also an important routine for men to do two or three times a week because it improves a man’s shave by preventing in growing hairs. Shaving should occur in a downwards motion in order to minimise irritation of the skin.

Power shaving: Power shaving involves using a mains or battery operated shaver to whisk the hairs off at high speed. It is suitable for all skin types and does not require shaving preparations. However, it is not as effective on tough, dense and very dark hair. For electric shaving, the face should be clean and dry with stubble not too long. The skin needs to be thoroughly cleansed beforehand and regularly exfoliated. A closer shave can be achieved by pulling the skin taut to encourage the hairs to stand on end and make them easier to trim. It can be difficult to reach some areas with a power shaver, such as beneath the nose and above the lips. Here, an integral trimmer is ideal.

So whichever method you use, the ideal should be ease of use and save time! You don't want to spend your every whole morning for this! Life will be definitely no fun!

LONDON - durrr, the end, 09/24/07

How To: Tie a tie

Have you ever think about whether how to tie your tie?
If this is not your problem, that you can skip this...

If so, here is a must read HOW TO: Tie a Tie. There are many ways to tie your tie, there are simple konts and fancy knots. Find one that you like and learn how to tie it. After you learn it practice, practice, practice, as people always said " Practice make perfect!"

Here is a great site that shows you how to tie your tie in a various amount of ways.
http://www.krawattenknoten.info/krawatten/Krawattenknoten/tieknot.html

LONDON - drawing restraint (matthew barney) exhibition, serpentine gallery + on the street, kensington & shoreditch, 09/24/07