SYDNEY - on the street, central + surry hills, 10/31/08

SYDNEY - on the street, paddington, 10/30/08

Man Fashion: Tom Ford With Moore and Firth

Tom Ford is finally going public with his movie plans.

As I told you earlier in my blog, the fashion prince will make his directorial debut with a movie adaptation of Christopher Isherwood’s 1964 novel, A Single Man.

Colin Firth will star as a gay college professor who is dealing with the death of his longtime lover. Julianne Moore costars as a lifelong friend of the professor’s.

While early talk was Jamie Bell would play one of his students, it turns that role has gone to Matthew Goode.


The story takes place in 1962 in Los Angeles. Filming will begin in L.A. on Nov. 3.

Ford spoke publicly about wanting to get behind the camera when he left Gucci in 2004. He acquired movie right's to A Single Man about a year ago.

He also started his own men's fashion line last year with stores in New York, Las Vegas, Dubai, Los Angles and Moscow, among many others.

Source: eonline.com

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Technorati Tags: Man Fashion, Tom Ford, Fashion Designer

November screensaver

Click here if you want to download my September screensaver for your computer

or print out a hard copy.

November is the last of the fall leaves and time to wear hats, capes and gloves, to layer it on and fend off any cold breezes. I have sketched the Russian Cloak, gauntlets and velvet paneled jeans from my book of recycled denim overlayed with a collage of different photos from travels -- hand painted frescoes, plastic brooches and crystals that were inserted between old lace ribbons -- that I played with in Photoshop to make this month's calendar.

Man Fashion: Casual Business Clothing

Presentation is everything when it comes to business clothing, As everyone should know the first impression is almost important. Hence, right business clothing, be traditional, casual classic, or smart casual can actually help a person's level of confident and chance of being successful too. Therefore, working business men are always in search for ways to differentiate themselves from their peers, and what better way to do it than to look different?

Unless you are in the fashion industry, dressing too faddishly will have your bosses wondering if you are more concerned with your wardrobe than your job. So instead of formal business attire, most of the men moved to Casual Business Clothing.

Three Level of Business Clothing

The new business casual look evolved as Silicon Valley opened up the world to young entrepreneurs and a more relaxed way of doing business. Casual business clothing comes to three basic levels: classic, smart and relaxed.

Classic

Traditional business and Classic casual business clothing is elegant. These two level of business dress call for an elegant, clean finish to your look.

Traditional business wear consists of a suit, shirt and tie. It is the most formal of business attire. The suit is made of well constructed suiting. The suit jacket should always be buttoned up, except when sitting perhaps.


Casual business classic is a small step down from traditional. It works best when you want to create an overall impression of professionalism, authority, dependability. The jacket is the key in casual business classic fashion. But bear in mind that it should not match your trousers, as that will dress it up to the traditional level.

This casual business classic clothing style is most suitable if your business is based in outdoor lifestyles and products.

Casual Business Smart Style

Casual business smart works best when you want to create an overall impression of accessibility, friendliness, competence, creativity.

So for this look, you only need a neat trousers and a shirt. If you happen to have a jacket with you, remember to loosen the jacket to create the dress down effect.

Casual Business Relaxed Style

Casual business relaxed look are most welcome on end of the week, ie. Friday. The key item is denim. This is the most relaxed form of dressing and should only be worn when you are definitely not expecting to meet any clients. However, Casual Business Relaxed Clothing are also well received by technology group of people working in Silicon Valley.

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Technorati Tags: Man Fashion Tips, Casual Business Clothing, Classic Casual Clothing, Casual Business Relaxed Look, Business Smart Casual Clothing

Pom P'on

The shops on and around the hip area of rue Antoine Dansaert in Brussels were turned into a showcase for fresh and emerging designers last weekend, with clothing stores to galleries, filling their windows with ideas to sell or just to inspire. There were lots of witty ideas, like the girl above, making pom-poms while dressed in a knitted pom-poms dress by Laura Van Neygen.

SYDNEY - on the street, paddington + surry hills + darlinghurst, 10/29/08

Man Fashion: Men Finery Code

When refer to Men Finery Code, one that you should focus on is the whole dressing attire rather than small portion of the whole, which include clothing, accessories and others that could affect your appearance.

So let breakdown a day into 2 major time frame, daytime and evening, and how you should dressing in style.

Daytime

Formal Day Dress/Morning Coat
It is most commonly worn to weddings, and occasionally seen at the other important functions. This dress code consists of striped pants with braces, a cutaway grey or black jacket or other darker color if you like, a white shirt (normally) a grey silk cravat (optional of course), black shoes and a waistcoat in grey. beige or black.


Keep it Light and Simple
Wear lighter colors during the day to look your best. Save black for evenings. Keep your outfit simple is another key to daytime glamour.

Jeans can be appropriate as long as clean and fit well
Just to make sure it suitable for the ocassions you are going to.

Lose the tie, not your credibility
A crisp shirt left open at the neck with in a fabulous pair of cufflinks will dress any outfit up. Make sure it is a good quality fabric that will not have you looking as if you slept in it after an hour or two.

Evening

White Tie Formal
This is the most formal of all styles of dressing. You can choose between a white or black jacket, but you will definitely wear a white bow tie or white dinner shirt.


Black Tie Formal
Traditionally, black tie events require a bow tie and white dinner shirt. Some non-traditionalists will wear a black cravat or a naru collared shirt with a collar button.


Cocktail/After 5/Lounge Suit
In all of these style you will always look perfectly presented in a smart suit and tie. You can always check with the organizers, sometimes ties could be optional too.

Wing it
Never wear your wingtip shoes or brogues with your wingtip shirts. Your shoes should be plain black leather for evening functions.

Lastly, it is advisable to keep the pockets of dinner suit sewn up, this is to ensure the shape of the pocket is in shape, and to resist the temptation of hanging your hands in there and stretching the line of the jacket.

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Technorati Tags: Man Fashion, Man Fashion Finery, Men White Tie Formal, Men Black Tie Formal, Men Formal Day Dress

SYDNEY - on the street, paddington, 10/28/08

Man Designer Fashion Accessories Essentials

When we talk about Man Designer Fashion Accessories, items that come to my mind are fashion designer tie, fashion designer sunglasses, fashion designer watch, handkerchief, designer shoes, fashion designer wallets, sandals, cellphone, mp3 etc. There are plenty of brands from Man Fashion Designers out there. You can find some designer fashion accessories are expensive and some are affordable. More importantly, what are the most essentials a man should look out for when come to designer fashion accessories.


Designer Fashion Essential 1 - Never Substitute Quantity for Quality
Buying in bulk can leave you looking as if you have a lots of cheap pieces at your wardrobe. But when come to man designer fashion, it is the quality that count. Hence, choose your designer fashion accessories wisely, they are your assets in your future.


Designer Fashion Essential 2 - Organize Your Wardrobe
Trousers, suits at one side, and fashion accessories at the other side etc. It will make finding the correct combination so much easier.


Designer Fashion Essential 3 - Always Feel Confident in What You Wear
As I always said, if you leave your house with second thoughts on what are you wearing on that day, it is most probably you got the wrong combination.


Designer Fashion Essential 4 - Do the "Blink" Test
Stand in fornt of a full length mirror, Look at yourself quickly and see what image you have given to yourself. Do all of these fashion accessories work together with your clothes? Likewise, always test this out when you decide to buy something at the outlets. I always think women are more smarter than men when come to this.


Designer Fashion Essential 5 - Ensure Your Fashion Designer Accessories are appropriate to the occasion
Most of the time we do mess the accessories and the locations or occasion up. So if possible, check with the organizers before you attend any functions or party.


Designer Fashion Essential 6 - Don't leave home without a Handkerchief
I am sure most of the younger don't has this habit. As everyone is now more and more aware and concern about environment around us. It is always a good practice to carry handkerchief rather than paper tissues, you play your part and the rest will take care of it.

Lastly, you can always add more colours and designs to all your accessories, so you will not out of fashion and colour to match, be it formal or casual wear.

Technorati Tags: Man Fashion, Man Fashion Designer, Fashion Designer, Man Fashion Accessories, Man Fashion Essentials

LONDON - australian girl, brick lane market, 10/19/08

BUCHAREST - my grandma's backyard, muzeul taranului roman, 10/25/08

More exquisite and colorful button style...

Further on the button mania of my recent postings -- I'm crazy for these necklaces I found today in a shop window. They had several, each unique, a delightful play on pattern and shape.

I am off to make my own version!

More button jewerly

At my Seattle event, a fellow craft-nik shared with me some of the pieces from her exquisite button collection, including the above photo of a button bracelet - where she linked them together with a crème cotton crocheted stitch. She is a button collector, following in her grandmother's footsteps, and among the charming pieces kept in felt-lined compartmentalized boxes, my favorite was a hand embroidered covered button that her grandmother had made, with a 3" wide diameter, ... wouldn't it be lovely as the closure on a velvet clutch...!

BUCHAREST - on the street, vitan, 10/25/08

WARSAW - topshop store opening party, obiekt znaleziony, 10/23/08

DIY button cuffs and my button passion

I simply am crazy about buttons, always have been. They are my faux jewels, my carefree, downtown chic accessory. I pile them on - they are never garish or boring - but soaked in nostalgia, history and imagination. Each button has its own story, where I found it, or who gave it to me, or what I cut it off and I’m always on the hunt. I first laid eyes on Schiaparelli’s legendary insect buttons as a student at the costume archives at the Met and FIT, where they were generously brought out for us to examine, and which are paradise to button lovers, but never to be seen except in museums. But I have always adored buttons (and also buckles, zips, and other hardware) since childhood rummaging through my mom’s collection of mix matched, lost and found, to ones I found as a student, designer or a notions lover, in shops, like Tender Buttons in NYC, La Droguerie in Paris, or any other number of miscellaneous notion shops I where ever I find myself. I store them in big plastic boxes (so I can see what I have and keep them dust free) by color and type, and then put my- favorites of the moment- in cigar boxes, valentine’s chocolate boxes, wicker containers, cookie tins which are as whimsical and diverse as the buttons.

With little monies and little time you can create decorative, interesting style and have quite a lot of fun. I made a pair of denim based cuffs loaded with buttons and am wearing them all the time, dressed up and down. They look terrific because they are a PAIR, and the colors and textures are so swimmy. Here is the DIY DNA.

Materials:
2 strips of denim 8”x 3” or to fit smoothly around your wrist with a 1” overlap
2 pieces of lining fabric, 1” longer and 1”wider than your denim strips (I used navy pinstriped silk)
2 pieces of iron-on interfacing same size as the lining
4 x ½” diameter snaps
Assorted buttons
2 x 2 ¾”x2” buckles
Thread to match denim
Straight pins, sewing needle, scissors

Prepare the denim:
Machine wash, dry and press the denim (so you have frayed edges)

Attach the buttons and buckles:
Slip one buckle through each strip of denim.
Lay the denim strip on the table. Place a large button on top of the buckle and then scatter and play with your other buttons until you have a color/texture/size balance that you love.
Stitch on the buttons, using a long continuous double thread and knot securely after each button.

Construct the cuff:
Press the interfacing to the back side of the lining.
Fold the edge of the lining back ½” all around and pin it to the denim with back sides facing.
Baste, remove pins and hand stitch all around the edge. Remove basting.
Catch the buckle through the denim and lining, and stitch it firmly in place.
Fold cuff around your wrist and mark overlap.

Sew two snaps securely at each overlap.

GOTHENBURG - on the street, kungstorget + weekday store opening, kungsgatan, 10/22/08

Man Fashion: Y-3 Collection

Today, I am going to introduce this to you, in fact is not so new after all, but has been well received by younger generation lately. So what am I talking about? Yes, Y-3.


Y-3 is the highly exclusive collaborative project between Adidas and cult Japanese designer, Yohji Yamamoto. The meaning of the name is clear to see; the Y standing for Yamamoto and the 3 being the famous three stripes of Adidas Y3


Allegedly influenced by the all-encompassing image of Y3 Adidas`s three stripe logo adorning Tokyo kids, Yamamoto y3 chose to integrate their logo into clothes. This led to the clothing, footwear and accessories collections by Y3.



This differed from other collaborations because the collection was designed from scratch rather than changing existing designs, giving Yamamoto total creative freedom to create the Y3 COLLECTIONS.

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Technorati Tags: Man Fashion, Y-3, Adidas, Yohji Yamamoto, Japanese Designer