What I Saw Today

I recently found the blog - What I Saw Today. I know what you're thinking another menswear blog (although there are very few compared to womenswear) but this one is different. Different how you ask? Look at the pictures above and you will know why - this blog uses illustrations instead of photographs of street style. All I can say is keep up the great work Richard.

Oh and some more great illustrations below from What I Saw Today.

Take A Look - Duke Of Windsor

Part 2 of the edition of Take A Look features suits and tuxedos and a man who wore them wonderfully well - The Duke Of Winsor.

Look 1. Perfect tailoring - look at his shirt cuffs. I also love the pocket square fold.
Look 2. Is this not how we all want to look when wearing a tuxedo? Also he makes the button hole (boutonnière) and pocket square work together.
Look 3. Tailoring again and another double breasted suit but what caught my eyes were the socks, beautiful.
Look 4. The most casual picture I could find of The Duke of Windsor. The shirt collar looks fantastic and the sweater fits him perfectly (again look at his shirt cuffs). 

There is one look I wanted to see the duke execute but I could not find it - The Duke of Windsor in a casual double-breasted sports coat. If anyone has any other pictures of the Duke Of Windsor please do let me know. 

Interesting Detail - 2

It has been a while since my last Interesting Details post, so here is another one. The shirt featured here is from B-Clothing. The pocket detail has both function and form. The detail is perfect for people that want a touch of uniqueness in their outfit but don't want to look like they are completely trend-conscious. What do you think of the details? Have you found any interesting details like these? If you do let us know and we will post it on the blog.

Denim Jackets

Lately I have been looking for different ways to wear denim jackets as I have purchased one recently. Below are some of the looks I found.

1. Wearing it with jeans would have been considered unbearable for me. It would have looked too much like a uniform. That is until I found this from  Hel-Looks. The jacket a lighter shade of blue and the jeans a darker. It would work if the jacket were darker and the jeans in a lighter shade of blue.

2. Here Mat from Buckets and Spades shows us that fit and accesories can take the look to a whole new level.
3. This look works well because the colours of the denim are different.

4. Kanye West shows us how to wear a denim jacket with attitude. Add accesories, roll up the sleeves or just wear it with a simple t-shirt and khakhi coloured trousers. (Louis Vuitton accesories are optional).
5. A look from the runway of Gilded Age shows us a denim jacket can be worn with shorts (even plaid shorts). A good summer look although winter is fast approaching.
6. This image is from the Creep lookbook. It shows us that denim jacket can be worn with more than a t-shirt and jean. Here worn with a dress shirt looks fresh and not everyone you know would have worn this look.

How do you wear your denim jacket? Let us know on the comments page.

Take A Look - Steve McQueen

Browsing through the internet I found hundreds of pictures of style icons that wore there clothes wonderfully well. I wanted to share these pictures, so here is Take A Look's first edition - Steve McQueen.

1. Shawl collared cardigan perfection. That makes me want to run out to a store and get me one. The look as a whole can be copied without changing a thing.
2. I have considered turtlenecks something elegant although casual but I would have considered a racing jacket a bit too much buthere McQueen wears it with a racing jacket and it works. It works well. The watch is also beautiful.
3. Isn't this how we all want to look when we take our suit jackets off.
4. Great fit for everything. Double-Breasted suits are always elegant when worn right.
5. Another look that can be copied exactly the same way today. One of my favourite pictures of Steve McQueen. Turtleneck sweaters look great on him.
6. Turtleneck again but this time with a corduroy blazer. The mix of leather belt with corduroy blazer is done perfectly.
7. Workwear at its best by Steve McQueen. The pockets of the shirt are beautiful. You could wear this shirt even now (without the stains and the sailors cap).

My 10 Essentials

A few days ago Steve and EJ from Style Salvage asked us to email them on out 5 essentials. I have sent them an e-mail on my 5 essentials but I coudn't stop at five, so here are my top 10 style essentials (the clothes and things that inspire me to wear the clothes).1. Canvas Shoes. They come in tons of different colours and designs.
2. A good read. This doesn't have to mean a book. It can be an article in the newspaper or in on the internet, a magazine or even a novel. The picture above is of one of my favourite books - The Godfather by Mario Puzo.

3. History. The past was so wonderful (clothing-wise). Hats, ties, suits, walking sticks. These were all things that everyone wore everyday.
4. The Internet. Although the picture above shows blogger, I do not mean blogger alone. The internet is a wonderful resource. You can find about anything in the internet.
5. Jeans. Who doesn't wear them? From tiny toddlers to grandfathers. The picture above from the sartorialist shows the versatility of the jeans.
6. A good portable music system - I love music. I feel inspired by it. So a good music system I can carry around is a must-have for me.
7. Pocket Squares or Pocket Handkerchiefs. I never wear a suit of a blazer without a pocket square (unless the pocket has a flap for example in a hunting jacket). Its a simple thing to bring your outfit to a whole new level. 
8. Scarfs. Whether it be a knit scarf for winter or a linen scarf for summer. Scarfs can be worn dressed down or up. There are a lot of different knots, which means different looks for one scarf.
9. Turtleneck Sweaters. I once read in GQ magazine that Turtlenecks are the most flattering thing a man can wear and I guess this holds true. I know they can't be worn all year round or all the time but I try to wear one as much as possible.
10. Watches. I have read somewhere that a watch does for men what perfume does for women and I consider that true(sorry it was a long time ago and I forgot where I read it. Please do let me know if you know the link). The best part about watches is the wide range of options.

Please note - The list is in no particular order although they are numbered.

What are your style essentials? Please let us know in the comments page.

New York Spring '09 - Part 9

Two new shows at men.style.com - Gilded Age and Yigal Azrouel. The Gilded Age show had simple pieces nothing extraordinary but the part I liked about the collection like last time was the washing and dying processes behind the clothes for example a hunting jacket in chambray which had been washed to bring out imperfections that added an interesting texture to it and t-shirt were organically dyed in Japan (thanks to Tim Blanks for the information). Last time the processes included a cashmere hand knit which requires 71 hours of work and a five pocket trouser dyed with volcanic mud (thanks to Tim Blanks again for the information). The Yigal Azrouel show was his first menswear-only show. The clothes were casual and deconstructed.

Look 1. Gilded Age. The khaki coloured cotton suit looks fantastic. I especially love the short and slim cut of it and the pockets. The shirt is also perfect for the suit.Look 2. Gilded Age. The shorts,the boots and the henley are my favourite from the look.
Look 3. Gilded Age. I have been constantly looking for new ways to wear a denim jacket (please comment on how you wear your denim jacket if you have one) and I guess I have found one - worn with plaid shorts. Ill have to try this.
Look 4. Yigal Azrouel. I am a sucker for lumberjack checks (see my previous post on the subject). I'm a sucker for the colour blue too. I like the idea of wearing it with plaid shorts.
Look 5. Yigal Azrouel. Summer layering wonderfully done. The cuffed shorts, the white shoes and the half-sleeve shirt on half-sleeve shirt on t-shirt layering is a look we can all achieve without spending a thing (that is if you have all these items)

New York Spring '09 - Part 8

Another day of the shows and another day of regret. John Varvatos and Tommy Hilfiger today. The looks below were hard for me to choose not because of tough competition but because I didn't like many of them. Anyway my top 5 runway to reality looks for today.

Look 1. John Varvatos. I like the shape of the jacket and the neckerchief.
Look 2. John Varvatos. I like the shoes and the long cardigan (with duffle coat buttons?). (edit - and the glasses. How did I miss that. Thank you 'we could grow up together' for pointing that out in the comments page.)
Look 3. John Varvatos. A bit of matching your shoe to the jacket or shirt going. Well anyway I like the jacket and shorts combo.
Look 4. Tommy Hilfiger. I like turtlenecks with a blazer or suit but I wasn't impressed all that much with this look although I like the cut of the jacket, the peaked lapels and the touch of white pocket square.
Look 5. Tommy Hilfiger. I like the coat and the striped turtleneck sweater.

New York Spring '09 - Part 7

Ah three new shows on men.style.com but I am really getting bored by this. Perhaps I should continue my following of street style like Steve with more attention rather than the runway. The three shows up today were 3.1 Phillip Lim, Michael Kors and Spurr. 3.1 Phillip Lim had some nice shoes with python leather by Christian Louboutin. Michael Kors show had a few splashes of colour but apart from that nothing great. Spurr had some suits that I liked and some of the looks were nice although didn't make me jump up in joy as Tim Hamilton did.

Look 1. 3.1. Phillip Lim. This look would have been nothing if it weren't for the accessories. The leather case and the shoe were the highlights.
Look 2. Michael Kors. I like the shorts with turtleneck combo and the colour of the turtleneck sweater.
Look 3. Spurr.One of the suits I liked was this one. I liked it for its short slim fit and I am a fan of peaked lapels.
Look 4. Spurr. Leather jackets is something I am hunting for right now. I might just consider this. The t-shirt has a good colour to it.
Look 5. You just got home from work (wearing a suit). You have 5 minutes to go out with your friends. What do you do? This is what you should be trying to achieve although I question the sleeve-less jacket.