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.

New York Spring '09 - Part 6

Day 6 of the New York shows featured Marc by Marc Jacobs and Thom Browne. The Marc by Marc Jacobs shows had a few looks that could be worn outside the runway. The Thom Browne show atleast according to me was almost the same that I have seen of him (I would have loved something new. The only things new were trousers worn under the hips and the headbands). Although I consider Thom Browne a master of theatricality for menswear I am getting bored b the same things. 

Look 1. Marc by Marc Jacobs. The accessories are the reason this look is here. The sunglasses, the man-bag, the necklaces and those shoes (paisley?).
Look 2. Marc by Marc Jacobs. The accessories again. The shoe matches the shirt (I have observed this very often this season. A trend?). The accessory I love most from the look is the bag. The pieces I would like to own are the bag and the shirt both for their rugged military look.
Look 3. Marc by Marc Jacobs. The show was clearly all about the accessories. The crumpled trench coat was also a highlight of the look.
Look 4. Marc by Marc Jacobs (don't worry it is the last of his). I can not put my finger on why I like this look. Maybe because of the rolled up cuffs of the trousers or because of the vest and half sleeved shirt combo or even for the accessories or perhaps because all of it.
Look 5. Thom Browne. The reason I liked this look was because of the matching colours of the tie and the belt (who needs to match the belt with your shoe anymore). Red, white and blue where the colours in the tie and the belt. Another thing I liked was everything else was white and that Thom Browne choose the tie and belt to add colour to a plain outfit.

New York Spring '09 - Ralph Lauren

As promised a review on the wonderful show by Ralph Lauren. I was impressed by his colour and pattern coordination. Onto my favourite looks from the collection. 

Look 1. As I said wonderful colour and pattern coordination. The striped shirt, the paisley tie and the thickly knit sweater all work together perfectly. Very well done.

Look 2. The look I had to consider this one of my favourites because of the patterns of the clothing. Striped suit, striped shirt and striped tie. Again wonderful pattern coordination. The pocket square matched the collar of the shirt which was another detail I liked. 
Look 3. The look reminded me of Fred Astaire in a way(tie as belt). The colours were kept simple but the look was something very infrequently seen worn in real life.
Look 4. I have always been a fan of both the cricket sweater and the double breasted jacket but I would have never thought of pulling off wearing them together. I love how he mixed casual and formal. It remains sporty yet elegant.
Look 5. I like the simplicity of the look. The look remained black and white except the small sights of the blue contrast collared shirt. The cardigan fits wonderfully. Another thing I would like to point out is the show of shirt cuff under the cardigan.

There was another detail I would like to point out from the collection. The look was a chambray shirt, worn with a tie under a vest and jacket (both of madras - the fabric). The jacket had a red pocket square and tie was tucked into the trouser. The look wasn't all that appealing maybe because of the bad angle from which the picture was seen. The detail was of a tie pin on a chambray shirt. It was a detail that only Ralph Lauren could execute. 

New York Spring '09 - Part 5

Day 5 of the New York shows brought a smile to my face. They might not have been the best of the season but they were by far the most colourful (well Michael Bastian,  Ralph Lauren and Victor Glemaud atleast). The shows today were of Michael Bastian, Tim Hamilton, Victor Glemaud, Ralph Lauren and Z Zegna. The Michael Bastian show had not been as good as I had expected (I had too much of hope) but they were not disappointing either. The Tim Hamilton show was beautiful. The vintage looking bib shirts had a wonderful look. This was one of the shows that exceeded my expectations. The Victor Glemaud show had a lot of nice knits and was very colourful. The Ralph Lauren show did not consist of models but only mannequins. The show was interesting and almost all of the looks would work in real life. The Z Zegna show had a lot of good jackets. Onto my five favourite looks for today (no Ralph Lauren included. Thats a topic for tommorow).

Look 1. Michael Bastian - I loved the colour of the shirt and the pocket square. The jacket was also something I liked for its cut, colour and detail.
Look 2. Michael Bastian. More yellow. The colour combination is done well. This look would be perfect on the beach (fits in perfectly with Michael Bastian's theme of lifeguard). 
Look 3. Tim Hamilton. I love this look. The jacket and shoes are both white. The jeans black. The shirt blue looks like gingham. I would have liked a bigger view of this. But this will have to do for now.
Look 4. Victor Glemaud. A lot of colour. I suppose its pulled off by keeping the white levis (or it seems) white and the loafers (gucci?) black. 
Look 5. Z Zegna. I love the jacket. Is that a knit jacket? The shoes look so great.

Ralph Lauren's show will be discussed tommorow in another post along with five of my favourite Ralph Lauren looks (will be hard to choose among about 170).

New York Spring '09 - Part 4

Four new shows up today - William Rast, DKNY, Patrik Ervell and Y-3. William Rast had a better start than I expected it would. They had help from Johan and Marcella Linderberg (which I did not know about until today). DKNY celebrated their 20th anniversary with this collection. Most of it was something I am tired of seeing (I know many of you might have different opinions) t-shirts with suits. Patrik Ervell put on a show that I enjoyed browsing through. He had a lot of great looks suitable for everyday wear. The Y-3 show had a lot of colour but also had a lot of black. Onto my favourite looks from the shows of today. Seems I'm partial to some designers. Only Patrik Ervell and Y-3 can be found below.

Look 1. Patrik Ervell. What I liked? Everything. The moment I saw it I fell in love once again. The jacket, the cut of the trousers, the shoes, the tattoos(although not Patrik Ervell designed), the pattern of the jacket and the hairstyle. Well pretty much all of it.
Look 2. Patrik Ervell again. What I like is the colour of the trousers, the shoe, the pattern of the jacket, the fit of the trousers. What I didn't like was the fit of the jacket. I would have preffered it a little slimmer (but that's just my opinion).
Look 3. Y-3. I am liking the layering, especially the fact that it is all black. The accessories too - the shoes, the bag, the cap.
Look 4. More Y-3. The hat. I thank all the people trying to popularize the hat. You are helping a good cause (looking good is as good of a cause as the other). The use of only black and white without looking very rock n roll. 
Look 5. More Y-3 (do not worry this is the last). What I liked. The pocketed track pants (I would have loved to call them track trousers), the colour and shape of the shoe, the transparent blazer / jacket with blue piping, the t-shirt with raglan sleeves and the leather strap of the bag (too bad I can't see the entire bag. Its times like these I wish I was at the shows watching).

Special note - The Journal Of Style has completed 50 posts (53 to be exact). Thank you to every one who has been an inspiration for this blog and all my readers who have given me great support. Thank you all.

New York Spring '09 - Part 3

The shows online on men.style.com today are Obedient Sons, Robert Geller, Lacoste and Band Of Outsiders. The Obedient Sons show was all about feminine menswear. The Robert Geller show had inspiration from Eastern Europe. It feautured a lot of formal pieces and some stripes. It was truly one of the best shows seen so far. The Lacoste show was a well put up show. My favourite part about it would be that they took basic sportswear and updated it with colour and design. The Band Of Outsiders show was more of a lookbook. It had a lot of colour (yellow again. Mmm I wonder). A lot of use for madras (the fabric). The looks below are my top 5 of the shows (no Robert Geller or Obedient Sons because these are looks that can be pulled off in real life).

First up Band Of Outsiders. I suppose this look can be perfect for a sunday morning in summer. I would wear this going out for breakfast at a nearby cafe.
Band Of Outsiders again. As I said yellow. I like the glasses and the pair of shoes.  The length of the shorts are short but longer than what I saw in the shows recently and I like the stripes. The colour of the shirt looks pretty cool too.
As I said use of madras. There were more but this was more wearable. The matching shoe and shirt was pretty cool. The red cardigan whose colour matches the madras hat and trouser was pretty cool too.
Now Lacoste. I really like that this is kept lively with just a touch of green and red. Green on the glove and watch and red on the jacket collar. The watch I really liked. The gloves too for their futuristic looks.
This is what I meant by elevated sportswear (the polo). What I liked about this look was matching the bottom edges of the jacket with the polo.

Pictures from Men.Style.Com

New York Spring '09 - Part 2

Men.Style.Com has got four new shows today. They were Duckie Brown, Perry Ellis, Rag & Bone and Shipley & Halmos. Duckie Brown had a good show fashion-wise but the looks wont work from runway to reality so my favourite five for today will only include one from them. Perry Ellis had lots of blue one of my favourite colours(that reminds me Duckie Brown had a bit of yellow and so did Shipley & Halmos. A trend? Well have to wait and see). They also featured some polka dots on some clothing (heads up for Style Salvage's EJ and Steve) although they looked like some sort of a disease. Rag & Bone had a lot of white socks (the first thing I noticed). Then what I noticed where wide spread collared button downs. A lot of pocket square use for a young designer, some where of the same pattern as that of the shirts. They put on a wonderful show. A feast for the eyes. Now last but not least, Shipley & Halmos. As said earlier, use of the colour yellow. Seems all the shorts are being cut short. Now onto the looks.

First up my favourite look from Duckie Brown. I really like the hairstyle and the fabric of the suit. The loose cut of the suit is also a good sight although I prefer wearing suits a little slim. I like that the designer used very few colour in this look. Grey, black and white might not even count as colours. I also like the gloves.

Perry Ellis, as I said blues. The mixture of the checks and stripes is what I liked about it. 
Rag & Bone. This was my favourite look although the entire look isn't present. The wide spread collared shirt (button down) was well executed (I know designers have done this before but there is just something different about this). I also liked the tie. If you are wondering there is a pocket square in the picture look at the bottom right(its white). 
Onto Shipley & Halmos. I have two looks that caught my attention. The first one is the look above. Yellow done well. Short shorts look great too (although the models muscular legs help). The look worked because the shirt was kept simple and white. 
My favourite part about look two would be the dressed up leather jacket. I guess the shoe matching the jacket helps.

As always I would love to hear from all of you. Please do let me know on what you think of the looks and which ones were your favourite.

Pictures from Men.Style.Com

New York Spring '09 - It Has Begun

I was extremely happy to see that the New York shows for spring-summer 2009 had started as I wasn't quite aware of the dates. Men.Style.Com had two shows -John Bartlett and Trovata. I wasn't a huge fan of John Bartlett's looks but its an improvement. Trovata's show I loved. Not many looks in either John Bartlett's or Trovata's shows but some of them were wonderful. My favourites are below with a short description of what I like about them.

This look was surely my favourite from John Bartlett's show. I liked that the plaid shirt matched the model's eyes but apart from that I love the zip up cardigan with the sleeve details. I also liked the fact that he was wearing shorts that were cut short.
Now onto Trovata. I really love the shoes featured in the collection I like the black coloured one the most as seen on this model. I liked that a simple shorts and t-shirt look was brought to a new level by adding a coat and scarf. I also liked the details of the t-shirt.
What I like about this look is that accessories play an important role in completing the look. The brown belt although doesn't match the shoes even though the more sartorial version is to match the belt to shoes or vice versa. But it doesn't look half bad. The scarf and bracelet (it isn't really all that clear could be a watch too) finish the look.
What I like about this look is that it looks a lot like what Tommy and Ralph do but its a more modern version of it. My regret is the look not having a pocket square. That would have closed the deal. The tie matching the jackets buttons also gets the look plus points.
The scarf!! I love it. I also love the fit of the shorts and the frayed edges of the shorts. Again accessories play a huge role in the look.  That was one of the reasons of me being so pleased with the Trovata show.

Apart from these looks in the Trovata show there was use of more lumberjack plaid (which I am a huge fan of) in the form of a jacket and shorts. The shorts I loved but not the combination and hence I didn't post the picture. The Trovata show featured many accessories and most of the looks can be pulled off easily the way they were presented with some slight tweaks here and there.

I would love to know what you thought of the two shows and which ones you are awaiting and what you think of the looks above in the comments page.

Pictures from Men.Style.Com