Another blue dress...

Latest Design For Men

A bit of colour, a bit of celebrity

Loving the red, green, the white shoes, the bow tie, ironically perfect.



And a bit of celebrity, who could resist? Peaches Geldof and Cory Kennedy at the Oli show.



And Mahret from F&Art and the Otto Blog, Two for Fashion.

Tempting Rainbow Silk Sarees

Sunday Monkey Business

Nursing a hangover and all alone in the flat (because Susie is in Paris for the week) Sunday has been a lazy day for me. My time lounging on the sofa was well spent though because Film4 were showing the perfect Sunday afternoon film, Monkey Business. The film has a star studded cast including Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers, Marilyn Monroe and Charles Coburn but more interestingly than boasting stars the film shows them in a very different light than to how the audience expects to see them.

There is no doubt that Cary Grant is one of the most stylish men ever. While most have seen Cary Grant and indeed remember him for the romance and Hitchcock films of this decade such as An Affair to Remember, To Catch a Thief and North by Northwest, Monkey Business is reminiscent of the screwball comedies of the 30's. Very funny and full of just plain silliness, this film is a great way to pass a Sunday afternoon. Although in a more comedic role than I'm used to seeing in, he's still as stylish as ever. The style on display is more than similar to Mad Men. As Valet showed us how to get the style from the show of the moment and I just had to share it with you all once again.

1.) Sterling silver tie bar by David Donahue, $40 at Nordstrom. 2.) Lemtosh frames, $169 (without prescription) at Moscot. 3.) Sidecar gunmetal briefcase by Dunhill, $1,240 at Dunhill, 212.753.9292. 4.) Bow tie by Band of Outsiders, $92 at Blue Bee. 5-7.) Ties, (from left) Mike & Chris, $83, Ralph Lauren, $125 and Shipley & Halmos, $92, all available at Blue Bee. 8.) Suit by John Varvatos Star USA, $795 at Nordstrom. Shirt by Theory, $125, at Nordstrom. Tie by Hickey, $115 at Hickeystyle.com. 9.) Wool hat by Rod Keenan, $360 at Barneys New York stores. 10.) Cotton handkerchiefs, $25 for a pack of seven, at Brooks Brothers.

I will leave you with a piece of wisdom from Grant's character - "You're old only when you forget you're young." Now I'm off to buy a pair of braces after being inspired by this film.

Why isn't Borders open 24 hours?

I've been waiting for the new issue of Fantastic Man (the issue is No. 8) for months now, thankfully the waiting is nearly over. The issue includes Fergus Henderson, a look at Chanel Menswear, Spectacles, Bowler Hats and so much more I'm sure. If only newsagents were 24 hours and stocked up on Men's Fashion/Style journalism...I'm afraid I'm going to have to sleep on it and rush to Borders in the morning before work. Sweet dreams.

Falling for Autumn

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower" Albert Camus

Both of us at Style Salvage love Autumn because for us, it's the season where men's style becomes that bit more interesting. Men can't hide behind a simple combination of t shirt, jeans and wayfarers, more thought is required and most importantly and most interestingly this also means more layers. EJ is going to post her thoughts on Autumn shortly but as I'm so excited about the prospect of crunching leaves underfoot in Hampstead Heath that I just had to share my current inspiration for the season with you.

1 - Harry Treadaway featured in VMAN wearing a Uniqlo Checked Jacket
2 - TheCablog's second han cap from Berlin
3 - In The Cut feature in VMAN
4 -Dexter Wong Slim Trench from Topman
5 - Expert layering by the master of layering The Cablog
6 - Clarks Desert Boot in brown
7 - Cranberry solid rib cardigan by American Apparel

British Style Genius

This week we attended the screening of a really promising BBC new fashion documentary, British Style Genius, which airs soon on BBC2. There we bumped into fellow blogger Susie Bubble looking fabulous as usual.

Kanye's Pastelle Vision

Despite being out for almost a month now, only yesterday was I able to pick up the latest issue of VMan...but it is well worth the wait and it has well and truly wet my appetite for the coming season. The sun might be shining in London and it's so hot in my living room that I'm just wearing shorts as I type this (did you want that mental image on a Saturday afternoon? Perhaps not, but I've said it... there's no going back now) but all I want to think about is Autumn (more to come on this later this weekend). As the weather is against me on my quest for all things autumn, I thought it best to put my autumnal oohing and aaahing on hold for a day or so, so let's talk about Kanye's clothing line, Pastelle which was featured in VMan (despite Kanye's reported cold feet on showing the shots). I have been eagerly waiting to catch a glimpse of Kanye’s (with the help of Kim Jones) design aesthetic. The preview showcased in VMan has as a star studded cast including Rihanna and Lupe Fiasco modelling pieces of the collection...there just aren't enough shots though! However, from the three looks shown, you can definitely see the influence of Kim Jones on the collection.

Kanye recently gave an interview with Complex magazine where he spoke about the line:

"Just getting the right designs. It’s a gift and a curse. You’ve got all eyes on you, so if you deliver something great, it’s gonna get held as, “Oh, it’s supposed to be great.” And even if it’s good or it’s OK or something, it’s gonna get bashed. There were phases where I could just do the bear on a Polo and it would’ve made $100 million. At a certain point. But I always say I was a designer before I was a rapper, and I really wanted to get into design. So then, trying to start designing and goin’ with my girl down to the fashion district and stuff, and looking at fabrics and stuff like that, I’m like, “Oh, shit. This is real.” I’ve learned so much about materials and fabrics and applications and sequence and shiny fabrics and fits and all type of shit…"

The line should be in stores by November and from what I've seen of it, it's going to be a solid first collection which will no doubt make Mr West a lot of money. It is certainly going to be much more than just putting a bear on a polo shirt and slapping an extortionate price tag on it.

Men Represent: Essentials mark two

EJ

- Accessories: It's not one of the most used tags on the blog for no reason. They step any outfit up a level and give you an excuse to be a bit eccentric- bow ties and buttonholes anyone?

- Photography books: I love poring over glossy photography books of any era and almost any subject. My favourite in terms of style inspiration is Cecil Beaton portraits. I love tiny details like Gary Cooper's sideburns and more obvious things like suits, poise and posture.

- A pair of killer trainers: my love of Adidas is well documented, but I can have my head turned by all sorts of trainers (and I do mean that literally... it's not uncommon for me to almost smack into people because I'm looking the other way at someone's feet!)

- Superfly hair: tousled or slicked back, I'm not too fussy and I can appreciate guys making almost any sort of effort with their hair (why do so many men just ignore or mismanage their hair??) ...though of course my favourite is a brilliant quiff.

- Galleries: not so much a style essential, but believe me when I say that I couldn't do without them. The National Gallery in London is one of my favourite places to be.


Steve

- Everyday bag - These come in all shapes and sizes and the choice should depend on the day's activities. My current workday bag of choice is my vintage Polaroid bag but I'm also in the hunt for the perfect tote.

- iPhone - I love this piece of technology, it just makes my life a lot easier and is beautiful at the same time.

- Moleskin notepad and any pen I can find. Simple, elegant and just the job. In a fast paced world it is essential to be able to write down an insight, otherwise it might just be lost...if there aren't any insights to be jotted, you can always doodle.

- Borders - A well stocked newsagent is a necessity and Borders is heaven for me. Whenever I have a few minutes to kill in London I head to Borders. Magazines are so important to me, if it wasn't for magazines like The Face and even GQ who knows what I'd be doing right now. I'm a magazine addict and love nothing more than flicking through a new issue of Fantastic Man, 10 Man, Monocle, Man About Town, Nylon Guys, VMan, GQ Style....

- Wallet - The home of the key to all things shiny and new. I can not understand men who don't use a wallet. Mine is a Commes Des Garcons black wallet complete with coin purse.

Gian

We forgot to mention it on the last essentials post but Gian has posted his essentials over on his blog. Go and check them out!

Zac's Exclusive CK Outfits 2008 (Men's Fashion)

What can I say?

Colour Challenge

Dear EJ

In the below post you challenged me to introduce more colour into my wardrobe this autumn. I must admit that looking over my wardrobe_remix shots there is indeed a lacking of variation and excitement which can be brought from flashes of colour. I'm not afraid of colour, not by any means, but for everyday wear which requires little thought neutral colours prove just too attractive in the morning when I'm a little bleary eyed and thinking of my pillow. However, over the coming weeks I will bring in colour into my attire, from simple accessories (I really want the Jack Spade for Gap x Collete) to full blocks of colour which will blow your mind...

Colour can be used in so many way, through canny accessorising...

Images from left to right: Parisian Dandy in red accessories shot by thesartorialist, Waris Ahluwalia as shot by Cafe Mode, Sasha from Hel Looks

To full blown assaults of colour (and of course everything in between)....

Images clockwise from top left: Model from aw 08 Y3 collection, of the runway shot from thesartorialist, a look from JW Anderson's recent ss 09 collection and finally two images taken from Fashion156's Colour issue

In short, I accept your challenge. Be prepared for some colour.

Love

Steve

Accessorize...

Again, more on accessories. Get your scarves out because they will be of use this season. Also, think of belts and great bags...

Indian Shalwar Kameez For Women