May 24, 2012 world of men's style / fashion / grooming RSS
“Barack Obama”
02/10/09
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Land of Lincoln

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There’s been a lot of talk about Barack Obama as a style icon and there have been more than a few Lincoln comparisons, but so far nobody’s bothered to connect the dots.

Kottke tipped us off to this shot of the well-coiffed statesman, but there’s a lot more to like here than just his hair. Check out the peak-but-not-too-peak lapels, the floppy cravat, and the duster-style double-breasted jacket, for starters. And given the proliferation of ironic facial hair, we’re amazed the chinstrap hasn’t had more of a revival.

We call it “emancipation-chic.”

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02/06/09
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Bad Idea

Poorly Pressed

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Although he’s made a few questionable calls, there’s still a lot of good will behind Shepard Fairey, especially when he’s helping out the newly minted prez. But now that the flush of the election is over, the Associated Press has decided to take a few shots.

Gentlemen, light your torches»

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01/29/09
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Monk Shoes, Job Interviews, and the Collins/Obama Connection

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Hearts and Minds: Obama’s no jacket required policy wins over Esquire, may or may not be a Phil Collins reference. [Esquire]

Streets is Watchin’: Monk shoes continue to be awesome. Also, leather gloves. That is all. [The Sartorialist]

On the Job: Job-interview style, courtesy of Men.Style’s infamous vloggers. [The Choosy Beggar]

Prance By: Google accidentally kills a deer. Let’s just pray it was a hybrid car. [Gizmodo]

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01/28/09
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The Past

Rose-Colored Glasses

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Style has moved fast enough for long enough that no designer would have trouble making an outfit to perfectly signify 1983, 1974, or 1962. In fact, more than a few designers have contented themselves to do just that. The technology of photography has been moving just as fast, but while fashion has been dealing in nostalgia for upwards of 30 years, the photographers are just starting to catch on.

Here’s a hint: iPhones are involved»

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01/26/09
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Good Idea

On Presidential Style

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Our new president has already inspired his share of sartorial fawning but, as always, the British take the cake.

This column from the The Independent’s Howard Jacobson (via Balk) begins by wondering how our new president gets that dimple in his four-in-hand tie. Of course, we’ve always thought Obama was over-dimpled, but if Mr. Jacobson really wants it, all he has to do is pinch the front part of the tie before he pulls it through into the knot. But the tie quandary is just an intro to Jacobson’s musings on the nature of political style…and he ends up with one of the best quotes we’ve heard on the topic.

The question is, now that Obama’s leading the free world, isn’t focusing on his style just a distraction? Shouldn’t we put more faith in leaders too busy to care about how they dress?

The answer, as you might expect, is that style matters»

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01/23/09
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ScarJo, Notch Lapels, and the Communist Threat

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ScarMo: Scarlett Johansson tries being the new Marilyn Monroe. But where’s a subway draft when you need it? [My Fashion Life]

Red is the New Black: Has men’s fashion gone communist? If only we could have some kind of witch-hunt to clear this whole thing up. [International Herald Tribune]

Art Cribs: Inside Ruben Toledo’s amazing loft. That’s just how MOTHs live these days. [NYMag]

White Tie: The Obama administration makes its first style faux pas. At least there weren’t any diplomats around. [Luxist]

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01/21/09
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Bulletproofing, Vagabonds, and the Most Expensive T-Shirt in L.A.

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I Wish I Was… If this man is wearing a bulletproof suit, we’re going to have to give up on Washington entirely. Luckily, we strongly doubt it. [Wired]

The Greatest: The most expensive t-shirt in L.A. is a black cashmere tee that’s completely blank. As for how much…we don’t want to think about it. [LAist]

Runaways: The latest dispatches from Milan is heavy on the vagabond look and something called “Rat Pack zest.” [The Moment]

Been a Long Time: The last eight years, in convenient slideshow form. Goatees are involved. [Men.Style]

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01/20/09
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Inaugural

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The fine folks at The Impossible Cool just put up this picture of our brand new president, with the simple caption, “Obama.” Well timed…and for once the word “impossible” seems perfect.

As it says a little farther down the page, “The style is the man himself.”

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01/20/09
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Blithe Spirits

Lucky 44

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The rush to the Obama brand continues…and it’s not all modernist Swedes.

Hennessy is producing a limited-edition cognac called “44” in honor of today’s inauguration, with a percentage of the proceeds going to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. It only runs $30, but when you consider that the “limited-edition” includes 180,000 bottles…that’s a lot of education.

We can’t blame them for wanting to get in on the magic, but how historic can the bottle be when you’ll probably finish it before Jan 21 rolls around?

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01/15/09
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Big Picture

The Face on the Wall

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Most of the pictures we run across don’t get much in the way of wide release, but this official portrait is currently being hung up at federal offices around the country, and it’ll likely be one of the main inspirations for mainstream suit-and-tie workers for at least the next four years.

What can we take from this sartorial moment? For one, upward-sloping ties are no longer even a little bit exciting. Once the president does it, it’s officially mainstream.

Otherwise…maybe the ultra-deep tie dimple is about to make a comeback?

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01/13/09
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Ad Rock

Change You Can Swede

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As brands go, Obama’s doing pretty well, so it’s no surprise companies are jumping at the chance to associate with him. And if he’s the first slim suit president, there’s also the risk of becoming the first IKEA president. He’d better tread carefully…

In an attempt to sway the new President, the Swedish design magnate has set up a faux-oval office in D.C.’s Union Station to show what a Swede-furnished executive branch would look like. The web component is a virtual Oval Office dollhouse, but we have to say, without rounded couches, the options are pretty limited.

In this case, we’re hoping Obama goes with something a bit more… convervative.

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01/07/09
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Bad Idea

Tool of the System

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Now that the inauguration’s in sight, Obama’s sartorial honeymoon may be coming to a close. It started with the Magnificent Bastard noticing some of his latest style choices including some decidedly Clintonian golfwear—hardly change we can believe in.

So far we’re inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt, just like on his cabinet picks. But if he starts wearing Crocs and reading the National Review, we’ll know we’re in trouble.

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12/16/08
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Carla’s Bag, Coleman, and Peter Criss

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Half in the Bag: Shockingly, Carla Bruni objects to having her naked image printed on a tote bag. [The Cut]

I’m a Cole Man: A Continous Lean goes camping. [A Continuous Lean]

Eric B. For President: The impromptu open call for Obama’s inaugural getup yields some interesting results. Despite the FDR comparisons, no one tries the obvious wheelchair-and-blanket look. [FashionIndie]

In Praise of Egg Nog: Click this link if you want to see four eggs painted to look like the members of KISS. [BoingBoing]

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12/04/08
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Dean’s Pants, Political Knots, and Lots of Nixons

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On the Block: Christies in London is selling off some amazing stuff, including one of Paul Newman’s auto racing suits, Daniel Day Lewis’ iconic green suit from There Will Be Blood and the tux trousers worn by James Dean in Giant. Here’s hoping there’s still change in the pockets…
[Men.Style]

Change We Can Believe In: Can you tell the difference between Obama and Bush just by looking at their tie knots? Probably not. [CityFile]

Popping the Bubble: Champagne sales plummet. No word yet on vodka, Dr. Pepper and Cheetos, but early signs look good. [The Economist]

Ten Little Nixons: Counting down the best Nixons to make it to the screen. We love a little Hopkins, but our heart belongs to Dick.
[Vulture]

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11/17/08
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Argyle, Winn Perry, and Obama’s Buttons

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Finger on the Button: All the Obama buttons you ever wanted to see in one place. This is what thrift stores will look like 50 years from now. [BoingBoing]

Ford v. Walnuts: Tom Ford and Paulie Walnuts: Separated at birth. [Men.Style]

Garters on the Rise: Argyle makes a strong showing in this rundown of winter socks. [A Suitable Wardrobe]

Take Five: Winn Perry’s five tips for looking good. (None of them involve tanning.) [Portland Mercury]

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11/13/08
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Obama’s Jeans, the Dying Croc, and the Many Uses of Mini Coopers

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Dressing Down: The Gray Lady dissects Obama’s casual style…and somehow comes away with Jerry Seinfeld. [NYTimes]

Language Arts: A quick tour of Bond’s best sex puns. Plenty O’Toole, sadly, is absent. [Gawker]

High Occupancy Lane: A guide to having sex in small cars. Ah, to be seventeen again. [Treehugger]

Croc Hunter: It took a worldwide recession and the collapse of half a dozen major financial institutions, but crocs are finally over. It was worth it.
[Reuters]

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11/10/08
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Rogues, Showoffs and Fargo’s Finest

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Those Colors Don’t Screen: A quick, patriotic demonstration in screen-printing from the folks at Rogues Gallery. [A Continuous Lean]

We Hardly Knew Ya: Less than a week into unofficial presidency, Obama is already making JFK look bad. [Gawker]

The Pen is Mightier: Luxist counts down the ten most expensive writing instruments on Earth. But you’ll still lose it after a week. [Luxist]

But How Will it Play in Fargo?: Chuck Klosterman sets his sights on James Bond. Usually that works the other way around. [Esquire]

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11/05/08
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Presidents, Villains, and Warren Beatty

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All the Smiling Faces: Subway lover Patrick Moberg summarizes the nation’s forty-four presidents. Now that we look at it, a lot of them had pretty sweet mustaches. [Patrick Moberg]

Warren Peace: You can never have too many Warren Beatty appreciations. [AskMen]

We Be Villain: A talk with the new Bond villain. [Anthem]

How the Other Half Lives: Interior design expands into music, creating the playlist industry. Some day, this may be considered an actual job. [NYTimes]

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11/04/08
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Cloud Power, Ford’s Ingénue and Urban Camo

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Can’t Tell Me Nothin’: Kanye goes through his favorite Obama pics. In other words, if things turn south, we can expect one hell of a blog post. [Kanye West’s Blog]

Very Big Love: Tom Ford adds Ginnifer Goodwin to his stable. Of actors. For the movie. [The Cut]

Take a Bow: If you have managed to get through life so far without knowing how to tie a bowtie, this is the video for you. Live in fear no longer. [His Fashion Eye]

Industrial Camoflage: Graffiti meets civic beautification when fire hydrants are painted the color of their surroundings. We expect a lot of bruised shins. [PSFK]

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11/03/08
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Winslet/Deneuve, Obama Humor, and Dov in Peril

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Belle du Jour: Kate Winslet steps into Catherine Deneuve’s shoes for the win. [FashionIndie]

Just for Kicks: What the world needs now, more than anything else, is crocodile skin sneakers. [Luxist]

The Writing on the Wall: A countdown of the top 25 parodies of Shephard Fairey’s Obama “Hope” poster. Sadly, Nate Dogg does not make the list. [Village Voice]

Dov Love: The cops are after Dov Charney, for all the obvious reasons. [PSFK]

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11/03/08
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Current Affairs

Keeping Thin

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We aren’t much for sartorial projections, but we guess that’s why there’s a pundit class. And Chris Matthews is always game.

The curmudgeonly MSNBC anchor recently predicted the Obama administration would feature “thin ties…Well-turned-out men. No sloppiness. Just work… It will be zesty.” We’re not sure what “zesty” means, so we’re assuming he’s talking about purple ties.

Of course, you can’t fight city hall. We’re hoping for change, but the three-inch tie is so ingrained in D.C. culture, it’ll be hard to wean them off it. The look is not exactly current these days, but it’s still way too trendy for the capitol.

Give it a decade or so.

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10/31/08
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Object

Cross the Tees

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The art tee business is getting pretty crowded, and new ideas are always in short supply. An outfit called The Affair has come up with one: limited editions.

This tee comes out of a closed batch of two hundred…impressive until you realize that the Threadless print runs aren’t that much larger. They just have the foresight to call the number up front, and stick to their guns when it sells out early. It’s the same gimmick that lets Shepard Fairey sell an Obama poster 350 times and the gallery owners of the world grab a slightly bigger piece of the pie.

If they’re going to be *art* tees, it’s time they started acting like it.

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10/29/08
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Current Affairs

Singin’ in the Rain

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It’s hard to look good in the rain, but luckily we got some much-needed leadership from Mr. Obama.

Just make sure you’ve got a solid jacket. Don’t worry about a hat; that’ll just make you look like you’re hiding. Ignore the weather and get dramatic. You’re determined, you’re unflappable. You’re so in the moment, you don’t even notice the rain.

Of course, it helps if you’ve got a campaign staff waiting with a dry set of clothes.

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10/24/08
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Current Affairs

James the Spy

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Political endorsements come and go, but the most important one by far comes from England’s most globe-trotting, martini-sipping secret agent. Yes, we’re talking about the Bond endorsement.

Making the press rounds for *Quantum of Solace*, Daniel Craig has said that Obama would make a better Bond because he could “look the enemy in the eye and go toe-to-toe with them,” which we assume means he’s spry enough to chase some guy doing parkour. As for McCain, Craig says he’s more M material. “There is, come to think of it, a kind of Judi Dench quality to McCain.”

But he always seemed a little soft on SPECTRE.

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10/23/08
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Current Affairs

Sole Man

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In the wake of Palin’s shopping spree, we were glad to see Obama scoring points for having resoled his shoes along the campaign trail. Of course, the political blogs are spinning this as an example of Barry’s thrift, but we see it as the mark of a sartorially sensible gentleman. After all, if you liked a pair of shoes enough to wear them out in less than a year, you might as well hang onto them. And anyone with enough sense to buy welted shoes has our vote.

In other words, it’s just one of the many rewards of old world cobbling.

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