Royal Hue: Once upon a time, the king put on a pink blazer… [AFP]

Staying Power: The unheralded inventor of the collar stay—still with us at 82-years-young. [The Materialist]

His and Hers: 65 solid rules for style from a site for Transmen. Fancy that. [Transitional Male]

Broad Stripes: Paul Smith plans launch more of his uniquely curated stores to St Petersburg, San Francisco, Antwerp, Rome, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Istanbul and the pi‚àö¬Æce de résistance, Leeds… like “Leeds” Leeds? [VogueUK]

Strategize, Strategize, Strategize: Holiday shopping with gal pals Fern Mallis and Simon Doonan. [NYMag]

Lang-Term Occupant: Helmut-Langless Helmut Lang store pops up on Washington Street [The Fashion Informer via Racked]

Digital Retail: Fashion Fits—all the fun of folding shirts for minimum wage captured on your desktop. [Slackerjack]

Polo Club: MOTH vet Ralph Lauren snatches up a wing at Bergdorf’s [WWD, subscription required]

New Yorkshire: More on Paul Smith’s love of Leeds. Yes, Leeds. [Yorkshire Evening Post]

Yes, Please: Pick us up something from the NotCot gift guide. [NotCot]

Catching Flack: Try on Distilled’s fatigues. [Refinery29]

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

Among the many things Snoop Dogg is known—or perhaps we should say notorious—for, sartorial splendor isn’t really numbered among them. But we had to hand the man a MOTH for the threads he sported at the 13th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards in L.A. the other night. Eschewing the usual barfy bling of the rap star set, Snoop (pictured here with his wife Shante Broadus) pulled off an ensemble that was both eye-catching and classic at the same time.

Anchoring the look was a black four-button velvet Dolce & Gabbana frock coat with satin trim »

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

It’s officially the season of the single-breasted peak lapel suit—which suits us just fine. Once solely confined to the realm of bespoke, this snappy style dating from the 1920s has enjoyed a revival of late, as our two newest MOTHs can attest.

On the heels of Josh Brolin and his dapper D&G number comes Matthew Broderick in an equally alluring black birdseye wool model, worn to the premiere of David Mamet’s new political play November the other night. Like Brolin, Broderick eschewed a necktie, opting instead for a signature stripe Paul Smith scarf, the stylishness of which we can personally attest to since the very same model is often found adorning our own neck this time of year.

More on today’s MOTH »

No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service: Matthew McConaughey never met a shirt he didn’t take off. [Gawker]

Snug Around the Shoulders: Tailored hangers for tailored closets. [A Suitable Wardrobe]

Basic Essentials: A.P.C. designer Jean Touitou shares his necessities. [Men.Style]

Earning His Stripes: A look into Paul Smith’s colorful mind. [NYMag]

Libel: Despite overwhelming statistical evidence to the contrary, Elle believes that you’re turned on by anorexic women and seems ready to blame you for their disease. Of course, we’d say the same thing about Elle, but they’re dizzy from skipping lunch. [Jezebel]

P Dippy: A short autopsy of Sean Jean Fall/Winter 08. [Paper]

A Night At The Opera: Alexander Olch finds inspiration at the Met. [The Moment]

Kate Moss by Irving Penn

Going, Going…: Christie’s will auction off a 135-piece collection of glamour photography by Richard Avedon, Diane Arbus and Man Ray which will include tastefully nude shots of Gisele and Ms. Moss. The Irving Penn cheesecake pics will likely go for $30,000 or so?about the same price as a night with Kristen. [Vogue UK]

Advocacy Journalism: A popular men’s fashion magazine contributes to a major shift in American foreign affairs. No, it isn’t The Economist. [Jezebel]

Cat’s Out of the Bag: Paul Smith is having a sample sale, just try to keep it on the down lo… crap… never mind. [Racked]

Four Eyes: Pull out your prescription lenses because cute/wacked nerd-chaser Verena Von Pfetten admits, “I just love me some myopia.” [Huffington Post]

Man’s Man: Jason Preston is everything women could want - fashionable, attractive, connected and willing to throw down to defend a lady’s honor. Too bad for them he’s engaged to Marc Jacobs. [NYPost]

All Aboard: By the next decade, New York Fashion Week may have a new home on top of the West Side Rail Yards, forcing poor Conde Nasters to walk more than half a block to the tents. [NY Daily News]

No Accounting for Taste: Dolce & Gabbana may be the most famous Italians slammed for tax evasion since Al Capone. [DNRNews]

Paul Smith’s technicolor dreamcoat shtick has served him well, and while we’ll never pass up a pair of rainbow cufflinks, he may be getting too reliable for his own good.

For instance, this Paul Smith Ping Pong Table is the most exciting thing we’ve seen from him in some time…only he has nothing to do with it»

It may be past its 45th birthday, but the mod look is wearing its age pretty well. Boosted by the Tommy-inspired looks currently fueling menswear—along with Paul Smith’s nostalgic pastels—Swinging London is as strong now as it’s ever been.

And if you’re going to jump on a scooter, you’ll going to need a helmet to match»

Duty Free: Paul Smith takes off at Heathrow, unlike some. [Vogue UK]

Rabbit, Run: Furry chic makes its unsettling debut at Tokyo Fashion Week. [Boing Boing]

“Composition with Yellow, Blue, and Red”: Nike goes all Neo-plasticist on us with the Piet Mondrian Dunk Lows. [NikeSB.org]

Goose Steps: The Cut hashes out this whole Adidas-Puma-Third-Reich thing. [NYMag]

Repeat Performance: Daniel Craig, star of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and some other stuff, wins GQ’s best-dressed award for the second year straight. [Vogue UK]

Signing Out: Portfolio’s fashion blogger Lauren Goldstein Crowe waves a “Peace the Fork Out” to the rest of the linkable world. [Portfolio]

Pig-malion: The classiest classy guy in the world of high class wants to play Henry Higgins to Ashley “The Governator” Dupré’s Eliza Doolittle, though we suspect she’s already had her elocution lessons if you know what we mean. No? Us either. [NY Daily News]

Big Top: David Coleman snuggles up to our favorite dandy fabulist and his long, thick hat. [NYTimes]

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

Quirky indie icon David Byrne has mastered many artforms, and he’s got the Grammys, Oscars and Golden Globes on the mantle to prove it. The Scottish-born former Talking Head and RISD dropout recently joined Paul Simon onstage for one night of the latter’s month-long residency at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

More on Mr. Byrne»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

John Waters wasn’t the only one to surprise us with his stylistic splendor at the Cry-Baby musical premiere the other night. Waters’ fellow Baltimorean Adam Duritz, the Counting Crows frontman and record producer, blew in like a breath of fresh air with a preview of coming attractions, sartorially speaking, swathed in summer suiting befitting a southern gentleman.

More on Mr. Duritz»

Scarlett Johansson Engaged: [Hands over ears] Nah nah nah—We can’t hear you—nah nah nah. [Radar]

Dirty Sanchez: Blue-eyed, honey-blond men’s fashion reporter Amanda Brooks digs the ‘stache. [ Men’s Vogue]

Zips or Laces?: Why choose? [Refiney29]

Not So Fast: Okay, so maybe Hedi Silmane isn’t teaming up with Diesel - but you can’t blame us for being excited. [WWD, 2nd item]

At Home With The Style Guy: This is how Glenn O’Brien rolls. [NYTimes]

Power Hour: Seems ACL has a “Woman of the Hour” to complement our “Man of the Hour”—personally, we think Chan Marshall goes with anything. [A Continuous Lean]

Stripes on Demand: Inside the bespoke team visit to Paul Smith’s Soho store. [NYMag]

Babystrangles: In this video, hipster model Irina Lazareanu chokes and stomps walking heroin depot (and sometime singer) Pete Doherty to death with her high heels, fulfilling several of our darkest, unspoken fantasies. [NYMag]

The great Sir Paul Smith may have recently signed on to design new off-pitch duds for the Manchester United Football Club (that’s soccer to you), but the sporting supermen were not always in need of such sartorial succor.

Back in the ’50s they wore good old classic club blazers when not actively pummeling opponents, and needed no other decoration, as Bonhams upcoming Sporting Sale demonstrates.

More on the style of Man United»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

Two of our favorite fellows who both happened to be named Paul got together in London the other night for a very stylish fete.

The great Sir Paul Smith hosted a book bash for his brother-in-arms Paul Weller, aka “The Modfather,” founder of seminal Brit band The Jam and the aptly named Style Council.

More on the pair of Pauls»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

It would remiss of us not to point out when one of our MOTHs oversteps the bounds. Regrettably that’s just what former Talking Head David Byrne did the other night at the annual Webby Awards.

More on the Talking Head»

We’ve seen a lot of suit fabrics, but we’ve never seen them quite like this.

This bedspread was made from sewing together old suit fabrics, so if you’ve ever felt the need to sleep under Italy’s finest threads, you just got your chance. The full set includes a bed cover, a duvet cover and a pair of pillowcases, and they only have as much fabric as they can scrounge up, so each piece is one of a kind. Of course, that also means a single set will run you upwards of three grand, but it’s not too much more than you’d pay Paul Smith for a few suits.

The origins of this fascinating creation»

INFDaily via Jezebel

We’ve known about Guy Ritchie’s upcoming Sherlock Holmes movie, but the fine ladies at Jezebel were kind enough to draw our attention to this picture of the leading man (the inestimable Robert Downey Jr.) in full costume.

Unfortunately they were more interested in his coffee cup than his ascot, but we’ll call this one a victory without seeing another frame. Between the striped waistcoat—which has a touch of Mr. Smith about it—and the finely checkered pants, we’re ready to declare Dr. Holmes the unlikely style icon of the year.

Plus, bowlers are coming back in a big way. And the usual double-brim is so last century.

Part of the fashion industry has always been digging up interesting subcultures—from skaters to steampunk—and exposing them to the mainstream until they dry up into clichés. The trendhunters are always on the case…but we thought it would take them a little longer to get around to furries.

Exhibit A: The new window display at the always-new Paul Smith Union Square store. The previous display was a dose of Varvatos-y rockism, but apparently they were after something a little more underground.

Either that, or they’re trying to keep up with world opinion of Smith’s banker clientele. But we’re all mammals, aren’t we?

See the other windows here»

The Rise of the Machines: Uniqlo’s upcoming Times Square promotion will involve thermograph scanners, silver body suits and human-sized vending machines which will contain mimes. Pray for the future. [PSFK]

Everybody Loves Helen: Esquire confirms that Helen Mirren is awesome. [Esquire]

Biters 2, The Return: The esteemed Paul Smith appears to have lifted a flickr image for his latest two-hundred-dollar t-shirt. Alas, the follies of biters. [BlackBook]

Mesh and Lace: A comprehensive guide to shoe lacings. Someday, this will be huge, we promise. [A New Morning]

Brooks Brothers is as close as the New World has to a tailoring institution, so we’ve been watching Thom Browne’s contribution to the Black Fleece line particularly closely. And thanks to Selectism, we just got a peek at the latest additions to the line.

Naturally, it’s catnip for trads, but Mr. Browne manages to throw in more than just thin lapels, including his treasured formal shorts, argyle socks, and a two-tone sweater that’s not that far from what Paul Smith’s up to these days. (Minus the bird head, naturally.)

One of the overlooked regions of postwar style is accessories that artfully conceal pictures of semi-clothed women. The tie is the classic—after all, who would ever take a close look at the lining?—but the wallet is a close second.

Apparently Paul Smith hasn’t forgotten. This wallet spices up one of the less interesting men’s accessories with a bit of nostalgic cheesecake. It’s cheeky, playful, and anachronistic, just like the rest of Mr. Smith’s wares.

The purple stitching is also a nice touch, and when you peek inside the fold, you’ll see Mr. Smith’s trademark pinstripes…a somewhat less exciting view.

A closer look»

We’ve been pushing the lomography cause for a while, but apparently someone’s been listening.

Fresh off his furry jaunt, Sir Paul Smith has put together a lomography camera with his trademark stripes. It’s a solid accessory, and he certainly has the retail reach to pull it off in a new way. It’s quality trend-watching all around…although this may be the first time Sir Smith has lifted an idea from the White Stripes.

The mod look has having a slow renaissance for some time now, but so far it’s been confined to suits (thank you, Mr. Smith) and sportswear (thank you, Mr. Perry). Well, it’s finally trickling down.

Ijin Material isn’t particularly upscale, and having a model rock the t-shirt under a bland suit isn’t doing them any favors, but if you were wondering what a mod pair of jeans would look like, search no further.

It’s nice to know Paul Smith still has a few tricks up his sleeve.

They call this a peacoat, but it couldn’t have less in common with the nautical woolies you see in coming in with winter. This looks more like something you’d see on an 18th century foot soldier…provided he’s on the British side.

Well-Undressed: Dissecting the on-stage style of Ms. Dita Von Teese…but we always thought of the clothes as beside the point. [International Herald Tribune]

The Other Hard Times: ACL calls our attention to the staggering beauty of depression-era New York. But we bet it looked a bit bleaker in person. [A Continuous Lean]

Ads Gone Wrong: It’s official: Madonna is a vampire. [Trendhunter]

The Shirt of Ages: Paul Smith’s guide to customizing vintage shirts. Now we just need to learn to sew… [Men.Style]

If you felt compelled to replicate this gentleman’s vintage blazer…we may have something for you.

This boating blazer from Paul Smith is a good deal more traditional than the punkish pink-on-black, but the overall effect is remarkably similar. In fact, it’s so traddish that Smith forgoes his usual slanted pockets except for the chest slit.

Something tells us it would go well with a straw hat.

With the rainy season on the horizon, it’s time to consider your umbrella options. There’s the usual black-sheeted version, possibly spiced up with a cane handle…or you can go the adventurous route.

This Finnish model from Marimekko might seem a bit flowery for the reserved man of style, but it’s not too far from the dandyism Paul Smith has made his name on. Paired with a dark suit, it might be just the touch of spring required.

We’re on the cusp of white shoe weather, so we were pleased to see this pair of oxfords come down the transom from Paul Smith.

The wooden sole does a lot to separate it from the pretenders, and the perforated material does even more, but look closer and you’ll see the casually uneven dyeing that makes it worth whatever Sir Smith is charging these days. As any dandy knows, looking clean and bright is overrated.

We tend to associate Tom Ford with his ads, his suits, and his upcoming film work, but he’s developing a Paul Smith-like habit of developing fantastic, unattainably priced items seemingly out of nowhere.

Take this old-world hunting jacket, for instance. It’s part of Mr. Ford’s latest Italian pilgrimage, and the buttons are certainly reminiscent of Mr. Smith, but it also bears almost no traces of the usual Ford-ian machismo. Which could very well mean all those semi-pornographic print spots may well be a thing of the past…

Say it ain’t so, Tom.

By now, Paul Smith is big enough that we rely on him for our opinion of England overall. And based on his latest lookbook, it seems like things are getting a bit sleazy over there.

We don’t mind Smith trying out a pair of Nantucket reds—we knew he’d get around to them eventually—but these latest items seem more directed at early 60s-era beachgoers than his usual urban dandy demographic. They’re impeccably cut, of course, but it’s still a pretty big departure for our Mr. Smith. Did he get tired of the pastel Technicolor vibe so quickly?

Maybe he’s been catching up on his Mad Men?

See our picks from the lookbook»

Wallpaper’s recent tour of Paul Smith’s favorite objects taught us a lot about the designer, but most importantly, we learn that Sir Paul is not a man who suffers boredom quietly. Describing his new train-set briefcase, he drops the following knowledge:

I used to take the train set to Japan on my many early trips. I’d produce it when I was bored stating that “I’m bored, I’m going to play with my train set.” As you can imagine this caused great shock and surprise but also a lot of fun and helped establish my personality with my colleagues in Japan.

Of course, we’ve felt the urge to break out a train set during an interminable meeting more than once…but something tells us it’s a bit different when you’ve got your own multi-national brand. It’s still whimsical, but there’s a touch of the terrifying boss in there too.

It’s amazing what a bit of whimsy can do…

Paul Smith will unveil this public garbage bin at the London Design Museum next week, and it would appear his animal fixation is entirely intact.

It’s not all leporine whimsy, though; there’s some real function here too. As designed, the rabbit ears will light up every time someone tosses something in, which is as effective a litter deterrent as we can think of.

But anyone passing through the park at night without a full knowledge of the latest design developments will be in for quite a shock.

There are a lot of odd nooks in British sartorial history, but if you hang around Paul Smith stores long enough, you’ll see just about all of them.

This shirt takes its cues from the famous Liberty of London floral prints, which have been popping up often enough lately to qualify as a mini-trend of their own. Mr. Smith takes a bit more impressionist approach—we’d guess Renoir deserves a little credit too—but the basic approach is more or less the same, and both styles are probably best viewed under a more subdued jacket.

And we’d keep the matching tie a safe distance away.

Paul Smith’s fashion empire just got a little more diverse, with a new line of Moleskine competitors bearing a few proprietary doodles from Sir Smith. The lucky brand is a French marque called Rhodia, which has been making notebooks for just over 75 years. The cover’s a little less satisfying to touch…but we’re hoping it makes up for it in artistic cred.