Here’s what we know about the new Scorsese-Jagger vehicle, Vinyl, that’s premiering this weekend on HBO...
It looks like it’s going to be good. It’s got Olivia Wilde. And it’s set in NYC in 1973, a pivotal year for music: marking the inception of punk rock, disco and hip-hop all within a few months—and a few city blocks—of one another.
Meaning, it was also a pivotal year for style: from the rise of the denim-and-leather-clad rockers to the floppy-collared disco’ers to the Kangol-hatted rappers. So we thought we’d take a look at the new show and look back at major players of the time—your Kool Hercs, your Sex Pistols, your Andy Warhols—to see how they stack up.
He’s also been Captain of USS Jeopardy for almost 30 years. And with the 50th anniversary of said quiz show coming up this Sunday, we’re taking a look back at the very best (and worst) of Alex Trebek’s style.
Every Wednesday from here on out, we’re giving you a piece of our minds. Actually, more like five pieces. It’s a chance to get a deeper look into what makes the minds behind Kempt tick—you know, beyond the usual Internet handsomeness we’re serving up daily. So welcome to our most personal weekly feature: The Kempt Five.
July’s a tricky month in the world of printed menswear.
Because even though summer only officially started last Friday, we’ve been talking about it since early May—and the last thing on our minds in the sweltering heat we’re all now starting to feel is fall tweeds.
It’s this “trickiness,” among other things, that led the gents at two of our big three men’s rags to the same decision years ago: July wasn’t worth the hassle of its own issue, so they tacked it onto the end of June’s. Which has given us the rare opportunity to look past those dusty old stalwarts to a few of the other menswear mags out there.
And heralding this great news has been one of the most stylish ad campaigns we’ve seen in a while. (Not that we’d expect anything less.)
We’re especially digging the chalky illustrations that look like they could’ve been borrowed from the boardroom easel of Draper’s latest pitch. Which isn’t far off, considering the artwork was done by a real-deal advertising illustrator from the 1960s: Brian Sanders, who actually lived the life and lives to tell the tale. AMC recently sat down with Sanders to hear some of it and got a look at the illustrations in their various stages of production—which reveals some interesting details, like the inspiration photo collage depicting Don Draper walking past himself (in the lighter gray suit).
High finance hasn’t had much in the way of stylish role models since Gordon Gekko hung up his suspenders. Until now...
Enter House of Lies headliner Marty Kaan (played by Don Cheadle, who received a Golden Globe for the role this year).
He’s already spent one season as the rogue agent taking corporate America for all it’s worth—with his crew of fast-talkers played by Kristen Bell, Ben Schwartz and Josh Lawson, among others—and he’s back on the Showtime blockbuster Sunday lineup at 10pm EST. Aside from the smart Italian suiting and knit ties, there are some sage lessons to be learned from the wily Kaan. And luckily, Showtime was gracious enough to give us a couple never-been-seen clips from this season where Marty dishes on a few key areas of gentlemanliness.
Check out Marty on promotions up top, and a few more clips, here.
The final episode of 30 Rock airs tonight. Forever optimists, we’ve decided to focus not on our sadness, but on opportunities for growth. So we mined the past seven seasons for the most important sartorial lessons the show has offered.
While Jack Donaghy undoubtedly stands head and shoulders above the rest of the show’s unkempt misfits and trucker hats, there are still plenty of examples of what to do and what not to do. And here they are:
It’s not often we’ve given Kempt’s Man of the Hour distinction to a fictional character, but in honor of season 2 of the Showtime series House of Lies, we’re making an exception—to applaud leading man Marty Kaan (played by Don Cheadle, who received a Golden Globe for last season’s tour de force).
As the Internet’s torchbearers of gentlemanliness, we’re obligated to mention that Kaan plays by his own rules (something that goes a long way in the personal style department), so there’s plenty to learn from the boardroom-dominating firebrand—whether it’s his stance on boundaries (never enter a liaison that could one day involve Jean-Ralphio) or the running man (Kristen Bell is still working on it, we hope). He’s also got his own nuanced take on politeness. Tune in for more life lessons Sunday at 10pm EST.
