Christopher Bailey's SS12 Burberry Prorsum collection is a gem, I'm sure we can all agree on that (you can leave if you disagree, this ain't no democracy). Beautiful African prints and the rich ikat-print my inner magpie can't get enough of. However, Mark Mcnairy for Woolrich Woolen Mills seems to have been huffing the same inspiration glue and came out with quite a similar feel for his SS12 aesthetic. My question to you is: who did it best?
Bloggers have no shame! No shaaaameee! In most cultures, it is considered to be #totesrude to ask someone what's inside their bag. Luckily for you, internet culture knows not of manners! So for the second time, I turned my dearest new Marni x H&M leather panel tote upside down and shook out all my sh*t on the floor. As one does. Take a look! Feeling reciprocative? Show me what's in yours!
So, what was all of that?
- Gorgeous tote: courtesy of H&M, merci beacoup!
- Book: I'm savouring the last pages of this book, David Sedaris is my hero!
- Moleskine notebook: it's still in there, never go anywhere without it!
- Lacoste wallet: for containing the moneys, bien sûr. I got this for my 17th birthday from my awesome friends. Still have it! Quality lasts.
- Kiehl's Facial Fuel: for weathering the Belgian climate, one must moisturise. MOISTURISE!
- My fash mags: for time-killing, my favourite kind of murder.
- Phone and iPod: one for connecting to the world, one for disconnecting.
- Keys: Wherever I go, doors open.
- Emergency Essentiel silk bow tie: I got this for Valentine's day, isn't it beautiful? I always carry around a bow tie, in case I stick around too long and afternoon turns into evening. And evening means eveningwear!
- La Nuit de l'Homme by YSL sample: smells bangin'! Again: for when l'après-midi turns into la nuit!
You guys (en vooral ladies), dit is a-mahzing: ELLE Magazine België en River Island Antwerpen houden een zalig event volgende woensdag! En waarom is dit zo awesome? Because: - Elk uur zal een ELLE styliste een presentatie maken van de RI zomertrends, met models. - Cointreau schenkt cocktails en om het uur kan je een workshop volgen van 10 minuten - Dj Lizzy in the hizzay! - OPI komt manicures geven - 10 bezoeksters zullen uitgekozen worden door ELLE en een jury van bloggers (waaronder moi!) en die krijgen elk een jaarabonnement op ELLE!
So, it's time to find out who made a correct guess and found out how the members of Black Death died (and how one lived, because of his lucky kicks!)
Here's the full clip!
So, Paul died because a light fell on him. Scott died because he choked to death on cornflakes. Sebastien had a severe case of 'la petite mort' and Pierce got snatched by a sea snake! Most of you guessed 'cancer', and a very creative one was 'one played guitar hero for days and forgot to eat'. But the only one who guessed 'one of them choked to death', was B. Putteman! Congrats, sir, you get to win some awesome shoes! To the rest of you: thanks for entering, I love when you get creative! Until the next one, my pets.
I first heard about David Delfin when I was stuffing my face with sugary filth and watching MTV's 'The City'. OMG I MISS THIS SERIES I MISS WHITNEY PORT AND HER NON-PROBLEMS AND THAT BITCH OLIVIA STOLE WHIT'S CREDIT WITH DVF AND BRUNETTE ERIN IS SUCH A SLUT LOL AND KELLY HAHA SO RUDE AND I WISH I COULD SCOWL LIKE BLONDE ERIN.
But that's beside the point. Delfin was one of Kelly Cutrone's clients on the show and I instantly liked his designs. I soon saw more of his work featured regularly on one of my favourite blogs, Kate Loves Me. No one wears Davidelfin like his muse /collaborator Pelayo, and he really got me hooked on the Spanish designer's work. Delfin can work magic with a plain shirt or top, making it beautiful even from the back:
Davidelfin is also all about print, colour blocking and asymmetry:
SS12
AW12
How badly does that leopard print need to be in my life? Let me tell you: very badly.
I hope to own one of his pieces soon, I'm confident Delfin is going to be the one to put modern Spanish fashion on the map. His clothes excite and intrigue me. I feel so little excitement when I go through some high street stores these days. I feel like all the risk-taking and trend-setting design is reserved for the women's department, and men get stuck with sullen basics. I just pray a certain Spanish megabrand (not naming names here, but it doesn't take a genius to figure this out) can draw some inspiration from Davidelfin and confer some of the effort they put in the amazing womenswear collection to the men's clothes upstairs. Print, colour and interesting cuts shouldn't just be reserved for girls. I want to feel frisson, not frustration! So here's to David Delfin, and to Pelayo Diaz. For inspiring me, and for showing the world men can be frivolous yet masculine.
All images copyright of Pelayo Diaz Zapico and Davidelfin
Happy Saint Patty's Day, guys! Today it is not only acceptable but compulsory to be an inebriated, foulmouthed mess. But a mess with a chic touch of green! Get your Eire on!
Top: Jil Sander
Notebook: Smythson
All images via Mr Porter
Don't drink and drive, y'all.
It's time for the second instalment of the Feiyue competition! Get ready to win a pair of amazing SS12 Feiyue kicks like this:
You can win any of these styles! But first you need to check out this video and answer the following puzzle:
"Back in the 80s, André Christopher Ardiaca, a huge rock fan and filmmaker, decided to follow rock hit band Black Death for a year. Willing to produce a tribute to the most important band of his generation, he finally ended being a privileged witness of the incredible tragedy the group was part of.
Paul Anton, the band’s famous drummer was the first one to go, dying suddenly during a concert at Earls Court. That was just the beginning of Black Death’s slope with the rest of the group members leaving this world one by one. Criminal inquiries lead to no conclusion and only Dude, the lead singer, seemed to be able to escape the tragic course.
Until the full documentary is revealed we invite you to check the “Black Death” teaser. Let your imagination go and let us know what could be the reasons for the rest of the band members to die. By entering the competition, you will have the chance to win a pair of Feiyue!"
So, how did the rest of the band members die? You don't need to guess all the deaths, only one correct answer could win you the shoes! If more than one entry gets the right answer, the winner will be chosen by a random number generator.
Drop me a line at styleforguys@live.com with your answer. The competition runs till the 27th of March, 12 PM! (you must live in Belgium to win). Good luck!
This pair of shoes made me think. And then they got me thinking why shoes make me think at all, but that's beside the point. These stunning scaled3.1 Phillip Lims remind me of a question I was asked yesterday: "What does fashion mean to you?". And the answer is actually a bit more complicated than I had first imagined. It goes without saying that the fashion industry has already changed me and my life in a way that nothing else has. I've met amazing people and done wonderful things, just because one day in '09 I decided to run this blog. But the change that arose came with its own dichotomy: does the love I have for fashion weigh up against my abilities?
Doormat
Like any young person trying to decrypt what his future should be, I struggle with insecurities. I love the artistry behind fashion, I love how it allows me to put my feelings into words and I love how wearing a nice outfit lifts my spirit. I love the creativity of the people I work with and love how they inspire me to be better. But I don't like how fashion can make me feel small and incongruous, how I sometimes have to convince myself the opinion I am forming is my own and how sordid I can feel in a forest of plushly clad glamazons. But what I dislike the most is how envious fashion can sometimes make me. How the simple fact of someone having an object I desire can turn me into a green-hued Cain, ready to cut a bitch for toting around that bag I wanted or waving around an invite that never cast a shadow on my doormat. Just like these shoes: I love how they inspire me but I hate how I will never be able to cough up $750 for them and how they probably look better on someone infinitely cooler than me.
Gross vein
That umbrageous side to me has never been able to conquer my drive to become better, though. There's so much I still want to know, so much I'd like to find out. I want to be able to be critical, to not choke on fabricated fashion fodder. I want to be impervious to doubt, but not succumb to delusions of grandeur. I strive to excel but not at someone else's expense, even though I realise that that sometimes is inevitable. There even are days when I wonder if I'll ever even get out of this village. But then I remember that I'm not alone, that we all are just making it up as we go along. As long as that gross vein in my neck throbs at the prospect of seeing a show or buying a new magazine, I know I'll be fine. As long as my left eye twitches with glee when I see an important e-mail pop up or as long as my lungs ache when I hear of a designer's passing, I'll be okay. I've learned that it doesn't matter who I am or what I have today. What matters is how hard I try to be better tomorrow.
When I first saw the SS12 AcneGalway mint cable knit sweater (€240), I was smitten. It's got the perfect cropped length, has this season's key colour and a beautiful knit motif. I saw a Parisian man wear it last week, and it has such a wonderful resplendence in real life. Do you guys love it as much as I do?
I went to Paris Fashion Week last week, and had the time of my life. You can read all about it on www.uhier.com. It's written in Dutch, but the pictures will tell you everything you need to know. Oh, and guess who I bumped into?
Margherita and Angela Maccapani Missoni! I'm the luckiest boy alive!
So, which lucky person gets to walk away with the fabulous Marni x H&M outfit? First and foremost: thanks so much to everyone who entered. It was a really hard decision; I loved the drawings, pictures, original reasons and even the amazing matching playlist I was sent (and believe you me, I love a good playlist). But there was one entry that just made me smile and I had a gut feeling that this was the one. The winner is...
