RESOLUTIONS

I'm not really the guy to make New Year's resolutions. I don't believe it's feasible to undergo a personality bypass at the strike of a clock or the drop of a giant shiny ball. However, I do appreciate the sentiment. We all have our vices, character flaws and oddities. I wish I wasn't so damn lanky and bony, but I know I'll never have the stamina to work out. "Γνῶθι σεαυτόν", the Greek used to say ("Know thyself"). It's never fun to have to tell yourself you really ought to party less or be more selective when it comes to bedpartners (I am not referring to myself, cheeky), so I've devised a more fun list of resolutions:

MY STYLE RESOLUTIONS FOR 2012

I. PRINTS & COLOUR

Despite people telling me quite often that I have the skin tone for colour and prints, I scarcely ever wear bright clothes. My wardrobe is an amalgam of blues, greys and blacks, and only recently have I begun incorporating more colour into my wardrobe. I'd like to keep on doing so in 2012 and really go for it in a big way.

              

Asos

II. THE BAG

I'm really going to try to save up for that one splurge I ache so longingly to make: a gorgeous leather designer bag. It's such a great investment, if you go for a more classic design. And with all my technology failing on me in the last months I've had to put every penny towards that. But now all of it is settled, I can begin to think of my future baby once more.

via www.mrporter.com

Marc by Marc Jacobs

III. DARE

I want to dare even more next year, fashionwise. Like Tom Ford said: "Look at all those tribal costumes or the classical times: fashion really expressed a wearer's personality and was truly outrageous. I'd like to see more of that again."

And he'd be right, people are way too afraid to stand out, and I must admit that I sometimes am as well. So, yeah, f*ck 'em!

The late Francesco Cominelli, a great icon of mine, wasn't afraid to stand out (and looked amazing doing so).

IV. TALK

I've already met so many amazing people in this industry, I couldn't be more grateful. So for 2012, I don't want this to change and I want to keep meeting new faces and conversing with the greats. 

Who knows, maybe I'll meet Jefferson Hack? One can dream.

V. LEARN

And relating to the previous resolution: I want to keep on learning. There is so much about fashion I still need to find out, because the learning never stops. So I want to keep surrounding myself with savants, and contribute to my general knowledge.

Finally, I really want to thank you for another wonderful Style For Guys year, I've had such good fun and I hope you'll stick around in 2012. CUZ DA WORLD IS GUNA END LOL.

Now, what about you? What do you want to accomplish in the new year? Let me know!

     

Oh, and be sure to listen to this song by Dorian and The Grays. I went to school with these guys and I think they're going to be big!

Street style phot. by Tommy Ton

THE THREE MEN OF SAINT SYLVESTER

If there's one evening in the year you can up the ante on the glamour front, it's New Year's Eve. I, for one, much prefer Christmas because I usually end up in less than glamorous shrubbery with less than glamorous googly eyes on New Year's. But, if I'm going down, I'd rather go down in style. Which kind of NYE guy will you be? 

Mr. Classic

 

Bow tie: Thomas Pink

Dinner jacket: J. Crew

Pleat front shirt: Lanvin

Trousers: Givenchy

Brogues: Zara

CHRISTMAS SWEATER HALL OF FAME

Nothing keeps me away from Christmas, that day is seriously like candy cane crack to me. My finger hovered tremblingly over that 'Play Xmas Playlist' button all of November, and hasn't stopped pressing repeat since December 1st. But no Christmas would be complete without a beautiful, pattern-infested, cuddly Christmas sweater. I bid you, merry gentlemen, to get your knit on! Which one do you pick?

 Asos

 River Island

 Zara

Joyeux Noël Mr. Ford

With twinkly eyes and limitless glee I beheld this beautiful little black bag sitting in my room. Everything Tom Ford touches just squeals with old Hollywood glamour and velvet-rope chic. If you want to find out what's inside, you better click 'read more'!

Yes, apparently I'm one of those bloggers that teases you with what's inside a bag, when they just as well could show you immediately. But this is way more fun! Teehee!

NARCISSISM PT. 2

I love the rusty colour of these trousers. They remind me of autumn, and they go so well with my brandy brogues. These shoes are my favourite, I wear them with the utmost care. And that toggle coat is so effing comfy, I just love burying my face in the teddy bear lining of the hood. And to top things off: a good, old-fashioned jeans shirt. I mean, you can never go wrong with that, AM I RITE?

xoxo
Immi

NARCISSISM PT. 1

This is not a personal style blog, nor will it ever be. But I feel like every once in a while, it's only fair to give you guys a little look into what I stroll down the streets in. Because for all you know, I might wear crusty sweatpants and soiled sneakers every day and you'd be none the wiser. So I decided today is narcissism day! I forced my sweet sister to photograph me in our backyard and the rest, as they say, is history. This casual outfit is so comfortable, for a quick run to the deli or for a night out partying alongside those cool kids you want to be friends with because their Facebook pictures are so twee and vintage-looking but you dare not talk to because they might give you evils or take an unflattering Fisheye of your chin. Feast your eyes on my almost tolerable face!

xoxo

Immi

MATINIQUE x SFG

Are you guys ready for part two of this lovely collab? This time I was sent a navy blue corduroy blazer, a check shirt and the softest grey lambswool scarf. I feel this outfit is perfect for any occasion that requires a bit more than jeans and a tee. I spruced things up a bit by adding a vintage silk paisley bow tie that I nicked from Dad, which I feel goes perfectly with my treasured brogues. To keep it young, I decided to finish off with a pair of dark indigo skinny jeans. 

U LYKE?

xoxo

Immi

THIS IS LUST

It's First World Problems Day! Hurrah! I mean: why I don't own all of these things? WHY GOD WHY? I DID THEE RIGHT! I NEVER KILLED NO ONE MA'AM! AH DONE DID MA BEST, AH NEVUR DONE NOBAHDY WRONG (annnnd now I've gone all True Blood Southern Belle.)

But seriously: I truly believe my life would be better and my hair shinier if I had all of this shit!

Can you spell "Xmas Wish List"?

Dries Van Noten

Tideover

Chello reader(s)!
A thousand mea culpa's for the lack of fresh content of late, it's just that I have a massive outfit post on the horizon and señor camera went AWOL. I should have my camera in the coming week, and I promise it'll be the biggest Style For Guys personal style overload you've ever seen! I've got another Matinique collab waiting in the trenches and also a denim story + British country style shoot coming up. To top that, there's also a sweet collab with another local photography blog in the making. So to tide you guys over until then, here are some great looks and photos I've collected in my little basket over the past days. 
Lots of gooey kisses!
Immi

Tunes For Guys: Foster The People CD Review (Dutch)

Ik weet dat deze blog mijn virtuele koninkrijk is en ik als alleenheersend despoot beslis wat er 'cjut'* is en wat niet. Maar soms kan het geen kwaad om iemand anders aan het woord te laten als het over iets gaat waar je zelf niet zo goed over kan schrijven, maar wel hard mee bezig bent. Trouwe lezer(s) zullen opmerken dat ik bijna altijd een YouTube video plak na een post en dat is omdat ik 24/7 muziek in mijn oren giet. En de Amerikanen van Foster The People zijn al eventjes aan bod gekomen hier. Daarom dat ik maar al te graag hun debuutalbum liet reviewen door drie zeer getalenteerde muziekfreaks en dear friends of mine. Pauline, Ben en Janne: take it away! 

Who Won The Sneakers?

Check out the answer to the Feiyue contest in the complete film clip:
     
The cheerleader kicked his ass! And got her sneakers back! And the band I was referring to, was of course Foster The People. So who gets to rock these awesome kicks this autumn? Thanks to all of you for participating, but the one who got everything right was... Jonas Deweer!
Congrats, Jonas, these shoes are coming your way!

Keep calm and stroke the furry jumper.

In true Western European fashion, I am none too pleased about anything! After a two-month lightning storm we called 'summer', I escaped to the Spanish coast to stock my deprived body up on Vitamin D. Upon my return, I strangely looked forward to some cold rain and general dismalness so the point of my holiday would be crystal clear. Oh, quelle mistake: the sun has never shone brighter and this autumn I'll probably be wearing hotpants and a crop top to go leaf-raking. 
Clearly I am losing it again (oh, the hardships of the First World), so I find looking at the fuzziest, mohairiest sweaters to be deeply soothing and therapeutic. I guarantee you total strangers will come feel you up in un, deux, trois with one of these puppies on. They're not just jumpers, they're humpers!

BOYZ II MISTERZ

The fact that you're reading this means you're either avoiding reading something vastly more important, or you're genuinely interested in the shish kebab I write. In case of the former: I feel you, gurl, procrastinating is a fine art. In case of the latter: ehm, hi LOL I luv ur shoez?
Back to the point we must get! In modern society, one gets highly scrutinised daily. It's all about having style and substance, in this sort of personal and perfectly balanced cocktail. Not one that's just like a fancy soda with soggy fruit on the rim, but not one that leaves you with plumes of alcovapour coming out of your nose either. I really like caipiroska's nowadays.
LE RANDOM!
So, form has to equal function, and just being cute doesn't cut it anymore. Lo, here are my FIVE SUPERGLAM TIPS for attaining that elusive air of debonair accomplishment every young gentleman should strive towards.

I. 

OPEN YOUR EYES 

You'd be suprised how much knowledge you can gather by constantly observing and memorising info. Read up on your biggest passion and be prepared for every question. Know who's who and find out why they (should) matter to you. Find correlations between people and past events. You can never be overeducated. Become an authority on your niche, and others will find there's no way around you.

Sean has his eyes wide open, I'm sure he'd read on after the jump!

Win Some Pumped Up Kicks!

I don't know about you guys, but I like to win stuff. I've never been particularly lucky in the field of winning, except if you count that one copy of 'Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers' back in '05. I have a hunch though, that you will be more fortunate! I'm giving away a pair of unisex Feiyue A.S. High Sneakers, in the colour of your choice!

How to accomplish such a lovely feat? Take a good look at the short film below:

Now it's time to rack your brain. Answer the multiple choice question correctly!
How will the story end?
1. The werewolf will try to steal the cheerleader’s Feiyue sneakers and she will have to fight him back to recover them.
2. The pretty cheerleader and the unusually cool werewolf will start a dance battle. The werewolf will finally win given his fancy moonwalk move.
3. Both the werewolf and the cheerleader will meet at a costume party celebrated in the forest and spend the rest of the night dancing together.
4. A full moon will appear on the starry sky and the cheerleader will also turn into a werewolf. She will then disappear into the forest along with the original werewolf.
5. The werewolf starts chasing the cheerleader around the forest. When he finally gets her, she realizes he is wearing her favourite pair of Feiyue and falls for him.


Alright! Now all you have to do is answer the selection question:

The Feiyue sneakers recently made an appearance in a cool band's video. Which band am I referring to? 

All you have to do now is like the Feiyue Belgium page and mail your answer to styleforguys@live.com!
The competition ends on October 10th, so be sure to enter on time!
xoxo
Immi

This One Man Show I'm In

Waking up is an inescapable horizontal curtain call. It doesn't matter if you're ready for your cue, or if you've got any lines prepared. The simple act of opening your eyes is enough. You might encounter other characters or end up whispering your soliloquy curled up on a sofa at the end of the day. There's no practice nor can you miss out on a single performance of 'My Life: The Cruelly Amusing Daily One Man Show'.

Similarly, I've come to treat my head and its attached bodily frame like a businessman would treat his enterprise: Immi Inc.! I plough through an everyday maelstrom of quandaries. I'm my own sole proprietor, and I need to keep myself afloat. What I'm trying to convey is this: if the product's not up to par and the inspiration is amiss, all production grinds to a bone-dry halt. 
Differently put:
OMGosh u guyz, soz I hasn't been posting regurlarly but I wuzn't feeling it and didn't wanna post shit. LOL here's a pic of a cute guy & cute outfit: if you squint a bit and pour vinegars in your eye he kinda looks like me but prettier!!
I'm back, bitchez.

Image: ASOS

  

Weltschmertz is not a cute accessory

This summer has been a bittersweet affair thus far. On both a personal and mondial level, too many days seemed unreal and marred what is supposed to be a joyous season. I've always had a cinematic view on life, but this flick needs more witty oneliners. So like a downtrodden flower to the sun, I lean to cheesy metaphors and... fashion. When the world's alight, a beautiful shoe is my fire blanket and Dior is my Diazepam. Lose yourself with me in these fine visuals, will you?

Raisin' It like Dry Grapes!

This little hiatus from blogging has done wonders for my title-inventing skills!

Other than a never-before hankering for raisins, this post's title should induce nothing but awe from you to me! But enough about you, let's talk about me again. You see, as a person who thinks he knows anything about F@$hüN, I recognise a trend when I see one flipping me off from my broken laptop screen. When Satan's favourite vestimentary artisan (Prada, I'm talking about Prada you guyz) came out with those espadrille-foam-striped-creeper-brogues I said: "Interesting, but will these shoes translate to life outside of edgy editorials and the streets on Fashion Week?"

Guess quoi, they totally have! I'm being thwacked daily with the amount of platform brogues out there. It's not a question of supply but of price point and colour now, honestly. What do you think? Gonna raise your sole this winter or stay firmly grounded? 

Check out the specimens that started the upheaval and the shoes they subsequently spawned.

Immatinique!

Here at the Style For Guys Offices, i.e. my smalltown bedroom, we are pleased to announce an official Matinique collaboration! This Danish brand started making waves in 1973, and has continued to produce classically stylish clothes for men, with a contemporary feel. I always looked at Matinique as the brand your sophisticated older brother wears, but now it seems I have become the older brother. Every month I'll be reviewing a few pieces, and style them to create my own Matinique looks!

This month I made two looks to suit the iffy weather: a casual sporty look and a modern urban look. What do you guys think?

     

The Choo Empire Expands

 If any of you are history buffs, you might not find this post to be what the title suggest. I'm not talking about some Chinese general gnawing at parts of pre-industrial Russia, but about shoes. Choo shoes! Jimmy Choo needs no introduction, and if they do you clearly weren't alive when they collaborated with H&M! In that collection men finally got to see what their line would look like if it existed. Guess what: it exists now! The very first official Jimmy Choo menswear line is for AW11, and boy does it look chic. Through collaborating with MR PORTER for a short film and campaign images by fashion photography legend Steven Meisel, their fashion legacy is sure to ramify deeply into men's fashion. From sophisticated black leather monkstrap dress shoes over casual sneakers to sexy leopard print loafers, the Choo collection bids to offer every kind of stylish gent an option. I've waited a long time to be able to say: "Don't step on my Choos!". The day has come!

What do you guys think?

Run (in the) Forest, Run!

I don't mean to brag (I totally do), but for someone who doesn't exercise ever; I'm a pretty decent runner. So when I was invited to try out the new Nike &TomTom Sportwatch on Tuesday, I was well excited! This new watch is totally James Bond (GPS technology, y'all!): it tells you where you went running, if you've improved and motivates you to get better! You just have to connect the watch to your pc and on the Nike Plus website you can see all your running stats (and which of your friends are kicking your butt)! All it doesn't do is shoot poison darts to take out evil masterminds (but it's software-based, so it just might in the future!)
Together with my colleague bloggers we were to take this new Nike Gear for a spin in the Jubelpark in Brussels. First we got to try on some new outfits, and I love that Nike has a sense of humour, as seen on my lovely friends Gilles and Jennifer :

And after we were explained how the technical aspects of this watch worked, we went running for the hills!
I looked Jesus in the eye and said: "If you make it rain and ruin my hair, you're dead! Well, even more so."

If you want to see me and my scrawny legs in action, read more!

Rise & Fall

The protest of young people doesn't just inspire political and sociodemographic change, apparently also fashion shoots! These beautiful photographs by Sharif Hamza feature the key pieces for this fall, including designers like Marc Jacobs, YSL, Gucci, Prada, Jil Sander, Burberry, Tim Coppens and many more.

"The revolution will be sartorialized", VMan states. With the ongoing struggle in Belgian politics and failure to reach consensus, this shoot sure seems quite apt. One can only hope the outcome will be just as stylish!

Summer Style Influencer: Juan Cocco

I've been following this handsome young Spaniard's blog for over a year now, so it's high time to share with you guys the glory that is Juan Cocco. He's only 21 but has this amazing sense of laid-back-yet-not-lazy style. His pictures make looking stylish so effortless, yet there's a thorough knowledge of fashion that goes behind this. He looks like the guy you just want to be friends with and knows where all the fun stuff goes down. You just want to crack open some Coronas on the beach with him! He mixes vintage pieces with young brands and established designers.
Juan Cocco is my summer style influencer #1! Do you guys like his style?
You go, Juan Cocco!
Mean Girls references for the win.

Starvin' For Some Carven

I love it when an old fashion house gets brushed up and injected with some cc's of cool. The French house of Carven is no different: started up in 1945 but run down by debt in the 90s, only to be rejuvenated now by the talented Guillaume Henry. I had fallen for the brand seeing a few twee little dresses on the likes of Alexa Chung and on Net-A-Porter, but I'm completely smitten now after seeing their S/S12 collection for men. I normally refrain from posting collections too far ahead, but I couldn't hold on to these gems for another year now could I? How can you not love the powder colour palettes, the colour blocks, teal shorts, the amazing tweed booties and romantic silhouettes? Très français, quoi!

How To Survive The Insanity Of Summer Sales

You know the drill: big neon letters screaming at you from every window display, queues at the fitting rooms to make you want to go trichotillomanic, and random bitches snatching away that top you've been lusting after since like the day before you were born. It's summer sales time! Running from store to store sweat-soaked and frustrated may be your description of a cruise trip to hell, but if you hang in there you just might stumble across that rare sales gem: something you really want, for no money at all. 
To survive all this mayhem, you need to dress appropriately and comfortably and that's where I come in.
Cue cheesy gratuitous photo of a man clutching a clothing item he seems so excited to try on!

I'm so excited and I just can't Haider

Besides the fact that that is the best/worst title I've ever let escape from these fingertips to your cornea's, I truly love this Haider Ackermann vest. It's subtle and supple, the right shade of navy black and just goes with everything. Because 'everything' is super vague, I added some other items I thought would look good with it. But if you'd decide to only wear the vest, I wouldn't hold it against you.

LOL J/K put some clothes on, nasty!

NICOLA FORMICHETTI X MUGLER SS12 AD (KINDA)

Nothing says "menswear ad" like men in no kind of wear, a haunting Schubert score morphing into underground 80s swinger's club chanting of the name 'Mugler' and Ke$ha-esque paintfighting. Genius or ghastly? I'll let you guys decide! 
Disclaimer: I'm not saying this video is NSFW, but don't go forwarding it to your boss either!


   

Set Fire To The Rain

The sun's been around for billions of years, so you'd guess it'd have memorised its task by now. Yet sometimes she refuses to do her thang (yes, I just said 'thang', Kevin Gnapoor ain't got nothin' on me!). So you've already laid out your most bodacious sunbathing ensemble and the grey clouds roll in and turn that smile around. The happy sun is a faint memory and all you want to do is stay inside and stuff your face with Werther's Originals and watch B-movies. While I'm not denying the cinematic importance of "Don't All Uncles Touch You There? - The Ella McGonnigall Story", there's something to be said about manning up and facing the sunshine. Ahem, rain. Put on a dapper outfit, accesorize with a bright umbrella and nothing will be able to rain on your parade! 
Except maybe my rain-related puns. 

Full Blooded Wrist Candy

 -Sponsored Post-

My first ever watch was a colourful little Swatch, that seemed to be unbreakable. I sort of grew out of my Swatch, but I'm pleased to see that the Swiss brand is back in full swing. Check out the all new Swatch Full Blooded collection! True to their Swiss heritage, these babies mix reliability with technology in their plastic and aluminium casings in matching colours. Lightweight, young and durable: you can't go wrong with a Swatch, can you? 

Blazers of Glory: My Fashion Lovestory

I started getting serious about fashion when I was about fifteen. I didn't tell anybody, and still dressed like a total mouche, but a spark was lit. I'd stay up late writing e-mails to any prêt-à-porter brand I could think of, asking the PR's if they'd send me a catalogue. I would come home from school excited to find yet another package for me. At first my mum chuckled and said:"If these brands ever find out that you're just a teenage kid, they're gonna regret spending a penny on postage!". After a while she didn't think much of all the correspondence from Italy, Germany and France for me. One time U.P.S. came by to deliver a heavy Pal Zileri lookbook from Italy, and I had to sign off on it! It needs no saying that I was beyond stoked. I'd sit in my chaise and drive my sisters mental watching 'Fashion TV' all day long and commenting on the poor style of montage. I'd drive friends insane telling them exactly what high fashion brand Zara or H&M emulated with every particular piece, or please them by saying they looked 'so Chloé'. 

My sister bought me a VMAN in 2007, with Orlando Bloom on the cover, and I was lost forever. Shamefaced, I'd quickly skip through the pages with scantily clad adonises in the magazine but stopped in my tracks when I saw this picture:

It was a seersucker SS07 Balenciaga blazer with an embroidered crest. I was smitten. I'd have many other love affairs with various blazers over the years to come, but that blazer was my very first love.

You're A Gem, Mister Siem

Handsome, talented and stylish. In no particular order are these the first words that come to mind when I think of Charlie Siem. This young British violin virtuoso has taken the world by storm with his unmatched skills and striking appearance. I'm always in want of some new style inspiration, and I just love Siem's quintessentially British sense of poise and distinction. What he lacks in age, he makes up for with talent, an inherent flair for the finer things in life and positivity. And who can resist that accent? The fashion world also fully embraces Charlie, as he is one of the new ambassadors for dunhill and he was shot for the latest issue of VMAN. Basically, he makes me want to excel at what I do and perhaps pick up my bassoon every once in a while!

What do you guys think of Mr. Siem?

Cut My Life Into Pieces, This Is My Last Resort

Actually, this is Burberry's latest Resort Collection for 2012. I'm a die hard Burberry (under Christopher Bailey) fan, so I could gush endlessly about how lush these outfits are. However, time is currently of the essence, so I'll just leave you with these visuals! What are your favourite pieces?

Take Me To Your Weiland

Okay, so for those of you who don't speak Dutch: 'weiland' means 'pasture'. It is also the surname of the label I'm currently obsessed with: Timo Weiland!
I saw this look in FIASCO Magazine and squealed with glee! 
I do that, I squeal.

The amazing red jacket and those desert boots just stabbed me in the eye with their splendor, so I did some googling and discovered they were Weiland's designs. 
[Those mesh leather/cotton shorts are by Dominic Louis, by the way, and are also totally rocking!]


The design team consists of partners Timo Weiland and Alan Eckstein. They both have a deep passion for European history and want to 'reinstate the art of dressing'. They also do womenswear, for you ladies who are reading, and it's exquisite. Check out some of these great looks for spring/summer (and autumn/winter) 2011, after the jump!

What's In My Bag?

I go totally fangirl over 'What's In My Bag' blog posts! I do! If you have a bag, and you're a blogger, I wanna know what's in it! It's the nature of the beast, I guess, and finding out personal details about total strangers is my raison d'être. So if any of you are like me, you'll be happy to find out what I schlep around on a day-to-day basis. I've got this huge bag by River Island that I love, here's what's inside:

"Who you gonna call? TREND WATCHERZ!"

Now that I've got an annoyingly 80s theme tune stuck in your head ("Turururuturu, Ghostbusters!"), I'd like to shine a light on a trend I've come to discover in my life on the line. I'm eternally browsing through clothes, hopping from webshop to editorial scan, and I've come to realise the following: 

((Olive)²+(Khaki)³)²+(√Coral Red)/ [Spring 2011] = cool

Exhibits A-D

TOPMAN