Girlfriend Jeans

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Boyfriend blazers: Meet your match. Williamsburg opened up Pandora's box and uleashed the girlfriend jeans on men - and the many terrible things to follow.

Retail giants, like H&M, are promoting the trend to the masses. In its latest style guide, achieving the rocker look involves spicing up "the look by chosing a pair of skinny girlfriend jeans and some sequin. Womenswear pieces can look just as good on a glammed up boy."

"and some sequin?" Yikes.

The trend toward cross-merchandising wardrobes has increased in recent seasons with women borrowing almost everything from their boyfriend's closets -- blazers, jeans, khakis, scarves -- but the idea of men raiding their girlfriend's closets simply won't sell.

Michael Kors Interview

OK, you're probably sick of these fashion interviews, but I'm trying to catch up with my postings. So, expect a few more. Here's an interview I did with Michael Kors discussing his Fall/Winter 2009 collection:

Who is Michael Kors? He spearheads three different clothing lines that include menswear, accessories and fragrance; he was awarded Menswear Designer of the Year in 2003 by the CFDA; he creates modern, luxurious classics that actually translate into real peoples' wardrobes, which has become his signature. In short, he is the king of American sportswear. Clearly, we could learn a thing or two (or five) from this man.

AskMen.com caught up with Michael Kors to talk about fall 2009 fashion, shopping in today’s soft economy and what big-ticket item is actually worth its price tag.

Sachin Bhola: What advice do you have for men shopping in today’s economy?
Michael Kors: Learn to invest in the best quality you can afford and wear pieces in different ways. For example, if it’s a suit, can you wear it to work with lace-ups and a tie? Can you wear it with loafers and a polo shirt? Think about the piece and see if you can make it work in two different situations and go for it.

Sachin: What does luxury mean today, in the midst of a global economic crisis?
Michael: It can mean many things depending on the man. For me, true luxury can be caviar or a day with no meetings, no appointments and no schedule.

Sachin: What’s on your iPod playlist?
Michael: Adele, Madonna, Prince, Coldplay, and New Order.

There more. Check out the Michael Kors interview on AskMen.com.

Sean Opry: Model Moment

Remember when my first Model Moment blog entries were lengthy, detailed and video-free? No, I'm not getting lazy (hey, being m.i.a. in the blog world for a few months happens - and probably explains my high bounce rates); I just thought this video did a pretty good job a capturing male model Sean Opry's charm.

Side note: I think everyone should have a video diary. It makes your life seem like the coolest thing ever -- especially when it's edited for New York Mag.

Yigal Azrouel Spring 2010

Here's a clip of the finale at the Yigal Azrouel Spring 2010 show presented at New York Fashion Week. It was the first time the men's and women's collections were presented together. Eat up the track by Phoenix: "Lisztomania." Sorry about the quality of the video; my digital camera isn't anything high-tech.

I'm really feelin' the boyfriend blazer on Tao Okamoto at the end. What do you think?

Yigal Azrouel Interview

Here's an interview I did with Yigal Azrouel discussing his Fall/Winter 2009 collection:

Belted coats that cinch your waist, shrunken schoolboy suits, knee-high laced-up boots, and pants that fit more like a ballet legging than, well, pants -- after combing through the Fall ’09 shows, sometimes it seems like designers don’t have the slightest sartorial clue about what men will (actually) wear.

So, when a guy like Yigal Azrouel comes along whose pieces are as easy to understand as they are wearable, we like him. And when his answer to a commonly asked question about what his inspiration was is: “There isn’t a specific inspiration… It doesn’t have to be that serious; it’s a cool collection for a cool guy,” we like him even more.

The Sartorialist By Scott Schuman

I recently received The Sartorialist by Scott Schuman as a gift (I know, I'm such a laggard) and feel compelled to rant about a few things.

First, I'm now convinced a lot of it is staged. It was my understanding that Schuman's premise was to capture real peoples' personal style as seen on the streets of New York, Paris and, well, New York. I soon realized that "real people," according to the Sartorialist, consists of editors, models, stylists, buyers, scenesters, and other industry buffs.

Kate Lanphear appears 3 times in his book (I'm still counting); Matteo Marzotto, Anouck Lepere and Coco Rocha are just a few more recognizable subjects.

There's nothing wrong with Scott Schuman using famous fashion folk in The Sartorialist; in his defense, the book serves as a useful reference, a veritable lookbook of insiders, for those aspiring to look the part (despite his efforts to capture a sense of "individuality," there's a clear pattern -- almost unfiorm-like -- among his subjects).

Heck, if I wanted to differentiate myself from the masses of street-style bloggers, my strategy would be to exploit my network. It lends credibility to what you do and sells (cough, Charlotte Ronson).

Simon Nessam: Model Moment

I would have titled this "I heart Simon Nessman," but there's no SEO value in that.
You're welcome.

DKNY Interview

Here's an interview I recently did with DKNY Men design director, Ken MacMillan, discussing its Spring/Summer 2010 collection:

Attempting to define the New York man is somewhat of an enigma. Sure, images of an austere-faced Trump raising his mighty finger at an MBA grad or of a starving artist setting up his gallery on the corner of Lafayette Street and Hipster Excess are good starts, but they are equally elusive.

The New York man is in motion. His only constant is change -- much like the city itself. So, who better to turn to than Ken MacMillan, DKNY Men design director, for his point of view. “New York fuels everything DKNY is. It’s as forward as it is forever. There’s no one way to look or one style to wear.”

AskMen.com sat down with MacMillan to discuss its new collection presented around New York Fashion Week, common male fashion mistakes and the seven essentials you need in your wardrobe. We may never be able to define the New York man, but thanks to DKNY, we can capture it for a season.

Simon Spurr Spring 2010

Here are some pictures I took from the Simon Spurr 2010 collection during New York Fashion Week.

Simon Spurr 2010

Earlier this year, Simon Spurr was named one the 10 finalists for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund. Big deal? Well, if walking away with $200,000 and a mentoriship with industry buffs (say, Ana Wintour) isn't a big deal, I don't know what is.

With all of the buzz surrounding the Simon Spurr 2010 collection, I was looking forward to attending his show during New York Fashion Week.

Fast-forward a few (busy!) months later -- sorry for the late blog entries, guys -- and Spurr isn't the lucky recipient of the award. However, I now understand why he's on everyone's radar.