Fashion for All: December 2008

Rockin' Rollin'

Okay so I'm not exactly the first person to bring this trend to light but I have been thinking about it lately, and I love it. My leather jacket has buttons so I roll it up occasionally. A while ago I got this jacket at H&M whose sleeves are too short so it's ideal to just slide them up my forearm. How very 80's of me, I thought...

Now all over the internet and of course on the street, this trend has been making itself known again. What I like so much about rolling your sleeves or your pants up, is that it's simple and shows the wearer did it in a relaxed fashion. There is no "trendy" gimick about it, no recognizable emblem. It is what it is, and what it is, is shit hot.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Here's to you on this very Merry Christmas! I hope the Christmas fever has it you all! Just drive safe on those roads now! XX The Tortured Writer

p.s Excuse the crappy graphic, running off to a party! ;)

Molton Brown

Maybe I'm bias because I worked for them, but Molton Brown makes fantastic bath and beauty products. I especially love their Re-charge Black Pepper wash... which is easily their best seller for men. With Detoxifying black pepper oils to help circulation and to stimulate muscles this will also slap you awake in the morning with it's spicy scents.

Christmas List 2008

I compiled a few options for Christmas this year. They say woman are hard to buy for but I think it's no easier for men. With only 4 shopping days left until Christmas Eve here are my options for buying for a man.

Paul Smith Socks

These are hugely popular world-wide and allows the wearer a splash of colour with his seemingly boring suit. This is Paul Smith's signature stripe.

A new fragrance
A man can never have too many scents to choose from, and introducing him to something new is always welcome. Boss, Bvlgari, Dolce and Gabbana are great options or simply click here.

A Scarf from Burberry
Going with a classic design is a good option considering they never go out of style. Burberry makes some fantastic cashmere scarves, and if he doesn't have anyone to cuddle up to this winter at least he'll have this scarf!

Paul Smith Flight bag
With the signature mini print this bag is a great option for a Xmas gift. It's big enough to hold all your goodies without being considered a man-bag.

The Godfather DVD collection
Need I say more?

BBQ KIT
I personally don't see the fascination but all the men I surveyed seem to think this an important gift to add. I refused on the XBox, as you can imagine...

Happy Shopping!

Hermes for less

This great cardigan is from Hermes. I particularly like this look because of the contrast between the grey and the turquoise, and it's a soft look. Topman stocks cardigans for £25 in this and many other colours. I'm quite fond of the greens because they work with my colouring.

Summer Re-invented

Comic tee- Check!
Rolled up jacket sleeves - Check!
High-tops - Check!

Great Summer crossover wear. Well Executed fashionable alternative to the boring shorts and tee combo. He stuck to charcoals and grey tones which make it more effective.

Tom Ford SS09

I'm a big fan of Tom Ford. I was a fan of his in his Gucci days and even more so now as he rises up to be the greatest thing to happen to menswear. What he has done for fashion no other designer has been able to do. He made it exciting, it made it sexy and most of all he made men of all shapes and sexualities desire three piece suits and not worry about looking of place. He made it cool!

His legacy spreads from every sector of fashion from shoes to fragrances to eyewear- fantastic eyewear if I may say so myself.

His latest collection is poetry! The blue is my favorite!

TomKat do Old-Hollywood Glamour

While their daughter is sailing through tabloids as 'Hollywoods Hottest Tot' it comes as no surprise that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are eager to get the spotlight off Suri, and onto themselves for a change.

The New York Times "T" magazine shoot showcases the Cruises in old Hollywood make-up and dress with a gorgeous outcome. I've always favoured them to the Beckhams... but that's just me.

The magazine came to press as both were up for awards, Best Supporting actress and Lifetime achievement respectively. Critics have been mostly kind to Katies performance on Broadway, it seems these days she is the only working member of the family as Tom's new film Valkyre keeps pushing back the release date. It seems bouncing on a couch like a love-sick madman can do more damage to your career than good.

While Katie might not be the leading lady that her Creek fans were hoping for, she is certainly making waves with her own style. Having Vicky Beckham as a friend can't be too bad either.

Alas here are the beautiful photo's taken by Solve Sundsbo.

Salvatore Ferragamo

Modern Tuxedo in a Rubarb-pink, I wouldn't know where to wear it to but I love it! It joins the League of designers who are using an array of pink tones for their '08collections. Gorgeous!

Oscar Host Announced

2008's People Magazine "Man of the year" is none other than Wolverine- I mean Hugh Jackman! He gave out an award in 2007 for Best original score but has yet to Host, so I hope he's ready. I think in the spirit of Sarah Jessica Parker-esque hosting, perhaps Jackman could have a few costume changes himself. I think Tom Ford would be appropriate, maybe even some Paul Smith Bespoke suiting...

Personal Shopping made fun

There is a service available in Paris whereby one takes along a personal shopper to help choose for an absent husband. It doesn't seem out of the ordinary, does it? But what if that helper was naked except for his little red undies? Not an Un-necessary gimmick I assure you, these boys at CELIO menswear are available in the form and shape of your loved one so that you can buy their clothing without them nagging you to let him go home. Imagine the time you'll save, ladies... plus it can't be too bad, considering you get to see what the other husbands look like. Source: women24.com

What I wore today...

I am in love with this Red-Ear shirt from Paul Smith with the dog print. And how about these new slim fits that I love equally as much! I like to dress down for work every other day and wearing these boat shoes allow me to relax the look of a shirt combo without being too casual.

Chad White is one of the spokes-models for H&M's latest campaign. He wears a particularly gorgeous grey knit I found on their online store. The green knit is also mighty nice! But we South Africans are waiting and praying for the day that H&M drop on our doorsteps!
And as for these knits... Christmas is around the corner people! :D

Wishlist

Chad White for H&M featuring this gorgeous grey knit, as well as this green one which I like just as much! We South Africans pray for the day that H&M arrives on our door-steps!

The Bolo tie

Okay, so we already know that bow-ties, neck scarves, and cravats are making their way into a modern mans wardrobe, but what about that old Western bolo that made a small appearance in the 90’s?

With fashion being so broad and interlaced it’s not required for you to be wearing cowboy boots with your Bolo, not just yet anyhow. But I have been wondering lately if the Bolo is ready to be the next thing for men’s fashion.

Western as a theme in fashion has been in constant rotation for years, just look at the cravat, the cowboy shirt, boots above the ankle, and it’s old favorite, denim!

While on the topic of Western wear, I thought to include this particular tie which I’ve seen on a Runway model for Paul Smith AW08. You might remember Col. Sanders wore one too.

I don’t know if it was an after thought for Sir Paul to include it or if he actually sells them but they’re fantastic.

This website sells many varieties of it, if there are other places I haven’t seen it.

What do you think?

SANDALS

In the Cape it's incredibly hot, a lot. So for those fortunate ones the sandal, or slops as they're more affectionately known as in Cape Town, are part of the basic wardrobe. Of course they come in different slices of the style pie- and I've compiled a few that will offer you options for your own wardrobe.

I'm a big fan of these sandals as made by Cavalli. One strap over the foot, and one for the toe. Simple and wearable with more formal looking attire. I would wear this fitted trousers and a shirt/jacket combo.

The Fisherman's sandal is also a versatile sandal, although a lot chunkier it's still a great shoe and not likely to become the over-worn and avoided shoe like Crocs.