The Look of The Week

Because we aren't playful enough with our accessories - always picking the same shade of gray or black socks, or the same Swatch. The Sartorialist, on the other hand, likes his socks green.

For $24,870, you too can be one of GQ's best

GQ has a roundup of the most stylish men in America. The combined cost of their wardrobe? $24,870. Kanye's Dior Homme jacket ($,3425) is the most expensive on the list, and T.I.'s Calvin Klein Underwear tee is the cheapest ($16). The most stylish man on the list? Interview magazine editor Glenn O'Brien, half of whose outfit has no prices listed because they are "model's own." "How have I stayed stylish?" He is asked. "It's about dressing with respect. My grandmother was a big influence on me in that way. If I was going on a date, she'd say, 'You can't wear that pink shirt—what's the girl's mother going to say? Have some respect.'"

The Best of New York Fashion Week

New York Fashion Week 2009 will be remembered as the one that "dealt" with the recession. And by dealt, we mean avoided. Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Diane Von Furstenberg - all showed escapist collections that recalled the heyday of the 80s not its problems. In psychology, we believe this is called denial. You can say that the menswear and womenswear shows collectively addressed the economic crisis in the somber palettes (Calvin Klein) or that they strived to protect the body (Narciso Rodriguez, Duckie Brown). But these are still obscenely expensive clothes. Is it really necessary for Yigal Azrouel and Rodarte to make outfits that look ragged and filthy when the possibility of looking as penniless as a Madoff investor is looking like a reality with each passing day? The New York Times' The Moment blog has a list of the eight must-buys of the week. As people have less money to spend, what becomes important is to edit: getting the most for your buck, buying clothes that look expensive, thinking about the material. In other words, think of that Calvin Klein suit (below) as your February investment. The Moment recommends the Fair Isle sweaters at Patrick Ervell (above left), the double-breasted blazers at Zegna (center), and Tim Hamilton's red suit (above right), among others.

Kanye is still bitching

Turns out it's not just Chris Brown who's pissed off about something this week. After speaking to MTV news about his manhood, Kanye is still reeling. The Daily News is calling him the biggest diva in NY after he told off three (three!) media people to "leave him alone." When a reporter from Spin asked Kanye for comment on the magazine's blog, the mini-mulleted rapper shot back: "I didn't like the cover shot you used the last time." He was overheard telling event staffers "I don't want to do any press" after a reporter for New York Magazine tried to speak with him. And, in what may have been a low point for the multi-Grammy losing artist, he hid in a bathroom to avoid a New York Observer reporter.

Yigal Azrouel in New York Fashion Week

Yigal Azrouel made headlines this week when he fired his PR representatives after they invited Ashley Dupre, better known as Elliot Spitzer's call girl, to his womenswear collection. Few had heard of Azrouel before that working girl sat at his front row, and few are likely to seek him out if he continues putting out the vagabond-inspired clothes he showed in his menswear collection. Talk about getting your inspiration from the recession! The talk this week in menswear is 90s revival - the return of grunge, et al - but no proud slacker would wear the finely stylized grime on display here:



For better 90s inspiration - My Own Private Idaho, to be exact - check out Michael Bastian's layered homage to the Gus Van Sant flick.

Kanye: I'm man enough!

Last week we told you about a small man in Kanye West's entourage (Ibn Jasper) who took to his blog to answer the h8trs. "NONE OF US 'gay'or a 'clown,'" he trilled. This week, it's Kanye himself pitching a fit: "Dressing gay" you can't dress like ... Your dress don't give away whether or not you like a man. Think about actors that straight dress up like a woman or something like that. People wanna label me and throw that on me all the time, but I'm so secure with my manhood. And that's the reason why I can go to Paris, why I can have conversations with people who are blatantly gay." Er, sure Mrs. Doubtfire. But, (and we have it on good authority) the gays (or the straights) don't want your mini-mullet hair: the horror!. Neither does Lupe Fiasco, apparently, telling New York Magazine: "Kanye doesn't dress better than EVERY minority group."

Calvin Klein returns to New York

In what the New York Observer called a triumphant return, Calvin Klein Menswear put its first show in New York Fashion Week after 11 shows in Milan. This was the first time creative director Italo Zucchelli has shown in New York, and the glitterati made sure to pay homage: Chace Crawford of Gossip Girl and Kanye West were both in front row. Like in collections past, Zucchelli's own brand of futurism was a central theme, this time in the somber monochromatic tones of "The Recession." One- or two-tone gray suits walked down the runway, sometimes made out of materials that recalled Robert Patrick's liquid metal T-1000 in Terminator 2. In what was mostly a commercial collection (heavy on wearable sleek overcoats and bomber jackets), Zucchelli's broad-shouldered suits, military boots and use of synthetic fabrics suggested a man ready to deal with the worst of what this recession might bring.

Trends so far in New York Fashion Week

While the girls over at New York's The Cut are keeping track of the trends in womenswear at New York Fashion Week, men.style.com is keeping score of the trends in menswear. So far, they've spotted high, super high necks at Victor Glemaud and Duckie Brown (above). Like Narciso Rodriguez, who showed disaster orange last Fall, Hazmat-orange has also made an impression at Duckie Brown and Y-3. Last but not least, we think laceless oxfords we'll be seen in a few other runways over the next week.

THe Look of the Week

Big, Nascar-style earphones are the next big thing.

High end pair of socks!!

Based in New York, V.K. Nagrani has been the emblem of men's high end socks. Nagrani's goals are simple and straight forward: superior products that would exceed one's expectations, a life of luxury and elegance.

Nagrani creates the best cotton socks with an elegant, stylish and colorful design. It's a pair of socks for the connoisseur, a man with an exquisite style and confidence.

Nagrani hosiery is sold to an elite group of men's specialty boutiques throughout the world. Robb Report selected V.K. Nagrani's hosiery as the "Best of the Best."

The socks are very affordable and start a 35$ a pair. The designs will "knock your socks off".

Tom Ford - photographer?

Women's Wear, the fashion industry trade paper, is reporting that Tom Ford shot his own Spring menswear and eyewear campaigns. "I have always felt that an advertising image is in a sense the last layer of the design, and so decided this season to just shoot the campaign myself." Longtime Ford model, the Spanish Jon Kortajarena, and model Karen Elson will appear in the campaigns this March.

Men Style's buyer guide: the good, the bad, and the unaffordable

Every year Men.Style asks shoppers for the country's biggest (Saks, Barneys, et al) and coolest (Jake, Jeffrey) shops for their sartorial shopping recommendations for the new season. The shopping guide is predictably preposterous, with the cheapest items consisting of beat-up t-shirts and Michael Kors short shorts. Here is our guide to the guide.

The good: the shoes.


The Gordon Rush royal-blue suede chukka boot. As Carrie Bradshaw once said to a pair of Jimmy Choo slingbacks: hello, lover.


Marc Jacobs suede laceups. They cost $500, just about affordable enough.

Pierre Hardy's chukka boots are today's answer to Serge Geinsburg's preppy repettos.


The bad. There's no reason to


From consistently overpriced Surface 2 Air, this exemplary t-shirt - simple in design and execution, will set you back $80.


The Bergdof Goodman buyer says that every surfer needs a good beach anorak - picture, Michael Bastian's - but we guarantee you reader that to afford this little nugget they'll have to pawn the surfboard first.

The unaffordable. There are many (Many!) things in this list that we crave, such as the Ralph Lauren Black label olive linen suit, but at the top of our list is this leather jacket worthy of Purple Magazine's Olivier Zahm.


Rag & Bone, $1,850 at The Archive in San Francisco.

Kanye West's stylist is pissed, more pissed than Kanye

Christian Bale may be last week's meltdown du jour, but weeks ago, one of Kanye West's stylists, the improbably named Ibn Jasper (above, wearing the black beanie and glasses) took to his personal blog, ferrarimurakami.blogspot.com, to mouth off against "The h8trs," to wit: "People were saying that we dress "gay" and that we're "clowns" among other things. And for the record, aint NONE OF US "gay"or a "clown". What's so funny to me about it , is that we dress like grown men. We are all approaching, or in our 30s, and we have style, money, and a vast knowledge of fashion. Has this hip-hop, street sh!t made everybody forget what a man REALLY is, or supposed to look like?"

43,000$ suit

Legendary Italian fashion house Brioni unveiled a 43,000$ suit. No need to ask what it is made out of because we already know the answer: it is tailored to perfection and with the best and rarest material that couture can put their hands on. The suit is not for the elite, but for the elite of the elite, the top 1% earners worldwide.
Certain people may think that it is ridiculous to buy a 43,000$ suit. I disagree: value is in the eye of the beholder. I wouldn’t buy that suit, however, there is a market for it and Brioni recognized it. I would like to congratulate Brioni because they had the guts and confidence to introduce the suit in such chaotic financial times.
A 43,000$ suit for a person who earns 1$ billion annually is like a 430$ suits for a person who earns 1$million annually. My only suggestion is to the dry cleaners: be extremely careful with a 43,000$ suit.

Loro Piana - A symbol of excellence

Established in 1924, Loro Piana is an Italian clothing company known for its high-end, luxury cashmere and wool products. They have a tradition of excellence across their men’s, women’s, children’s and accessories’ collections. Loro Piana products are made from the finest, rarest and most exclusive cashmere and wool in the world. Loro Piana is a symbol of premium fabrics, high end luxury, quality, elite and a product for the connoisseurs.
The ideal client for Lora Piana would be James Bond. We picture him in a Tom Ford suit accompanied with a Privé men’s dress shirt from Bogosse, a coat and scarf from Loro Piana.
Below is a coat from Lora Piana. The picture is from Nieman Marcus and available for 4,455$.