The bad look of the week?

We saw a lot of men wearing these dropped-crotch, Arabian/genie pants when we were in Europe. Normally, we saw them on hippie-reggae anarchists with rattails, but the fellow above seems to reasonable, and in control of his body odor. We would still quibble with his choice of attire, but maybe we're behind the times? We leave it up to reader to say. Comment away!

My style will literally knock you off your feet

These are the stills from the Harvey Nichols Spring 08 campaign. The image is clever, kind of, if you want telegraph to everyone around that your style is so hot no one can get near. Or, if your style is so toxic it creates a 10 foot radius around you wherever you are. The British shopping giant explains the campaign by saying that the 10-feet wide inflatable speech bubbles, especially built for the house, communicate the irascibility of HN style: it will literally knock you off your feet. On the other hand, we read a conversation between Martin Scorsese and Spike Lee in Interview that suggests that maybe HN is onto something. Spike Lee asks where Scorsese what he remembers about Frank Sinatra: People wouldn't go nearer than, like, 10 feet around him. It was like a wall. He just moved, and the atmosphere moved with him.

classic French shoes

We didn't know what a J.M. Weston shoe was until up-and-coming designer/savvy dandy Victor Glamaud told us about it in an interview with (awesome) fashion blog Refinery 29. The J.M. Weston shoe, first made in Paris in 1891 using American techniques, is immaculate, long and slender with a leather sole. But that's not what surprised us most about their (must be said: v chic) Web site. It was, instead, the video they've posted showing how their shoes are made. It's maybe the most riveting, stylish infomercial we've ever seen. Check it out here. [J.M. Weston has 12 stores in the US, including New York, Portland and Washington]

Five menswear lines to watch

Ever since Alexandre Plokhov's cultish Cloak closed, sartorialists have been looking for the next provocative new brand of menswear. Is it Michael Bastian, or Victor Glemaud? Luckily Gen Art Pulse, in their weekly newsletter (free subscription!) has sent out a list of 5 Menswear Lines to watch. Drumroll, please!

Patrick Ervell - A mix of smart, tailored suits and casual, playful pieces like striped pants and gold jackets fit for the likes of Mark Ronson.

s2vs - An Oliver Twist inspired collection with a little bit of rock & roll and a strict attention to detail. Also, Lenny Kravitz's next red carpet look.

Erik Hart - Great coats. Classic with a little bit of edge and perfect for Adrian Grenier wannabes.

Hood by Air - Innovative and structural street wear sure to impress Pharrell.

Philip Sparks - Modern pieces influenced by the preps, jocks and slackers of the 50s—and soon to be spotted on Mr. Posh Spice.

Lagerfeld Dictionary!

Karl Lagerfeld (aka the Kaiser), famous designer for Chanel, Chloe, and Fendi designed the 2009 edition of France’s premiere dictionary “Le petit Larousse illustré” (Larousse Small Illustrated Dictionary) released on November 09. He joins the rank of fashion icon Christian Lacroix and the French cartoon legend Moebius (aka Jean Giraud) who respectively designed the 2005 and 2007 covers.

The dictionary has a black background with an illustration of a "woman blowing the seeds of knowledge". The case is a drawing of Lagerfeld with the words "Habillé par Karl Lagerfeld" (Dressed by Karl Lagerfeld).

I think that it is elegant. However, since it is by Lagerfeld, I think it’s too simple and he could have done a much better illustration. It looks like it has been created by Lagerfeld’s apprentice and the Kaiser just signed it. Any person familiar with the Photoshop software could have done a better job. It’s an elegant design, but not by Lagerfeld standards.

The reasonable man bag

The man bag: pro or con? Last week we told you about Mister Bag, a man-bag-obsessed tumblr. But looking at its list of fawned-over "murses," we couldn't help but notice the price tags. If there's anything more recherché than a man with a murse, it's a man with an expensive murse. We bring you an alternative: Warren Heim's duffel bag retails at $45.35. Its design is simple (2 sets of black straps, one solid color) but personable.

Should Obama stay in a suit?

While Thursday style is often ridiculous, we can't help but agree with today's (much-talked about) assessment that Obama's casual look leaves much to be desired. Exhibit A: above. The Times says his look recalls Jerry Seinfeld. We beg to differ. We think he looks like Bill Nye, the science guy! too harsh? Danny Tanner is surely a more suitable comparison. In the picture above, he looks like he's about to go pick up Michele and Steph from Kimmy Gibler's house because Uncle Jesse couldn't handle the bike ride.

Stoked on Stoned

In last month's Interview Glenn O'Brien, in a conversation with Kate Moss, notable because Kate admits to kind of not eating when she was doing runway, and also for hysterically saying, "I'm a tit man"; well, in that conversation, O'Brien, also known as GQ's style guy, says that he hated Stoned, the Brian Jones movie, but watched it four times just to see the clothes. Renting it!

Gucci taps major talent for new ad campaigns

We can't say that we've tried Gucci by Gucci, the new fragrance by the Italian fashion mainstay. But, this much we can say: Gucci has produced two stellar ads for its fragrance campaigns. For the first ad, Frida Giannini tapped David (Mulholland Dr., Inland Empire, f'ing) Lynch to direct Raquel Zimmerman and a bevy of girls to prance around while Blondie's Heart of Glass plays in the background. In the second ad, James Franco roams a giant Metropolis-style mansion in an immaculte black skinny suit while the great Roisin Murphy sings a cover of Bryan (another sartorial hero) Ferry's Slave to Love. Gucci by Gucci, the ad announces. Sometimes all you need is a name. And a good song.

Fashion Bloggers

Yes, yes, there are great fashion bloggers, but lately we've been obsessed with some great fashion tumblrs. The guy who runs A Continuous Lean does The Material Review, which seems like a hodgepodge of pictures of things he likes to wear, look like and/or buy. geezer chic? We approve. Mister Bag is the most po-mo of the bunch - It's a love letter to man bags, in all their glory. We especially like this. And then there's The impossible cool. The impossible cool is awesome because every day they have a picture up of a sartorial hero. Nov 10 had Michael Caine. Nov 2, Charles Mingus. Above is June 28: the unflappable Mr. McQueen.

The Most Beautiful Men's Shirt!

If a man wants to look fabulous, they have to wear a “Bogosse”shirt. “Bogosse” is a french expression that means “handsome man”. The video is about the brand “Bogosse”. I think that they make the most beautiful men’s shirts. The video is about Bogosse at the Cannes Film Festival. Enjoy

Color Purple

The most telling picture from Obama's visit to the White House Monday was sartorial in nature. For some reason (was this proposition 9?) purple has been chosen as the color of bipartisanship. Both men chose their ties in a purple shade to send a signal of forgiving, of letting bygones be bygones. But the choice is telling. Obama's tie is thinner to Bush's wide polka-dotted albatross. Bush's hangs like a heavy paisley noose on his neck, while Obama's looks cooler, like Prince's jheri curl or something. He can just pull it off. Someone was saying that Obama is going to be hard to make fun not because he's so serious, but because he's so cool. Is style a partisan matter? Or a question of temperament? On the other hand, Jeremy Langmead of Esquire, says that someone should cinch Obamba's trouser legs. They're getting too red.

Lights, Camera, Action

Ari Gold wears his suits with five buttons on the cuffs. Robert Evans preferred velvet to business casual. The Hollywood producer has been on our minds recently. We've been watching Action, the cancelled '99 Fox sitcom about a belligerent Hollywood producer played by Jay Mohr, the guy who played a belligerent sports agent in Jerry Maguire. Hulu's got the whole and only season up. Action is like David Mamet and Robert Evans' boozehound Irish baby. Peter Dragon is like the brother Ari Gold never had. Peter Dragon's wardrobe is very late 90s - broad shoulders, narrow trousers - and the color combinations Calvin Klein by way of California - mossy green on acid beige. He's s the sort of guy who's not above looking like a bully in lizard loafers because, hell, he is a reptilian douchebag. On the first episode he hires a prostitute, and impressed with her pitch for a script form his reject pile, re-hires her as his consigliere. But not without telling her - don't get chirpy sweetheart, "your crotch has seen more visitors than Graceland." Touche Mr. Dragon, Touche.

What About the Frames?

If the suit you're wearing is bespoke, why shouldn't your eyeglasses also be custom-made? Some people like Oliver Peoples, some people like Cutler & Gross. We've been looking at Urban Spectacles. Scott Urban of Chicago starts by discussing frame and style of eyeglasses. Choosing from a variety of made exotic woods (zebrawood! jatoba!), he whittles down a solid block of wood into frames completely crafted by hands. Spectacles start at $475, going up as far as $500 for special designs.

The look for the day: pork pie hats, track jackets.

There's no faster way to inspire the wrath of a dandy than by copying someone else's style. Inappropriate! like that episode when Carlton hilariously imitates Will in Fresh Prince. But, we make exceptions, sometimes. We fully advocate that you look, absorb, repeat with these guys. A certain lady says that these are the kind of guys that she used to get crushes on in high school. And why? Their frisky sense of color, their puffy jackets, and the fact that they wear their hearts on their sleeve. A wise man once said that be good at life, you have look fantastic in a suit and in casual wear. This guy says: combine it all! porkpie hat? check. nylon track jacket? check. Heck, even the Fresh Prince would approve.

posted by www.moduscouture.com

Men's Vogue: The queen is dead. A list of the heir apparent.

The best men's fashion magazines.

Men's Vogue was cut back, from a monthly, to a biannual supplement last week. Conde Nast cited the weak ad environment as the reason for the change. As if. You probably won't even notice this dishrag missing from the newstand. Men's Vogue was the magazine version of a sweater-vest, or your local avuncular weatherman. It's hard to run a men's fashion magazine. Much harder to find a damn good magazine. Still, there are a few candidates. and no, Esquire is not among them. (You relinquish that title when you're reduced to this).

Vogue Hommes International- Conde Nast actually does run pretty savvy men's fashion magazines - they're just on the other side of the ocean (L'uomo Vogue, being the other one). These are good for people with money (not that there's anything wrong with that!) - they're functional and quick. The Summer Vogue Hommes has a spread on formal nightwear. The guys wearing the bespoke suits? The Virgins. As shot by Terry Richardson.

L'uomo Vogue is like a good Slim Aarons photo: attractive people doing attractive things in attractive places.

The risk-taker should read Arena Hommes Plus. In the summer issue Juergen Teller will teach you how to wear PVC skinny jeans with panache. Synthetic fabrics, and attenuated cuts - what more could a man want.

The price for the best men's fashion magazine goes to The Chap, a little British journal, with an eighth of the Conde Nast budget, but twice the style. The Chap is for strict Dandies - it's a favorite of the dandy of the underworld Sebastian Horsley and that maligned reporter Jared Paul Stern. Friends in high places indeed. If you like these guys, you're a Chap. Asked in a questionnaire which item of clothing he considers the height of vulgarity, Horsley said: There are only two actions I cannot tolerate. The first is denim. The other is murder. If denim is not wrong, nothing is wrong.

Posted by www.moduscouture.com

Obama Fashion

MIchele Obama wore Narciso Rodriguez to the victory rally at Grant Park. And Obama?
We are the Market says the Great One buys from Chicago-based suit maker Hart Schaffner Marx, who coincidentally is already advertising that in its homepage. The Marx suits have a clean line, look to be slim-fitting and comparatively inexpensive, topping at $895. No word yet if Marx was the suit of choice election night.

Posted by www.ModusCouture.com