J. Shoes Andrew Brogue Boot

I need a pair of summer boots and these are looking like a winner.

Cole Haan Air Colton Saddle

This is what Spring is about, folks.

True beauty lies in the details.

Sean Connery

Classic Swag.

Timberland Earthkeepers City Boot

As a rule, I typically try to avoid Timberland boots entirely because, growing up in the inner city, I've had my fill, but these are kinda fresh.

via Urban Outfitters

Suede Raw Edge Biker Jacket by Alexander McQueen

Interesting.  Very interesting.

Look at that plaid detailing at the shoulder seams.

I'm not 100% sure how I feel about this just yet, but I'm leaning towards absolutely loving it.

via Mr. Porter

I don't think I've ever seen a woman pull of a tux better than Kate Lanphear.  The secret?  Androgyny (which almost feels too obvious).  You go bitch.

via Stockholm Streetstyle

Mila Kunis at the Oscars

Infatuation, thy name is Kunis.

Swaine Adeney Brigg Classic Kit Bag

I feel like this is the kind of bag Sherlock Holmes would carry.

$3500.  Damn you, J. Crew.

I've never really been into fur.  I'm not really an animal rights activist or anything, it's just not me.  But, everytime I see this picture in my blog roll, I think about how hot I would look in this vest and it makes me a little light-headed.

-via The Sartorialist

GANT Spring/Summer 2011 Living Lookbook

Some of these styles are a little hit or miss (varsity jacket with giant baseball player graphic on the back is a no-no), and I swear that Bastian has been trying to sell that same pair of $2000 destructed khakis for the last 3 years or so.  I mainly just like the whole idea of the living lookbook.  Meh.

This picture fills me with pride.  I love seeing black guys with real style.  We're getting there.  Jay-Z put it pretty succinctly when he said, "...niggas acting way too tough.  Throw on a suit.  Get it tapered up."  Amen.

via The Sartorialist

Girls In Men's Clothes

For those of you who were unaware, it's Men's Fashion Week in Milan and things are looking good.  That is, until Jean Paul Gaultier (the guy who's cologne has a bottle shaped like a sailor) showed his new line.  It's full of the weird, like wetsuits and jackets that very well may be made out of gold, but that's not all that shocking. It's the runway.  It's ok to be a little grandiose.  The thing that raised my eyebrow was JPG's need to blur gender lines by putting his male models in things like skirts and (gasp) fishnets.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not totally against guys wearing certain women's pieces.  For instance, depending on your build, you have to get women's skinny jeans if you want them to actually be skinny.  But guys just can't pull off most of women's style, because it takes that feminine touch to make them work.  I mean come on, a pencil skirt is all but pointless on a guy.

Alternatively, that same delicate touch is exactly what makes it so endearing when the tables are turned.  And I don't just mean when a girl puts on your shirt the morning after (even though that's damn sexy), I'm talking layers, folks.

Granted: being cute from jump helps you pull off the look a bit better.

Ladies, take note.

via The Sartorialist

"Subs"

Subspenders, or "subs", are a variation of suspenders that uses a system of elastic straps attached to a belt that you clip to your four-sizes-too-big pants so that you can sag them with confidence, knowing that they won't fall down.

This is what's wrong with the world.  This is anti-fashion.  It will officially be cemented in history that we are the most style-less generation ever.

Video:

Let's delve into what's wrong with this, shall we?  I'll start with a little bit of history:

In high school, they would tell us that it originated in prison where lesser inmates are made to wear their pants low so that the alpha males have "easy access" for sodomy.  I'm fairly certain that this was falsified as a means to use underlying homophobia to scare us out of the trend.  Well intentioned thought it may be, it's a little fucked up.

The derivation I'm prone to believe is socioeconomic.  Ghettos are poor by definition.  Inner-city families can't necessarily afford to buy new clothes for each child, so most of your clothes growing up are hand-me-downs that don't properly fit.  Wearing pants that were too big were a sign that you had older brothers that would have your back if something happened to you, and conventional wisdom will tell you that the bigger the pants, the bigger the brothers.  It was a defense mechanism that, after being processed through the pop culture filter, was misinterpreted as something that was just cool to do.

We on the same page?

I honestly thought we were past this.  The crime against fashion is obvious.  Purposefully wearing pants that are too big is just plain retarded.  It's one thing when you're young and can't do anything to help it, but if you're a well-adjusted adult it's inexcusable.  And come on, what happened to belts?  The other crime is the exploitation.  A grown man who obviously has the ingenuity to invent such a thing (and, let's be real, probably the money to buy clothes that fit if he has the capital to start in on such a business venture) exploiting an ill-advised trend is more than a little fucked up.

Seriously, if Macy's really starts carrying these, I will never step foot in that place again.

Kill.  This.

The North Face Purple Label Gore-Tex Trench Coats

One thing I've learned from my time living in Newport News is that if you were to wake up out of a coma in the 757 right now, you could look around and know exactly what time of year it is just from seeing everyone wearing new jackets from The North Face.  It's an inexplicably reliable trend here that I personally can't stand.  TNF's outerwear has a strong tendency to favor function way over fashion*.

*Understatement

Needless to say that I was floored when I found out that these ultra-stylish Gore-Tex trenches were TNF's own.

Want one?  Then you'll have to hop a plane overseas, because these babies are Japan-only.  Typical.

Deluxe Buick Wingtip Lace-Ups

Prepare to cuff those pant legs and get your bucks ready, boys, cause Spring's almost here!  Don't get me wrong, I'm a glutton for outerwear, so naturally Winter is one of my favorite seasons for style, but come on, look at these things:

 I love the detail on the strings.

So ultra Travolta.

Give and Get is Here!

Gap Inc's Give and Get is Here!

Special for all my wonderful readers! Come get 30% off from November 11-14 at Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy plus we'll make a 5% donation to the (RED) Global Fund to help fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria around the world. It's a definite can't lose situation.

DO IT!

Serpico

Recently I watched Pacino's 1973 corrupt cop flick Serpico.  The film is impeccable.  That part was no surprise. The 70's had Pacino at his best, long before Scent Of A Woman killed his career by turning him into a living caricature of himself, but I digress.  What did surprise me was how great the character's style was and how natural and cool the normally suit-and-tied Pacino looked in it.

None of the clothes look like costumes.  Nothing is perfectly fitted and it's all a little worn.  It just looks so genuine.  It's perfect. 

I can't say I'm not a little inspired.

"Denial Jewelry"

A few days ago, I posted a quote from my friend Jacob in which he used the term "denial jewelry".  I realized that this expression was lost on just about everyone but the two of us, so go read his blog post from yesterday here for a little clarity.  And while you're at it, read through his past posts.  He's got a really nice take on things.

Good Ass Job

This past weekend, Saturday Night Live's musical guest was the always incredible Kanye West, which is the best thing to happen to that show in years.  Needless to say, Ye killed it.

...why exactly did everyone freak out when he said he was the artist of our generation?

You may have heard the buzz in the past week about a couple of unfinished tracks from Kanye's next album that have been leaked.  Just this morning, Kanye made a few big announcements regarding said album.  First and foremost, the album will be title My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (I personally prefer the working title Good Ass Job, but whatever) and if his cryptic tweets are to be believed, it's dropping on November 22.  The album will include a few of the G.O.O.D. Friday tracks, and the first single will be the completed version of "All Of The Lights", one of the previously mentioned leaked tracks.

Shit just got live.

Here's the unfinished version of "All Of The Lights" thats been floating around the internet.  Supposedly once it's done it will blow our minds.  I don't doubt it.

Kanye West - All of the Lights by The Grandiose Co