Menswear Wednesday: The Bag Your Pants Shouldn't Be Like

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Hello, gentlemen.  Look at your pants.  Now back to me.  Now back at your pants.  Look in your pockets.  How much crap do you actually have in there?  Let me guess: phone, keys, and wallet, at least.   What else is in there?  Gum?  Cash?  iPod?  Dang, your pants probably look like hell with all that stuff in there.

At one point in time, the solution was to grab a pair of cargo pants, cram them full of all your extra gear, and roll out the door with pockets bulging like Santa’s bag.  Now that styles are running slimmer, favoring a cleaner silhouette, how do you carry your stuff without screwing up your profile?

  1. The man bag.  You knew this was coming, right?  Look, “murse” jokes aside, it makes sense.  Carry ALL your stuff: the book you’re reading,  a pen or two, a netbook or iPad, plus anything beyond the three essentials (keys, phone, wallet) that should stay in your pants.  Find something canvas, not leather, to emphasize that this isn’t some Coach-encrusted status symbol.  Hit a military store, or find something like this one from British bargaineers Topman.  Treat it like a briefcase, not a purse, and people will see it that way.
  2. The reasonable wallet.  This is the one that hits me the hardest.  I have a chronic case of Costanza wallet.  Credit card, debit card, medical insurance card, membership cards for half a dozen restaurants and stores, plus cash and a random assortment of paper scraps.  Is all this stuff necessary?  Possibly.  But when it makes it look like I’m carrying a small boulder in my back pocket, something’s got to give.  Instead of a regular wallet that affords enough room for this kind of over-stuffing, get something slim, with a limited number of card slots.  It might require some advance planning, but the extra stuff can go in…the bag above.  Check out this one from Property Of...

And seriously, get rid of the cargo pants.  No one looks good in them.

Images via Selectism.com

Marie Antoinette Sneak Peek

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So, there are a couple of shoots that I've had under by belt that I have been DYING to share with all of you. One of them is a Marie Antoinette inspired shoot in collaboration with SO MANY talented individuals, but most importantly Jeanette LeBlanc Photography and Beautiful Day Films. My role with this project was stylist AND producer. Yes - my first shoot that I took creative control over. EEK! haha.

I still can't release the photos because we have high hopes for getting published (photos shown are a couple behind the scenes pics by Jennifer Boonlorn), but I'm SOOOO happy to be able to share with you a little fashion video that Beautiful Day Films put together to showcase our hard work.

Another post will be coming soon about how this all came together, who contributed and the inspiration behind the vision. It's a BIG & LONG story, but it's soooo good that Beautiful Day Films created a documentary. =) Coming soon...

Marie Antoinette::Orpheum::Fashion Edit from Beautiful Day Films on Vimeo.

Winter Boots - Motorcycle

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Continuing my series on the fall/winter boots, the motorcycle boot is another very comfortable and fashionable choice.

I think it looks the best when the boots are juxtaposed to something feminine because it's all about breaking rules and mismatching this year - rough with soft, black with brown, etc. However, these boots would also look great with a pair of leggings, a long t-shirt and a cool moto jacket for the rocker/tomboys out there.

Key attributes for a motorcycle boot are the chunky soles, a bit of hardware and the fact that most motorcylce boots only go up to the base of your calf.

If I had all of the money in the world, these Rag & Bone boots would by first choice because of the suede/leather and black/brown combination which would transition well into spring. Macy's has a pair of Mark Fisher boots retailing for $129 that are a close second.