Posts tagged ‘men’

You know that episode of 30 Rock where Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) starts dating Dr. Drew (Jon Hamm of Mad Men) and she tells him that he has a whole “Disney prince” thing going on?  My sentiments exactly.

Wearing a monochromatic outfit can be hard to pull off.  To once again reference 30 Rock (I’ll stop soon, I promise), when Liz Lemon tried to wear a tan turtleneck and khakis, she, according to her boss Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin), looked like a human condom.

To me, this Disney prince’s look works – no human condom in sight.  Unfortunately this shot doesn’t do justice to the outfit, which could accurately be described as “variations on a theme: beige”, but the blend of textures, patterns and varying tones of tan make this a sophisticated little get-up for a lazy Sunday afternoon.  Also, his socks are lime green.  Eeee!  SO cute.  I wish you guys could see them!  Use your imaginations?

The look:

• Korean infinity scarf from Fusion (Changle Lu)
• Navy striped sweater from Sixpack France (purchased in Hong Kong)
• Fine plaid blazer from Jos. A. Bank (stolen from brother)
• Beige corduroy trousers from Muji
• Shoes from Initial (in Hong Kong)
• Messenger bag from Suitcase London

The fashionable man is a fairly rare bird in Shanghai, so it’s always nice to pay tribute to someone who can work the casual angle, like this cutie patootie cruising the French Concession on his vintage-y China Post-style bike*.  He’s from South Africa, and most of what I know about SA comes from watching District Nine and Blood Diamond, but Wikipedia says that South African men are well known for wearing informal clothes with great success (no it doesn’t).  But let’s talk about the outfit.

Cardigans (mandigans?) on dudes have become more than acceptable, they’re downright fashiony.  I guess we should be thanking Mr. Rogers, who was WAY ahead of the curve on this one.

Now gaze lovingly at the loafers this guy is sporting.  What is it about a man in loafers without socks that makes me so giddy?  I love this look and hope we’ll continue to see it in the warmer seasons to come, especially with summer suits.  I forced my BF to ditch the socks at a July wedding we went to this year and I have no regrets.

Put it on your body:

• Ray Ban shades – even if they’re not Ray Ban, the shape, as with aviators, won’t be going out of style any time soon**.
• Cardigans on guys: sexy (his is from Paul & Shark)
• Casual loafers: do it without socks
• · Socks
• Denim: we’ve talked about this before…

*I’m told he used to ride a fixed-gear.  Good call on the switch up.  Brakes = good + safe.
**Friends don’t let friends wear glasses without lenses.

It’s a frenzy in Korea. The ubiquitous dish of fermented cabbage is in short supply due to unusual fall weather.  The Black Market Cabbage Trade is now flourishing; it is being charged for at restaurants, which normally serve it free, and the government has implemented an emergency Kimchi Bailout Program.

Now, there may be a Kimchi Crisis going on, but that is not going to stop this Alpha-Male Korean from wearing drop-crotch diaper pants. It looks like he pooped a whole thing of cabbage down there, which leads me to my next thought…

We need a worldwide bailout program on diaper pants. We could pay each kid to take their pants to a tailor to raise the crotch to a decent level.  No more cabbage pant kids!

photos by Natalie Wang

A famous woman who tapes her bra together once said, “I want to go to there,” and that is how I feel about Italy.  But guess what?  I’m going, to there, to Italy, for my mom’s 50^th birthday, because she saw Under the Tuscan Sun, and that crap is inspiring.

The first time I went to Italy was on a school trip where we were allowed to drink wine – WINE – which as we know is very very illegal in America if you’re under 21, and everyone strictly adheres to this rule.

The second time I went to Italy I got caught in a torrential downpour that made my pants fall down.  Because they were heavy with water.  Pervert.

The third time I went to Italy, I stayed in a lesbian-run hostel.  Do with that what you will.  Pervert.

So, yeah, I pretty much love it there.  But you know what my favorite thing about Italy is?  Gelato!  Just kidding, I’m not an overenthusiastic sorority girl.  No.  The best part about Italy is that the people dress well.  Oh, sure, you’re always going to run across your Euro-trash contingency, but what continent doesn’t suffer from some form of aesthetic disgustingness?   Take these three gentlemen [of Verona – literary!] for instance.  It certainly helps that they’re all svelte (ahem, America), but let’s focus on the jeans: nice washes, well-fitted and bearing no trace of golden eagles’ wings with a skull and like some old-timey tattoos.  Me, Ed Hardy and some brass knuckles in a windowless room for a few hours…but, I dream.

And another thing!  These men are all killing it with the jackets!  You’ve got your layered blazer look, your bomber jacket and your belted trench all represented and worn, I might add, with great aplomb.  Aplomb aplomb aplomb.

So, in conclusion, dear reader, don’t let those nasty stereotypes of Italian men as mafia thugs and woman-haters mar your view of the uomini italiani.  Google translator says that that means Italian men in Italian.  And that’s all you need to know.

…But here’s a little bit more:

• Jeans: It’s hard to go wrong with Levis and Diesel
• Jackets with international panache at J. Crew for men
• I promise you these sunglasses will never go out of style
• Scott Schuman is a [straight] man who loves fashion and is super good at it