The Dandy Project gets published

The Dandy Project was featured in last Saturday's edition of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, one of the country's leading broadsheets. Read the article here.

I was delighted that they used a quote from me as part of the lead.

the part on me

It feels great to be published for the first time, and it feels funny to think my face was printed over and over on newspapers distributed all over the Philippines and the world. Fashion blogging is slowly creeping into public consciousness, and I'm delighted to help pave the way for menswear blogs to get noticed.

A million thanks to the adorable Rosanna Aranaz of Little Miss Dress Up for doing this feature on me.

excerpt via Inquirer.net

Something to be thankful for: finding the perfect penny loafers.

I have found the perfect penny loafers...

...and they come with specially-embossed Bottega Veneta currency!

It's been a long time coming, I wrote a blog entry on my search for the perfect penny loafers back in September 2008. More than a year after, I end up with the most fabulous among the options I put up for myself in that post.

Bottega Veneta penny loafers (photo via Browns)

The slimmer profile and slightly longer vamp bring comfort and wearability, while the zigzag-edge tongue and the antique brass pennies give it that little something extra.

I purchased them (discounted beautifully!) at Woodbury Commons, my idea of the happiest place on earth. Who would have thought that after more than a year, these shoes would be there waiting for me, marked down and in my size? They're the most fantastic footwear fluke!

On my red desk. I can stare at them for minutes.

H&M Spring 2010 + Black Friday Sales

Devoid of Topman, a wider selection of Zara, and Uniqlo (never had that in the Philippines, though), I have H&M as my sole source for fast fashion.

H&M Spring 2010 (collage by ModeMan)

For Spring 2010, H&M turns the crazy dial up a few notches (always a good thing in my book) with both subtle and glaring references to western wear and the Far East, and a healthy dose of proportion play. Here are a handful of looks from the collection that I really responded to.

I really like the double-scarf here, I wonder if they'd be sold together or separately. The fuchsia degrade reminds me a lot of Robert Geller.

Never mind the blah scarf and trousers, there is a seriously interesting print going on in that jacket; I wish I could take a closer look.

The skirt in this look strikes me as neither overdone nor annoyingly feminine. Somehow it helps that the model has a tiny, tiny waist.

In my favorite look of the bunch, H&M's genius stylist pairs a feather-print t-shirt with a long button-down shirt worn as a coat, and finishes the look off with the most delightful orthopedic sandals. I will seriously consider working this combo of super-light coat+khakis+chunky sandals next summer.

The t-shirt-cut knit sweater never looked so cool. I think the proliferation of short-sleeve blazers in the past few months helped me warm up to this silhouette. And cuffed pants+ankle boots always get The Dandy Project seal of approval.

A mandarin-collar cream suede fringe jacket for those days when you feel like being annoyingly cute, or acutely annoying.

A leather jacket so handsome it's making me consider injecting some brown into my wardrobe. I just hope it's real leather.

That cloud/sponge-painted print on the left side of the blazer really intrigues me. (Oh, and writing this commentary just got the DIY wheels in my brain turning. Stay tuned!)

For those of you brave enough to plough through the Black Friday sales, H&M has some pretty neat things going on:

H&M in NYC (photo from here)

H&M Friday Store Hours:

Most H&M stores will open at 6am; some will open as early as 5am

H&M Black Friday Specials:

25% off any item of your choice from opening until 10AM

Fashion finds starting at $5

Select outerwear styles at 50% percent off

I'll probably be home then, sleeping the day off. Let me know what you guys get!

Tinsel and Ribbons, It's Christmas!

Receiving this Topman LTD forest green sweater with built-in knit bow in the mail made me think of the fireplaces, roast turkeys, and real pine needles that make up Christmas in the western world.

clear wayfarer glasses, Topman LTD bow sweater, Casio watch, tailor-made pants, DIY glitter cap-toe oxfords

All the more reason to break out these twinkle toes that I can't seem to find a reason to wear in real life.

Many thanks to Patrisha O. for the impromptu photoshoot, you're the queen of vignetting. No thanks to the multi-socket extension that made itself evident only after the photos were uploaded.

Cinched and Curled

Ray-Ban glasses, H&M topcoat, Primark t-shirt, J. Crew belt, Cheap Monday skinnies, Dr. Martens boots

I've long been toying with the idea of cinching a non-belted coat with a belt, but have only gotten to doing it recently.

It's amazing how inspiring images we see years ago could have an effect on what we wear today. Heres a flashback of old-school The Sartorialist for you guys:

Pictured in one of my favorite Sart shots of all time is this fellow in a long navy coat cinched with a leaf-embroidered belt.

Belting a coat isn't the most fool-proof sartorial move, and neither is it the most comfortable. But it does create a nice sharp line on a rather strong-shouldered coat, and it actually helps keep the midsection a little warmer (useful for soothing those post-pigging out chills!).

In other news, I've found an easier, more realistic method of achieving the curly quiff. (Two words: curling iron.) My idols over at Drop-Snap would be proud.

Puff and Toggles

Autumn is clearly here and people clad in black baggy North Face fleece jackets roam the city streets by the battalion. I got this Comme des Garcons puffy jacket in megawatt electric blue as my form of not-so-subtle retaliation.

Comme des Garcons toggle jacket (Joseph Tukhi of Bloomingdales San Francisco so graciously shipped to me one of the last remaining pieces in the US. Thanks, Joe!)

I thought the idea of a duffle coat in puffy nylon was just genius. It's got the throwback collegiate vibe of a duffle coat minus the weight of heavy wool.

Super sunglasses, Comme des Garcons jacket, Marc by Marc Jacobs half-and-half shirt, tailor-made pants, Opening Ceremony shoes

on Newbury street with my friend Michelle looking like a couple of overgrown kids

Colorful coats and shiny gold eyes are always a hit among toddlers.

photos by Patrisha O.