B Store Spring 2010

The photographs below evoke this unmistakably unpretentious ease with which I want to build my upcoming Spring wardrobe around. Free of constrictingly narrow jackets and trousers so tightened as to achieve a starkly slim-legged silhouette, these looks are comfortable yet put-together.

I love how the look on the right manages to be dandy without the starched-stiff accoutrements.

left: the shorts suit done right, right: London New Wave meets Parisian nonchalance

Double denim has never looked this tasteful.

two personal style favorites of mine: the curly quiff and the oversize t-shirt

This in no way means I'm going to give up sharply tailored clothes, but it is just nice to know that thanks to B Store, we can go relaxed from time to time without looking sloppy.

via Coute que Coute

Dandy Goes Randy

Sometimes a DIY project comes out so delightful, it warrants a sequel. You might recall the "feel me up" shirt I did a few months back inspired by Alexander McQueen's Spring 2010 collection:

left: a look from Alexander McQueen Spring 2010, right: the DIY shirt that remains one of my favorite pieces of clothing

For my second homemade shirt inspired by that collection, I decided to go with a joke my friend made upon seeing the above shirt (that I "should have placed hand prints on the a**") and yes, I made a shirt with hand prints that look as if someone with a paint-covered hand was grabbing my behind. In this new year 2010, The Dandy Project goes randy.

The base was a black Zara shirt I got on sale---oversize, as I think the more eccentric styling works better with a relaxed silhouette.

For the print, I used Jacquard Neopaque light body opaque acrylic paint in white. It was opaque enough to be striking against the black, yet not too thick as to come out stiff on the rather light fabric. It also holds well after repeated machine washing.

While wearing the shirt, I had a friend mark with tape where exactly I would want the derriere-grabbing print (thanks Sarah!). Then I laid the shirt flat on a lined surface and carefully stamped my paint-covered hand exactly where I wanted the print to be. After which, I helped the print heat-set with a hairdryer.

When the central handprint was set, I went on to add the violent smears and smudges. It helped that I was in character as the artist-ghost feeling me up from behind!

Here it is worn:

DIY shirt, DIY-customized chicken feather necklace, Casio watch, H&M jeans, Margiela nail ring, custom-made boots

I wore it to a raunchy-themed party with friends from Manila and this was my covered-up, subversive interpretation of the theme.

with Michelle of Chic Clinic

Michelle, this picture is going to be famous.

Co-creation

A lot of entries on this blog have mostly been about pieces that I customize by way of DIY projects or design from scratch. I find such joy in bringing out my craziness through personalization. That is why when I learned about e-store Blank Label from their web strategist Danny Wong, I thought their fresh concept of co-created dress shirts would be a great fit for The Dandy Project.

The half-and-half shirt by Blank Label. I have coveted a few in the past, and this one seems to be a feasibly wearable option.

back detail

Blank Label is an online store that allows you, the customer, to exercise your creativity through co-created dress shirts. Co-created shirts are much like custom shirts, only, you customize within a given set of options, and the experience is more streamlined. I could go on and on about the mechanics of Blank Label, but I think it's best that you check out their website and see for yourself how delightfully easy it is.

I'm a huge fan of the covered placket, which so easily makes a shirt look modern and minimalist, try it out under the "placket" portion of the "style" section.

Having just recently launched October 31, 2009, Blank Label describes itself as the intersection of fashion, technology, and the world wide web. Prices start at $45 for a shirt. Not bad, I say!

The mandarin-collar shirt, a style staple of mine, updated with a covered placket.

EDIT: The Dandy Project readers get 10% off of their order, just enter this promotional code*:

thedandyproject

*offer valid until January 31, 2010 only

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Staples at the Supermarket

This blog is witness to how experimental I can be with fashion. With every post, I try to put forth some little novel idea on how to dress, whether it be a new silhouette of trousers, resurrecting seemingly outdated styles of footwear, or simply a different way of wearing shirts. But the truth is, much as I try, I just can't dress like everyday is fashion week; not every single outfit I step out of the house in is governed by one earth-shaking idea.

golden eyes at the grocery

I have a uniform for those days, and it's pretty much comprised of different versions of the same elements. This outfit that I submitted for Style Salvage's Style Stalking feature on me (many many thanks, EJ and Steve!) happens to show all of those.

Super sunglasses, Urban Outfitters shirt, Cartier watch, J. Crew khakis, Opening Ceremony desert boots

These are The Dandy Project's Style Staples:

1. statement eyewear

I thought my Super sunglasses above screamed tropical vacation, hence the pair and I have been inseparable for the past couple of weeks. I think statement eyewear does wonders at lending a sense of authenticity to an ensemble.

These glasses by Selima Optique remind me so much of a pair I found at Facial Index, my newest favorite modern Japanese optician in SoHo.

2. the printed short sleeved shirt

Right now, I like to wear them in a relaxed fit, untucked, and always buttoned up to the collar.

The best ones are those you design yourself. Shirt by me

3. a watch

More than being a functional instrument of time-telling, a watch, I believe, tells people around you volumes about who you are. I rarely leave home without one.

The IWC Portuguese in steel+navy alligator is understated and handsome. from irming.us

4. too-short trousers

I always say that cropped trousers make me feel taller because I look as if I've grown too tall for my pants.

These wide-legged cords from Kolor look clowny-cool rolled up. via Opening Ceremony

5. boots

I remain enamored with the genius combination of rolled-up pants and boots.

The Common Projects officer's combat boot is, in my opinion, the closest to perfect you're gonna find. via Revolve Clothing

Current Obsession: Margiela Nail Ring

For something so much smaller than my other rings, this one isn't any less noticeable.

Martin Margiela nail ring

The fact that it appears to be fashioned out of a mundane object and the subtle element of danger suggested by the pointed tip (which, thankfully, is dulled) make it such a conversation piece.

I blogged about not getting this ring at Selfrige's April of last year only to spend eight months almost hopelessly searching for it. Luckily, last Thanksgiving weekend, I stumbled upon possibly the last of these in retail at IF Boutique in Soho, my latest favorite shop in New York City.

Though I might maintain that the best gifts come in orange or red and gold boxes,

I still think the coolest accessories come in white boxes with numbers on them.

sparks a-flying

My dearest friends and readers and readers who have become my friends, may your 2010 be fine and

dandy. (UO tee, Topman cuffed sweatpants, Vans laceups)

bowtie!

In the Philippines, we spend New Year's Eve stuffing our faces with bread and hot chocolate and Edam cheese balls and ham (to which I, the vegetarian, shamefully gave in) and lighting firecrackers so much so that hospital emergency rooms are always filled with people with blown-up body parts every January 1st. How did you spend your New Year's Eve?