Miyashita-san

A tempest had just ravaged my apartment: in the process of preparing outfits for New York fashion week, I've tried on nearly everything in my winter wardrobe yet my creativity seems to run dry as a bone. Times like these, I look to the greats for design intervention.

Number (N)ine and The Soloist creative director Takahiro Miyashita, in one of the few full portraits of himself online, photographed by An Unknown Quantity

There is a richness to this look, almost like a novel that each time you re-read you discover something new. The subtlety of the off-blacks fading to navy, the contrast of the washed denim and the dirty dark yellow, the silhouette of the high-waisted coat and his loose top with the oddly hemmed jeans, and the intrigue of sunglasses at night... and wait... is he wearing a dangling earring?? It's all so fresh and inspiring. The plan is to keep staring at this photograph until his style osmoses to mine, and somehow, some way, the coat and the boots materialize in my closet.

photograph via An Unknown Quantity

Desert Weaving

Unbeknownst to most tropic-dwellers, a phenomenon called the Indian summer occurs in temperate countries, in autumn, wherein the temperature rises to nearly summer-like heat, usually after there had been a cold spell. Indian summer this year happened to fall right on fashion week, and though many a layer-lover was dismayed (or found himself rendering fat in tweeds and cashmeres), I did what any sensible island boy would do: shed layers. Inspired by the desert-like weather, I wore what I thought a fashion-kooky desert nomad would wear: sumptuous sand-colored suede shoes, white linen, and a waistcoat in a somewhat Arabic print--sans shirt.

Illesteva sunglasses, Ann Demeulemeester reversible vest, Old Hollywood pin, J. Crew linen pants, Desert Weaver shoes courtesy of Clarks

Clarks had sent over these Desert Weavers---what look to be a cross between the iconic Wallabees and Desert Boots, but with that distinctive hand-stitching all around the sides. They have been my absolute favorite shoes for the past few weeks. You know I love a beige suede shoe, and the chunky, almost creeper-like crepe sole makes these quite current.

Clarks Desert Weavers in camel suede

When it's hot outside, the wrist party stays home. Sometimes it's nice to make a statement with one special piece.

Dad's vintage yellow gold Rolex on chocolate brown alligator

photographs by Hudson Shively

Antonio Azzuolo's Rakish Rebels

For Spring 2012, CFDA Fashion Fund finalist Antonio Azzuolo took his inspiration from les minets, a group of mod French youngsters in the 50s who had a penchant for both dressing up and starting fights. The collection could've benefited from a bit more of a unifying theme (with a bright red anorak being in the same lineup as an all-black look with a dangerously low v-neck top and drop-crotch shorts), however, the suits were cut immaculately and the styling was inspiring, as always.

to add to my long list of possible DIY projects: the paper rose boutonniere

an exquisite shawl-lapel jacket in a Chanel-esque tweed

another jacket trimmed with a similarly-textured tweed

loose trousers and Vibram wedge soled brogues

J. Sabatino's Draft of Dandies

I always look forward to what J. Sabatino brings forth at Fashion Week. Though the near absence of black would make the pieces a little more difficult to integrate into my own wardrobe, I very much appreciate his dandy take on militarism for Spring 2012.

a great relaxed blazer in super-faded olive drab and a painterly camouflage print shirt

the sharpest windowpane cargo trousers

garrison caps on Sabatino's soldiers---can you see these hats being worn on the street?

voluminous drawstring-hemmed pants

striped shorts and layered hosiery

photographs by Hudson Shively

Gobel's Grocery Store

For your weekend viewing pleasure, allow me to share a video of the Marlon Gobel Spring 2012 show, an interpretation of today's mad consumer culture, presented in classic menswear shapes: think digital fruit print shirts, a Budweiser knit sweater, and colorful mesh dress shirts reminiscent of eco-bags.

Marlon Gobel Spring 2012 video

Though I have to admit that the show was styled in a manner that I would not typically dress myself, there were a lot of items that I could envision working very well in my wardrobe, adding a punch to all those dreary darks. There's the Budweiser sweater, which with denim and beat-up Church's monkstraps, would be the perfect outfit for a low-key evening down in Bushwick, the purple and the red berry-print shirts, which would add some tartness to summer blacks, and that sheer honeycomb shirt that would look sweet with pleated black dress pants and not much else.

There's a familiar slickback-haired head sitting front-row, pretending to inspect the collection with journalistic integrity. See if you can find him.

video via Marlon Gobel

lookbook photos by Allison Brown

Dying for Denim

Siki Im and Robert Geller, two of my most favorite shows last New York Fashion Week, have caused me to reconsider denim---so much so that I had my assistant run over to Uniqlo the next morning to pick up a pair of dark wash jeans for me. I haven't worn jeans since my oddly-fitting APC new cures of yesteryear, but these designers' jean offerings, both rigid and soft, typically in voluminous cuts, have got me dying for denim.

Siki Im reinvented denim stark and clean and dark; I thought it was quite inspiring.

This is how I would like to wear my jeans next spring: loose and boxy, with lots of black, and punctuated by substantial white footwear.

more denim with even more black

reconsider light washed denim, and possibly even whiskers?

a chambray shirt and a dramatic long vest

pegged dark denim legs peek out from under an architectural cocoon-like cape

Geller did denim more foppishly, in contrast to Siki Im's clean minimalism, but the result was just as strong.

an easy denim shirt over a mesh t-shirt, all layered under a soft navy blouson

a short denim jacket with cropped cuffed wide-leg denim trousers

leather pants toughen up a soft chambray shirt

easy linen-denim trousers

a denim trench with purple-blues

Siki Im photos by Sigurd Widenfalk via Siki Im

Robert Geller photos via Robert Geller

Tommy-Tonned

Two rear ends, one belonging to my friend Austin, the other belonging to me, were photographed by Jak and Jil's Tommy Ton crossing the street from the Marlon Gobel show last New York Fashion Week.

Austin wears a Thom Browne jacket, Brunello Cuccinelli pants, and a Swaine Adeney Brigg bag. I'm wearing a Thom Browne jacket, Uniqlo shirt, vintage Levi's cutoffs, and my signature blue "dead nail"

Tommy---thanks for the lovely picture.

photo by Tommy Ton for GQ

Tim Hamilton Spring 2012

For Spring/Summer 2012, Tim Hamilton collaborated with conceptual artist and friend Seth Price to create a collection that explores themes of militarism and aviation and how these affect the wide fashion-consuming audience. These were thoroughly elaborated in the Tim Hamilton X Seth Price pieces, all made out of canvas, featuring the printed liners designed in collaboration with the artist.

Tim Hamilton X Seth Price bomber jacket worn over a jumpsuit from the same series, lined in the credit card and "paychex" liners

The presentation, produced by Alex Antitch for Ace Collective, was as much an art installation as it was a fashion show. Tim Hamilton took over the old Pearl Paint shop on Lispenard Street and transformed it into a haze-filled den with dark electro blaring and violent street scenes flashing on vintage Trinitron monitors. As some of you know, or may have guessed, I've had the privilege of working for New York designer Tim Hamilton the past few months, on the press side of the business, and the Tim Hamilton Spring/Summer 2012 collection that recently showed at Fashion Week was as much my baby as it was to everyone else on the team. Dearest readers, humor me and let the doting father brag.

bold stripes on a surprisingly masculine open-necked knit

black on black on black: Tim Hamilton's rendition of the Perfecto, in black leather, with black suede sleeves and all-black hardware

the taped blue belt

and taped shoes, courtesy of Dr. Martens

the press guy in a white Tim Hamilton jumpsuit mulling over the repercussions of the printed liner

This hidden-placket double-breasted white coat, a unisex piece, could be the perfect late Spring jacket.

the semi bowl-shaped crew cut: hairspiration?

easy-icy makeup by the brilliant Deanna Melluso at Artlist

A The Dandy Project exclusive, scenes from backstage:

shooting the lookbook

getting all dolled up...

...and do-ragged

The do-rags were a technique used by the hairstylist to keep the hair flat and sleek and clean. She would style the hair, cover it in do-rags, and spray on it through the holes. I'm most definitely trying this out at home.

Nariba's look

Showtime looms-

And lights.

photographs by Hudson Shively

Chris Habana's Glaze and Gild

Filipino-American jewelry designer Chris Habana presented a Spring 2012 line with two main motifs running through: architectural shapes rendered in gold, which he is typically known for, and more organic, almost tribal pieces in what seems to be enameled metal in neon colors. The pieces, though amplified in volume, and exaggerated in styling, I think, could very beautifully accentuate many an easy summer outfit.

Funny enough, the one piece that stood out for me, of all the large-scale ones shown, was the dangling-cross ear cuff.

Call me a poseur, but there is something entertaining about putting something on that gives off the gritty feel of having body piercings without having to deal with the pain. Ah yes, dandies love to pretend!

The ear cuff in dark silver. I also thought that the idea of having something dangle within the ear and not below the lobe was quite novel and interesting.

I've taken to wearing one bangle high up in the forearm as a fresh little break from layered bracelets. This triple bone bangle could easily add much visual interest to an outfit of summer whites or summer blacks.

And the same goes for this thorny garden of a bangle.

The plastic-striped slanted posts remind me of the flaming cactus installations put up all around the East Village a few weeks ago.

The less colorful, predominantly gold pieces were showcased in an opposite installation that was part Grecian and all-greasy.

a septum ring and a collar of salmon lucite crosses

Chris Habana's signature cages and cubes all in gold

photographs by Hudson Shively