The White Dinner Jacket

Though difficult to keep clean, a little too conspicuous, and very evening, the white dinner jacket is a surprisingly versatile piece to own. I purchased my lightly structured white linen dinner jacket from a vintage store in Amsterdam, and was lucky to have it fit me perfectly; all I had to do was have my tailor hem it to today’s very wearable cropped length.

vintage white linen dinner jacket from Amsterdam, tank top courtesy of Blood is the New Black, J. Crew belt, H&M jeans, Paul Smith pink suede Chelsea boots

I like to wear my dinner jacket with a tank top to look as if I got into a fistfight, lost my shirt, emerged unscathed, but never bothered to pick my shirt off of the floor. But you could wear it with anything from a slouchy t-shirt, to a gingham plaid shirt, to a real tuxedo shirt with a bow tie and tailored pants, and the jacket will lend a distinguished debonair air to your look. I had received this top from Blood is the New Black a while back, and have been wearing it out a lot, despite only blogging about it now. The fit and fabric are superb, and it features a Brian Lichtenberg print that pays tribute to one of my most favorite designers, Martin Margiela.

Nobody embodies the iconic-ness and illustrates the versatility of the white dinner jacket like silver screen legend Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (1942):

Humphrey Bogart wears it to jam at a piano bar. (photo via Orbemusical)

Humphrey Bogart wears it to sip tea with a lovely lady in a qipao. (photo via Tout Le Cine)

Humphrey Bogart wears it to play an intense game of chess. (photo via Wesleying)

A closer look at my outfit:

Note the light drapiness of the surprisingly wrinkle-resistant white linen.

These Paul Smith pink suede boots were a whimsical, caution-to-the-wind purchase. It was a hot day, and I thought these sherbert-hued shoes would take me well into summer while still letting me have my boot moment.

Paul Smith pink suede Chelsea boots

When the weather gets warm, I like my shoes to look just as refreshing as my frozen snacks.

photos by Pop, Bop, and Snap

the walking talking look book

The three joys in life, fashion, film, and music, are what British label Percival sought to combine in the "fashion film" they shot to showcase their Autumn/Winter 2010/11 collection. Crisp videography, cool clothes, and good music all make for a sensory treat. A lot of fashion houses have been doing fashion films as alternatives or supplements to their look books, but not all succeed to impress.

Percival from Alex Turvey on Vimeo.

Two things I loved:

1. The shock of the yellow mac jacket against the black and white key print sweater (Percival website)

2. Young Buffalo's "Caterpilah" playing in the background (check out their Myspace page)

Male models make for quite the goofy actors.

walks along the Seine

Zara trench, H&M buttondown, tailor-made flood-length pants, CDG bag, Miu Miu laceups

"An American in Paris" (1951) was one of the films I saw on the long-haul flight, and the River Seine, where the photograph above was taken, was Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron's favorite rendezvous spot.  The romance of the river endures to this day; there seemed to be more couples than singles or groups on the Seine at the several times I happened to be there.

Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron in An American in Paris*

Back to the film though, one thing that intrigued me were the trousers Gene Kelly had on most of the time: loose, wide-cuffed, and just slightly too short tailored pants.  (I was actually taken aback at first: was that the popular trouser cut of the fifties?)  For a man of his stocky build and less than model-proportions height (he was 5 ft. 7), it would have been the most unflattering silhouette for him.  But Mr. Kelly carried himself with confidence and moved snappily and with great ease that he made it all seem to work.  

*photo from Film Reference

Bring Back the Sweater Vest

When I did this post on Wong Kar-Wai's films and fashion, his 2004 film 2046 came out in the comments as the stylish Wong Kar-Wai film I had neglected to feature.  So exactly a month after that post, I finally got to watch the film today.  

The futuristic outfits were a joy to see.  Takuya Kimura's layered fabric jacket (?) was very Eairth by Melissa Dizon.

And, of course, Faye Wong was future-fierce.

But I still prefer In the Mood for Love, fashion-wise at least.  The creative restraint in the costumes was evident, with Maggie Cheung in the same ultra-high-neck cheongsam done in different fabrics, and Tony Leung in his sharp suits and vintage ties.  This, in turn, translated well into the feeling of uptightness and control of which the characters were enslaved by.

In the Mood for Love.  2046 was actually a sequel to this film.

2046 was more realistic, more relaxed.  One thing I did like, though, was the way Chow Mo-Wan (Tony Leung's character) wore the gray knit sweater-vest, an article of clothing so connotatively preppy in a caricature kind of way.  He wore it with great ease, sharp and debonair.

Inspired by Chow Mo-Wan, I decided to don a sweater-vest today not unlike his.

Zara fedora, vintage white bowtie, H&M shirt and sweater vest, tailor-made pants, Cartier watch, penny loafers from Don Quijote

Asian Pride: Fashion in Wong Kar-Wai's Films

Wong Kar-Wai, iconic second-new-wave Hong Kong director, is known for his highly stylized films.  In them, he manipulates music, color, shadows, camera movement, and yes, even wardrobe in order to create a world around the audience that is uniquely Wong Kar-Wai.  

Happy Together (1997) tells the story of a couple of Hong Kong expatriates living in Argentina, played by Tony Leung and Leslie Cheung.  The two are essentially wanderers, the former hopping from one job to another and the latter from one boyfriend to the next.  Leung, who, in the start of the film plays some sort of valet at a club, appears to be a rather sharply-dressed valet at that.

check out the flipped coat collar

He rocks the tux!

In his down time, he drops off mail in a cool black and cream leather jacket.  

His lover, played by Leslie, sports quite a covetable fuzzy cardigan...  

...which is much like a pared-down, men's version of Rodarte's "it" cardigan of fall 08.

from style.com

In terms of entertainment value, I enjoyed Kar-Wai's 1994 film Chungking Express the most.  It stars Takeshi Kaneshiro as (a rather sloppily dressed) cop, Brigitte Lin as woman in blonde wig, and Faye Wong as Faye.  

Woman in blonde wig is such an iconic character, she almost seems like an illustration to me.  Her red-rimmed sunglasses sum up her quirky mystique.  

For the whole time Brigitte Lin (right) appears in the movie, she wears this immensely classic and universally flattering trench dress.  Faye Wong on the left.  

Faye sports an easy, non-overstyled pixie cut that would work as well today as it did back in 1994.  

Saving the best for last, I think In the Mood for Love (2000) presents an overload of fashion inspiration.  It is the Wong Kar-Wai movie that people equate with great style.  Set in 1962, it stars Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung.

Perhaps the most striking among all the fashion shown in the film are Maggie Cheung's cheongsams, or Chinese dresses, of which throughout the entire film, she wears the same style in various fabrics.  They are unlike anything I've seen before, to be honest.  With their movement-inhibitive ultra-high collars, cap sleeves, very close-fitting bodices that taper down into a graceful pencil skirt, they draw a silhouette that is so sensually womanly.  

With minimal accessories and big beehive hair, the effect is not campy 60's retro, but rather very high fashion.  

Tony Leung's character does not disappoint either.  Perhaps my favorite part of his look in this movie (he was in the other two also) is his immaculately slicked-back hair.  

Even in a tank top and dress pants, he looks dressed to kill.

Throughout the film he wears sharp, slim suits with decidedly vintage ties.  

Funny thing about this movie, though, is that the characters played by Tony and Maggie are the only ones dressed like this; others are styled rather ordinarily.  It's as if the two live in their own world of primness and calculated beauty.  Through his use of fashion, Wong Kar-Wai can evoke messages other filmmakers would fail to bring forth, or at least don't communicate in the same way.  

Though they didn't end up together, at least they can look back and say they made quite a stylish couple, don't you think?

Can you think of any films that have greatly influenced your style?  Do share!

The Pillars of My Style

Hello!  I have decided to start blog about style, pop culture, and a little something I call fashion philosophy (we'll get to that later.)  To introduce myself, I have decided to discuss ten of my favorite things, the pillars of my personal style!

1.  black-faced steel Rolex Oyster

The most comfortable of all my watches, I’ve had it since I was twelve.  I think it exudes a masculine, sporty, classic American feel. 

2.  L’Occitane The Vert and Terre D’Hermes

The Vert, for day, is refreshing, green, and very androgynous.  Terre D’Hermes, for night, is robust and very slightly treads the line between dignified and dirty-old-man. 

3.  Jack Kerouac canvas tote

Screw all the overpriced “statement” leather bags I was sooo into half a year ago!  This one is extremely light, packs a lot, goes with everything, and somewhat intelligent.

4.  white Muji plimsolls

The absolute perfect plimsolls.  I love them so much I hoarded another pair for when my current one yellows.

5.  Francois Truffaut’s Les Mistons

A nostalgic short film shot in the south of France, the eight (?) nameless kids’ summery shorts outfits were so inspiring. 

6.  black shorts

Dressy enough for lunching in Manila, comfy enough for hitting the market.

7.  stripey t-shirts in neutral colors

(left to right, top to bottom: Topman, Club Monaco, APC, Izzue, random, Uniqlo, UO)

Very comfortable, always sharp, slightly Parisian.

8.  aviator shades

(left to right: Ray-Ban, vintage Ray-Ban, random)

Worn everywhere!

9.  BMW 1 series

Very compact, handsome car I got for my graduation, I love his sunken cheeks.  And yes, I drive stick-shift!

10.  Leather bracelets

(left to right: Ferragamo, Margiela, Hermes)

These bring depth and contrast to an outfit when needed.  The one in the middle shoots a grappling hook.