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

Boxers, not for Boys

I love the idea of buttoned-up underwear. Irony is nice, but looking debonair in and out of your outfit is much more of a feat.

Gässling's Falsterbo button-up boxers, named after a posh area just outside Malmö

Malmö-based Swedish underwear designer Gässling makes underwear for men who have grown tired of teen-boy briefs and want something new. I applaud their attention to detail; for example, the care instructions are printed inside to avoid that annoying tag, and the waistband is covered in fabric for ultimate comfort.

photographs via Gässling

The Jante Law

French-based pan-European brand The Jante Law was one of the clear standouts for me at the men's trade shows; they were all about creating simple, beautiful men's pieces and had a charmingly irreverent attitude towards their work. Rule one, they say, is: "Don't think you're anything special." It's this pragmatic, no-frills approach that drives them to create pieces as beautiful as these.

I immediately gravitated to this marbled grey turtleneck made out of Alpaca-blend yarn. It's big and chunky but feels much lighter than it appears to be.

Continuing my obsession with mint, a loosely fisherman-inspired mint green sweater in Australian wool. Apparently this one is naturally water-repellent and they say it'll be the sweater of a lifetime. Give me this one with loose white cutoffs and floppy beige suede shoes (and perhaps a little family of Hermés weekend bags all in etoupe) and that'll be the sweater of Spring 2012.

photographs via The Jante Law

Mint and Peas

Mint and peas, and a little bit of carrot: the colors I'm crushing on are not quite jewel-toned, not quite neon, but are darned delectable.

pea green suede New Balance ML574 sneakers (c/o ASOS), mint green and periwinkle striped shirt from American Apparel, orange Hermés looping bracelet

It's the island boy in me craving a bit of sunshine, and on select days in the dead of winter, under my padded parka, you just might find me dressed like a cupcake.

On other days, you'd see me all black and wooly and minimal, punctuated by a pop of chunky classic sneaker in a funny color. (New Balance ML574 sneakers and my superwarm supercomfy everyday socks c/o Stance)

Clutch My Heart, Céline

I like the idea of the smaller-than-A4 portfolio bag, or, dare I say, the clutch, on men. It would look as handsome with a dark suit to lunch as it would be with a tailored coat and sneakers running around town. In this day and age of paperless everything, why bother pretend we're carrying around all-important documents when all one really needs on him is lip balm, a Clif bar perhaps, and a handful of other little unmentionables?

Céline iPad portfolio in black and taupe (manipulated photo via Céline)

The Céline iPad portfolio is so plain and nondescript, it could be mistaken for a Filofax, and that's what I adore about it.

Open it up and the leaves of lambskin expand to reveal pockets of buttery beige suede goodness.

Shoot me for jumping on the Céline bandwagon, I dare you---but not before your fingertips meet the bags.

Tech Tux

I'm at my uncle's in Boston for a quick holiday---the one who lives at the Ritz, acts more like a Gen-Yer than a baby boomer, flies to China for medical missions, the one who happens to have a pair of unworn Prada shoes in my size to be freely given away to his most favorite of nephews.

Prada patent leather lace-ups

I was hesitant at first; where was I to wear a pair of rubber-soled, pointy-toed black-tie shoes? But there was something about everything being so not of-the-moment: the patent, the pointy toe, the Prada Linea Rossa stripe at the bottom that made it so refreshing. It's the pair of shoes I'd wear with a hyper-heat-generating tuxedo or a tux made out of Tyvek.

In the late 90s, these brand badges were my holy grail when the red Prada Sport stripes crept a good centimeter and a half up the back of the heel. As tiny dashes today, I could learn to live with them, and even love them.

with my overused and much-loved Prada saffiano and nylon travel bag

What are your new shoe acquisitions?

Tinsel and Tourneau

New Year's Eve dinner, two years ago, my sister decides to send sound waves crashing with my brain waves as she blows a horn in my ear. My brother, of course, has the quick wit to pull up his camera and take a snapshot of that moment at its peak. (Zara shirt, tailor-made suit, Husam El-Odeh pin)

Famed New York watch retail institution Tourneau invites you, my dear readers, to share a photo that captures your most festive holiday moment for a chance to win the Tourneau 40mm GMT Automatic watch.

Tourneau 40mm GMT Automatic: I don't own a lot of watches of the sporty vein, but this one calls to me the more I look at it---the silver dial, the 24-hour scale on the rim, the wide, digital-esque arabic numerals, all flanked by the black barenia calf strap---I see a quietly luxurious, smart-sporty watch that I need in my life. I've got a hunch that a smart move would be to start leafing through your old Facebook albums and upload your festive holiday moment now: http://bit.ly/w0gKVq

watch photograph courtesy of Tourneau

Portfolio Perfection

These Gant Rugger portfolios in natural undyed leather and cognac leather are clean, simple perfection. They're part of a new leather goods line from the brand produced by Tärnsjö Tannery; a small family-owned company 2 hours north of Stockholm, which, in the early 1900's, was solely focused on making equestrian equipment for local farmers. The cognac would be the perfect compliment to a navy interview suit, and the natural undyed, all beat-up and muddied, would add a sense of soft earthiness to the sharpest-shouldered black Margiela suit. The belts and card cases look great as well, and the iPhone cases---if you're into that.

photo via Gant Rugger

The Crochet Corsage

Call me hypocritical singing praises for fresh flowers just two posts ago, but these knitted floral imitations are just too hard to resist. I spotted a gray one on Barneys New York's Julien Decanali and I was immediately captivated.

crochet lapel flowers c/o Hook+Albert

There couldn't be an easier way to dress up a jacket: slip the button back into the lapel buttonhole and your jacket is elegantly beflowered.

with a few of my favorite things: vintage emerald cufflinks, scissor cufflinks by Eton, Baudelaire by Byredo, vintage elephant cuff, Cartier watch

Turquoise Time

turquoise, coral, and sterling silver Native American watch band on a Casio watch

There's something about turquoise jewelry, perhaps in the convoluted notion of pan-Americana, that makes it meld well with classic, preppy, if you may, American sportswear pieces. I had spotted one of these stone-set watches, in fleeting and from afar, on a handsome older man outside a burger joint close to where I live. I thought to myself, who would have the patience (and the genius) to set a twenty-dollar Casio watch with turquoise and coral? Apparently, these beauties are handcrafted by native Americans and sold as watch bracelets, as explained to me by the lovely lady who owned the shop in Old Town San Diego where I bought it from.

The dark sterling against the brash cheap steel, the turquoise and red coral against the blue and red print, the handcrafted against the digital---aah, this will be tattooed on my wrist for quite some time.

One Monk

single monkstrap shoes with John Lobb signature buckles in navy, rust, and chestnut

With the current pervasiveness of double monkstrap shoes, I find myself favoring the conciseness of single monkstraps. It seems as if all of New York feels like they've discovered the ingenious new invention that is the double monkstrap shoe and are scrambling to call dibs on who wore it first. Scratch that---I'm not one to hate on pieces of sewn-together leather and metal, but in their austere simplicity, don't you think single monkstraps are decidedly more monastic?

Practical Genius

a beach towel with brains: Onia X The Ritz Carlton nylon and terry beach towel

The folks at Onia have collaborated with one of my favorite hotels on a nylon and terry cloth beach towel embroidered with the Ritz-Carlton's lion insignia. On one side, plush and absorbent terry, and on the other, the same water-repellent nylon that Onia crafts its stylish swim shorts out of. Lie on the striped side wet and sandy, and all debris shakes right off. I particularly like this seersucker-esque crinkled striped nylon.

What do you say, let's quit this winter and fly to the Galapagos Islands and wear our Resort 2011 purchases?

Reptile and Rubber

There may not be a pair of fall shoes more perfect than these Walter Steigers on Austin. They are crafted out of both crocodile and alligator, in the richest shade of black-brown. The toes are wearably round, but ever so slightly elongated for elegance. And the soles! Hiking-boot rubbers, the season's sole du jour, great for stomping around the city's autumn leaf sprinkled streets---or running from myself, the reptile shoe thief.

Rats and Cats

Rats clearly outnumber cats toward the edges,

silk twill "cat and mouse" pocket square by Hermès

but around the center, the felines gain a foothold.

This pocket square, with a checkerboard of household furballs set against a background of what looks to be burnt coral (though it comes labeled "rouge"), serves to liven up an otherwise funereal suit. (black-tie herringbone wool suit by Black Fleece)

I love: ambiguous colors, fashion created in the likeness of Animalia, and surprises that come in boxes of orange.

Blue Camo

I am currently harboring a liking for blue camouflage---there's something about the brusque militarism of camouflage done in the dandiest of bright blues that makes it so charming---that I had partnered with longtime shirt maker Eton of Sweden on a giveaway for you, my dear readers. The shirts are sharply made and the fabrics delicious; I own one of their dress shirts and it does feel quite nice on.

navy dress shirt with collar and placket lined in blue camouflage, and blue camouflage sport shirt with dark chambray trim, both by Eton of Sweden

Eton would like to give away both of these shirts, handpicked by me, to the readers of The Dandy Project. Here's how to win one of two blue camouflage shirts:

1. Follow Eton on Facebook

2. Follow The Dandy Project on Bloglovin'

3. Take a screen shot of you following both Eton and The Dandy Project, and send these to thedandyproject (at) yahoo (dot) com. The winners will be chosen at random. Contest is open to international readers.

Check out Eton's latest Jimi Hendrix-inspired 50771 collection here.

EDIT: Congratulations to David from Heidelberg, you win!

Tech Pack

It helps to have a theme when packing. For this trip, I'm doing my version of tech: abstract digital prints, metallics, white leather, and a fragrance freshly prepared at a boutique-laboratory in Nolita.

Tim Hamilton X Ross Bleckner digital-print scarf, Casio calculator watch, Santal 33 by Le Labo, my old iPod, silver laminate Comme des Garcons wallet, white Prada bag

I'm off to Los Angeles in a few days for a vacation essential to my sanity. Angelenos, what must I see, shop, eat, do?

Ring in Progress

You know the feeling when you have a pan of brownies baking in the oven and you just can't wait to stud it with nuts and chocolate and for it to cool and find its way into your mouth? Imagine that pan of brownies forged in 14-karat gold, to be plated in the blackest of black, and to be sprinkled with the most brilliant of white diamonds---dear I can hardly wait to slip it on my finger!

The sequel to my everyday signet pinky ring in rose gold with brown diamonds, which I had also co-designed with Lanero Fine Jewelry, is in production. It'll be larger and round but very slightly oval, plated pitch black, and set with star-white diamonds slightly larger than those used to pave my previous ring. This is the unfinished ring, un-set and un-plated. In a couple of weeks, it will adorn my left pinky in full splendor.

Salivating.

Wrist Action

One singular, the other, multiple; both unabashedly maximalist.

silver and red stone wide cuff from Morocco on Stylelikeu's Irene Kim

Miansai and Singer 22 x Burkman Brothers by Jace Lipstein bracelets on Grungy Gentleman's Jace Lipstein

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

Fall into Floral

floral tapestry jazz shoes by Number (N)ine

You say, how dare he call himself dandy, all dressed in black and not a bow tie on his neck? Well, with rose-sprawled tapestry and ivory satin trim on dainty jazz shoes, I therefore announce, dandy is back! To my all-black Fall ensembles, they will lend a bouquet of romance, and to my ego, equally welcome stares of confuzzlement and nods of approval.