American Spirit on ASOS

For this year's Future Stylist competition, online mega-retailer ASOS had chosen me to represent American menswear. The theme was "dressing up denim", and I chose to do my interpretation of the Texas tuxedo: double-denim gone surrealist. As seen on this blog multiple times, my favorite way of wearing denim is with more denim, like a cowboy. I topped off the look with saddle-leather shoes and handcuffs for arresting bandits at the saloon. Photographs are by the immensely talented Ashley Dupree.

Number (N)ine sunglasses, Vivienne Westwood x Lee asymmetrical denim shirt, ASOS necklace and jeans, vintage Florsheim shoes

metallic green ASOS handcuff necklace over the Vivienne Westwood asymmetrical collar denim shirt

silk ribbon from the Rivane Neuenschwander installation at the New Museum, Hermés bracelet, Cartier watch

vintage Florsheim longwing brogues, green laces from Hook + Albert

Vote for me here: http://asos.to/VoteIzzy

Contest ends on Wednesday, the 1st of February.

photographs by Ashley Dupree

clothing c/o ASOS

The Dandy Project x Meltin' Pot

Italian denim company Meltin' Pot had approached me to collaborate with them and style my favorite pieces out of their fall collection into three looks that I will share with you today. Shooting it was a lot of fun, and a little painful too, I must admit, prancing around the city mid-December jacket-less, and sometimes pants-less as well, but the clothes were Milanese as they come---form-fitting, without a whisper of vanity sizing, and I, ever the diligent blogger-collaborator, wanted to showcase this best I can. Here are the looks, aptly titled for easier comprehension.

The Rodeo Dandy

(Meltin' Pot denim shirt and jeans, Number Nine shoes, vintage cuff, native American watch band on Casio watch)

I wanted to lend an air of dandiness to the rugged double-denim look by slicking my hair back clean, stuffing a pocket square into the shirt pocket, and accessorizing with bold native American jewelry.

a cock-print Eton of Sweden silk pocket square in the pocket of the denim shirt

my Navajo-customized Casio with turquoise and coral

The Seaside Sweater

(Ray-Ban aviator sunglasses, Meltin' Pot navy sweater, vintage DIY cutoff shorts, Gucci shoes)

This chunky navy Meltin' Pot sweater reminded me of country clubs and yachts and the seaside. I paired it with my own vintage white cutoff shorts and classic Gucci loafers.

adorned with a vintage gold tie clip from my mother

a nod to the Italians: Gucci horsebit loafers in green suede and red webbing

The Urban Huntsman

(Ray-Ban aviator sunglasses, vintage cashmere scarf, Thom Browne cardigan, Meltin' Pot olive green pants, vintage Florsheim shoes)

I loved the fabric and fit on these Meltin' Pot olive green pants, and the color reminded me of an urban huntsman. On a stroll around New York City's Central Park, I wore it with a plaid cardigan and a thick Scottish cashmere scarf.

the mix: a plaid cardigan and a cable-knit scarf all under a vintage camel coat with a pin from Old Hollywood and a lapel flower by Hook+Albert

Italy and America

photographs by Mikee Tuason

clothing c/o Meltin' Pot

Meltin' Pot on Facebook

The Perfect Black Coat

The perfect black coat did not come to me perfect, and it is highly likely that it won't for you either. Right after it had arrived at my apartment, I wrote down my own fit notes, compared them with what my trusted tailor thought needed some nipping and tucking, and after two rounds of revisions, I'm very pleased to have the classic trim black coat that I hope to wear for years to come. In the dead of winter, when hordes of men walk down the street in what looks to be trash bag shape layered upon trash bag shape of fleece and puffy nylon, it makes a world of difference to put a little effort into presenting yourself smart and tailored.

Illesteva sunglasses, Jil Sander for Uniqlo cashmere scarf, Black Sheep and Prodigal Sons stick pin, Maison Martin Margiela coat, vintage gloves, Uniqlo pants, Paul Smith chelsea boots

Off the rack, the coat was already incredibly beautiful: strong, slightly extended shoulders that fit me to a t, long, sweeping lines on the shawl lapel, and delicious smooth black wool with the slightest hint of sheen. But a lot of work still needed to be done: I had to get the sleeves taken in slim, the waist nipped tiny as possible to provide sharp contrast to the power shoulders, and the entire coat shortened to a much more wearable above-the-knee length from the previously more dramatic and swishy, but less wearable below-the knee. Men's bodies may not come in as large a variety of shapes as women's bodies do, but it is knowing what to do with the subtle nuances of a man's body shape that makes for great tailoring. I think Angela at G&G tailors did an impeccable job at making my vision of the perfect black coat come to life.

the perfect black scarf---a ridiculously soft and unbelievably light and warm black cashmere woven scarf from +J, and my new favorite sterling silver whale stick pin from Black Sheep and Prodigal Sons beautifully accentuate the shawl lapel on this Margiela coat

trademark Margiela power shoulders

Subtly colored shoes, like this Paul Smith pair in pale pink suede, help break the monotony of my all-black winter.

photographs by Mikee Tuason

The Leather Blazer

The leather blazer gets a bad rap. I've never really seen a leather blazer that is to my taste; often they're unflatteringly cut, poorly made, and just plain unimaginative. But my Hisham Oumlil blazer in the butteriest burgundy lambskin, cut sharp but still swingy, half-zipped and vaguely detailed like a perfecto, is an impeccable rendition of the infamous jacket.

Number Nine sunglasses, leather blazer c/o Oumlil, Brook & Lyn harness, DIY-overdyed Alexander Wang top, sifr band pants, Number Nine shoes

Brook & Lyn's silk rope and Brazilian agate harness is deceptively wearable. Not wearable for me are clothes in olive green and brown, the colors that my top and trousers originally came in. Both natural/synthetic blends, I dyed them in both Jacquard iDye and iDye poly, both in black, and they're now in my daily rotation.

ring of my own design, Cartier Chronoscaph 21 watch

photographs by Mikee Tuason

Scarlet Sneaks

Ever the dress-shoe-as-sneakers person, I thought I'd turn the tables this holiday season and wear something colorful, skater-esque, and decidedly casual on Christmas day. I dug up a pair of Vans Old Skools in bright red, from the old old days when I was still in college. It was inevitable---the LN-CC look book, Pelayo Diaz, and that dashing Japanese gentleman walking around the Lower East Side in head-to-toe boiled black wool Comme des Garçons and Batali-esque orange Chucks---capping off a quirky "fashion" outfit with casual, classic sneakers was something I had to try out myself.

Comme des Garçons jacket, Junya Watanabe for Comme des Garçons sequined batik and silk shirt, Uniqlo pants, red Vans Old Skool sneakers

I thought my new vintage lion-man head pin was very Philip Crangi.

my scarlet sneakers on Ivy's cow rug

photographs by Mikee Tuason

La Maison Kirzhner

Saturday evening was the annual holiday party at the home of my friends Ivy Kirzhner, shoe designer, photographer, and all-around creative soul, and her husband Alex, Grammy-nominated art director and superchef, whose skills as a hosting-with-the-most team I could only aspire to slowly learn. Soon, perhaps, and it'll be cemented on the day I could afford to build a dwelling place as beautiful and as indicative of my personal style as this is of theirs. Walking into their abode, decorated for the festivities in Ivy's splendid maximalism---tapestry, taxidermy, and pelt---was bit-by-bit creatively inspiring.

Their tree was decorated with bird wings,

and little storybook rabbits.

Ivy's Giambattista Valli patent leather slippers

and "Alexey Romanovich, Il Re della Cucina"

welcome you to the holidays at La Maison Kirzhner.

Here's what my eyes and lips feasted on:

a partitioned head, a colorful bird atop an old typewriter, bug specimens

a vintage Polaroid Land Camera

red velvet mini cupcakes

Turkish "cotton candy" and Turkish delight (note to self: layering bought desserts could be more interesting than serving them in sections on a platter)

Ivy's easy holiday cocktails: Prosecco with a splash of St-Germain, and the Orient Express: sweet tea, cranberry juice, and rose water

I wanted to be both dark and festive for the holidays, and perhaps a little bit naughty. I wore:

a Thom Browne for Black Fleece tuxedo jacket, a Uniqlo black oxford button-down, and a Brook & Lyn silk rope and Brazilian agate harness. (photo by Bob Shimosato)

a sparse but storied wrist party on Citizen Couture's Jason Jean: the most charming plastic bracelet inscribed with the words "What This Says Does Not Matter" from a gum ball machine at Art Basel, and a string bracelet he got conned into purchasing from a street-roamer in Milan

the Kirzhner's bundle of joy: a bunny named Bonkers

whose likeness you'll find punched into their party favors

In a city where event invites flood both your e-mail and Facebook inboxes, where time is of the essence, and orchestrating a thirty-minute coffee date feels like pulling teeth---sweet, intimate dinner parties where you can sit and converse and view your friends in sufficient light are such rare, rare gems. Ivy, Alex, and Bonkers, thanks for the wonderful evening, and to you, my dear readers, happy, happy holidaze.

Revisiting Boston

Back in Boston for three days, I thought I'd revisit old stomping grounds and old sartorial habits. When the temperature drops to the thirties, Fauxji Yamamoto is my go-to look. A long oversize black coat eliminates the need for long johns, cleanly cloaks away the awkwardness of carelessly piled-upon layers, and hides a multitude of dietary sins.

Illesteva sunglasses, oversized vintage Pierre Cardin coat, vintage turtle pin, Club Monaco cashmere sweater, Portolano leather gloves, Uniqlo pants, Dr. Martens pony hair oxfords

the coat, the turtle pin, and the leather gloves

Dr. Martens pony hair oxfords

Christmas tree at the Commons

Harvard Square

late afternoon tea at Upstairs on the Square

a nightcap of decaffeinated cappuccino, but wait--

a quick stop at Middlesex Lounge, the old stomping grounds

(the comfort of) driving around MIT

Koreana in Cambridge ranks among the top five of my favorite restaurants in the United States.

Koreana's seafood and scallion pancakes

prime rib galbi with a halo of little side dishes called banchan

and it is finished.

the walk to the Bolt Bus back to NYC

first three photographs by Mia