Hedonist Florals

There's a castle of suitcases and cardboard boxes around me right now, as I tackle the ultimate puzzle of delicately cramming a wealth of clothes into only a few bags. One of the rewards though comes from the rediscovery of once loved tops and styles that somehow hibernated for a few seasons. The flower print petals just needed a light dusting in order to blossom again at the forefront of my wardrobe. And if Frankie Morello's recent collection is anything to go by, floral prints have transformed into electric shock kaleidoscope arrivals and revivals for the daring man.

While the floral camoflaged suit might be a little intense for my tastes, I'm really drawn to the psychadelic shapes and swirling colours that come from the acid flower graphics. And this trend couldn't have come at a more relevant time to my updated tastes and career moves. My bohemian budget isn't of the calibre to afford Italian suits, but shirted looks can be just as slick and polished with the careful and subtle interpretation of colour blocking and floral prints. If anything, the upcoming brand Leitmotiv beautifully illustrate this, with hints of floral patchwork that are encrusted and stained into the outfits. I love how the clothes embody an anorak lizard sort of texture, accomodating for wet winter weather, but with the subtle floral flare remaining. A name to watch in menswear most definately.

Smile Like You Mean It

Apologies in advance if I'm away from the online fashion community for the next week. It's in no way a hiatus, but more a progression, in that I'm moving to London in a few days. With my friends Josh and Connie from www.constance-victoria.blogspot.com as flatmates, to say I'm excited is an absolute understatement. I'll be doing brand and internship updates as soon as I'm settled, and will hopefully see some of your fashionable faces too if your London bound and based. In the meantime, below is one of my favoured looks of late, where I've dug and brought out the sailor blazer from my wardrobe for an 80's revamp with sharp electric silk shirts. And I also found out this week that there's a 5 page feature and spread of me in Dexter Magazine. Take a peak at the trendy publication at www.dextermagazine.com

Venus As A Boy

I came across this editorial on www.thefashionisto.com, and it instantly meshed my heart. As I'm sure your aware, I'm an advocate for men who don't staple and stick to stereotypical and dated dealings of masculinity. And this shoot is a poetic punk tribute to rulebreaking that is quickly becoming standard fashion curiculum. The mesh tops are provocative and teasing but with an air of armor strength. Layered with thick knot scarves or industrial leather jackets only adds to this metallic edge. And I love the electric lizard and tartan trousers; showing that acid trip colours can stand out for a man while also have a tamed accessibility into everday urban wear, particularly when teamed with casual vests and jackets. So with this colour spark and mesh-in-mind today, I wore a twin layered spiderweb top that threads grey and black mesh together, along with the blood red doc martens and dirty cream shorts that have a potato sack texture to them.

Dress To Etherially Impress All The Trends

A lot of menswear collections tend to stick to an extreme. Whether it's a sticky tar coating of lux leather and heavy black layers, a traditional suit and tie aproach, or wacky candy colour and camp spark, a man of the runway is usually very defined to a particular style.

And while that isn't a critique for a second or in the slightest, I found it refreshing to see Alexis Mabille's S/S 11 collection that left a theme and vibe open to interpretation.

The collection silently screams etherial qualities and folklore romance from the start. Pastel blue shirts have a light and melting texture, with snowflake esque jewellery that adds to this bohemian dream. But just when a theme begins to be coloured in, trench coats and carnival shirts are introduced that present a 'slick pixie in the city', with bohemian and burberry ideas corseting at the waist. The pinstripe trousers and glitter capes then inject electric clockwork orange spark into the mix. It's like a modern revamp of Shakespearean tones, where romance and inticing dramatic tragedy come together. Or alternatively, a hippie with a sinsiter military twist is an image that comes to mind. Either way, there's a treasure chest of inspiration fused into Alexis Mabille's vision, and while some might say this makes for mess, I see cohesion misting and inspired through this. Who says trends cant clash together to become an ultimate trend!?

And for my personal style post and addition, I'm wearing a jumble of trends from an earthy Jaeger cardigan, camp skintight city shorts, military boots, to an androgynous mesh sack top.

Future Dust, Forget The Horror

My deadly obsession with the Burberry Sheepskin coats reared in a new found appreciation for more of 'the classics' from the brand. Their trademark crispy cream jackets might have inspired so many 'lackluster imaginative' takes on the trench, particularly from predictable retails, but the Burberry original is still as slick as ever. I love the way the jackets cut and execute sharpness no matter how they're scrunched, opened or interpreted. And going through a back catalogue of Burberry campaigns and editorials, I really admire and relate to the brands evolution but regained essence from countryside sophistication into urban slick edge. It's like the regal qualities of the woodland as grafiti on the city.

When I Saw The Future, The Geeks Were Right

Every guy at some point wants to dress like a true gent. A slick blazer can become a marvel super hero cape, transforming even the reluctant grunge kid into a sophisticated style genius. And in my opinion an air of sophistication is even better when it doesn't drown out an urban or indie background; instead serving to acompony it. Take Paul Smith's PS collection, which injects 80's purple into discoteque style blazers that look so retro they 'twist and turn' the clocks into something modern. Tailored clothing meets geek chic qualities, where colour and texture compenstates for those wanting to dress smart but with an edge. The jackets look like melted silver, the blazers have a fizzing suede desert effect, and shirts are layered under dusty corrogated cardigans that look to have been laced and printed from woodland. This combination of sophistication with earthy tracks is something I'll definately be adopting in London. And in my personal style addition to this post, I'm wearing an army mesh top that's begging to be camoflaged into a swarv' city landscape soon.

Dont Look Back Into The Sun

Following on from my last post, it's as if my wardrobe wish list came to life thanks to a guardian designer angel; or at least a gent once in the army. Because at the weekends carboot sale, there was a literal army of military boots patrolling the pavement for my pounds. And I was more than happy to oblige, dusting out money for some desert boots. The hat was more of a guilty novel pleasure perhaps, but I'm hoping I can tame and interpret it in a military indie mod manner rather than a colourful postman!

I also thought I'd blog about a Brazillian magazine I've been featured in. I'm so chuffed about the inclusion, particularly as I was informed by one of the editors that Criativa is one of the most widely recognised and read magazines in Brazil. http://revistacriativa.globo.com/

Tamed Megalomania

This summer has been been all about jam packed minimalism, a phrase that might sound juxtaposed but when stripped down has sense. Because while I've enjoyed darting between futuristic, folk grunge, military and colour fuelled gypsy tones, adopting these styles in a minimalistic manner has been the fine line to achieving lux. I've learnt from my mistakes over time that over indulging in a new style craving can be a layered mess rather than an eclectic aesthetic explosion. And instead, a trend can still be just as effective when embraced in a matured statement way. Take my post below, which tamely but effectively tidal waves the seaside denim trend with a folky festival grunge. I love how rolling and romantically ripping up shorts creates impact in a minimalistic way, as they still exude masculinity, but also have a 'macho hot pant' vibe; like the camp carnival of Galliano. And it's been great to see so many menswear designers pushing the boundaries with shorts, playing with the length to create different effects. Whether it's drop crotch or high waisted, i've been inspired endlessley. My next style endeavour is to pick up a pair of desert boots or gladiator sandals, and conveniently while searching for some, I came across a designer that characterised my 'minimalistic statements' perfectly. Giuliano Fujiwara's recent collection is a sharp sci-fi jigsaw presentation, with a dominant use of black and grey that cuts across shirts and jackets like Tate Modern art. There's structure but equal looseness to the outfits, with a calm clash illusion that at times appears busy and at next glance cohesive. I particularly love the cobweb melting tops that blur into shorts, with sandals at foot that look like futuristic and gothic traps. Be sure to check out more of the collection, and let me know what you think.