Wasps & War

Every month I usually try and take a stab in the dark at a brand new bright colour. Last month it was coral orange, and today it's the hazzard loud yellow. I picked up a mustard toned trench jacket from a vintage shop that has a world war weight and tailoring to it. With my slim frame I can sometimes look a little drowned in the classic black trench, but a pop of colour is just the ticket to regiment it into my wardrobe for that Bottega Veneta feel. I also thought I'd feature a recent collection by Christian Westphal. I adore the practically 'glow in the dark' attention to yellow, adding a pop of colour to a lookbook that focuses on unexpected funnel shapes and movement. He's a designer that transforms quirky textures into minimal elegance, and I love it!

Thoughts Like Gravity

My dear friend Coral is one of the hottest photographers in London at the moment, and his new project cobwebs all the men of fashion into an upcoming exhibition called 'The Relations.' From artists, to stylists, journalists, models and more, it's a unique initiative that adds a patchwork and photographic formula for how the menswear industry collaborates and comes together. I was thrilled to be involved, and below is some of the moody results that focused on unconventional lighting that teased towards the supernatural. I also thought I'd showcase some more black suited aesthetics from the new collection by Acne. The peter pan collars and hidden bobbled textures within the sharp and aggressive black layers made for a hard yet youthful take on the suit.

Citizens Of Farah

From the casuals of the 80s to young artists today, Farah is a brand that connects with all the movements and moods of creative city characters. I was thrilled to be involved in their SS12 lookbook and campaign, where DJ's, artists, producers and the odd blogger came together to present the collection. Mixing rusty pastel colours, the clothes have an outdoor energy and effortless funk about them.

Lucid

It's all about menswear at the moment, with Milan overdosing in the luxe utopia's of the likes of Dolce & Gabanna. What struck me about the recent AW collection is the indulgence in unadulterated wealth, with coats and capes looking bolder and more epic than ever. With gorilla texture collars, velvet style lining, and regal gold tapestry detailing to the shoes, it looks like power is the menswear premise this season. With this in mind, I turned to my trusted structured peacoat for a smaller frame interpretation. My top is from unconditional, which has bullet shot buttons drilled down the middle for a little toughness. I also wanted to give a little shout out to Glossybox, a brand new initiative that I signed up to immediately. They send a luxe and structured box of the latest high end beauty tester products for men, ranging from aftershave to skin care. It's already got me addicted to some new must-have morning revivals; infact, it's probably going to become my new first-aid-kit!

Colour Me Coral

At the weekend I wrote the upcoming AW press release for the prince of darkness, Asger Juel Larsen. He's the gothic puppet master of fusing acidic references to hip hop with brutal leather agression, and as always I'm a fan of colour clashing and conflict. My friend recently lent me a coral orange jacket, which I thought would be perfect to violently pop out from a simplistic punk look. I could probably front an 80s revival band in the outfit, but the guilty pleasure side of life is controlling my tastes today! There's also some coral colour loving from Marc Jacobs below. [My hair was styled by the upcoming stylist Jason from Bloww in London.] And if you'd care to follow my erratic notes on Twitter, my account is www.twitter.com/charlestonm

See Through Dreams

The new SS12 campaign from Emporio Armani popped into my inbox, and its fresh take on the future was too irresistible not to feast on and share for the blogging banquet. The outfits are deliciously stripped to artistic minimalism, with sharp lined suits, architectual sheer shirts, and a hint of harem flow to the trousers that clash with the cutting edge haircuts. I couldn't help but try out my own interpretation!

Never Missed Such A Wild Stranger Before

This week I've come across collections and editorials with a animal theme to them. Whether it's the kooky use of a plastic fox as a clutch bag, a wild digital print on a silk jacket, or ragged and tribal fur accessories to embody something nomadic, I've been digging it. In my outfit below I'm sporting the t-rex tote bag from Christopher Kane, and teasing leopard print socks for an urban jungle feel.

Goth + Glam

I love fusing trends together, particularly when they're an 'off the track' route that you'd assume would lead you to a dead end... or in this context... to a car crash outfit. But I've been so inspired by the fashion forward rebels online that intricately make a marriage of clashing textures and print. Pelayo recently adapted sickly sweet leather to gothic and masculine-glam shorts, and then teamed this with a minimal black sweater to embody adventure and sophistication at the same time. For me, I fused a hint of goth with something glam, customising a dusty glitter top with spikey and studded accessories. The vintage Parisian trousers have subtle 70s flare to them with a print from a vintage romance. I also thought I'd introduce an amazing new accessories brand called Moi Non Plus who explore the dark side of glamour with eccentric pieces that scare and excite at the same time.

Ice Ice Baby

So 2011 was an amazing concoction of career highlights at Cosmo and fashion infused adventures around London. This year I've engraved a New Years resolution novel of tasks to tick off, including the constant evolution of my wardrobe. One of these outfit ideas in mind is to finally master leather trousers; a material that usually makes me look like a wannabe biker on Gaga's Judas highway! This editorial below though adds an eclectic length and dimension, giving high waisted hope to pull it off. I love the corset texture with the tucked in shirt, taking a western vibe into gothic and indsutrial illumination. While craving this sort of ambition though, I also can't deny the laid back days, and my recent pair of acid wash jeans from loveclothing is the antidote for the faded 90s tone that never fades out of trend.