Street fix: Lord Fauntleroy in denim and DMs

Robby is the head designer for casual label Folded & Hung.

Street fix: The mix

At first glance you barely notice the outfit of Maverick, a student who lined up to watch the shows at Philippine Fashion Week Holiday 2009. His style is so unassuming that, if one is not careful, he would be forgotten in the sea of fashion victims.

Fortunately, he knows how to mix patterns (marbled and checkered), match colors (silver sneakers with gray bonnet), and use key and accent pieces (his green backpack). Everything works: while his black jacket ties everything down, the gold detailing of his bag does the opposite. And to top it all off, Maverick tells me both his bag and shorts were thrifted!

The measure of true style is how one is comfortable in one's own clothes, as if they were skin. That way, separate items are almost indecipherable in the happy mix.

Another Gustav Broström brooch

While Gustav has been sorely missed at Mode Man, his departure from the Swedish menswear blog doesn't mean he's lost his touch. Yvan again takes a snap of him on the French blogger's trip to Stockholm.

Who would have thought yarn would look so spiffy with a suit jacket? Previously, he used a giant safety pin, and it was Scott who photographed him.

I bet these are just some of his accessories from his treasure trove. Go see his new blog to find out exactly what these items are.

Denim on denim

The picture above was taken by Scott Schuman when he was in Paris.

The first thing you notice is the denim combination or perhaps the way his scarf is tied, then the khaki jacket and the way its sleeves are rolled up in tandem with the denim shirt. Then your eye focuses on the patch on the shirt and the worn fabric. After these, perhaps his bracelet and his hair. No matter where you start, you are convinced that this entire outfit works for its wearer.

I don't know who started saying it, but men.style.com repeated the alleged fashion rule that denim does not go with denim, allowing only the exception for a denim top that has approximately the same tone as its counterpart denim bottom.

Not so with this outfit. Of course, one may say that it is his khaki jacket and olive messenger that provided the necessary counterbalance for all that denim - even allowing the fashion "rule" to be broken.

But look at this second man, featured in Copenhagen Street Style. No khaki or olive or any hue near the color complement orange, and still, his outfit works.

Is it because his denim jacket and black cardigan are both rolled up like in the first picture? Yes, this helps, but what is more pertinent is the layering of his jacket, cardigan, and undershirt.

Not only do these three pieces vary in length - with his electric blue band cap (Did I mention only just now the best item in his outift?) and black boots - they follow a color gradient (black, navy blue, denim, electric blue). Isn't that just brilliant? A progression in both color and cut.

Fashion rules are silly, that is true, but then again, consider this: would both outfits work if the men weren't blond or brown-haired? Another rule...

Francesco by Garance Doré

So his name is Francesco, and he is quite the quirky dandy.

If this picture had a title, it could easily have been Pinkish Marble with a Little Bit of Dust.

At first, the combination of four different textures is unsettling. But once you get the hang of it, you discover that Francesco's style has a certain type of appeal.

I ran into Francesco in Paris during men’s fashion week and I definitely enjoyed getting to see all his outfits.

Everyday, he wore something new. Everyday he had some splash of originality, something small, an idea all his own.

I didn’t talk to him much, just admired the way he owned his clothes, how he wore them differently, and how he always had some eccentric focal point, something chic and endearing to catch your eye. (Garance Doré)

Is that a black Gumby pinned as a brooch? Whatever it is, his butter yellow envelope clutch would certainly melt in anyone's hands. Francesco sure doesn't run out new ideas, or these bags.

Gustav Broström from Stockholm

Gustav appears again on Stockholm Street Style, after being spotted by Scott Schuman.

What's more, we discover that he also blogs for a site called Mode Man.



I especially like his entry on biker boots. Besides that, he has good catalogue-like selections on specific items, looks constructed from separate pieces, notes on editorials, and even street shoots.



This is him with punk hair inspired by Hedi Slimane.



More of Gustav from his Lookbook page

La Folie Douce

So while I'm filling in my runway show backlog, here's another one of my cameos.

Just to introduce a work in progress: my new street style blog La Folie Douce. Yeah, my mug will welcome you there too.

A closer look at the pattern of the shirt and jacket: a tessalated pattern that looks like houndstooth over an ethnic design called batik, like the fabric designs found in other parts of Southeast Asia.



What I like about it is the combination of geometric and organic patterns.

'Batik' printed shirt from Davao (Aldivinco); jacket, Sisley; pants, Zara; yellow belt, Renato Balestra; thrifted tote, Gap; heirloom watch, Omega Seamaster; lace-ups, Marlboro Classics

Personal style: Pelayo Diaz Zapico

I only discovered last night, via Jak and Jil, that it was Pelayo who Yvan Rodic featured wearing a Batman shirt. I actually wrote about him twice - the first in a comparison between The Sartorialist and Face Hunter, and the second on his bag, which he says was made out of seat belts.



A fashion student at Central Saint Martin, he's quite the celebrity, with his blog and appearances on print.



What I admire about his personal taste is that he is daring but knows the precise extent of his limits. He pushes it.

More outfits on Chictopia

The boys have it

Sebastian, 19, is a Danish student who is sporting a denim on denim look, but modified with the complementary black and brown shirt and pullover. The best touch in his outfit is the almost imperceptible black-on-black zigzags. Again, blonde hair is vital in the total coloring, half-hidden by a black bonnet.

Go over to Copenhagen Street Style to see how his sneakers complement his look.




Marco, 27, is a fashion historian from Italy. He is wearing a jacket by J. Lindeberg and a scarf by Calvin Klein. Yes, the color of his eys provide a great accent to his wonderful tonal scarf and neutral jacket with unintrusive buttons, but it is his sweater that grants personality.




Charlie is wearing jeans by YSL, a scarf by H&M, gloves by Emporio Armani, and a vintage jacket by Ralph Lauren. This image was taken at the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris.

Boyish + stylized military vintage = adorable, classic charm.

Dimitri chased by street style paparazzi

Shot by Stockholm Street Style



Tracked down by Copenhagen Street Style





Cornered by Style Clicker



Intercepted by Stil in Berlin




I imagine all this happened to Dimitri, a 16-year-old student, in the course of a single day. He wears Doc Martens boots, a vintage shirt, and an H&M bag.



What do you think is the more important question: where he got his round, hypnotic glasses; whether his outfit would have still worked had he worn trousers or longer shorts; or should he have shaved his legs before wearing such short shorts?