This is not about tying scarves...

But about volume, houndstooth and stripe combinations, and the American colors.

It's about my new Tretorn by Acne nylon sneakers.

Or the lady in pink behind me who reminds everybody that this is just a shoot and scarves and beanies belong back to the office where it's perpetually airconditioned.

Once again- and with feeling - maybe this is merely about using peelable accessories for the tropical climate, where it's really quite cumbersome to keep on wearing and removing jackets and sweaters in and out of the workplace.

Thrifted shirt, Daks; jeans, Levi's; skinny leather belt, APC; sneakers, Tretorn by Acne; scarf from Kalinga Apayao province, produced by locals; beanie, thrifted

Photos by Patricia Suzara

AnOther Man: Untitled editorial in red

The idea of wearing bandages as tops isn't knew. Pieces by Raf Simons in this shoot may have in fact been influenced by old artisanal articles by Martin Margiela. Coincidentally, new clothes by the Belgian designer appear alongside the "new" bandage tops by Simons. I take it as homage.


Rubber bandage (worn as top), Expectations
Untitled editorial from AnOther Man 7, Autumn/Winter 2008
Photography by Mark Segal, Styling by Alister Mackie

I think it's no coincidence that the archive-inspired bandage tops appear in the same editorial as these vintage cropped shirts by Vivienne Westwood, which are very 80s. The reference, of course, is Britain during that era and the Sex Pistol's Johnny Rotten.


Patterned jacket and tartan trousers, Comme des Garçons Homme Plus; lycra t-shirt, vintage Sex by Vivienne Westwood from Rellik; patent leather high tops by Reebok by Juun J

How else can Portobello and Rick Owens mix?

Military cap and reversible tartan jacket, Portobello market; long sleeve fine jersey t-shirts, Rick Owens; torn t-shirt, Wasteland; high waisted trousers, Yohji Yamamoto

Rubber bodysuit, Expectations; padlock pendant necklace and bracelet, TEM; Dead End pendant necklace, Atelier 11; high waisted trousers, Yohji Yamamoto; leather belt, Julius

Even the check shirts are cropped. Red tartans look good with other patterns in black. Again, as in a past editorial I posted, this outfit will not be as effective if the model weren't blond.


Three button fitted jacket and silk pocket square, Yves Saint Laurent; checked shirt, Angels; trousers, Gucci



And as precocious looking.

Oversized mohair tank top and jersey shorts, Rick Owens; rubber collar, Expectations

With that sensual defiance in his eyes.

Leather biker jacket archive, Jitrois; checked shirt, Diesel; torn t-shirt, Wasteland; Dead End pin, Atelier 11; padlock chain and safety pin necklaces, TEM

And yes! Red pants. I don't know if I will dare, but just look at these pairs!


Brick print jacket, Maison Martin Margiels; bandage top and collar, Raf Simons; bullet pendant necklace, TEM; trousers, Prada

Knotted rubber waistcoat, Maison Martin Margiela; trousers, Jil Sander; silver ring, Atelier 11

Nothing really as blatant as that color. You will need all the patterns at hand, and especially the color black, to tame it.


Lycra t-shirt, vintage Sex by Vivienne Westwood from Rellik; trousers, Filippa K; patterened silk scarves, Gucci; bandanas, Rokit

Tartan tuxedo jacket, Vivienne Westwood Man; tartan shirt, Wasteland; padlock chain, TEM; marbled trousers, Jil Sander

And this, this is just bloody fabulous.

Bandage top and saftey pin brooch, Raf Simons

Leonard and Frieda sunglasses by Illesteva

Believe it or not, I don't own a single pair of sunnies. I haven't really been compelled to buy since I neither drive nor stay a long time under the sun. Even at the beach, or at any other sunny destination, I have always preferred to see things in their natural colors. Glare be damned!




But maybe, just maybe, these pieces from Illesteva's debut 2010 Spring-Summer collection (available at Oki-ni) can convince me to take the necessary leap of faith.




I'm sure, like me, many of you have seen countless releases of plastic or acetate frames in all the possible colors, across all the budget brackets.




But something notable about the Leonard pairs is their shape, which is a combination of many designs – from the pointy curve at the nose to the swimming goggle-thickness of the bridge and around the frame.




Also the double screws and the exposed wire: they betray a cooky personality, that may be a deceptively shallow but always interesting.




Of course, what next caught my attention are the plain gold and speckled gold color designs.




The mechanism of the sunglasses is purposely set in contrast to the acetate material to prove that not all loud types lack substance.




Are actually sophisticated.




Like treasure after cracking open a shell.






The Frieda model is more understated, at least I can say that for the cloudy black pair.




The red striated model requires a livelier, if not more dramatic outfit.




So let's see, maybe someday I will let my frames do the talking.

Red envelope portfolio for my MacBook Pro

Remember this leather-lined portfolio envelope I found last September? Well it has served me well as a case for my prehistoric 12-inch iBook G4. (It's still alive.)




I was apprehensive when I first tried it with my new 13.3-inch MacBook Pro, but it fit! Much better than a glove I should say. Though the laptop is wider, it is so much lighter and thinner. (The glare makes it look white.)




You'd never think what I would be hiding beneath this emblem.

Street fix: How to wear red jeans

No, this doesn't involve sitting on dirty escalators. Compared to white jeans, I think it's even harder to wear red trousers since they grab people's attention by the horns.

While other people just pair them with a white or other neutral-colored shirt, this bloke has bravely — yet also quite sensibly — tamed the wild color by topping it with a sobering dose of dark blue. Instead of clashing, the two colors come in equilibrium.

Equally important to his outfit is the matching of his brown cap with his beige sneakers, which helps him avoid looking like a two-tone flag. That or your other choice of slashing your pants.

Kudos goes to Fred.

Arena Homme Plus : Red/Blue

Up the reds, the colours of insurrection and passion and blood: the strident scarlet suits of Dolce & Gabbana, Iceberg's transparent ruby raincoats, the total looks in bright berry shades at Lanvin.

Up the blues, the complexions of authority, dignity, royalty: the cobalt coats of Calvin, Gucci's iridescent peacocks and the inky twilight overcoats of Burberry. Blue gives other colours their vibration, as Cézanne noted, and resonates vigorously with red: perfectly counterbalanced; the matter and anti-matter of pop.


I was right. The only color that can really match the intensity of red is the cool candor of blue, as evidenced by the outfit of a guy a I featured before at La Folie Douce.




"Red protects itself. No other colour is as territorial. It stakes a claim, is on the alert against the spectrum. Red is a moment in time. Blue constant. Red is quickly spent. An explosion of intensity. It burns itself. The blue of work clothes in France. The blue of overalls here in England, and the blue Levi's that conquered the world. Red rags to John Bull. Royal blue of garter robes. Deep cobalt blue."


Red is something one cannot have enough of, sometimes just as much as white, or even black.


Quotes taken from 'Chroma' by Derek Jarman
Photography by David Hughes, Styling by Joel Bough
Arena Homme Plus Winter Spring 2009-2010

Street fix: Ripped red jeans

I had to look twice at Melville's outift. First I thought what he did is nothing new, even with red instead of the usual black jeans. But once again, it was the mix that drew me. The tasseled bag well complemented the rock effect of his jeans and guitar shirt.

Red-lettered thrift Saturday

The day started ash gray, with the morning more dazzling because of the drizzle.



That's why I took advantage of uncertain weather and paired my lightly ashy cardigan with a thrifted pair of shorts that are almost sheer, slightly gauzy, with veins of silver in the thread. (Bought it together with my other gray items on an equally somber day.) And since they didn't have any pockets, I just inserted my white handkerchief in my cardigan, much like a jacket's pocket square.



Though the sun didn't come out, the cloudy day didn't stop me from claiming these magnificent maroon loafers I blogged about the other day. Just look at the details: the panels, the braided leather, the animal skin effect, and even the gold sphinx emblem.



On impulse, I wore this braided bracelet on my ankle.



Here is the pair's label. Anybody heard of it?



Even if I didn't get the other pairs I wanted, I did surface this elementary school red envelope portfolio from a pile of bags.



It's made of some kind of plastic, lined with leather. The label reads François Marot Paris, with a dog at the center of the logo.



Lastly, I took with me this small shoulder bag with compartments you wouldn't think would fit in such a quaint article. Label reads Romantique.



Open it and it shows slots for cards, pens, and papers. It has three more accordioned sections (below), one closed with a zipper. I also liked the gold details, and of course, the texture and the smell of genuine leather. Looks durable, and can even fit my Canon G10 and a Starbucks tumbler. What else can you ask for?



What a way to spend the day. The umbrella above and the shoes and portfolio were not the only things red. Met another stylish girl at the bookstore wearing a flaming jacket. And she was not the only one I met yesterday with red lips.