INDIE MAN

According to The NY Times, men are being more adventurous with the way they dress. Mixing patterns and colors have become part of the trend for men this season, and many are surprised that this is catching on.

“Men are more brave with color and pattern now,” said Paul Smith, the British designer who may have initiated more men into the art of mixing pattern than any other. He knows, from working in his own stores, how eager men are to try, yet how afraid they are of making a mistake.

“You know, how do you say what’s O.K.?” he said. “That’s what’s difficult. You have to be brave to think you can do it. It’s such a matter of personal confidence and taste.” But he noted that what made the Duke of Windsor and Fred Astaire style gods in the 1930s was their daring in mixing patterns.

Men are really trying to mix and match, to be more confident, and have fun with what they are wearing. Not only in suiting, sportswear has now ween some mixed patterns.  Even those designers known for their allegiance to an urban palette that ranges from asphalt gray to traffic-cone orange have had a field day with patterns this spring. Among others, Miuccia Prada, Martin Margiela and Junya Watanabe went overboard for, respectively, plaids, stripes and florals.

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Interesting interview I found courtesy of TimesOnline.

At 64, Keith Richards hasn’t mellowed. With Shine A Light, Martin Scorsese’s documentary on the Rolling Stones, recently released, he could focus on the autobiography he is co-writing with James Fox, the author of White Mischief. Or he could begin cataloging his 3,000 guitars. Either way, he won’t worry much about the planet, despite starring in the recent Louis Vuitton ad, for which service Vuitton donated a fee to Al Gore’s Foundation.

“I’ve been invented by the media. I’m just a minstrel. I didn’t want to be a rock star, just play music. I realized that to do that, you had to be famous. It has nothing to do with wanting to be a star.”

“Bill Wyman is the biggest dandy. But Charlie Watts is the most stylish member. He spends his time on the beauty and the cut of clothing. There he is on Savile Row, and I’m the fashion icon? When I got older I wore my old lady’s clothes. If you notice, all the buttons are the other side.”

” I wore whatever my mother put me in when I was little. Boring shorts and wee T-shirts. I wore school uniforms. I hated brown shoes. I started dressing up when I had to find what fitted. Fashion thinks more about me than what I think about it. I just wore what I wore and people noticed. The sexiest thing a woman could wear? Being stark f***ing naked.”

“Show me a woman who is faithful, and I won’t believe you.”

“I don’t do underwear. I never do the washing. How would I know whether my clothes stink? I throw them away.”

“I love books … a well-dressed mind! Patrick O’Brian, Milton and Shakespeare are my favorite writers. And then the Bible. King Lear is my favorite character who isn’t insane. It’s only people who are insane who think they’re not.

“Skulls remind us that underneath it all, we are all the same. Beauty is only skin-deep.”

“I can’t say I’m bothered about the fate of the planet. I got a guitar case out of Louis Vuitton. They paid me a lot of money and it’s all going to charity. I’m going to charity.”

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I used to have an eating disorder. I couldn’t help but be obsessed with my weight.

Let me start from the beginning. I was always a chunky kid. I was always a couple dozen pounds overweight and in high school I tipped the scale at 270 lbs. When I hit college I became so focussed on studying that I stopped eating. I’d occasionally engorge myself on eating and drinking binges, which would lead to me vomit till I couldn’t stand, but for the most part I stuck with bottled water between classes and ate a bowl of Cheerios whenever I was starving, the problem was I enjoyed starving, and everyday that passed between meals I felt like I was becoming stronger than my desire for food. In about 6 months I dropped 50 lbs and sprouted up to a height of 6′3.

I quickly noticed how much attention I’d get from the opposite sex, so I kept my weight down by exercising and starvation. I hit 210 lbs and nearly collapsed while engaging in a two-hour intense boxing routine in 2002. I checked into a hospital and for the first time was told I was malnourished. The doctor put me on a mix of steriods and weight enhancers. I didn’t take either, but decided to not allow myself to torture myself over my weight. I’ve maintained a healthy weight (with the exception of the recent “blogging” weight I’ve gained) for the past six years and have monitored my eating and exercise to prevent excess, but every so often I can feel the desire to starve myself creeping in and I fear a relapse.

Of course, there are those out there who don’t reach this point of realization and find themselves starving, smoking cigarettes, or using drugs like cocaine to speed up their metabolism and maintain a tiny figure. Men in fashion magazines have gotten skinnier and younger, and the onset of age in men is being discouraged by beauty companies, women and the media. Men in NYC and LA are required to be thin. Fat is a sign of weakness in our culture and this has led to a destructive attitude towards our bodies and our view of beauty.

Manorexia seems like a comical term, but it is a serious condition that all should be aware of. More and more men are starving themselves, vomiting, binging, and experimenting with fat suppressants and surgery to maintain an unhealthy body weight. Even those in power, like former Deputy Premier of England John Prescott, who recently admitting to binging on five-course meals, Big Macs and Carnation Milk, have fallen victim to eating disorders. Here’s his full list of binge foods (accountable for nearly 10,000 daily calories) that Prescott was binging on.

DAILY GUIDELINES FOR MEN

Calories 2000. Fat 70g, carbohydrate sugars 90g, salt 2.4g

CARNATION MILK - 397g TIN Calories 1290. Fat 31.8g, carbohydrate sugars 221.5g, salt 0.4g

M&S TRIFLE - 500g Calories 825. Fat 41.5g, carbohydrate sugars 71.5g, salt 0.55g.

LEMON CHICKEN Calories 1400. Fat 13g, salt 700mg

BEEF SATAY Calories 760, Fat 40g, salt: 650mg

SWEET AND SOUR PORK Calories 410. Fat 30g, salt 350mg

CRISPY DUCK - 650MG Calories 800. Fat 40g, salt 650mg

CHOCOLATE - 230g BAR Calories 1207.5. Fat 68.54g, carbohydrate sugars 130.4g, salt 0.207g

DIGESTIVE BISCUITS - 500g Calories 2355. Fat 106.5g, carbohydrate sugars 83, salt 2.5g CRISPS - 34.5g

PACKET Calories 530. Fat 11.7g, carbohydrate sugars 0.2g, salt 0.5g

1 in 8 people with eating problems is male and that number is quickly growing. It’s an easy problem to ignore since most males will substitute excessive exercise for under-eating. If you or someone you love is suffering for anorexia or bulimia there is help. Contact NEDA for more information on tips to spot the problem and get help.

I hate to sound all preachy, but this is a serious condition that needs to be addressed, plus I’m getting really, really tired of skinny jeans on men. They look horrible and my big ass can’t squeeze into them.

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We love The Satchel for his ability to catch things like this. Apparently New Era has decided to copy the iconic Louis Vuitton print for a new like of signature caps.  The bootleg print is by Olako’aka, which means we know who to blame for being unoriginal and stealing from the Marc. The best part is Hyperbeast’s quote on the subject, “This version emulates a LV pattern so this satisfies those with a luxurious taste as well as those seeking traditional cultural satisfaction.”  So basically, we know it’s a bootleg, you know it’s a bootleg, but since Jacobs refuses to create a line of hats to match the Chinatown knock-off you got her for Christmas, this is all we can give you.

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This is a shot from Blackbook’s May issue.  Love, love, love the silver shoes.  Can someone get behind me on this look?  Yes, it’s very Michael Jacksonesque, but something about shiny footware has always gotten my goat.  And without socks, this look transcends the typical farce appeal and takes on a life of its own by breaking all rules of shoe etiquette. I’m on the search now for some silverplated stomping gear so if you’ve got some sources, please hit us up.

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YMC’s new beanies remind of of Dumb Donald from Fat Albert. Unfortunately, they don’t come in purple.

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UNIQLO has just released their newest spring collection of t-shirts. As usual I want every single one in the collection.

Big surprise, they decided to jump on the Chloe Sevigny bandwagon by featuring her in their new ads.  So now Chloe owns Opening Ceremony and Uniqlo, two of the top SOHO destinations. Can a Chloe store be in the near future?  We have picts from the new collection below and indie queen Chloe to the left.

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