Week Thirty-seven: Black & White

(photo credit: Deb S of PIX Me Photography)


I kinda always knew that if ever I were to run dry of ideas for a post, I could always talk about black & white as a color palette (or a non-color palette, that is, as some experts maintain that black is a shade and white's a tint, ya-di-ya-di-ya...) and still be fashionably relevant, as timeless and classic as B&W is. If I had my way, though, black is all I'd ever wear, everyday, without exception! In a store, I just gravitate and beeline towards black, pretty much the same way I will invariably pick out, every single time, the exact same shade of lipstick from a make-up countertop display of a hundred variations of reds and pinks and everything in between. Needless to say, it's actually Kumee who coaxes me out of my somber comfort zone and encourages me to to wear color. (Personally, I find black monochrome on guys too costume-y (think salsa dancer/figure skater!) and downright tackville.

Sartorially, white complements black like nothing else, it's no wonder that it's the attire "de riguer" for formal occasions (e.g. "black tie events"). I love how it eliminates the guesswork in finding the perfect outfit in such contexts for the sterner sex...thank God for that for left to their own devices, just what combinations would they come up with? Now that's a scary thought! Here's Kumee in a less stuck up B&W combination: (the Hugo Boss purist)

Week Thirty-six: Shiny suits

I had finally taken me a decent picture of Kumee's latest acquisition lol, namely, his "shiny" blue suit. And so I asked him the other day, "What kind of fabric is this, Huns?" "It's shiny" came the reply and right there in the car, I imagined him being the unclad emperor, and myself as one of his mute subjects, too afraid to challenge his claim. Just who was he kidding??? I silently agonized, and then the sun came out...

And so I love this suit's subtle sheen - emphasis on subtle - that's manifest only when the garment is hit by brighter lights. I know for certain that I'd be cut off midsentence by a conservative dresser if I were to even vaguely suggest the wearing of sheen as fashionable. And just how much more resistance would I meet with if I were to outrightly recommend "metallic" - It's too strong an adjective, much like "pink" to the self-proclaimed "real" man. And so I'll stick with shiny as according to Kumee. At the end of the day though, his suit is definitely not too flashy, it's just a little dressier, if you will, than average.

Week Thirty-five: Hairstyles

So I dredged this up as I was searching for extra info on shiny suits - the article does mention the suits, among other things - it's actually a rather comprehensive list of men's fashion trends for 2011. I know it's a bit too late to feature this, when we are well into 2011, midway in fact, but considering that this picture of Kumee is a very poor choice to showcase his new slightly iridescent blue suit, I thought I'd talk about grooming and hairstyles instead, which I very well know could be quite the sensitive subject, especially the former and yet is very much an integral part of fashion and must be considered at some point. Don't worry, I won't talk about superfluous hair this time, I'll stick to the perfectly natural, if mundane business of hairstyles.

As far as the list is concerned, it seems like Kumee's quite in step with hair fashion trends with his new longer "do," lol. Shortly before we got married (besides losing his braces) he chopped off his luxuriant dark longish locks, and got what was referred to as, well, at least (humourously) by my brother's hairdresser, the "Ricky Martin cut" - kinda like the male counterpart of the Jennifer Aniston/Rachel choppy do lol, in its far reaching popularity that peaked in the early part of the new millenium. Nearly a decade later, Ricky has since come out of the closet lol, and Kumee has finally gotten out of the short hair rut and toughed it out long enough to resist the urge to get it cut yet again during that scruffy in-between period as he would for the past eight or so years, and voila! Here's what I call the McDreamy (Kumee's version!)

Week Thirty-four: Spread vs Narrow Point Collars

Without getting too technical because frankly speaking, I don't know the first thing about photography, I love Deb's clever and skillful employment of technique and trained eye for interesting subjects such as this one of an already intrinsically attractive shirt, superpositioned against the backdrop of some form of neat custom furniture that lends even more to it in terms of effects and makes for an overall greater and not too mention, very interesting pic. I'm going to continue this post by way of comparison and contrast, that is between the narrow point collar and spread collar, such as the one in Deb's photograph.

Although, the narrow point collar shirt has got to be the least preferred dress shirt (if even a choice at all!) of the metro male who favor spread collars to accomodate their penchant (that borders on the pathologic!) for chunky (silky!) Windsor tie knots, it certainly does have its rightful place, that is resting below the Adam's apple of men with *rounder* faces.

I won't harp on and on as to why, the reason is simple and should be plain: the longer and vertical collar points of this shirt balances out the horizontality of a round face, a spread collar only pronounces it. I won't go so far as to say either that "clothes make a man" because as I've emphasized in the past, it's the person we are within that really counts and is what we should constantly be refining, nevertheless, clothes do speak volumes about their wearer. Hence, a man with a rounder face who consciously chooses a narrow point collar "tells" me that he's cognizant of what would unnecessarily accentuate a flaw, if you will, and avoids it. He won't blindly jump headlong into a trend bandwagon without paying regard to whether it might suit him or not. He's sartorial-savvy and self-aware, and naturally, better dressed!

Week Thirty-three: The Metro Ethos; Layering

If I were to be completely honest, I have a hard time too myself understanding the Metro ethos sometimes - I mean, why is it that Kumee chose without a moment's hesitation to wear a pink sweater to the mall the other day and yet balked at having to carry a completely gender neutral black umbrella this morning, all because it had what he referred to as a "girly (silver) trim" that runs around its edges?

Going back to Kumee's pink sweater last Sunday, later on that day, we were with friends and naturally, sometime during the course of the evening, the conversation focused on Kumee's outfit which became quite a polarizing subject for discussion. Needless to say, mixed company, mixed opinions, and amidst the debate, Kumar good-naturedly quipped, "It kinda lights up the whole room, doesn't it"? Which elicited even more smiles. "But it's nice!" our other metro friend insisted, in Kumee's defense - our same metro friend whose ensemble a week earlier had caught my attention - not because it was impossibly impeccably tailored - I wouldn't expect anything less from him anyways, it was the peak lapels on his single-breasted suit that piqued my interest and of course, not to mention, the pink sweater beneath it worn over a wide spread collar shirt and Windsor tie-knot - this layering being, what I found out later, his artful (and metro!) way of camouflaging some imaginary pounds that he claims he had gained while vacationing in Italy with his lovely wife.

Whether one does it to mask some perceived flaw, or simply to survive frigid winters, layering certainly makes for an interesting outfit (that need not be bulky!). I think it's recommended year-round especially during the transitional months of Spring and Autumn when the weather can be neither quite hot nor cold - layering permits the peeling off or adding of pieces accordingly, and then come summer, it's definitely your best (and stylish!) defense against drafty cubicles...

"Layering":



Photo credit: Debs of PIX Me! Photography, thank you!

Week Thirty-two: Beyond the Basics!

Once you've got you're basic suits covered (solid black, navy and grey), why not expand your wardrobe's repertoire to include other versatile pieces? Experiment with different colors, fabrics and patterns. Perhaps opt for a sports jacket - be it double or single-breasted - instead of an actual jacket-trouser ensemble for a change and your closet will be well on its way towards well-appointedness!

I had completely forgotten about this beige and white, cotton, Boss, sports jacket of Kumee's until he pulled it out yesterday to pair up with a checkered pink shirt. I love how it can be both dressed up and down. This is the snazzy way to wear it as demonstrated by Kumee. Of course, it goes just as well with a pair of dark wash jeans!




Pink Boss tie, uh, no-name paisley pocket square lol, brown Cole Haans and of course, some fancy guy hosiery, underneath the pants :)

Week Thirty-one: From Raffia to Mafia!

Hats are pretty much one of those things that you either like or don't care for at all, it's either you're a "hat person" or not. Both Kumee and I fall under the latter category...how boring! Well, it doesn't help when you feel you have a largish head that's disproportionate to the rest of you. And that this has been confirmed real and not just imagined by the fact that your kids are at the 90th percentile of the head circumference growth curve chart as religiously plotted by their pediatrician, meaning only 10% of their pint-size peers have bigger heads, thanks of course to your lovely genes, well, that only adds insult to injury!

And while a hat may hyper-emphasize a large head (or if you're even lucky enough to find one that fits, that is!) it certainly also does an amazing job at covering up a multitude of other head/hair flaws and woes - be them temporary, semi-permanent or permanent (e.g. bad hair days, bad haircuts/hairdresser gone scissor happy/amok, receding hairlines and thinning crowns, alopecia, a funny-shaped head, gross peroxide/toner ratio miscalculation etc. etc.) It's also quite sensible to wear one to shield one's self from the elements and especially during the summer for protection from the sun's relentless beating. Of course, it's only by actually wearing it, though, that one would derive such benefits, and not just carrying it around like David Beckham had for accessory purposes/as a fidgeting/wringing deterrent (I mean, how cumbersome!) at the Royal Wedding, in which case it would be completely useless, the way we had spent a good portion of our time waiting fruitlessly last Friday for Mr. Posh to indulge us with the sight of him with his top hat, uh, atop his head!

Raffia, Mafia fedoras, and a funky blue felt one, lol! (As always, thanks to Debs of PIX Me Photography!)