2011 FASHION TRENDS

These 2011 fashion trends encompass the styles, colors and detailing of men’s clothing and accessories for every season. From everyday essentials such as jeans and shirts to cherry-on-top detailing such as hats and even scarves, this list runs the gamut of fashion trends to equip you the best information possible to help you look your best.

• Military-inspired looks. This was especially popular in the Fall/Autumn collections in men’s fashion, especially greatcoats in army greens and navy blues and vintage-styled buttons reminiscent 40’s military styles. Aviator boots with shearling are also a popular military trend among fashionable men in 2011.
• Knitwear. Men’s oversized knitwear in both neutral darks (browns, grays, olives) as well as muted jewels (royal purples and greens) were popular in the Fall/Winter Collections of many designers. They are popularly worn with distressed jeans.
• Inside-out garments. Exposed inseams has become a new trend in 2010, especially for the Spring. This trend has popped up in jackets and casual shirts as well as bags, giving the clothing an edgy look.
• Leather. Not just jackets—but pants, trousers, bags and more in sleeker, more variations and not so much of a biker style. Brown and cognac and less black is all the rage especially for the Spring and Fall collection. Scoop neck tees. A comfortable favorite offers brawny men opportunities to further flaunt their chests and is a favorite for the summer of 2011.
• Scoop neck tees, like many in any guy’s collection, is an essential basic that can be combined in manifold ways with other wardrobe pieces.
• Shawl lapel in suits. This elegant type of lapel is one, continuous kind without peaks or notches. They are meant to embellish dinner suits, sports coats and jackets and especially for evening wear.
• Natural fiber suits. Cotton suits were all the rage for men in the summer of 2011 and a lighter alternative to wool. As opposed to solely a county-club style, the 2011 natural fiber suits were tailored to office wear as well.
• Men’s brooches. Radiating an aura of dapper taste and refinement, brooches for men were especially hot for Autumn collections. Meant to be worn on jackets and coats, cool and gold hues of broaches were all over the runway for Fall 2011.
• Velvet. This luxurious fabric can be worn fashionably on lapels or take on making of entire sports coats. Popular velvet items among 2011 include other statement items such as suits, jackets and look best in dark jewel tones.
• Sack suits. Tweed is all the rage for this unshaped make of suit and in dark, neutral colors. This more retro, relaxed style of suit has made a revival on the Fall catwalks of major designers.

Original Source

http://jamesgieordano.wordpress.com/2011/05/28/2011-fashion-trends/

Wedding Dresses: 5 To-Die-For Elie Saab Dresses from the Fall 2011 Couture Show!

I know most brides don’t get to wear a hot-off-the runway couture wedding dress, but a girl can dream, right?

These five dresses, all from Elie Saab’s Fall 2011 couture show in Paris, are certainly the stuff that dreams are made of!

Yes, some are a little too low-cut or have too many sheer bits for a non-movie-star’s wedding, but this is couture, darlings! So you can choose one of the dresses below and have it customized to your specifications.

Which of the dresses above would you wear as a wedding dress? You can change up the shape or color a little to make it just right for you!

Original Source
http://www.glamour.com/weddings/blogs/save-the-date/2011/07/wedding-dresses-5-to-die-for-e.html

Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2012

Louis Vuitton

Kate Moss at Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton

Elie Saab

Miu Miu

Chanel

Alexander McQueen

Valentino

Stella McCartney

Chloe

Rei Kawakubo

Commes des Garcons

Celine

Hussein Chalayan

John Galliano

John Galliano

Givenchy

Hermes

Yohji Yamamoto

Kanye West

Christian Dior

Lanvin

Viktor & Rolf

Martin Margiela

Vivienne Westwood

Balenciaga

Nina Ricci

Dries van Noten

Gareth Pugh

Thierry Mugler

Ann Demeulemeester

Balmain

Rick Owens

Original Source

http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2011/09/30/paris-fashion-week-spring-summer-2012-photos.html

How to Break Up with a Woman

Breaking up is a little like field-dressing your own chest wound. You don't have a choice. Your heart's still thumping in there somewhere. Do it right and the damage might be negligible, the scar insignificant. You'll be back in the shit before you know it. Do it poorly and you'll be left lying around for weeks in a bed somewhere, pondering your future in an emotional wheelchair, with this nasty weeping gash over your heart. And eventually that will start to smell.

It really doesn't matter who breaks up with whom, you or her. Whether you're pitching or catching, dumping or getting the heave, there are only five things you need to remember:

1. Operate quickly.

If you're the one doing it, do it now. Do it tonight. Don't wait. Don't over-plan, or rehearse excessively. Quit Googling, you putz. Don't read any more Web pages promising to help you with the perfect breakup. Get moving. Time is your enemy. Every hour you spend in the company of someone you don't want to be with, someone who may very much think otherwise with regards to you, is the perpetration of a fraud. If the breakup is happening to you, go just fast enough that you still understand everything you're hearing. Don't sit there and beg for a few more minutes. That's pathetic. Always. In this way, time is your enemy, too.

2. Tell, don't show.

At their very beginning, and at their very end, relationships are about want. Just say what you desire. Clearly, honestly. Declare yourself in these terms only. Go for the simplest answer every time. Being with someone is a kind of long-term demonstration, an act of showing the other person what you feel. But breaking up is simply an act of telling them what you want. Get clear on this: they either want the same thing, or they do not.

3. Don't worry about staying friends.

You have enough friends. You don't need any more, especially ones who've seen you at wine tastings and who know your back hair intimately. This directive implies the following: Forget expectation. Don't worry about being kind. Be honest. State what you want. Don't be overly solicitous. Don't make promises. Don't ask for promises. Don't plan on having lunch to discuss things. Don't bargain on a relationship that might not exist in thirty-seven minutes. Don't even feel obligated to discuss things after that.

4. Just don't make enemies.

You have enough enemies. You can be sure of it. This one means: Don't be cruel. Don't be sarcastic. Don't be overly dramatic. Show some respect and don't shut down on legitimate questions. Simply err toward honesty, even if the truth makes you uncomfortable. Bargain only on your next potential relationship, and recognize that might begin as soon as thirty-seven minutes from now.

5. Throw away your cell phone, stay off the Internet, don't show up.

If you were incredibly reliable before, that was probably part of the problem. Don't communicate. If you weren't reliable in the first place, why start now? What will that change? The word of the moment is distance. Embrace it. No matter what you want from the other person, stay away from her until she can give you what you want, whether that's distance or intimacy. And remember that it's likely this will never happen.

That's it. These rules work both ways — for dumper and dumpee. I have others — choose a private space in a public place; apologize, but only for the present; don't beg; don't kick yourself; don't kick anyone; don't listen to pop music — but these have more to do with which end of the breakup hammer concerns you.

Either way, there's going to be some pain. Just keep in mind that while the wounds may be in some way mutual, the only heart you're compelled to tend is the one that still beats in your very own chest.

Original Source
http://www.esquire.com/the-side/feature/women-advice/best-break-up-advice-for-men

What She Wants You to Wear... When It's (Really) Hot Out

Every Summer, my husband and I head for Cannes Lions advertising festival and the epic beauty of the French Riviera. It's a week designed to reward and celebrate the finest work from the most luminous creative minds in the international ad industry.

Translation: hundreds of pasty art directors and copywriters converge on the Croissette to marinate in rosé, nurse patchy sunburns, and try to navigate some quite treacherous fashion waters. Also known as: dignified beach style. The diversity of the community brings all stereotypical faux-pas to the table. You'll see socks with shower shoes and dingy banana hammocks — sometimes, shockingly, at the same time. You'll eye stocky gents in 2-inch shorts and horsey lads in blousy capris. It's quite a show, even without the award-winning ads. And I'm sympathetic: Beach attire is a challenge. Especially when you're in Cannes, where classic films suggest it's a snap to stay fresh in your linen suits (you know, just like Gary Cooper did). You're more likely to endure the heat looking less cool.

You might think I'm about to wax pedantic on the subject of short lengths (important), transparency (critical) or shrinkage (yikes). Clearly these are points of note, but let's start with the one thing all men face: sweat. While it can be sexy on a man, I'd be hard-pressed to find a fellow lady who thinks the "wilted" look is attractive. Quite literally, sun dampens your style, leaving you with less than a healthy sheen and glow. So, first things first, a non-greasy sunscreen is critical. Once you're protected from both cancer and farmer tan, you can address the remaining priorities...

Original Source
http://www.esquire.com/blogs/mens-fashion/hot-weather-clothes-for-men

Ryan Gosling: This is How You Wear a Brown Suit

While many females we know play the Crazy, Stupid, Love trailer on repeat — something about Ryan Gosling going shirtless on demand for Emma Stone — we at The Style Blog have found our own instant-replay Ryan Gosling moment. Yesterday at CBS Studious in New York, the Canadian star walked into his appearance at The Late Show with David Letterman wearing a skinny mohair-and-wool, 1960s-inspired suit by Gucci — a visual declaration of his old Hollywood sensibility, Persols included. Gosling nailed the look with some simple undoings: the half-shaven face, the loosened four-in-hand knot, the messy hair, and the scuffed, unpolished loafers. In their Cruise 2012 show, Gucci called this jacket the "Dylan" — with Gosling in its sleeves, we can clearly see why.

Original Sourcehttp://www.esquire.com/blogs/mens-fashion/ryan-gosling-late-night-david-letterman-6092389

Saturdays Surf: How to Feel Like It's the Weekend Every Day

Saturdays: it's a word that roughly translates to "everything feels good." And Saturdays Surf, a new Soho-based shop (almost) as exciting as a day at the beach, is just that — damn good. Owners Morgan Collett, Josh Rosen, and Colin Tunstall (Colin, we should note, works on design for Esquire's iPad app) have managed to create an environment that melds together their binary loves of surfing and city life. Boards, wetsuits, grooming products, great clothes — it's all here. (Oh, and coffee, too.)

Even those who don't plan on making the whole Manhattan-to-Montauk trek this summer have got to appreciate the urban/beach vibe you see above in the new Saturdays collection for Fall/Winter 2011. There's that excellent blend of familiar men's-wear favorites (great plaids, friendly sweaters) and innovative design (slim-fitting sweatshirts in unexpected colors like forest green and electric blue). Equally exciting is the trio's modern take on outerwear, with standouts like a shawl-collared "Baracuda" jacket (second from left above) that's trendy but not too trendy. Swimwear, of course, runs the gamut, because a man can find himself on a beach anytime of the year. As in, right now...

Original Source
http://www.esquire.com/archives/blogs/mens-fashion/by_author/8743/15;1