New Years is approaching and so the texts and calls from friends have started to pour in. What color tie should I wear with this shirt? Should I go with the brown or black shoes? Round toe or square? I have been trying to answer all these as they come in, but for those who are looking to try something wild, I’ve got some suggestions for changing up the tie, which is the easiest thing to do something fun with and really makes a huge difference to the outfit (I’m assuming that we’re all ‘dressing up’ for New Years, as is generally the tradition).

First we have two Victorian styles of neckwear, the first is called a Puff tie and is a mix between an ascot and a scarf, which one ties tightly to the neck and then lets fall freely down the front of the shirt.

The next is called a Ruche tie, which is a style of ’scrunching’ the cravat to achieve the look here. One uses a regular ascot or cravat but ties it using the method found here. These really only look right with a vest, otherwise, the extra material hanging from the tie just floats around and goes wild. The vest keeps the extra material tucked in and positioned correctly.

These past two styles will definitely be a talking point and crowd pleaser if carried off well. If you’re looking for something a little bit more reserved or more ’stylish’ or relaxed, try the loose ascot look Beckham is rocking in the tuxedo below. This is a look that not everyone can pull off, but with the proper accessories and attitude, this will steal the show. Notice that the wild style of the tie is the real star of this outfit, the actual clothes themselves are reserved. Black pants, black jacket, plain white shirt. When adding something unusual like an ascot make sure to play down the rest of the outfit or else you will end up looking like you’re in a costume instead of clothing.

Ascots can be found pretty easily online just by searching around or checking out vintage stores that have mens sections, I will go into that later, the point here is to mix up one of the usually standard parts of your outfit and having a little fun with tradition.

More New Years tips to come!

I tagged along with a friend who needed to pick up some last minute gifts yesterday and found myself in the newly opened, literally closet sized, NYC outpost of K Chocolatier.

K Chocolatier is the new line of luxury chocolates made by Diane Kron, who has been making chocolate for the stars (Andy Warhol, Jackie O, Katherine Hepburn, etc.) since the 1970s and is widely viewed as one of the finest in the country. Their products had been only available in their LA storefronts until a few months ago when this store opened on Madison and 69th. It’s still a family business and Diane’s son was behind the counter offering copious samples and knowledge about the history and products of the company.

Aside from the general line of chocolates, there are two products that really take the cake, so to speak. The first is the ‘HIBALL’, which is a ball of dark chocolate filled with Johnny Walker Blue. This isn’t some sort of scotch flavoring, it’s actual liquid scotch (about 1/2 a shot) contained within rich, dark chocolate walls. The strong scotch taste really hits you when you bite into them, but it mixes incredibly with the dark chocolate and trust me, they are irresistible. If not for the fact that two bites is the equivalent of a shot of scotch….they can get dangerous quickly.

The second is more of a niche/novelty product. It’s called K Sensual and is a mix of various types of cocoa beans and an ancient Chinese concoction of herbs and spices traditionally known as not only an aphrodesiac, but one that specifically effects women. It’s supposed to not only stimulate but intensify ‘the experience.’ The website has a clip from a morning TV show interviewing people who’ve tried it, to apparently great success. It doesn’t do anything for men, so I can’t say I have or will ever try, but could be a fun gift for you boyfriends out there.

The first snow fall here in NYC has truly awoken the Christmas spirit around the city. On Sunday, Central Park was packed with people enjoying the beautiful winter scenes, the quiet and peace of a snow-scape, and of course, the childish fun of a snowy hill. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen so many happy people having so much fun as the hill around 77th St Sunday afternoon. From small children to grown adults, flying bodies covered the slope non stop, some in more control of their descent than others, many crashing into onlookers or various stationary objects littered along the base of the hill. I was thinking about how ski clothing has changed over the years and about an article I read in a skiing magazine on the plane going to Tahoe a few years ago. Unfortunately I can’t find it online, but the gist of it was that up until the last few decades, ski wear was fashionable, nicely tailored, more stylish than functional. But with the advent of Gore-Tex, Under Armour, etc., ski wear has turned into big ugly puffy coats and pants that are all the way over on the functional side, forgetting the fashionable side. I’ve been doing some searches on the nets and found some interesting things about the history of ski wear.

Skiing rose in popularity in the early parts of the 1900s, really taking hold in the 1920s. Back then, ski wear was composed of heavy materials like knitted wool and tweed to provide warmth and flexibility. The outfits were tailored and generally matching colors and patterns. Woman originally wore skirts with heavy leggings until it became acceptable for them to wear pants like men. This was the style more or less until the 50s and 60s when fabric technology advanced and things like nylon took over. You can see from these classic ads that style and flair was just as important in early ski suits as warmth. Reflective of the daily culture and fashion of the first half of the century, these stylish ski suits didn’t leave behind your sense of style when hitting the slopes.

By the 70s synthetic fabrics had all but replaced wool, leaving us with some real gems. This colorful plastic suit trend lasted through the striped Olympic suit phase of the 80s and 90s.

So ski wear went the way of the suit and tie in the 80s and 90s, form fading in place of function, comfort over style, leading to today’s world of big puffy coats and Gore-tex pants. I want to be warm and dry on the slopes like the next guy, but definitely miss the class that used to come with dressing for snow. The late 90s and early 2000s saw some interesting design with the snowboarder culture, but that was more about just adding different patterns to the same poofy coats.

Perhaps the revival of men’s fashion will affect the slopes as well as the streets.

Footnote: Much of the information and pictures above came from here and here. Thanks!

I generally avoid spending a lot of money of sneakers -not my cup of tea- but I have developed a soft spot for Onitsuka Tigers. They are so very comfortable and stylish. With a simple, retro design and classic cool, Tigers come in every variety of color and pattern.

Interesting note on the history of Onitsuka – in 1962 a man named Phil Knight, having just graduating business school, traveled to Japan and stumbled across Tigers on sale at the local shoe store. So impressed by the quality and price he arranged a meeting with Mr Onitsuka and talked his way into being the US distributor of Tigers. He began selling the sneakers out of his car under the name Blue Ribbon Sports, which due to the great success of the Tiger in American allowed Knight to start his own company, called Nike. But I digress.

Known as the Mexico 66 because of their roots as the specially designed track shoe of the ‘66 Olympics, these sneaks are really growing on me. Available in Houndstooth, Plaid, and Tweed, aka my favorate patterns, these Mexico 66’s are a very cool spin on the traditionally solid colored leather/rubber sneakers, and will really jazz up a pair of jeans or if you’re feeling really bold, mix and match some patterns to create a totally unique look.

Anywhere you can pepper in something different or interesting is key to having a unique and memorable style, and something like Houndstooth sneakers is much more interesting matched with a denim shirt and slim kahkis or jeans and a knit sweater then boring black sneakers and a houndstooth jacket. Putting patterns/colors where they are unexpected is what differentiates true style from vanilla fashion sense.

I was surfing around some websites for indoor soccer shoes for the upcoming Zog Winter League, and I came across this new partnership on the PUMA website. I understand and appreciate McQueen’s long history of success and inspirational work in fashion, but I just don’t get this new ‘Crane vs. Tiger’ thing.

The underlying concept of the line is ‘Power’, or physical and mental strength as the core of all sports….obviously. It’s represented with the “iconic brand image” of the Crane vs. Tiger shown above. The website has all these photos of athletic looking people in poses somehow reminiscent of either a crane or a tiger, and a video to the same effect. I just don’t get the animal thing; why are they against each other? Why are both animals anthropomorphized with human legs? I’m not usually negative about people’s creative work, as it’s totally subjective and creative people work hard both to realize their creative vision and appease their clients, but this really doesn’t do it for me.

As for the actual line, there are some stylish pieces, like this decent bomber jacket and stylish gym bag.

Both some of the other things are just too over done, with the whole flapping wing, crane feather deal. Reminds me of the weird drug induced hallucinogenic thing that happened to Markie Mark in Max Payne.

I’ll stick to the old school PUMA soccer shoes, thanks.

Nothing like a morning of miserable freezing rain and blustery winds to inspire the dusting off of winter hats. We all love skullies or beanies, whatever they’re called, and of course the hipster staple fur trapper hat. But if you’re looking to try something new head to your local Christmas market and you’ll surely find a vendor selling Nirvanna Designs knit hats.

Nirvanna claims to be a portmanteau made from the two founders names, Nir and Anna, and is a purveyor of all kinds of finely made knit garments, from hats and gloves to sweaters and summer covers ups, etc. Their website is kind of annoying and way too flash heavy, but if you can find one of their vendors they have great stuff. They sell these at both the Union Square market and the one at Bryant, and I’ve seen them in places as remote as the Kristkindlmarkt in Sunberry, PA.

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This is the one that I have, lovingly referred to as the ‘Mohawk’ hat. They have them in all kinds of cool colors and designs, with anything from peace signs, to skulls, to the union jack (one of my personal favorites). They are hand knitted wool with a fleece lining and are incredibly warm. I wore this snowboarding in Tahoe last winter and was as toasty as can be.

Be it on the mountain side or fighting through the crowds in NY, add a little color and flare to an otherwise drab winter wardrobe.

The weather in New York took a serious turn this past week, with the first reported ’snow fall’ on Saturday. While I wouldn’t count that as our first snow, as it was more of a wet slushing that didn’t stick, it does mark the beginning of the longest, darkest season. And with that, coats and scarves make their first appearance. For girls the new thing seems to be the ‘ring scarf’ and for men, the Tartan scarf.

Tartan is the traditionally Scottish plaid with horizontal and vertical stripes of various sizes and patterns. It comes in many colors and styles, each originating as representative of a Scottish family heritage, sort of like a coat of arms. Red is the traditional base color for Tartan, and the style that I have been seeing most frequently around town.

Whether its from a fine Retailer like Glen Prince of Great Britain or from the man on the street, these are a classic and versatile piece of any wardrobe. Like the famous Burberry pattern, a red Tartan will match with most styles, fall browns or winter blacks, and they add a nice splash of color to an otherwise drab winter wardrobe.

I’m usually not a huge t-shirt guy. I think that graphic T’s are over done and way too expensive for something that is rarely a very meaningful addition to you wardrobe, but I was swayed last week by a local shirt store on 9th Street called the Upper Playground. Much of their stuff is either the same goofy puns as ‘busted tees’ etc., or too urban/graffiti for my style, but this shirt really caught my eye. Both because it is a very unique graphic, but also because of it’s anti-Ralph Lauren, sort of counter-culture thing going on. And it’s a cool T. Check it out and check their other stuff, maybe you’ll find something you like. And I guarantee that if you get something from here you won’t see anyone else on the street with the same thing.

Big weekend for menswear coming up. Not that I have any money for any of this stuff, but it doesn’t hurt to check out what’s going on.

First up, The Pop Up Flea organized by ACL, a market for quality men’s clothes, accessories, etc. I missed the first one of these but I guess it was a success as another has cropped up already.

Second stop, Hollander & Lexer. This place was a recommendation of a friend, it’s out in Brooklyn among a strip full of cool vintage/antique/clothing shops.

The weather looks nice in the city and it hopefully will be a good day of good stuff.

Timberland has always been famous for durable, high quality boots, sold on a mass market to everyone from hippies to rap stars, but they’ve really outdone themselves with the new line called the ‘Earthkeepers.’ They are the manifestation of the company’s core values, i.e. loving and preserving the outdoors. The ads are sort of goofy, but the message is righteous: boots made from recycled tires and PET (the stuff plastic bottles are made from). Leather from green accredited tanneries, 100% cotton laces, post-consumer recycled shoes boxes, and the piece d’resistance the Earthkeeper 2.0, which is built to be recyclable itself. Send your old worn out boots back to Timberland and they’ll tear them apart and remake them new for someone else. I won’t pretend I’m super crazy about the green movement, but initiatives like this definitely make me crave a pair. Very stylish, super rugged boots that are not only for a great cause but relatively inexpensive? The Aldo boots I have on now were the same price as these and they are already falling apart after only a few months of wear. These are three variations of the 6″ boots, my personal favorites of the line:

What a beautiful boot, just rugged enough to be a real man’s outdoor boot, but also stylish enough to slog around a soggy city in style. And for much less than other, comparable boots (read: Wolverine 1000 mile collection), these are a must have for the long Winter ahead.