How to 4th of July style?

Dear readers, in order to keep your style juices flowing and keep things interesting and fun around here, A Man of Style decided to have an addition to our authors.... which so far included only me :)... and what could be a better time to do it than Independence day???
So sit back, unbutton your jacket, release your tie and allow me to introduce Lis Collins! Lis...they are all yours.....

Ah, 4th of July. Time for burgers and barbecuing, parades and streamers and fireworks of course! It's the one time of year you can dress like a flag and get away with it. But who wants to look like a flag? Thanks Betsy Ross, but no thanks. Here are a few patriotic options, sans flag. 

In the 5 boroughs there are two events that are synonymous with 4th of July. Start your day off right at Coney Island and watch master eaters devour hot dogs. End it in style at Hudson Terrace rooftop with a few cocktails.

Hot Dog Contest

On one end of the cultural spectrum, there's the annual Nathans Hot Dog Eating Contest, in Coney Island. Contestants come from all over the world on this sacred national holiday to do what Americans do best- eat. Legend has it the contest began in 1916 as a way to settle a dispute on patriotism between 4 immigrants. This may or may not be true, but I still can't think of a better way to spend the 4th than with historic roller coasters, hot dogs, and the beach

The ketchup may be flying, but with this red gingham buttondown from Asos, you've nothing to worry about!

New York fashion week fall 2011 - Rag & Bone

 

 First I'd like to apologize for being MIA in the last couple of weeks, between fashion week, fashion work and a cool new project that I'm putting together and cant wait to tell you about (just few weeks from now...), i couldn't find the time to keep your style kick update....sorry.
Rag & Bone has a new wind! Or at list that's what it looks to me....Based on the collection they showed for fall 2011 either there is a new creative director in house or the 2 founders switched their creative vision in180 degrees! Considering the brand's style was never at the top of my brand list (sorry Anna, i know how much you love the brand....) due to it casual feel and lack of design, this time around i was surprised to find it actually designed with nice looks and great pieces for the modern guy whether he is in a dressy or casual mood. As a big fan of pants that stand out I found the voluminous, wider leg, wool trousers to be my favorite pieces with lots of strong British/Scottish inspiration shown in bold colors, plaids and stripes. Tailored coats and bomber jackets were notable as well among the sea of kilts shown, with a standout light grey hooded toggle coat accented with electric blue which was the highlighted color of their collection.........

The cardigan sweater - what to choose and how to wear?

Converse by John Varvatos

My first memory of a cardigan is of my grandfather, he wore them quite a lot. He had some that were thinner in solid color that he wore at times under suits and some that were chunkier with big textured leather buttons that he wore out on on its own or under a jacket or even just at home to keep him warm. My guess is that almost everyone who is reading this have somewhat a similar memory to that of their grandparents, after all the cardigan is known as the grandpa sweater! My second memory happened many years later when Kurt Cobain sport the cardigan look, i especially remember the time when Nirvana played their MTV unplugged and he was wearing this green/yellowy vintage looking one over T jeans and snickers....that was Grange in its best (and also one of the greatest moments of Rock if you ask me...).

Amy way enough of my memories. The cardigan is a great item for transitional weather when temperature changes through out the day and layering is in order. I like that its easy to incorporate it into your day with any style whether you go casual or more dressy like Pep Guardiola (the Barcelona manager shown below) sporting it under a suit.

Pep Guardiola in action and style....

Now days there a lot of cardigan style to choose from, from a classic with leather buttons to a zip-up with cardigan and much more. below are some of the main styles you should concider:

Spring 2011 NY Fashion week - Rag & Bone

"Nomads of the North African deserts" was the inspiration for Rag & Bone's Spring 2011 men's collection....looking at the show i think they took the inspiration very seriously resulting in quite a literal interpretation of the subject. I will admit that although Rag & Bone always had somewhat of a British tailoring  touch to their line (which i love), i was never really a fan of their product....as a matter of fact I don't even own any of their item, it was just never my style, and this season i think its even harder for me to relate...the look is very denim and American work wear driven and although its done in their own sophisticated way it just not my cup of tea. The look is casual and the silhouettes are looser and on the baggy side with wide leg pants and long shirts and jackets/coats (a bit too Nomads and desert style for me), with a fabric story that revolves around denim, canvas and chambray. My favorite pieces were the Chambray trench coat and some of the pants that had cool utility pockets and a fun mix of colors/fabrics and looked very comfy.
Generally the inspiration was executed very well in the collection and i would think that the Rag & Bone customer will find a lot of solid pieces in it, which is all that matters after all.

Spring 2011 Inspirations

Fashion week in NY starting today and I'm sure a lot of you out there are always wondering and curious about the inspiration for the collections so when i saw that  WWD posted some of the inspirations being used for spring 2011 I thought i"ll share with you five designers/inspirations that i thought it will be interesting to follow and see how they will be translated into clothes... and once fashion week is over I'll post the results....
Good luck to all the designers this week....and give us something to remember!

SIMON SPURR
exploring the boundaries between art and fashion, the collection mixes Lucio Fontana - nspired prints and sweaters with British military undertones and YSL elegance.” — Simon Spurr

New York fashion week - Fall 2010-2011

New York fashion week proved once again its power as the capital of the sophisticated casual sportswear....... showing straight forward, commercial and wearable clothes!
The general inspiration board includes British tailoring influenced by 50's flair (someone said Mad man???), worn by a hipster from Williamsburg (Brooklyn), who caught in a moody day wearing Doc Martens-like lace-ups boots (with the pants tucked in), and sporting a pompadour hairstyle a la Morrissey. The color palette was mostly dark in basic shades of black, gray and earth tones...
Standout items included overcoats (were the highlights of almost every designer) and vests.

3.1 PHILLIP LIM