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!

My style journal - week ten - Creative Black Tie

This weekend our good friends got married and the dress code called for "creative black tie"...so i wanted to share with you my version of it. I made this jacket as part of a purple velvet suit (purple is one of my favorite colors, especially a deep shade like the one on this jacket) that i wore to my wedding almost 5 years ago, but since than i didn't have a chance to wear it again until this weekend. When i tried it on last week i wasn't as crazy about the pants so i paired the jacket with these black silk pants (that are part of a silk suit i made my self about 6 years ago) and i really liked the combination, it worked out perfectly, right?
The shirt is a BOAZ design as well, and is a fitted (with no darts) white Egyptian cotton twill shirt that i made about a month ago and that was it's debut..... BTW as we speak I'm working on having that shirt along with some of my other men's shirts designs available to buy online, so stay tune for that....

Findings - G-Star white shirt

 White MOON clean dress shirt from G-Star.

WHY: It's funny that I'm posting this because I'm not so crazy about this white shirt from G-Star (mostly because of the back hem, don't like it being straight) but the asymmetric front placket closure is cool and very inspiring. I can see a whole group of shirts designed around this great detail.....especially in two color tones like grey and white for example....
 INFO: Long sleeve button down shirt in white. spread color, tonal logo embroidery at shoulder, layered detail and metallic logo plaque at curved placket, single button french cuffs, uneven hem, tone on tone stitching, 100% cotton.
PRICE: $84.00 (down from $120)

WHERE: SSENSE

What to look for when buying a button down shirt?

When thinking of men’s clothing there is one item that defines men’s style more than anything else - the BUTTON DOWN (UP) SHIRT!
I personally LOVE Button down shirts and most of my closet is dedicated to them. My favorite is what I call the SMART SHIRT (thank you Natalie). This is a contemporary version of what known as the traditional dress shirt that our fathers and grandfathers use to wear… with more flair, more flattering fit and a larger variety of fabrics, colors and details. What I love so much about this shirt is the fact that it’s very versatile for today's life style. It can be dressed up or dressed down depends on one’s mood, needs and the occasion. The modern man is constantly on the move and needs items that with small tweaks can be made suitable for few situations. I for example don’t wear suits in my every day life so the traditional dress shirt is not an item I have much of, (if you are
looking for tips on the classic dress shirt check out