Articles By: Ikechukwu Onyewuenyi

Hand in Hand: Club Collar and Slim Tie

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Summer is here and with it comes scorching temperatures, humid air and, well a pleasant change of wardrobe and styling. To save yourself from the tyranny of the weather, one can consider rolling up those long sleeve shirts or ditching them in favor of a more suave short sleeve alternative. The latter option seems more viable seeing as this is the season to show some skin plus it wouldn’t seem remotely presumptuous to flaunt those biceps outside the gym!

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A.P.C. X The Teenagers Honor Rock & Roll

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I heart A.P.C. and I heart The Teenagers.

Naturally, great minds tend to think alike so it was an expected symbiosis of talent for Jean Touitou to team up with The Teenagers, a French synthpop meets indie rock band, to produce a limited edition of t-shirts on the topic of rock and roll. The message of “I Hate Rock and Roll” is to salvage what the genre once was and Touitou has enlisted several bands (The Teenagers, Housse de Racket, Koko Von Napoo and Chateau Marmont) that remain true to the art form and are not merely posers.

Of course I’m chuffed that The Teenagers were thrown into the mix of legit rock bands, but I’m more so pleased with the thought that went into The Teenagers’ design and the lovey-dovey feel of the end result.

Paris, as a city, is synonymous with love so the amorous overtones make The Teenagers t-shirt a salient portrait of who they are as individuals and as a band. Plus, it looks like a cooler version of those cliche “I Love Paris” touristy tees that make such comme ci comme ca gifts.

Visit A.P.C. here to score your Teenagers tee ($40) and support unfeigned rock and roll!

Milan Vukmirovic on “The French Perspective”

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“I go to L.A. and people tell me, ‘I love the way you dress, but I could never do that because everyone will think I’m gay.’ American guys worry too much about what others think. Fashion is fun, and you should be able to play with your look” — Milan Vukmirovic in GQ

Vukmirovic couldn’t have been anymore honest or spot on. This issue relates to men of all races and cultures, but as a member of the Black community, the sexual stigma of dressing in and possessing a somewhat peculiar style is even more immediate.

Homosexual labels are quickly splashed out to the likes of Kanye West and Andre 3000 because their idea of fashion and dress is nested in a culture that is somewhat different from what African American/Black men are accustomed to. Rather than branding it gay, let’s just settle with “different from the norm” or “the French Perspective”.

Medical Doctors Embrace the Bow Tie

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If you’ve ever ventured down past a post to read a bit about who I am as a writer, you would know that I possess an intriguing alter-ego in that I’m a biomedical researcher by day and well, an art aficionado by night (and day)!

As expected, a good chunk of my day is spent poring through scientific literature, writing manuscripts or tending to research participants. The other chunk feeds that right-brain lust for fashion, art and anything where a sizeable dose of subjectivity can be thrown at it. As expected, over the course of my workday, the odd chance of coming across anything remotely fashion-related amid the scientific jargon is rare. Browsing fashion blogs and reading the latest findings in the Journal of Neuroscience are tasks that are far removed from one another—except for today!

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Mixing It Up: Coming Soon to American Apparel

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Aside from their lewd, attention-grabbing ads, everything at American Apparel pretty much conforms to a muted aesthetic. They do the basics well, but at some stage a wardrobe complete with basics in every color of the rainbow can get a bit humdrum. I’ll give them credit though in that some recent offerings from American Apparel have shown a bit of creative prints, tailoring and fabric options.

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Michael Jackson, Givenchy, and Stardust: The King of Pop Turns Androgynous

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My present thinking wouldn’t regard Michael Jackson as much of a fashion-forward chap. These days, I’m more concerned with the King of Pop melting under the sweltering sun of Dubai as his Botox infused visage struggles to hold itself together. However, judging by Jackson’s recent head-to-toe Givenchy womenswear getup, it seems like the King of Pop is back to his good ol’ “Beat It” best!

Based on recent sightings, it’s no secret that Jackson is trying to relive his trendsetter days. After being seen cavorting about in a svelte Balmain t-shirt from the label’s AW09 womenswear collection, recent snapshots show Jackson in a piece for piece rendition of an AW07 stardust-inspired Givenchy look that Gemma Ward wore. Interestingly, closer observation of Jackson’s lapel in comparison to Ward’s shows adjustments were made to tone down the femininity of the initial jacket. Amendments aside, it’s safe to say that Jackson’s affinity for Givenchy could best be described as straight, no chaser!

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Dressed for Success: Sir Paul Smith Unites with Manchester United

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If you fancy yourself a football loyalist, you would know today is a monumental day in football as England’s Manchester United and Spain’s F.C. Barcelona square off to decide who is the European champion. A time-tested Manchester United fan, I’m confident that United is bagging the silverware. However, I’m also comforted in the fact that, win or lose, the Manchester United lads will be well decked out in Sir Paul Smith’s awfully dapper light grey Prince of Wales suits.

Recently billed as the victors of the English Premiership, it was only natural that Manchester United would be in league with the iconic British designer. For the last year, Sir Smith has been at the helm of the football club’s formal wear and accessories, designing and supplying the United players, coaching staff and club officials with suits, raincoats and baggage. The union is meant to span for another two years.

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Review: Matthew Williamson for H&M

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Psychedelic colours, ethnic patterns, and bohemian details. That’s what Matthew Williamson splashed out for his summer H&M line for men. It was a literal kaleidoscope that spoke to the past, present, and future of menswear in an extremely wearable context. At the least, I had a rough idea that Williamson would stick to his vibrant best and deliver a piña coladaesque collection that epitomized his signature aesthetic of sprightly prints and colours atop relaxed yet structured feminine pieces.

However, I wasn’t sure how that would translate into menswear. It’s rumoured that the designer is to launch a menswear collection in the near future. Let’s just say if his H&M line is a reflection of what’s to come from Williamson in menswear, then we have a lot to be encouraged by.

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The MySuit Experience

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In concluding my previous post on Rick Ross, I got on the topic of tailoring and how the attentive touch of a sartor could render even Rick Ross into a debonair gentleman. Frankly speaking, even though we’d all love to personally have a Savile Row tailor at our beck and call to serve us up sumptuous suits all season long, many (such as myself) don’t have the pockets deep enough to splash out a good £2000 ($2900) or more on a bespoke number from Savile Row. However, if finances aren’t an issue, my recommendation is taking the high road to the pleasures of bespoke living. From living out the design process from scratch to possessing a lifetime warranty in the form of alterations, bespoke suiting is an assured investment in quality.

On the contrary, made-to-measure suits are steadily emerging as a substitute to London’s Savile Row. Once resigned for upper class, tailor-made suits are now an enviable reality for the masses thanks to made-to-measure establishments such as MySuit. Although not bespoke, at $495, made-to-measure suits are your best bet to injecting that unique fit and sense of personality to one’s wardrobe. In the general sense, a suit truly confers onto its wearer a palette with which the fit, the jacket and pant style, the pocket square and even the collar upon the shirt are brushstrokes that allow one to illustrate their fashion sensibilities. Unsurprisingly, as a made-to-measure establishment, MySuit sees to it that those subtle discernments are lived out through “The MySuit Experience.”

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Balmania Skips Men This Season

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Balmania—the excessive craze for anything contrived by fashion house, Balmain. Last spring, Christophe Decarnin of Balmain served up some exquisitely tailored, shoulder augmented jackets spirited by a Michael Jackson meets militaristic élan. No less than a season after Balmain’s SS09 show, did the jackets reappear in a crazed manner. Literally, Balmain coats were on the backs of close every dainty female who were, quite frankly, “head over shoulders” for Balmain.

Now what’s good for the goose is good for the gander, but sadly not this time around. Snapshots from Balmain’s AW09 collection pour le homme are out and the gargantuan shoulders that sent women the world over batty is strangely absent. What we do get are some rather average motorcycle jackets (the zipper detailing is not shabby though, I’ll give them that) and a distressed leather trench (yes, the leg work is done). I know, I know…beggars can’t be choosers, then again, I would have loved to get in on the Balmania epidemic and experience some of this shoulder region accentuation. Till next season I guess…

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