A Brave New Look + Brave New World

As you might have noticed, the blog has changed its face and thanks must go to the amazing Sam O’Keefe for it.

Now on to the main point of the post, the store Brave New World. It’s a little known fact that Northbridge has been trying to become a bit of a destination to visit during the daytime, well I’m not a fan. The soiled streets hurt my eyes during the day. However nestled near the amazing Moon Cafe on William Street is a little bit of happiness. Stocking labels such as Nique (plus their new line called white label by Nique, Raer, Rock and Republic and Genae). Another fun thing about this store is that you can enjoy a wine in the outdoor corridor while considering your fashion choices. The decor of the store is a mix of jarrah floors and stainless steel fittings and has the mood of a high end boutique in Soho. They only buy limited quantities of each garment and stock near exclusive brands so you can shop safe knowing that you won’t be seeing everyone wearing the same jacket as you when you go out. Prices are reasonable and the service is near flawless. So next time you find yourself in Northbridge getting coffee with friends be sure to check out this little gem.




Brave New World
315 William Street
ph +61 8 9328 2026
info@bravenewworldclothing.com
- a place of brave reflection, new diversity, and worldly spirit.

Trends From the Italians.

We all know that each country has a different take on fashion, well after about an hour of going through photos from Milan Mens shows for winter 2010, i have come up with these key trends, enjoy them, think about them, see what gets you off.

* trousers tucked into boots
* aviator jackets
* khaki and navy with metallics
* Timberland-style boots
* pops of rich coloiur
* shoulders, shoulders, shoulders
* layered rich textures
* dramatic collars
* scarves
* shearling

Basics: Ties

BEWARE LOTS OF WRITING AHEAD!
It amazes me how little people care about what they look like as they turn up to the office each day. So today I want to talk ties with you, as I think it is something we get wrong a lot of the time. I’m of the opinion that if you’ve decided to wear one, then wear it! Don’t just let it hang like a dead fish, and DON’T travel to work with it undone, all because you’re ‘flat out and didn’t have the time’. Make time and leave home dressed. Anything less looks awful, and quite frankly you’re better off without one.

The necktie traces back to the time of Thirty Years’ War, when Croatian mercenaries from the Military Frontier in French service, wearing their traditional small, knotted neckerchiefs, awakened the interest of the Parisians. The new article of clothing started a fashion craze in Europe where both men and women wore pieces of fabric around their necks. The tie was born.

In the last decade or so, business casual became a voice in our daily lives because this gave the impression of being more approachable. The first thing to go was the tie. “Yeah you look great, but lose the tie”, came the calls.

After a quick glance at someone’s face, the tie is the next thing you’ll look at. Try it. I bet you do. It will then draw your focus up to the face again. From the point where your jacket does up, the “V” shape made with a closed jacket and everything within that space is drawing the attention up toward your face. In many ways it’s the prologue to the main show!

Tie Considerations
There are 3 main aspects to think about when wearing a tie:

•Tie design and colour
•Tie proportion
•Tie Knots

Tie Design and colour
Think “opposites” in terms of design, and think “complementry” in terms of colour. What I mean by that is you need to choose a tie pattern that is opposed to the design of the shirt. So here’s a safe word of advice: If you have a striped shirt then choose either a solid colour or a tie with a spot or other such design.

If you are a little more confident in throwing the right things together, then you can try a stripe on stripe, as long as the stripes are of different sizes. So, for example, a thinly striped shirt can be combined with a wide striped tie. If you’re not sure, then leave alone and play safe. The last thing you want to look like is a Zebra gone wrong. And as we all know Zebras don’t belong in the boardroom!


Choosing colour is a little easier. As a rule of thumb, all you need to do is draw out a colour from the shirt. So for example, take a light blue shirt with a pink stripe. I would find a blue tie with a dash of pink in it. Remember this: Combine by complimenting the colours.

Tie Proportion
Tie width has seen great change over the years. The big kipper ties thankfully were left in the 70’s and ever since ties have become thinner and thinner. Even in the last couple of years, the standard width tie has seen a slight tweak by retailers.

The skinny tie has made a big impression and a lot of people choose to wear it in the professional environment over the standard width. To get the look right, the tie should compliment the size of your jacket lapels and it turn should be complimenting the width of your shoulders. So the skinny looks top notch if the wearer is less broad across the shoulders, and combines this attribute with thin jacket lapels. This is the perfect permission to adopt the skinny.
If you are broader in shoulder and lapel I’d stick to standard tie widths. Leave the skinny to the narrower people of this world!

Tie Knots
There are a number of ways of tying a tie, perhaps more than you might be aware of, but there are only a few that we commonly use. The Four-in-Hand (School boy knot), Half Windsor and Full Windsor.

The Four-in-Hand
This knot you probably learnt for your first day at school. Hence why it is referred to as the School Boy. The term “four-in-hand” originally described a carriage with four horses and a driver. The reins for the horses were knotted with a four-in-hand knot. There was also a London gentlman’s club so named where members would wear their neckties with the knot. To this day it is the knot that the majority of us choose to wear.

Half Windsor and Full Windsor
The Windsor knots are the thickest knots amongst the choices as they involve the greastest number of steps. They were named after the Duke of Windsor, however it is wrong to say that he used them. The Duke did require a thick knot but this was achieved by having ties specially made thicker. In the late 1990s, two researchers (Thomas Fink and Yong Mao) of Cambridge University’s Cavendish Laboratory used mathematical modelling to discover that it is possible to tie 85 different knots with a conventional tie… Now, before you say anything, I think there must be a better way to spend one’s time too! Learn the basic knots and you’ll do just fine. If you’re stuck as to how to tie knots, there are so many online video guides that will take you through the steps. Admittedly some are better than others.

What I'm Loving Right Now... Winter Clothing

So basically this year is the year that fashion revives itself after the global economic crisis, so expect to see a lot of good sales around to stimulate the economy because retailers know they are going to have to fight for your business so keep an ear out for some sales and you could find yourself a bargain. In this transition from summer fashion to winter fashion, I think we need to remind ourselves of a few simple rules when buying clothes also.


Bottega Veneta 2010
1. Keep a Simple Colour Palette
if you buy clothes, stick to a colour palette, the best is earthy colours for winter months; by doing this you allow yourself many more possible outfits as things match each other. you can of course pick up some other pieces outside this range and work them in but as a rule of thumb, remember your colour palette. A little tip for 2010, pparently Grey is going to be big this winter!


Tom Ford Velvet Jacket
2. Investment
Every season you should endeavour to buy 2 or 3 "investment pieces". these are usually coats or bags with large ticket prices. go for something unique but timeless, a Burberry trench for example is a great piece to buy because you can use it for many different looks, if you buy one with a removable lining the lining can be taken out for warmer months and Burberry often release a collection of trenches every year with a little something extra such as a classic cotton trench with a silk collar. after a few years you will be spoilt for choice with many beautiful items begging to be worn.

3. Trends
We should all have our own personal style, and allow it to change as trends do, but still remain as original as possible. this can be achieved by combining investment pieces with one or two seasonal pieces that we buy each year. with the military trend big this year I decided to buy a pair of military boots, but I’m still wearing them with my usual styling and they give me a raw, runway looking edge. I prefer to look for items that I think will last a few seasons en vogue or have already lasted a few seasons because there is nothing worse than someone following the little trends that come and go almost monthly.


4. Outerwear Must-Haves.
I think every man should have at least one of each of the following: a cardigan, a woollen sweater, a cashmere sweater, a puffer jacket, a trench coat, a cropped trench and a light summer jacket. this allows you to layer your looks as well as gives you a variety of choices depending on how cold it actually is. I am of course not taking into account formal wear and business wear as it should be implied.


Fur.
I have mentioned fur a few times on the blog so far and that is because I think if you want to be fashionable, you have to be open to the possibilities, and let me tell you that fur is an easy way to make you look like someone that people want to know. wear a fur scarf with your trench coat, or buy a jacket with a shaved mink lining, it will make you feel like a million dollars and keep you so warm you won’t ever look back. beware however, wearing full fur coats without the certain je ne sais quoi you need to pull it off may because you to look like a desperate drag queen or transvestite hooker, keep it tasteful gents.


Acne Lotus scarf ($150 at Wasteland)
Scarves.
Wool, cotton, silk, cashmere or fur, I don’t care what they are made of, scarves are an accessory that can complete many looks, refer to my previous post about scarves for specifics.

The Windsor Knot

at this point in time I’m hoping everyone can tie a tie, but I thought it might be a good idea to do a post about the Windsor knot, one which I see as a more corporate looking knot, it perpetuates confidence. While just about everyone can use this tie knot to tie his tie, it looks especially well on men with longer necks as its wide form shortens the perceived height of the neck a little bit.

To tie the Windsor Knot, select a necktie of your choice and stand in front of a mirror. Then simply follow the steps below:




1) Start with the wide end ("W") of your necktie on the right, extending about 12 inches below the narrow end ("N") on the left.





2) Then cross the wide end over the narrow end.





3) Bring the wide end up through the loop between the collar and your tie.





4) Then bring the wide end back down.





5) Pull the wide end underneath the narrow end and to the right, back through the loop and to the right again so that the wide end is inside out.





6) Bring the wide end across the front from right to left.





7) Then pull the wide end up through the loop again.





8) Bring the wide end down through the knot in front.





9) And -- using both hands -- tighten the knot carefully and draw it up to the collar.



It should be pointed out once again that ties with cartoons on them are unacceptable! Choose ties that are plain, geometric designs, stripes or monograms, they are timeless.

Brands of Note: Zegna, Louis Vuitton, Hugo Boss, Hermes

More So Not 2010

So I’ve compiled a few more items for my list of fashion faux pas, and I hope you read this and think about your own personal style and ask yourself if you do any of this!



1. Wearing Socks with Sandals
this is an oldie but a good example of something heinous that should never be done; if your feet are cold don’t wear sandals. The only place that you can wear socks with sandals and not get labelled as a fashion offender is in the privacy of your home. Do not, I repeat “DO NOT” ever step outside your home looking this way and if you actually want any respect don’t even wear them around the house, wear slippers.

2. Too Much Jewellery
Now, who said it was okay to wear as much jewellery as Mr T? A wedding band and a watch is all you need. Do yourself a favour and don’t pile on those gold neck chains, bracelets, body or facial piercings. I would say a necklace or two, something on each wrist and 2 rings is the limit for anyone.



3. Wrong Length Trousers
always try on trousers before buying as different brands have different lengths and cuttings. If the waist of your trousers sits higher than the belly button, it is too high. On the other hand, trousers should not fall below the pelvic bones and god help you if I can see socks!

4. Stained Clothing
given the fact that spilling coffee on the shirt happens to all of us, it would be wise to keep a stain stick or a clean shirt in the office as a backup. Otherwise, I would suggest that you simply go out and purchase a new one when a stain occurs.


5. Glittery Shirts
Glittery shirts are a thing of the past even if you are considering wearing them for clubbing purposes.

6. Anything Novelty
I know I mentioned cartoons on ties in the first list but I thought I would elaborate. Novelty clothing does not project style and are meant to be left on the racks of the store where you last saw them. Have you ever seen the “Batman Utility Belt”? It’s a belt which you can clip on any communications device or tool you might need. All I can say is “Ewwww….”.

7. Flashy Designer Labels
unless the designers start paying me huge chunks of money, I wouldn’t want to be walking around with a giant advertisement for a designer label on the front of my shirt. It looks tacky to wear clothing with flashy and tacky decals. Keeping it moderate and simple is the key.



8. Sport Apparel as Casual Wear
I blame the British with their overuse of soccer jerseys, sport shorts and shoes as everyday clothing, it doesn’t look good, its ill fitting, cut for exercise and covered in boring details appreciated by losers and Bogans in the slums of your capital city. The same goes for AFL jumpers and shorts, there’s a time and a place for them, and that time is when you are going to a sports match. AND GOD HELP YOU IF YOU WEAR A POLO SHIRT WITH A POPPED COLLAR!

9. Fake Designer Goods
There’s one thing worse than wearing a shirt covered designer logos, and that is fake designer goods. Having said that it is usually the fake goods that have the tacky branding anyway. My point is, you are defrauding the fashion houses when you buy fakes, if you really like fashion, you are going the wrong way to show it, save your money and buy something authentic, it will look better, fit better and last longer than some piece of linoleum folded into a bag or some rags sewn together with a iron on D&G print.

Being a Gentleman

Towards the end of my outing on Wednesday night, I was confronted with disgusting behaviour that shocked me, so I decided I would compile some tips from some friends about being a gentleman.
I'm not saying that men should act like robots and be slaves to etiquette, but some basic good manners will go a long way in helping you during your ascent to the top.

So here’s a quick list of tips that will help turn even the most blundering fool into a proper gentleman. Follow these simple tips and I can assure you that people will perceive you as a man of good breeding and taste, hence a man they wish to associate and conduct business with. Not to mention the fact that the ladies and men are always quite pleased to meet a real gentleman, someone who displays an ounce of class in this millennium.



Always be polite.
even if you don't like someone, there is no need to lower yourself to their level. Be polite and courteous; show that you're the better man.

Do not curse.
Swearing is a big no-no. It shows that you don't have the vocabulary to express your thoughts appropriately. Furthermore, it is always very crude and impolite to be vulgar.

Do not speak loudly.
when you speak loudly; it raises the stress level among company. It always implies that you can't reason with people and rely on "brute force" to get your point across. It also draws attention -- negative attention.

Do not lose your temper.
When you lose your temper, you are showing everyone that you can't control your emotions. If you can't even control yourself, then how can you possibly control anything else? Keep your cool at all times (it won't be easy but it is worth the effort) and people will take positive note of your levelheadedness.

Do not stare.
Ogling someone is the equivalent of psychological aggression. You don't want to intimidate people for no reason. Stop being weak and just go over and talk to the person if you want to get their attention.

Do not spit.
a lot of men do this almost subconsciously. Spitting is very crude and not too pretty to look at. Do not spit in public unless you want to look like you were raised in a sewer. I know I sometimes spit but I try to do it in a corner and sometimes it’s unavoidable but on the most part there’s no need to spit in front of others.

Know a good Wine.
There’s nothing people hold in higher regard than a recommendation for a good wine, know at least one to show you have some culture.

Do not get in someone’s face.
If you have a problem with someone, ignore it and do not sink to their level or bring it up in private, doing it in public is unseemly and will end up ruining peoples nights including your own

Know your limit.
There is nothing attractive about someone staggering around off their chops from alcohol and drugs eat a good meal before going out and show some restraint in our intake.