Sherlock wears Derek Rose Dressing Gowns

I have always thought of dressing gown's as the gentleman's equivalent of a superhero's cape. It was, in fact, my (Mickey Mouse) dressing gown that I loved to wear the most when I was 6 or 7. I'd slick my hair back and wear it over my pyjamas, tied at the waist and always finished off with a cravat – I was way ahead of Chuck Bass.
Over the years, I have developed a very specific (aka: expensive) taste for loungewear – fine silks and cashmeres are my personal favourites. And so I was thrilled to see Benedict Cumberbatch in his role as Sherlock wearing my favourite loungewear brand: Derek Rose.
My favourite of his looks was the 'Kensington' dressing gown in camel – he's worn it in burgundy too. I do also love this other similar style in cashmere herringbone. You might also remember some of his previous brilliant dressing gown moments like the one below in the navy silk Woburn style, which is available online.

Shop the amazing Derek Rose lounge and underwear collection here.

   

Courtesy of Derek Rose

A Few Reasons why The O.C. is still Relevant 10 Years Later

It has been 10 years since The O.C. first aired, which is scary for me because once you can recall well past events and need to go back in time to double digits you know you're getting old. This was possibly the first TV show I properly got into as a teen and one that not only I connected with but that also had a influence in me. I remember going shopping with Seth Cohen's style choices in mind. And I was successful once or twice – most notably with my vast collection of argyle sweaters and my deer Christmas jumper, which people in my class requested me to wear every December.
A decade later I find that not only I continue to dress somehow like I first learnt from Cohen but that a lot of his very preppy choices have become staples in a contemporary menswear wardrobe. And that is why I decided to put together this post – to prove this show (and this guy) influenced a whole generation.

From vintag-y jumpers and loopback sweatshirts to Penguin and Fred Perry polo shirts, also with a retro vibe, The O.C. made cool what we first knew as 'geek chic'. Pieces which have now become must-haves for style-concious men. The short on long sleeve combos are perhaps the least common look these days but still a favourite of mine – if only I could find long-sleeved t-shirts my size. Seth Cohen's vest jumpers, dressing gown numbers and casual blazer get-ups have now been claimed, to some extent, by hipsters. The latter was another favourite of mine to wear to school. Nothing beats a corduroy blazer over an argyle jumper at 15 years of age.

Four Stylish Ways of Wearing the Cuban Shirt this Summer

I was surprised not to see many Cuban shirts on editors and buyers this past menswear fashion week. As you know, it was one of my favourite trends of the season and it's just perfect when you want to look good and fashionable in high heats.
I recently started watching a new TV show called 'Magic City', which takes place in the late 50's and revolves around the ins and outs of a 5-star hotel in Miami Beach. I am a sucker for the style of this era but this show is also excellently styled and because Miami is a much more colourful backdrop the characters wear more fun clothes than anyone on Mad Men. One of those characters is Stevie Evans, played by Steven Strait. Even though he is often in slick suit and tie outfits he spends all of his down time in chic Cuban shirts. The trick is to keep the details to a minimum and to pair it with classic pieces. He always wears is tucked, which is a bit more formal and requires that you have the guns to pull it off. But if you combine his great style choices with the current vibes Zac Efron gave to his look you have an absolute winner.

StevenStraitOnline

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The Quest to find Mike Ross' Ties Comes to an End

Back in November I embarked on a quest to find the beautifully modern single-diagonal-stripe ties that the character Mike Ross wears on the TV show 'Suits'. It has been a long long quest – though, to be fair, I have a day job so I can't say I lost hours of sleep for this – but it has now come to an end.
After spotting Dave Franco earlier this week in a colour-block skinny tie didn't recognise or could find I decided I would try once again to find the (goddamn) ties. Luckily, the good gods of fashion smiled down on me and reminded me of The Tie Bar, the only online store I had never checked for the ties. And that was, of course, where I found them. And in abundance.
The Tie Bar is one of American GQ's go-to shops for neck attire and accessories so it's no wonder the stylists over at at the show went to them as well. I recommend you check out the store in general – they also do my favourite tie bars (duh!) in the world.
And my luck didn't end there, I even found an exact match for another of Mike Ross' ties worn in one of the last episodes we've seen in the current season. It's a Rag & Bone skinny black model with two ultra thin white and grey stripes across and it's available at Nordstrom.

Screen Capture, JustJared

Fashion Highlights from Mad Men's Season 6 Premiere

It is finally back. The only TV show on air where us fellas can indulge in quality entertainment and real (vintage) men's fashion. Mad Men is back on the small screen as of Sunday and the new season double bill was already full of style hits.
In case you had any doubts, Don Draper was yet again the best dressed of the episode. But it's half due to the great styling and half to the amount of screen time he has. Even though I would personally wear an outfit like the below I must admit no one but Don Draper could pull off a bandana-print Cuban shirt with an olive checked blazer. I did also appreciate his matching tan and Old Fashioned.
A look I would happily don (ha!) is the red and black Prince of Wales check number Draper wears for the evening together with a crisp white shirt and a modern deep red skinny tie.

A few months ago I posted about my obsession with Mike Ross' ties and my quest to find them. Well, it seems both Don and Pete Campbell are sporting the same style on the new season. This bring us to Don's third hit on the episode – the subtle mix of prints of the micro checked blue suit, the striped tie and the Prince of Wales checked scarf.
Another of my favourites of the double episode was Roger Sterling's double-chested blue blazer. I thought it suited him perfectly and it was a nice break from his signature 3-piece look.

On the down is Stan Rizzo, who last season delighted us his his ultra-tight sporty jersey and pique tops that brought a nice air of sportswear into the show. The character seems to be have sold his beard trimmer to invest in bakery goods. On the up is Bob Benson, a new character from whom we can expect a bit more colour and youthfulness to go with his personality.

Ron Jaffe/AMC

On a quest to find Mike Ross' Ties

I first fell in love with this type of ties a while back when I saw this look on Ryan Gosling. I am not the biggest fan of diagonal-striped ties but I find them really interesting when there's only one across or when they're scattered asymmetrically. I went a little crazy trying to find a similar version online but I couldn't and so I gave up.
But again at the end of the summer I was reminded of the tie while I watched the latest season of Suits. Mike Ross sports several models like this in the show. I suspected they were by Thom Browne – who wouldn't with that colour combination, right? – but I seemed to be wrong. So I am making this post out of sheer despair asking for help. Putting a 'Have you seen this tie?' on the side of a milk carton seemed melodramatic. So, please, if you know of any ties like this let me know below on the comments section or on Twitter.
These below are seemingly close (in concept) to what I am looking for. The first two are nice but a tad too boring for me and the third is the perfect stripe design (by Thom Browne) but not the right distribution.

Left to right: Gucci college stripe tie, Gucci diagonal stripe tie, Thom Browne grosgrain stripe tie.

He's fly: Chuck Bass

The last season of Gossip Girl started this week and, cringy as it has got over the last six years, I can't help but want to finish what I started. So I am watching. And we still have Chuck Bass style to make up for the insanely cheesy lines and the absurd amount of poker-related puns.
If I didn't know better I would think that Eric Daman has been reading Fashion, Frankly. Not only Chuck is now sporting the haircut of the moment but he also gave a lesson in pattern mixing that would make Tim Gunn weak at the knees. The plaid flannel jacket, though too much for the summer, looks so great with the micro check of the shirt. And just in case anyone thought that the solid blue bow tie (perfectly tied) was too safe, there's the paisley pocket square matching the colour palette and adding the final twist of genius.

Darren Criss/Blaine Anderson loves a bit of Thom Browne

Lea-Jon.com

You might remember I already posted about Blaine Anderson's (Darren Criss' alter ego in Glee) wardrobe choices a few months ago. I guess that is part of the reason why I like his character so much. That and because the guy is as cool as one can be.
Blaine's style is quite Thom Browne all the time – cropped suit trousers, fitted shirts, perfectly done bow ties. In last week's episode of Glee there were some unusually casual looks as the characters dressed down for a work out (aka: 'booty camp') and a workshop. It was for the latter that Blaine slipped into some more Thom Browne. He wore one of the striped Henley t-shirts I have been dying to have for weeks though for $315 a pop I can't even justify it to myself. For Blaine this is a winner look – it's cool, it fits well and it carries on with his red and blue wardrobe theme, how patriotic!

Barneys.com

Boardwalk Empire: The 10 Best Suits

If you read Fashion, Frankly regularly (as regularly as I update it, anyway) it will come as no surprise to you that I am a huge fan of Boardwalk Empire. I caught up with season 1 during the summer and am now keenly following the new episodes every week.
As I watched one of the episodes last night I realised how hard it is for me to remember my favourite looks from the show. Everyone is so exquisitely dressed and to such detail that my mind is not capable of registering everything. So I had this idea of looking for pictures from the show and putting together a little list of my favourite suits so far. This is the result.
1. The olive green flannel with the subtle stripe. Green is my favourite colour and I've been dreaming about owning the perfect green suit for years. I am still saving (or thinking of saving) for one but I reckon this is very close to perfection. I love that tie to go with it too.
2. The micro check dark suit. What I like the most about this pattern and the colour palette of the look in general is how only another man who knows his stuff can appreciate them. It's not bold but it's not boring.

3. The India green suit with a (slight) shine. Call me crazy but I love this colour suit for the evening. I'd wear it with a black shirt and a pair of black suede New Balance sneakers. Another winner for me. But, again, it's green.
4. The double-chested checked suit. Again, call me a mad man but I see this as the perfect lounging jacket. I can see myself wearing this suit with a soft white Oxford shirt and sipping a whiskey from my Chesterfield armchair while I watch Frozen Planet on a Sunday night.
5. The asymmetric 3-button suit. I find red to be the trickiest colour for a man to pull off but I think it's also one of the coolest colours to wear, if you can. What's interesting about this one is the fact that the red check on the jacket is asking for a red shirt but the jacket's grey base helps tone the volume down. One wants to be quirky, not loud.
6. The "wooden effect" striped suit. This is another example of an understated pattern choice. The look itself is a bit boring but I love the grey and brown stripes –they remind me of that fake wooden effect you can decorate cars with. Rightly paired with a shirt and tie this would be a statement look.

HBO.com/boardwalk-empire

7. The never-mind-the-suit coat. It baffles me when, knowing you could buy an über-elegant cobalt blue coat, men go for the *yawn* black coat to wear with their (surprise, surprise) black suit. Especially if you're one of those men who goes from meeting to meeting you need one of these.
8. The my-waiscoat-is-cooler-than-my-jacket look. If you know you will not be wearing your jacket much during the day (i.e. you're flying) make sure your waistcoat can bare the jacket's spotlight on its own. I love this Prince of Wales knit version, which almost goes unnoticed with the tweed blazer on but acquires a personality of its own when the jacket's off.
9. The purple flannel suit. Wearing purple is, for a man, a way of making an effort to look different but not wanted anyone to know that you wanted to look good. I know, though. Purple is also a great colour to pair with other colours –see the pumpkin checks in this one. An orange paisley tie would have made this a knock-out.
10. The wonderfully simple and incredibly elegant tweed suit. I must say after buying mine a couple of weeks ago I cannot see why every man wouldn't want to wear a tweed suit every day of his life, in winter anyway. It's comfortable and warm and it makes you feel so chic. This fine specimen in the picture, though, differs from mine in the double pocket on the chest and the waist band across the back -elements taken from the strictly hunting suits from earlier in the 20's that later became a casual everyday option.

Which one is your favourite?

He's fly: Blaine Anderson/Darren Criss

NYmag.com, Fox.com

I know that Glee might seem like the last place where a man would find inspiration to dress but before you close the window shaking your head and thinking that I've gone mad look at the pictures above and honestly ask yourself whether you want to look like that. If the answer is no, I don't know what you're doing here.
I am a big Glee fan ever since it started airing but I must say the styling in the show, while apt for the characters, has never been to interesting or particularly fun. Only from season two Kurt's styling started to include McQueen or Marc Jacobs pieces into the wardrobe. Even then it was a style a bit camp I still could not relate to. And then Blaine came around.
It's funny I should blog about this a couple of weeks after my hair style post. Blaine wears his hair exactly like I wear mine and we also share a certain liking for preppy. The only difference is he's more Ivy League and I'd like to think my influences are more Oxford.
In this week's episode of Glee Blaine really outdid himself in terms of styling. His all-grey look for his visit to his old school couldn't have been more Thom Browne if they tried. I spent a good deal of time looking for the exact same pieces in Browne's collections but wasn't successful, though his are not exactly the kind of clothes you buy online.

Barneys.com

If one brilliant look wasn't enough Blaine later wears some more, this time I can confirm, Thom Browne piece. I absolutely love this cardigan. I first saw it about a year ago when someone I work with walked into the office wearing it. In fact, he was wearing it again yesterday.
The cardigan is slightly big on Blaine, which makes me like the slick first look more but I appreciate a bit of high fashion on a mainstream TV show. Especially because it's not the kind of thing most people would even recognise. I would have worn it with a more neutral polo shirt. The red takes away from what could've been a super cool outfit.