Neil Patrick Harris Wears my Favourite Jil Sander Dinosaur Tie

JustJared

This week Neil Patrick Harris was spotted arriving at the CBS Studios in New York for an interview to talk about his upcoming Tony Awards hosting gig. The actor looked cool and relaxed as always in a classic combo of slim jeans, white shirt and black blazer and lace-ups, which he spiced up with my favourite Jil Sander dinosaur tie. You might remember I posted about it a few months ago first when I bought it from Mr Porter and then as part of one of my outfits during the last Milan Fashion Week. Alas, the tie is no longer on sale but I'm so happy I got it. It's a classic with a twist that makes any outfit interesting without being loud.

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.

Thinking FW12: Yes, Deer Tie

My obsession with ties didn't start until about 2 years ago. Before then, I would never wear one because, frankly, I didn't believe in them. Silly me. Since then, my collection has grown enormously especially if you consider that I only wear them little over twice a year for fashion week and for special events.
On my wishlist for FW12, as well as Jil Sander's whale one, is this 'Yes, Deer Tie' from Of a Kind created in collaboration with The Knottery. Green is my go-to colour in the winter and I have this thing for deer and moose motifs so it kind of ticks all the boxes.
I sounded so keen on this tie, even to myself, that I stopped mid-post and bought it online. Ha! It is only $45 and there is only 50 of them so I guess this is what they call affordable luxury. Now I am terribly excited about how cool it will look with my flannel Gant Rugger suit – a perfect look for icy Milan Fashion Week in January.

Winter Pattern Mixing inspired by Tim Gunn

It hasn't been until recently, after 10 years of Project Runway being on air, that Tim Gunn (the legend) started to make an effort dressing up for the show. I'll admit that the man is elegant and knows how to wear a suit but if you work in fashion you need a little more than that.
I already blogged about one of his looks about a year ago and it seems he was only getting started then. In last week's episode Tim gave a masterclass on pattern mixing wearing a bold pin stripe brown suit paired with a pale blue shirt and a striking blue paisley tie. I was glad to see that I am not alone in pushing the boundaries (of taste) of pattern mixing – you should have seen me wearing camouflage in Milan...
And so I went over to the little piece of heaven on earth that is Mr Porter to find some blazers I would gladly add to my winter wardrobe and paired them up with some fun neck attire.

Above: Woolrich Woolen Mills plaid wool blazer paired with (my favourite) the Jil Sander dinosaur tie.

Above: Gucci slim-fit wool and cashmere blazer and Beams Plus camouflage bow tie.

Above: Paul Smith slim-fit wool blazer and Drake's woven silk tie.

Most Stylish of the Week: It's all in the Prada tie

JustJared, Mulberry

It hasn't been a particularly good week in menswear style, though you can always trust David Beckham to bring in some effortless coolness. Always.
I want to start with Austin Butler. I have been watching his style for weeks now but can't quite decide on whether he's just another LA guy or if there is something interesting in the way he dresses. It's funny because most of what he's wearing in the picture above qualifies as things I would never wear – baseball hat, plunging neck tee, tracksuit bottoms. But I can't seem to feel like there is something cool about the way he's put them together and added a nice grey denim jacket and a pair of navy TOMS shoes. I'll keep observing and reporting back.
This week I would like to name Stefano Tonchi as best dressed. This man has made a signature style out of double-breasted blazers and neckerchiefs. But it's incredible how he always manages to look different and very current in terms of fashion. What makes this look he wore to the Mulberry dinner last night during the first day of the Frieze Art Fair in New York is the Prada tie. I posted some of them on (Fashion, Frankly's brand new) Tumblr and I am definitely getting myself one in the next couple of weeks!
Best grooming goes, once again, to Mr David Beckham. I really want to know whether someone does it for him, if it is a great cut he can sweep back with his hand or if he just wakes up looking like that in the morning.

Thoughts?

He's fly: Tyler James

bbc.co.uk/thevoiceuk

If you have been watching 'The Voice UK' will know who I am talking about. Tyler James is one of those guys who has an effortless flair for fashion – you could even call it swagger. I was first impressed by his style on his audition for the TV program. He wore (see below) a tartan Fred Perry shirt paired with slim bronze chinos and deck shoes. He wasn't wearing anything we haven't seen before but the colour combination was great and the proportions of the shirt sleeves and the trousers were spot-on. It was like an elegant take on preppy meets London street style.
The stylists on the show are really taking advantage of this flair – on his second week on the program he wore a Prince of Wales checked suit with a dark grey turtle neck jumper and a red pocket square. It was a smart look with a clear 70's vibe but Tyler made it look current and cool.
After these two great moments I was looking forward to his third week in the show. Last night (see above) he wore a mostly black outfit. What made the look were the details – the burgundy top of the trousers, which were perfectly cropped so that the sock-less tassel loafers stood out. But my favourite was the skinny Paul Smith tie, which I was close to buying months back, worn with a high tie pin and the round collar shirt. The perfect final touch to complete the look.

BBC Youtube screen cap

I'm not Frank: What I wore to Milan Fashion Week

Fashion, Frankly

I know I haven't been blogging in a very regular way over the last few weeks. I promised myself I would only ever post when I really wanted to and never just because. But I still have some juicy posts coming up from my last trip to Milan in January, especially the Ermenegildo Zegna and Z Zegna shows. So stay tuned.
Even though I didn't quite take any pictures of my looks this time my friend Giulia, who helps me out with Know Wear, emailed me this picture of the two of us she took with her iPad during breakfast at the Armani Hotel (a must stop if you're in town!). And so I thought I might as well make a post about my outfit.
It was ridiculously cold, though sunny, in Milan and even though I wasn't fully ready I managed to survive by layering good pieces. On day two I wore my most trust-worthy vintage denim shirt paired with my also very reliable +J beige blazer. I paired them up with a wool tartan Barbour tie I bought at My-Wardrobe and my amazing Lanvin mother-of-pearl tie pin from Mr Porter. I am also wearing my then brand new Illesteva sunglasses, which I also bought from Mr Porter.

Gingham love

For those of you unfamiliar with the man below, you only need to know that his name is Tim Gunn, that he plays the mentor role on Project Runway and that he has never been seen not wearing a suit. I don't normally notice his attire much because he is a very classic man. So it was even more of a surprise to catch him in a red gingham shirt paired with an also scarlet tie. I, then, started thinking how well gingham always works. It doesn't matter how bold the colour is, this checked pattern makes it look smart and fresh. I also love the fact that you don't necessarily have to wear it with plain ties. Horizontal lines and other type of patterns look very cool worn with gingham. I wore one of these combos a few months ago to a graduation. Do you guys wear a lot of gingham?

[Pictures: Project Runway screencaps, JCrew.com, Barneys.com, BrooksBrothers.com]

Thinking 70's

I officially kicked off my FW10 shopping a couple of days ago. I am buying half thinking of London fashion week and half of what I'd like to wear next season. As I am currently watching an average of 6 episode of Man Men per day I feel overly inclined to buy suits, shirts and ties but I'm refraining from buying too many as I know there'll be more jeans than I'd like to think right now. And so I bought a paisley tie (By U Adolfo Domínguez) that in my head is Tom Ford instead and that can spice up a white shirt or look perfectly sartorial with a blue striped shirt. I had been meaning to get a pair of purple desert boots for ages but thought getting the fifth pair of shoes of the kind might have been to much. So I went for this loafers (CH by Carolina Herrera) that are perfect with shorts in the summer and with colourful socks in the winter.

[Picture: Iñaki C.]

Graduation day

A few weeks ago I went to my best friend's graduation. A great excuse/opportunity to wear a suit and 'jazz' it a bit (his words, not mine) without looking out of place. I have to admit I didn't even have a choice. My two black suits require major surgery and my beige linen one makes me look like the drunk uncle at a wedding. So my only option was my H&M grey suit. H&M makes pretty good cheap suits, the type that look pretty apt when combined with the right shirt and accessories.
It was summer and so colour was not only acceptable but almost expected. Which is why I went for so much lilac. Gingham is one of my favourite patterns for shirts. It gives you a classic and crisp look which you can update going for a funkier colour. But the key, I believe, was in my choice of tie —a navy and lilac knit one (which was actually über-cheap Uniqlo). Both items together were just the right amount of retro, colourful and occassion-appropriate. My final touch were a green pocket square (from an amazing shop in Madrid) of which I only had the navy trimming on display and my amazing pair of Acne grey brogues. Have a look.

[Picture: Iñaki C.]