Another man fashion tip: Color Matching

When dealing with fashion, it always refers to matching, in term of design, trends, styles and of course color. COLOR, the most fundamental rule in fashion, a man must aware about the color combination of his shirt, necktie, shoes, trouser, jackets etc. So what are the best combinations of color in male fashion world?

White and Black

Most popular color in male fashion world, it goes well with any color.

Good choices for tops and bottoms, a must in your wardrobe. It always readily matches with any tops, bottoms, shoes, jackets. These colors are most commonly found in formal business functions and corporate world.

White, associated with purity, cleanliness, freshness, gives the feeling of openness and freedom.

Black, associated with cool, styles, mysterious, direct opposite of white, give the feeling depth, represent elegance and prestigious.

Yellow

A color commonly related to fun and summer wear.

It creates excitement and always suggests a more sunny, joy, lively mood. It also tends to bring about cheeriness to the environment.

Red

A color that extensively used in fashion world.

Like yellow, it is most visible and create attraction and excitement. It naturally portrays an image of excitement, energy, enthusiasm and confidence. Nonetheless, it also suggests an erotic feeling…more for lady rather than man.

It is often associated with love, ambition and passion.

Blue

Most popular color in male fashion world.

It brings about a very relax, pleasant feeling, is a good choice for daytime and even nighttime wear.

The color associated with serenity, inspiration and friendliness.

Tips: Whatever color you wear, most importantly, it must suit the place, functions that you are going to attend, the group of people you are going to meet.

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Hair Style Makeover?

When it comes to hair styles, there are so many different options today to make changes. You can change your color, add highlights, add layering and even add length or thickness with hair extensions to suit your characters and lifestyle. (if you want to!). Makeover is getting more and more popular recently even TV shows outline how makeover is done and dramatically change the hair styles.

So what is this makeover fuss all about? Makeovers cover color correction, which can be highlights, color, gloss and haircut or style, along with makeup application. The total process can take around 4 hours to complete.

One of the killing questions you will ask “…how damaged will my hair be after a color correction?" Believe it or not, color correction is not as damaging as it used to be. The old way of stripping hair color out with bleach is history. Modern day products allow hair stylists to remove 'artificial pigment' only, meaning that it will not open, damage, or split the cuticle of the hair in any way. This allows hairdressers to remove the most intense colors from hair, and allow it to be re-colored in the same appointment time.

You and your stylists might have different vocabularies. Hence, photos of styles that you like are very helpful to hair stylists. However, thanks to advance technology and internet, some stylists now do keeps a computer at their work station to look up hair styles online (such as a past hair style of a celebrity) if you do not have photos or cannot remember certain styles you like. The computer eliminates the need for bulky portfolio books.

To get more comfort, do remember to discuss with stylist what it will take to get the your current hair to that new hair style. Most of the time the exact cut and color are achieved in one day. But for some of you that are growing yours hair out may take several months and appointments to reach your overall goal.

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Backpack is a trend or necessity?? Any comment?

As men's clothing shifted from baggy and comfortable to well cut and restricting, a new dilemma arose for well dressed men across the globe: what to do with all the things we carry in our pockets. While women pack their handbags full with makeup and receipts, men surprisingly carry a lot of things; we've got our keys, wallet, checkbook, PDA, bluetooth devices packing our pockets to the brim. This is something that hadn't been dealt with since the '80s, with cell phones the size of cinderblocks, and the best solution they came up with then was the neon colored "fanny pack."

But there was a serious dilemma. Backpacks were too large, briefcases were for office papers, fanny packs were too retro, and purses were for women. The re-emergence of the messenger bag brought the perfect solution--a fusion of briefcase and purse, while still large enough to be "manly." Yet, ever since the messenger bag became an accepted carrying device for men, the size of these messenger bags has steadily decreased in both volume and area. Now, more than ever, men's bags are crossing the line of masculinity and entering into the realm of purses.

While one could argue along with Jerry Seinfeld, that it's simply a "men's European carryall," the man-purse at your hip is what it is. And don't think you're getting away with using the ever-popular designer fanny pack or daypack, as I once overheard someone calling it. It's simply a glorified purse, and you know it.

So, what's the solution you ask? I'll leave it entirely up to you. If you think you can pull off the man-purse look, just make sure the balance between messenger bag and purse is leaning towards messenger bag. Also remember, the more leather, canvas, and sporty the bag, the more masculine it will appear. Of course, another option would be to simply consolidate your wallet, checkbook, credit cards, etc. so they don't take up so much room in your pants. One unique, effective, and classy way to do this is to use a large slim cigarette box or business card holder in which you can keep all your paper, coins, and cards. Check out some antique stores, tobacco shops, or leather goods stores in order to find the perfect one for you.

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Choose Your Watch

Watch, a most single piece of accessory that represent male, his characters, hobby and of course his wealth too. A design of watch can range from very fun/fashionable to classic and prestige. As time go by, there are getting more and more models, designs for different occasion, activities and even different purposes to suit different taste of people. Choosing a watch that suits might be a difficult and headache task for some if not everyone here. What is the preferred watch for someone else has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on what would be the preferred or optimal watch for other. Hence, the following tips are just some of my thoughts on how to choose a perfect piece.

So what is the right watch for you?

What do you normally get up to during the week and weekends? Do you intend to buy multiple watches or are you looking for one that can cover it all?

Find out the needs?

- Do you wear the watch for workdays or is it for the weekend or specific activity or is it the one watch for everything?
- What kind of attire during your workdays? Formal or smart casual?
- If you're getting the watch more for weekend or other activities, then the question is what are these activities? Pulling at the pub, clubbing, diving, swimming, jogging, skiing etc

What are the features you are looking for?

- Overall design, the case shape, dial layout and intricacies, color and look of the hands
- Size: tiny, medium, large or a clock on the wrist
- Prestige or beauty or uniqueness in its inner workings
- Story, romanticism, classicism, history
- Refined or rugged or swings both ways
- Certain key functions you are looking for (see appendix at the end of this post)
- Exclusivity (you want to be the only one you see with it or you like being part of a community or somewhere in between)
- Fancy things about it, gadgety stuff about it

Price Range Buy only if you are affordable. Do consider the other commitments such as family expenses, mortgage, car payments etc before even setting your sights on a potential next acquisition. Don't spend above your means.

If possible, always look for those with good re-sale value, if you are regret on what you just bought, it still can demand a good second hand value.

Impulse Purchase

Don’t rush if possible. Don’t buy on impulse.

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Styleforum Jeans: An experiment in user-generated design

Users participation is nothing new in corporate world, but this is uncommon in fashion and denim is definitely not one of them. Styleforum jeans, created by collaboration between the titular forum and New York label 5EP, were born in January when a user known as "LA Guy" proposed the idea to the company's co-owner, Christine Rucci. Her resulting post requesting suggestions elicited both keepers (shorter front pocket bags to keep the silhouette clean) and nonstarters (stitching around the fly to enhance the wearer's package). And despite the volume of input—the initial post had more than 400 replies—the results are commendably straightforward: a lower-rise, slimmed out version of 5EP's boot-cut jeans, handmade from raw Japanese selvage. Only 200 will be made—eight have extra-long inseams for taller wearers—with all but 60 earmarked for forum members and Denim Bar, who helped produce them. "They can even tell when I've made the slightest variations in fabrics," Rucci says of her new codesigners. "Those guys are up on everything."
You can find out more in 5EP

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How you wear in an interview?

Assume you have one interview appointment tomorrow and you have prepared yourself well for the occasion - anticipating the questions and getting ready the answers. However, have you given a thought to what you will wear?

If you have not peeked into your wardrobe yet, it's time to take a real hard look now. Your application's fate depends not just on how well you answer the interview questions, but most importantly also on how well you project yourself physically, ie. “Hello” effect. The way a person dresses is the single biggest non-verbal communication you make about yourself.

The right dressing is a measure of the seriousness that you place on the position, as a person normally spends time on his looks if he considers an event important enough.

Although proper dressing by itself will not get you the job, but a poor dress sense definitely votes you out for further consideration, of course there will always be some exceptions. Besides, given two equally good applicants, the company may choose to hire the person who is dressed more professionally.

After go through the initial discussion, here come some tips to you to get started.

• Long-sleeved shirt and dark slacks. White is still the safest and the best color for shirts. The colour is also appropriate for our tropical weather. Also acceptable: pale shades such as beige, blue, and other pastels. Tuck in the shirt and do not roll up the sleeves. Never wear a short-sleeved shirt to an interview or any business purpose. Wearing a short-sleeved shirt will destroy your executive image.

• Ties. Choose a conservative pattern. Solids, small polka dots, diagonal stripes, small repeating shapes, subtle plaids and paisleys are all acceptable.
  
  
• Belts. Belts should match your shoes. Those with smaller buckles with squared lines look more professional.
  
  
• Shoe and Socks. Black Shoe and socks are the best or any dark color shoe and socks. Never wear white socks! Check your sock length, too--no skin should show when you sit down or cross your legs. Shoes. Black or burgundy leather shoes with laces on them, because tassel loafers are very casual. Other suitable colors are brown, cordovan and navy.
  
  
• Hair. Keep neat, short and preferably parted on the side. And shave off all those facial hair.
  
  
• Jewellery. Wear no or little jewellery. The watch and wedding ring are the only acceptable pieces of jewellery to go with the male attire. Thin gold or leather-strapped watches look professional but not digital watches. Also, avoid political or religious insignias, necklaces or bracelets. Definitely no pierced body parts and cover up your tattoos!
  
  
• Accessories. As much as possible, use leather briefcases or folders to hold copies of your resume. Use narrow briefcases and avoid plastic folders and plastic ball pens as they are out of place.

• Confident. The finishing part of the whole attire, be confident on your self and carry a good looking smile on your face.

Check THIS out if you wanna find out more about job interview Q&A.

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Louis Vuitton Fashion Show SS 2008

Earlier with blue sea, and now with blue skies............... The Theme "Blue skies, smiling at me, nothing but blue skies…" Irving Berlin's golden oldie anticipated the dominant color on the men's catwalks for Spring 2008, and the joie de vivre he was describing when he penned the lyric seems to be have infected the season—first in Milan, and now Paris. Paul Helbers, Marc Jacobs' menswear maestro at Louis Vuitton, launched the label's latest presentation with a passage that was cheery blue, from cap to carryall.

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