Pitti Uomo for This week in Swag

Pitti Uomo, a bi-annual mens trade show held in Florence, Italy this past week has been displaying nothing but fire. Here's some Swag from the streets.

The canvas back pack. In my opinion a must have.

Classic Khaki blazer, with the murderous combo of matching
tie and pocket square. White on red polka dots, definition of steez.
Oh yeah, light blues (dress shirt) are in this spring/summer too.

Huge fan of the everyday-blazer look over the v-neck.
Notice the pocket square? Plus 1,000 Swag points.

All-blue steez. The cuff is essential here. Coupled with a light belt
and a pop of colour in that pocket square. Plus 100 swag points for the pin.

Pictures were brought to you by Tommy Ton, a fashion photographer for GQ.

Swag On

Trends for the Everyday Man: The 5cm Cuff

So you're looking to step up your swag, and I've got just the thing. Almost every post so far I have stressed the importance of FIT, so if you don't have a tailor by now...get one. That doesn't mean you want to go slimming and hemming every piece in your wardrobe though. 

The 5cm cuff is not only fashionable but efficient. It breaks up the typically boring line between pant and shoe a lot like a belt breaks up pant and shirt. This example from a man I know solely as Antonksi is absolutely textbook.

His Tumblr is pretty steezy 

Things to be noted:

• He is wearing a dark wash jean with a light inner, always a solid choice for the 5cm cuff.
• The jeans are quality, you can tell by the stitching.
• The boots are also quality (again, the stitching as well as the layers in the heel.
• Wear the cuff falls is wear pants are supposed to fall on your shoes. Without the cuff these jeans would bunch and lose many swag points.
• The cuffs are very tight to the jean (here's a hint, he ironed them).
• The copper stitching in the pant is picked up in the lighter sole of the boots.

Now Antonski is no stranger to Swag, but you can easily pull this look off with what you have in your wardrobe. I'm not saying you have to bust out a ruler, but 5cm is a great rule of thumb and as you can see in the picture a great look.

Ingredients for success; Dark jeans, decent boot, dash of Swag, and a rough understanding of the metric system.

We'll have you swaggin' in no time.

Swag On

Nike SB P-Rod ver. IV Hi's || Casual Day

I pseudo-swore off buying shoes like these last year. I went through a hightop phase a few years back (didn't we all?) and just, well, got over them. But now Nike is making a solid effort with the classic SB line. Found these on the HypeBeast.

Nike SB Paul Rodriguez IV's in Curry | Nike Casual Division

There is hope for Nike's casual division yet finding the fine line between too simple and too wild.

Looks like a solid shoe for the few days I don't feeling like wearing a blazer and button up.

Rock these with:

• Clean dark-wash jean 
• Light colored graphic-T
• Watch of your choice (preferaby one with a pop of yellow)

You'll gain a couple steez points in my book.

Swag On.

That Red Carpet || MTV Movie Awards Hits and Misses

So in case you missed the MTV Movie Awards, Justin Bieber and Robert Pattinson won. Alright now that you know everything that happened, lets talk about that red-red-red that red carpet.

Ryan Reynolds:

The man received a lot of guff for this outfit. Honestly, I really like it and you should learn from it because he looks good. The problem was he wasn't taking a stroll around the Boston Commons, he was on the red carpet and standing next to female celebrities wearing underwear that cost more than this outfit, I can see how the critics didn't appreciate Reynold's natural swag. Regardless, The rolled cardigan and button down combo with a grey pant and light wash oxfords (all of which I own, #win) is a great look.

What critics call under dressed I call DANGER

Ashton Kutcher:

Really Ashton? You're gonna do this to me after naming literally my favorite personal outfit of all time after you? Alright, let's put 20 seconds on the clock and see how many bullet-points we can crank out.

• Your hair is too long.
• Your bow-tie sags
• Your shirt looks is cheap
• Your blazer is too big
• Shave.
• Your belt is too thin

Ashton looking homeless and umm, Nicki Minaj....

Sorry to throw you under the bus like that friend but you messed this one up bad. It doesn't matter what role you are growing your hair out for, put on a proper suit and a bow tie that fits and PLEASE throw every part of this outfit away.

Josh Duhamel:

That all-black MayBach. Overused? Can't really argue that it isn't. But it's Josh Duhamel and he really doesn't have to care. I dig the commitment to simplicity. Didn't need to blow anyone away, wore a classic watch (and yeah OK a colorful bracelet, nothing to wild) and went on with the night. He's not a child, he's there to get drunk with Fergie and make Justin Bieber jokes. Perfect outfit for that.

Transformers 5? Yeah I'll be in that. Stacking. Paper.

Jim Carrey:

This pains me. Ace Ventura was FUNNY, I don't care who you are. But he is coming up on 50 and should be dressing like one. It would also help if the jacket fit like a military coat (above the wrists) and not an overcoat (below the wrists). This one takes little explaining, you know it's just wrong.

Should have worn that suit from The Mask

And just to end it on a positive note, Kristen Stewart murdering the red carpet in the red with safety pins drippin'.

Sorry if Bella isn't your thing, but I'm still pretty pale
from winter and she's making it look like
everything will be just fine.

There you have it, how to (and not to) rock the red carpet like a champion.

Swag On future celebs, swag on.

Three Fashion Trends You Should Avoid

Alright, I've been very optimistic with this blog and have mostly posted what to do without acknowledging a few things not to do. Now I'm a huge fan of A: keeping a good attitude and B: knowing that certain items or styles you wear regularly may not be up to date fashion wise, but can still look good on you. What I find some people doing when they venture into the world of swag is going for the latest and greatest, and not everyone can rock the latest trends. Let's Begin.

The Oversized Military Boot

Surprisingly I have some female readers, so here you go

Sorry to break it you, but you don't look like this. Even if you did look like this, there's about a million better ways to dress than this one. How this became an acceptable trend I have no idea but it's already on it's way out that god. Know how a cork wedge just makes a woman's legs look 10 miles long? I know you do and it's pretty amazing. Combat boots are the anti-wedge. You'll look shorter, less put together, and unless your getting paid some serious Benjamin's on a photo shoot, you'll like like an idiot. Avoid at all costs and instead check out this man's danger for inspiration.

Nick Wooster | The Steeziest Man Alive

Men's Flared Jeans

You probably aren't aware of it, but as a rebuttal to the skinny jean the fashion industry decided that, can't believe I'm saying this, men's flare jeans are now in style. I don' think I need to explain to you how wrong this is. You probably aren't ready for a wardrobe full of skinnies, but wear straight cut or if you really need to boot cut jeans and pants, make sure the crotch falls wear your crotch is and not wear your knees are, and we will get along just fine.

Keep the flare where it belongs, over the
heels of a long-legged woman.

The Biker Look

Before you go judging, let me just say that James Dean will always be a fashion icon of mine. That being said, you should probably avoid trying to look like him because most of us simply don't. Even if you do ride a motorcycle (which, ahem, I do ladies) you probably don't rock it with the same swagger Dean did. My issue with the motorcycle look is that it requires commitment from your wardrobe that few have. As a result you end up wearing whatever you would normally wear, with a leather jacket you found on sale somewhere thinking, "Well, this is a cool coat, I will by default look cool in it." The truth is you don't. You probably look younger than you actually are, and unless that coat was on sale from $3000 down to $800, that jacket probably looks cheap. Save yourself the trouble, buy a framed quality print of the Rebel Without a Cause and buy a motorcycle to fulfill your dreams, just forget the chains and leather.

 

On or off the bike, the man gets the job done.

Hopefully this helped some of you that walk into All Saints on Newbury St. and think, "Hey this is cool!" It might be, but don't wear something just because it is "in" or even worse because it looks good on the rack. Adapt fashion to fit you, not the other way around.

As guys we tend to buy things straight from the rack instead of going to the fitting room. Don't be afraid to rock up to that cute girl at the counter and say, "Yeah, I have about 12 things to try on is that OK with you sweets? I'm looking for a new outfit so you might have to help me out." She doesn't care that the limit is 5, she'll let you right on in with 12 and get your Swag On.

Err on the side of danger, learn from those with steez, and remember it's Springtime...that means if you want to catch the attention of a girl in a fine cork wedge, you better expand your wardrobe to some light colors and linens.

Swag On people, Swag On.

Memorial Day Weekend

When I began packing for a trip to New York City this past Memorial Day weekend and saw that the weather would be 80 and sunny two things crossed my mind. First was how can I fit 3 days of clothes into this new all-white duffle from H&M, second was that when we made it down to SoHo there are just going to be cork wedges floating all around these streets and I needed an outfit that, dare I say it, rivaled the cork wedge.

In case you've been living under a rock for the last decade, this is a cork wedge.

I know, tough to beat. However here's what I threw together to give these Women who know that men cannot resist these porous variation of the high heel.

Hat | Straw Fedora, $8.95 H&M

Shirt | Short-sleeve Linen button-up, Uniqlo $24.95

Shorts | White Linen Chino, H&M $24.95

Shoes | Boat Oxfords, Sperry $90

Accessories | Leather watch, Copper necklace, and oversized wayfarers (not pictured)

Everything is very light and airy because I wanted to look like a spring morning and also because we all know that Cork Wedge Season is also Sundress season, so light and airy is a must. The straw fedora is a mean look and if you open your eyes in NYC you will find that many people agree. Boston is coming around to the Spring fedora but you might get a look or two if you are outside the Newbury St. or Downtown Crossing areas.

When I wore this outfit down to SoHo on Memorial Day I didn't own this shirt, so I coupled it with a Lilac V-neck from Zara that worked out very nicely as well. Like any good outfit it's about commitment and in my opinion the Sperry Boat Oxfords just tie the whole outfit together. If you aren't ready for these shoes, a simple white canvas sneaker would suffice as well, but you should give these bad boys a look. The Cloud Series from Sperry is just amazing and possibly the most comfortable shoe I've ever put on, here's the same series in Brown and definitely my next purchase.

If you don't get a little tingly looking at these bad boys, you need to check your pulse.

So that's how to rock Memorial Day Weekend, or any spring afternoon where a walk is the activity of choice like a champion. So buy a pastel colored linen, wear a leather watch/bracelet to break it up, don't wear black, Swag the hell out of Spring and give every woman in a cork wedge that walks by something to look at.

Swag On

Committing to your outfit

In Boston I am seldom one-upped as far as attire goes. I am not even being arrogant here, its just not a very fashion forward city we live in, but progress is being made. That being said I clearly brought in the Silver medal at Foxwoods when I wore my new favorite look (the Ashton, thanks GabbyD) and my good friend/other half of the two-man-DJ team that is going to take over the world Jason Sifre rocked this.

On the off-chance you don't know him, he's the one in Pink

So there I am on the right, I know you are sick of looking at this outfit I apologize but I am literally obsessed with it. Jason, is the one in the Pink...with the bow-tie...a proper bow-tie I might add because like me, he dangers. See the commitment here? Just wearing a bow-tie to a wild occasion like Foxwoods with 1200+ classmates and you will probably look like a fool. But when you rock a dinner blazer with taped edges, simple pink shirt, and spend maybe 15 minutes on YouTube making sure you get that bow-tie perfect and you can make one hell of a scene.

Can you wear this outfit? Probably not. But the picture alone gives you 4 good examples of different dressed up looks.

1. Suit coat over fitted dress shirt and black pants

2. Simple pastel coloured button up and black pants

3. Dinner blazer with taped edges, bow-tie, and hot pink button up

4. Suit coat over untucked button up and dark wash jeans

From these 4 looks, all of which I consider a success on various levels, you should be able to look at what you wore and figure a thing or two out. My outfit? could have used a pop of color or accent with a pocket square Don Draper style.

Don Draper swag via Madison Avenue

Committing is an important part of any outfit. Pay attention to your details and don't be afraid to try small but wild accessories that set you so far apart from the crowd you can't help but get noticed.

"No one wears clothes for modesty, I'm all for breakin' necks"

Next time Foxwoods, because I will be back.

As we graduate and move forward, don't forget your Swag.

Swag On friends, Swag On.