Wearability.us

Garance Dore + Gap = Clothing I'd love to wear

Ya'll know how much I absolutely adore Garance Dore's blog (hands down my favorite fashion/style blog out there), and one of the things I like so much are her adorable sketches.

Well, she's teamed up with Gap to produce a super limited edition (only 69 for each design) line of T-shirts featuring her sketches! This, in addition to a special exhibition of her photos, scribbles, and anything else she cares to share with the world at London's Fashion Week.

I guess it'll be next to impossible for one of us stateside fans to get our hot little hands on a T-shirt, but here's hoping she finds a regular ol' T-shirt printer so she can sell the shirts directly, on her own site. Love love love 'em.

Watch: The September Issue

The September Issue tells the story of Vogue's editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour and her outrageous photo shoots, demands and what it takes to create the biggest issue of the year (2007's issue weighed a full five pounds!).

If you've seen The Devil Wears Prada, get ready for more juiciness - this is the real thing. I'm dying to see this!

The September Issue releases in New York on August 28 and nationwide on September 11.

Sneakers: Why classic is always best

Look at these two amazing specimens of beautiful sneaker craftmanship. The Chuck Taylor Allstar and the Adidas Superstar. Both of them are basketball shoes with history that is counted in decades!

The Adidas Superstar debuted in 1969. They are the classic hip hop casual shoe. But when they were first unveiled, they were widely used in the NBA as pro basketball shoes. The shoe is also immortalized by Run DMC in their song "My Adidas" and is now a mainstay in hip hop fashion.

Chucks were first produced much earlier -- 1917 to be exact. Apparently they weren't popular until Chuck Taylor (NBA basketball player at the time) gave the shoe its namesake in the 50's and 60's. He preferred white high-tops, as did James Dean. Like the Adidas Shelltoes, Chucks became popular throughout the 70's and 80's among musicians, this time punk and new-wave. The Sex Pistols rocked them in their US debut, and Kurt Cobain preferred them too.

To me, there are no other sneakers. For just kicking around town and being comfortable, all other shoes can only aspire to be someday as recognizable, original, and iconic as these two sneaks. They're reliable, cheap, and a clean pair will always be appropriate -- be it with jeans and a t-shirt (classing it up with your choice of legendary footwear) or with more formal attire (flashing your break-the-rules sense of style).

Chucks can be bought online for ~$25, and original Adidas Superstar I's retail for about ~$50. They really just plain can't be beat. If these shoes are good enough for Johnny Rotten, James Dean, Kurt Cobain, Jam Master Jay, Jay-Z... shoot, they're good enough for me.

Imagining Bella's wedding dress

The folks at InStyle approached several designers and asked them to sketch their respective takes on a wedding dress for none other than Bella Swan, the heroine of the Twilight series. Now, I don't really think any of these really "fit" the character or her fondness for Chuck Taylors, but I do like the dresses by Monique Lhuillier and Christian Siriano (who is only 23 years old! Good gracious!).

And, I love fashion illustrations in general - such sweeping lines and impossibly long legs.

Check out the full gallery along with descriptions here.

Dana Davis Volterra platform: Ultimate Wearability.

I just threw this on a private blog post to show a couple friends what I bought, but I got a good response so am making this post public.

So Gilt.com had a Dana Davis sale a couple weeks ago and I wanted these shoes, especially after doing a web search and realizing just how much these shoes cost normally. They were adorable, I loved the bright pink color (I'm realizing that I veer towards a neutral-colored clothing and bright accessories), AND Dana Davis is known for this crazy comfort technology that is supposed to make these shoes extra wearable. Think Taryn Rose, but possibly even cuter.

I didn't get them the first time around because the sold out like * that *, but someone must have returned them because I got one of those "your waitlisted item is now available" e-mails and went and ordered them right away. They were $128, down from $455. I can't wait for them to arrive!

Calling all bapesters: A Bathing Ape makes wearable hip-hop gear by Japanese designers

What's a bapester? It's a fan of the clothing line A Bathing Ape, founded in 1993 by Tomoaki "Nigo" Nagao.

A Bathing Ape is short for "A Bathing Ape in Lukewarm Water," which in Japan is a symbol of complacent over-indulgence. It's a nod and a grin in reference to the lazy opulence of Japanese youth, the brand's very own best customers.

In the states, it's evolved into a premium streetwear brand that has garnered fans like Pharrell Williams, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes, Lupe Fiasco and Kanye West. Here's Kanye rocking an attention-getting outfit in a recent Bathing Ape Catalog.

One look at their latest collection gives you a clue as to what to expect:

It's an eclectic, supremely wearable and relaxed (if slightly oxymoronic) collection of Run DMC-style classics, 90's camo, and modern prepster. It's at once modern and comfortable, while giving an edge.

They're also big on throwback footwear, like this collection of 80's Adidas/Nike-inspired sneakers.

I'm also loving the photography treatment they gave their recent 2009 style manual:

Next time I'm in LA or NY, the Bathing Ape store is on my must-visit list.

By the way, Hi! I'm Garry. This is my first post, and I hope to get a chance to contribute much more in the future. I'm a software engineer by training but I love looking at beautiful objects, whether its electronic devices, websites, software, or clothes.

March Madness in the Fall

I was flipping through the September 09 issue of Details and came across this picture (above) for Fall '09 for Dolce and Gabanna men's line and I let out an audible gasp (a good one).

There's just something incredibly haunting and stylish and captivating in the aesthetic created by the clothing + the picture composition/lighting + the vampire-esque make up that really caught my attention.

The details and the tailoring on these jackets are pretty breathtaking. Although they're not the most practical pieces - they are something to behold. My favorite is the blue on blue jacket on the far left... with the one sitting down just to the right with the red piping details coming in a very close second.

I may be inspired enough to create a marching band inspired jacket with something in my closet that I don't wear as much now... but that is probably a larger project than I can tackle with my meager sewing skills. More to come if I actually muster up the gumption to give it a go...

Man of Style: Taylor Lautner

Before you guys groan or feel a bit old and dirty about it, please hear me out. I mean, yes, I've become something of a Twilight fangirl, or at least I subscribe to newmoonmovie.org and follow its 10+ updates every day with keen interest. But seriously. some time in the past year, I think Taylor Lautner--the fresh-faced, way too young, yet so incredibly and delectably chiseled star of the upcoming Twilight firm--must have gotten himself a stylist in addition to growing up a whole lot.

Because really, what 17-year-old boy knows how to dress himself this well? It only occurred to me rather recently that I've been more and more impressed with Taylor Lautner's ability to look absolutely sharp doing everything from getting the groceries to attending the Teen Choice Awards. For sure, his affinity for black outerwear can't exactly be called "daring" or "bold," but it's always impeccably tailored, with surprisingly tasteful details that scream TASTE and STYLE and ELEGANCE.

The boy must own about 20 black jackets of all cuts and materials, most of all leather. Leather bomber jackets, leather motorcycle jackets, even a leather jacket that looks like it's made out of lizard skin. And lots of jeans - perfectly distressed denim, perfectly faded black jeans, etc.

Some of my favorite elements from the pictures, from left to right:

The red-striped collar and cuffs
Simple black leather over black t-shirt/pants
Beautifully tailored pea coat. Perhaps Taylor is the only straight guy who can pull of a) a peacoat and b) a popped collar without looking like a total douchebag. Or maybe you think he looks like a douchebag. In which case you can keep your thoughts to yourself, thankyouverymuch.
Black hoodies on black t-shirt for a decidedly un-frumpy look.
Lizard-skin jacket. 'Nuff said.
Well-fitted gray shirt over beautifully distressed jeans
Waistcoat over beautifully distressed jeans
Sharp Calvin Klein collection suit that perfectly suits a high-fashion event
Black long coat over black skinny jeans!
Black hoodie with all-black Chuck Taylors
A dose of black-and-white checks
Just the right hint of black-and-white stripes

All photos taken from justjared.com.

For Men: Of Murse and Men

You don't have to be a woman/gay man/metro to appreciate the utility of a bag to carry your crap. It's universally agreed that having storage is useful - hence the crazy number of pockets you find lining jackets these days and the prevalance of cargo pockets on pants and shorts everywhere.

But if you're like me, you don't like cargo pants/shorts for several reasons. Besides the rarely-flattering parachute aesthetic on gusty days, the cargo pocket fails to be good storage because putting anything heavier than a single credit card in the pocket is actually painful (a gentle slap every time you take a step - gets super annoying after about 10 paces). It defeats the whole purpose of having a giant extra pocket down there!

I like to have my pant pockets free of clutter, but I'm also paranoid about losing things (so I definitely never use butt pockets). So that makes my pant pockets overloaded with things that I have to negotiate with every time I want to put my hands in my pocket (not to mention, it makes me look lumpy).

To remedy this situation, I decided to hunt for a manbag. Or manpurse. Or murse. Whatever label you want to put on it doesn't matter - it's just a pragmatic addition to the male wardrobe, which allows us to schlep all the junk that we have to carry around today (cell phones, keys, ipods, wallets etc.). Think of it as an updated version of the briefcase (and look for bags that fit that description - unless you are thoroughly brave and want to challenge gender stereotypes) and you can steer clear from any judgement and land yourself a functional AND fashionable way to lug your life around with you.

I've searched for a while - and I think I've found my perfect bag - it's a black leather satchel from Ted Baker while I was in Dublin three weeks ago on sale for $100 euro - which turns out to be approximately $140 USD. I wanted the bag to be black leather (check), with handles and a strap (check), a versatile look to take to work or wear out casually (check), and be able to fit a laptop + book + light jacket or scarf (check). With all requirements satisfied - I decided to take the plunge and buy it.

And boy am I glad I did! I live farther from work + friends now, so commuting is something I do 7 days a week, and my manbag is a catchall that carries around my life. The presence of the bag has come in incredibly handy because I can stuff everything in there and be on my merry way. And it replaces the hefty, functional but ugly Swiss Army laptop backpack that I was using before.

And the great thing is if you want to give them a try - manbags are everywhere now! They're in movies (see pics from 500 Days of Summer), and retailers from H&M to Banana Republic to the ritzy Rodeo Drive stores all carry bags in every shape and size and budget.

So the next time you find yourself with more junk in your trunk (or anywhere else for that matter) than you care to be lugging around - heed these words and get thee a manbag. You'll walk straighter, forget things less, and add an added depth to any look you are going for - be it casual or formal.

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P.S. Update - I did find my ultimate trench (wearing it in the pics) - a mild splurge on a fitted black burberry trench (thank you Barney's Warehouse Sale at Fort Mason!). Sale ended sunday 8/9 - so if you didn't get a chance to go - mark your calendar for next year - its pretty freaking awesome.

Dilemmas: Which Bag Should I Buy?

All my day purses are shoulder bags because I hate holding my purse on my wrist or hands. My hands need to be free to hold a cup of tea, pick up magazines, scrounge through my purse for gum and other mundane things.

But, I also like clutches. It's the perfect evening bag to throw your essentials into and the best accessory to complete a "going-out" outfit. The downside? You guessed it, my hands are not free.

It happens all the time. I'm out with my friends, drink in one hand and clutch in another. No free hands. Option B entails clutching the clutch in the same arm as the one holding the drink, but that doesn't last long because it gets uncomfortable and the clutch keeps slipping.

The solution? I want a bag that has a chain, so I can hold it regularly as a clutch but also transform it into a shoulder bag.

Please help me choose a clutch. They're all fairly similar since I love embellishments and shiny things, but still different in its own way. I've chosen black and silver ones for versatility and it's ability to match with any outfit. I'm swaying more towards the last two since they're cheaper and I really can't bare the thought of dropping almost $100.

Please help and send me your thoughts. Thank you!

1. Jessica McClintock Clutch $85.74
2. Hype Stardust Clutch $82.50
3. Le Regale Clutch $32
4. Le Regale Clutch $31