April 26, 2012

BASIC MATTER 35: WEEKEND DRESSING

Weekend dressing should not be drab.

At 29, I have tightened things up a bit , added more seersucker and red shorts in cotton, twill and linen in my closet and yes, more pink shirts in gingham, plaid and oxford compared to my usual crisp white dress shirts.

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(Shorts, tailored to perfection in Salmon, comfortable cotton oxford top, boat shoes and that rope braided belt = perfection!)

And NO, I am not a character from a Wes Anderson film.

April 20, 2012

LOVE, TRUNKS AND GETTING THAT EXTRA TAN

My closet is filled with almost all things preppy – yes, even my beach shorts. Mom would even wonder why most of them are in pink, purple, lime and of course, red. I mean, hey, don’t blame me if I look pretty good in them! Though I only go to Ralph Lauren, Speedo and Vilebrequin, I have discovered Love Brand & Co. to be not at all bad! Photobucket Set up only last year by Oliver Tomalin, a young English designer, this new socially responsible lifestyle brand promises to expand through a series of ready-to-wear products, each intrinsically dedicated to a relevant charity. Photobucket Photobucket The first, ‘Trunks for Trunks’ (swimming trunks for endangered Asian elephants) was inspired and motivated by the plight of the iconic animal. He saw a great opportunity to help the Elephant Family in a credible and savvy way, by creating his superbly designed collection of state of the art men's swim. Impressive! Photobucket And the best thing about this SS12 collection - it has a classic European cut like all my weekend shorts and loosely tailored for a stylish and comfortable fit. I should be wearing one this weekend at Tali but damnit, I might as well just keep my mouth shut. I need a tan!

MICHAEL BASTIAN ON LUXURY AND HIS SUITING COLLECTION FOR BARNEYS NEW YORK


( Michael Bastain on luxury, function and flair.)

April 18, 2012

SAILBOAT WEEKEND AND SEERSUCKERS

My sister and I spent the weekend at the yacht club, getting our much needed tan from the afternoon sun while waiting for the sun to set.

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No, we didn’t toast for victory and no, the wind wasn’t blowing 22 knots nor did we go behind the buoy. I got 3 shades darker though.

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(An essential classic preppy wardrobe, seersucker shorts, pique cotton shirt and yes, pullovers wrapped around the shoulders. Bespoke seersucker shorts, pique cotton shirt from Massimo Dutti, tan loafers from Gucci and lime pullover from Seven)

April 12, 2012

NAVY FOR BILL

Former US president William “Bill” Clinton's style was standard fare for men during the 90's but he still managed to look polished and sharp.

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(Bill and Hillary Clinton)

Though, not many have been attributed to him compared to John Fitzgerald Kennedy, both have undeniably left an indelible mark on American style.

Kennedy was obviously East Coast preppy! Clinton on the other hand was all about the perfect accessory – the necktie!

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Jesse Chao, head designer and founder of Vittorio J personally designed a classic custom tie in blue with white and red accents, complimented by matching saddle stitching on the back.

Dedicated to adding “originality and coolness” into today’s modern man’s goods, the 100% silk fabric has red and white accents and is complimented by matching saddle stitching, on the back. Collection.

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(Vittorio J necktie in blue custom made for Bill Clinton)

“ Made out of 100% silk fabric, the custom tie was cut, folded and hand-sewn in Naples by artisanal craftsmen. Also, the silk came from the best fabric house in England and is exclusive to the Vittorio J Exclusives Collection.” Said Chao.

Not bad, huh!

April 06, 2012

RED AND GOOD FRIDAY

Bright colors are fun and a pair of serious assertive colors is all you need.

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(Used to neutrals like this dark corridor? Go electric one piece at a time like this brightly colored door in turquoise.)

Yes, it is pretty obvious I love my reds and you do not have to be on the beach or a yacht to get colorful.

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(Crank up the brightness on Good Friday! Red shorts and bengal shirt in blue by Ralph Lauren, tan loafers and hat from a flea market in Florence, Italy.)

In fact, here I am doing my penance in red on Good Friday.

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(climbing a few floors up in this heat - talk about penance!)

April 05, 2012

HITTING THE BULLS EYE

Michael Bastian outdid himself again this year.



His latest fall collection had models with a degree of facial hair sporting fusty-cool updates on American classics - lean, tan pinstriped suit over a gingham shirt and popped collar plaid underneath country cardigans. Yes,Michael Bastian is all about good taste done subtly.

April 03, 2012

BASIC MATTER 34: GOOD DESIGN, PAISLEYS AND BEING PREPPY ALL THE WAY

It irks me every time I see a badly designed space. Yes, blame my parents for teaching us young. At 5, I already knew what looked bad and what didn’t.

I didn’t have an awful plastic lamp on my bedside table but instead, a huge vintage brass lamp that looked like an Arabian jar with a huge canvas shade. Again, blame mom!

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(Maximilian Sinsteden in pink trousers in his preppy dorm room.)

My sisters and I weren’t allowed to have tacky, bubbling lava lamps and yards of awful linoleum to mask our cracked marble tiles. Mom always had rolls of rugs from her trips hidden in the storage. Instead of posters of celebrities taped on the wall, we had framed paintings and black and white photos of ourselves hence the same treatment in our city apartment.

I chanced upon a photo of Maximilian Sinsteden’s college dorm room when he was a senior at Drew University. Definitely not minimalist – his space is a mix of all things preppy and pure eclecticism.

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(Maximilian Sinsteden and friend)

Instead of clean line, his floor is masked with layers of oriental rugs , the walls—painted in Ralph Lauren’s Tapestry Green, brass chandelier, a thrift find screwed into the ceiling, Chinoiserie paper lampshades and paisley bolsters and his cable-knit sweaters all perfectly folded and arranged from light to dark in his vintage dresser. Pretty tidy, huh! Right, anything for cashmere!

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(Slipper shoes from Stubbs & Wootton)

I mean, for someone who has a love for Stubbs & Wootton slipper shoes and melon-colored pants, don’t expect a space with clean lines.

April 02, 2012

I HAVE BEEN DOODLED

Yes, all my life, I've honed a talent for being able to fill up a blank canvas with oil and acrylic but never with watercolor and pencil.

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(Buddha Banana, Illustrated! Illustration by Mikhail Douglas Ong Quijano)


Mikhail’s doodles are pretty impressive – the resemblance is uncanny!