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Suits You has a new home

If you have Suits You bookmarked, thanks.

But from now on you'll need these new addresses to keep in touch.

Thanks and see you there.
Jc

SMH readers:
http://www.smh.com.au/executive-style/style/blog/suits-you
The Age readers:
http://www.theage.com.au/executive-style/style/blog/suits-you
WA Today readers:
http://www.watoday.com.au/executive-style/style/blog/suits-you
Brisbane Times readers:
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/executive-style/style/blog/suits-you

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• Posted at 1:56 PM
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Matching outfits

There’s something very cringeworthy about a couple wearing matching outfits.

It's ripe for parody, as the much loved television characters Kath and Kel (pictured) have shown.

The scary thing is it can happen to anyone.

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• Posted at 2:07 PM
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Packing the perfect suitcase

I am heading overseas for a holiday at the end of this week and I can’t wait.

I can’t wait to recharge the batteries, see new things and come back home inspired and enthusiastic. But first, I have to pack.

Most of us know we only ever wear a small percentage of what we pack. But if you ask my girlfriend, who incidentally has already started packing, that makes absolutely no difference. She has clothes in there just in case we get invited to morning tea with the Queen. And just in case it’s not morning tea, it’s supper, there’s an outfit for that too. Along the way, my bag somehow gets involved and I’m left wondering ‘how did it happen?’

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• Posted at 3:14 PM
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A boat (shoe) for all seasons

The boat shoe is cool. If you hadn’t already noticed this you soon will. It has been taken up by every irony-loving, city-dwelling hipster, but that need not be the end of it. This shoe has the legs (or should I say, the feet) to work for us all, even as the cooler weather approaches.

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• Posted at 2:36 PM
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Military coats

The M-1951 or fishtail parka was the coat of choice for the Mod generation and an iconic emblem of defiant youth culture.

Like the duffle and trench coats its roots lie in the military, the M denoting 'military' use.


These days the spirit lives on, although unless you’re a scooter-riding die hard, maybe with less fervour than your predecessors.

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• Posted at 12:01 PM
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How to wear in denim (and why this matters)

I was asked years ago what my favourite cloth was to work with. While my allegiances lie with tailoring and its illustrious history, I unquestionably responded with denim.


So what is the allure? Well a raw pair of denim jeans slowly and subtly takes its shape and movement through blood, sweat and tears. Worn in jeans are like fingerprints - completely unique. As time passes the indigo fades, it washes and wears out, revealing the cotton and structure. Soft holes appear which are miles away from the idiosyncratically stiff 14-ounce, overly long cuffed things you bought five years ago.


Denim is charismatic. Its very make-up is constantly changing. That is why there are collectors, why denim is expensive, why there are re-releases, re-cuts and re-issues, and why it matters.

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• Posted at 12:00 AM
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How to wear a cardigan

There’s a particular warmth about cardigans, something sentimental and comforting that triggers memories of my youth. Cords have a similar effect on me.



Pictured: Cardigans by Martin Margiela, Folk, Louis Vuitton and Country Road


I don’t think I’m alone either. Both of these pieces may drift in and out of favour with the ‘in crowd’, but I don’t think they ever lose favour in our minds. It’s that cosy, warm feeling, reminiscent of ET, Flight of the Navigator and The Goonies that's hard to resist.


Fast forward to adulthood and how does this all come together?

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• Posted at 3:31 PM
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Secrets and lies

At the moment I am mad for a pair of brogues. Not just any old style, but two tone brogues (like the Loake style pictured), something Fred Astaire might have worn or a 1920s gangster. But how can I incorporate them into my wardrobe without feeling like I’m in fancy dress the entire day?

I’m sure we’ve all got at least one thing that, despite better judgment, was purchased but which has never been worn. You’ve tried it on time and time again, only to struggle with how it fits into your wardrobe or lifestyle. Now it has become an issue and may as well be a pair of canary yellow clogs, such is the pressure placed on you and it ever being together in public. And don’t even mention the time your partner innocently remarked, “Oh, are you going to wear that are you?” She didn’t mean anything by it, but try telling that to your heart. You just got stabbed.


Maybe the answer is to have one big awkward party where we can exorcise these demons and stupid worries once and for all?


There is good stuff going to waste.

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• Posted at 3:28 PM
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Wedding tails

So much is written about women and weddings. The dress, the shoes, the hair, and the accessories. They’re big decisions for a bride for which big dollars are involved. But what about us blokes?

Let’s forget about the kind of wedding you are planning because regardless of the setting or theme, standards still apply. What is up for debate is you and your attitude to what will quite possibly be one of the most important days in your life.

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• Posted at 10:58 AM
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Akubras, stereotypes and uniforms

Now listen. I don’t care who’s responsible but I really would like to know what goes on at the top when decisions are made about how Australia should be represented in uniforms.

This ranges from APEC (pictured above) to the Olympics (pictured below). Sure we’re a sunburnt country, but why do we have to look like extras from The Man from Snowy River?

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• Posted at 10:27 AM
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Trends in shopping

This past week I was invited to attend a retail trend forecast seminar. It was actually quite a casual affair but the people involved were anything but. Their whole world revolves around what we’ll be doing in two, five and 10 years time. Probably more but that’s enough. Even Nostradamus got it wrong at times.

There were some great ideas and developments presented, things that will affect us all. Some were quite obvious, others were not.

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• Posted at 11:41 AM
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The little things

There are things that can make or break a look.


It could be that little touch you add to bring an outfit home. Or perhaps it’s a commitment to a particular feel, piece or pattern. Maybe you wear stripes all the time and it’s become a trademark of sorts.


I recently revisited director Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic and really started to appreciate those red beanies worn by Bill Murray’s character, the Jacque Cousteau-esque maritime adventurer Steve Zissou. The beanie IS his look, it makes sense. Remove the beanie and it would be like Hamid Karzai turning up to the UN without his trademark Qaraqul hat. I get it.


But how about in real life?

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• Posted at 10:42 AM
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Reflections on fashion week

Did you get the memo? Camel is back. Followed by navy, chocolate and charcoal. Your highlight colours for the season are turquoise, cobalt, gold, burgundy and sky.

At least according to the Milan and Paris men’s wear shows for autumn/winter 2010, featuring the latest offerings from the likes of Prada (pictured above), John Galliano, Vivienne Westwood and Paul Smith.

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• Posted at 10:21 AM
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Searching for 2009's zeitgeist

For my final column of the year I felt it appropriate to write a list of the most influential in style and design for 2009. I asked friends, colleagues and people around me to name any breakout talents for the year or any significant shifts in the zeitgeist. Was there anyone that changed the way we looked at style?

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• Posted at 3:44 PM
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The problem with Hawaiian shirts

I don’t really have anything good to say about Hawaiian shirts.

I can see their kitsch, tropical charm, but they’re never flattering, not even in an ironic, caught on the street, look at my quirkiness, Sartorialist kind of way.

I think it was Prada that tried a few years back to revitalise the style into a new trend. But even with a highbrow makeover, it was a tough pill to swallow.

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• Posted at 2:48 PM
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Shirt vs skin

Matthew McConaughey has a made a living from it and if the talk about the latest Twilight film is any indication they’re banking on it. But here in the real world, when is it OK for a man to go shirtless in public?

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• Posted at 4:15 PM
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Summer essentials

As the holidays approach and Christmas parties loom, there is no doubt that there will be scandal, faux pas and mischief aplenty. But why not get remembered for a little style and class, not what body part you photocopied on the office machine.

When you’re off to a work Christmas party or end-of-year gig, it’s a chance to express yourself and give everyone a glimpse of who you are outside of the workplace. It’s a bit like casual Friday (which I wrote about here), except, and this is workplace dependent, at the Christmas party you have a little more freedom as you’ll predominantly be relating with your colleagues on a personal level. However, this doesn’t mean you can bust out any old thing.

So do the right thing by yourself and guarantee your legacy and position next year by dressing with a little finesse.

Don’t be 'that guy'.

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• Posted at 12:00 AM
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A bad cover version

Tom Jones, David Bowie, Kylie Minogue and Robbie Williams all make an appearance in Pulp’s music video for Bad Cover Version. They’re all there and you nearly buy it until Kurt Cobain screams in and then the penny starts to drop.

You watch it again and realise things aren’t as they first appear. They’re impersonators, pretty good ones too and, of course, the title gives the game away. But for a moment, it was a pretty impressive display of Pulp’s star-pulling power.

The same can be said for copies and fakes in design. The manufacturers have used similar colours, tried to emulate the feel of the leather or fabric and, for the most part, just like the David Bowie impersonator, have done a pretty good job of it. It is only upon closer inspection that the cracks in the veneer start to become more noticeable.

Who will know, you might say to yourself. You will know and that’s more than enough.

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• Posted at 3:24 PM
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Summer in a bottle

In Melbourne the temperature has been hovering around 37 degrees all week with no end in sight.
It’s November and I’m just not ready for it. But like it or not, summer has decided to come on all hot and aggressive. It has settled itself in quite comfortably, like that friend of a friend who has no trouble helping himself to your fridge and your place on the couch.

More than once this week I've cursed summer as sticky, uncomfortable and relentless, but then the scents and smells of this time of year remind me why it is so great. If only I could bottle it, I’d make a fortune.

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• Posted at 11:22 AM
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Doing the rounds

The rounded collar has made a welcome return of late. Seen on the coolest of necks in the coolest of towns it is both an historical throwback and an entirely modern look.

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• Posted at 5:23 PM
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Celebrity multi-taskers

I don’t know about you but I like my singers singing, my actors acting and my designers designing. When I see a celebrity dabbling in another profession I start to worry.

I was starting to think maybe this was just jealousy on my part, but then Lindsay Lohan (pictured here with designer Estrella Arch) hit Paris Fashion Week and in one 10 minute show proved me right.

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• Posted at 4:05 PM
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The Beckham beard

There was a time when David Beckham was untouchable. The peak of his prowess on the pitch had collided with his marketability and business nous, and he and the missus could do no wrong.

It’s not to say that he doesn’t still have pull, he does, but like all sports people there’s a window of success and influence. Michael Jordan still sells boots, a lot of them actually, but there’s no denying his impact was truly felt when he was winning championships and leaping from the free throw line.

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• Posted at 2:38 PM
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The return of brothel creepers

‘Brothel creepers’ are doing their darndest to sneak back into fashion and given it isn’t the first time they’ve been resurrected, there’s a good chance they will succeed again.

For the uninitiated, brothel creepers or creepers are shoes with an extra-thick sole. I am seeing them everywhere, as high heels, in leopard print and on boots.

Given their steady infiltration of the women’s market, it’s only a matter of time before they jump the fence and enter the realm of men’s fashion. Inspired by a fantastic article I read in London's The Times, I have tried to get to the bottom of this emerging trend.

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• Posted at 12:00 AM
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Is Kanye West a modern day dandy?

Where have all the dandies gone? The guy who can wear, carry and comfortably get away with flamboyant styles without appearing self conscious or looking like a cliche.

The true dandy is still very masculine, his only vice, the devotion to style, fashion and appearance. And probably good food and wine, beautiful furniture, art and design. Oh and add to this poetry, literature and music. Nobody said it was cheap to be a dandy. He can tell a Harris tweed from a Donegal, and a Gun Club check from a Prince of Wales. It may sound convoluted and tiresome, but for the dandy this is a lifestyle, not a chore - looking one's best is an essential part of every day life.

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• Posted at 12:00 AM
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The summer sandal

You can't wear shoes all the time and the humble Aussie thong can't carry the rest of the load. This summer I’m giving the man or Jesus sandal a go. My inspiration: the artist Juan Antonio, as portrayed by Javier Bardem in Woody Allen’s film Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

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• Posted at 1:55 PM
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Short change

Tis the season. Well nearly. After a couple of teasing, summer-like days, shorts - and the accompanying ‘moon-tanned’ legs - have emerged from their long winter hibernation.

For some reason shorts don’t seem to get the respect their longer legged brothers do. You probably own several pairs of trousers and jeans of varying widths, cuts and pocket styles, yet so many people seem to make do with just a pair or two of shorts, which is a shame because there are more to them than boardies and stubbies.

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• Posted at 12:00 AM
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A dream in a jacket

The leather jacket is the every-man’s piece of exotica. Regardless of style, skin or purchase decade, the leather jacket has a strong and somewhat strange hold on the minds and bodies of men.

What I love about the leather jacket is that nearly all men who desire one unashamedly dream about what it means to have one.

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• Posted at 12:00 AM
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Do you feel lucky?

Have you ever walked down the street knowing that you got it just right? It wasn’t even as if you were trying. It’s not about the clothes you’re wearing, although at the same time it’s entirely about it. You weren’t conscious of the fact that this shirt, this tie, this suit and these shoes even had these powers, but together they’ve combined and made the perfect outfit and as a result, a great day.

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• Posted at 4:21 PM
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Jacket, dinner jacket

Awards season is fast approaching. Down south there’s the sartorial delights of the Brownlow Medal and in the rugby league states, the Dally M provides the same thrills. A simple dinner jacket is all you need, yet the night’s proceedings wouldn’t be half as entertaining if all the attendees stuck to the rules. Sure, there is some scope for creativity, but that doesn’t give you carte blanche.

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• Posted at 2:49 PM
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Iconic origins

I’m often a sucker for fifties and mid-century cool. It was, in my opinion, the last great era of optimistic design. But despite my love of this period, it is denim that gives me the most satisfaction and I firmly take my lead from the turn of the century. Denim is the everyman’s material and it appeals to the world regardless of class or culture.

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• Posted at 5:35 PM
• Comments (19)