Fashion Prince

Ah, leather. You can expect its reign to continue this spring. New York Fashion Week proves to be full of leather based pieces of outerwear. Especially, the ubiquitous leather jacket seems to be making an enormous comeback.

Simon Spurr and Michael Bastian chose to pay homage to the classic look, while other designers, such as Calvin Klein and Michael Kors, chose to dress things up a notch.

Kors, by the way, matched his leather with fur, which is why he is still often a man after my own heart.

It has to be said that this particular trend is much more palatable to some — including yours truly — than, say, the strange prevalence of plaids stretching as far as the eye can see.

This post is not about how Johnny Weir, fashionista and figure skater extraordinaire, was robbed at the Olympics. It is not about his stellar performances there. It is not even about that sad little, PETA driven scandal, because I am a writer and do not discuss censorship in any form.

However, this little ode does involve fur, because as we saw at New York Fashion Week, it is coming, darlings, it is coming big time! And no one wears it better, in my humble little opinion, than the inestimable, delectable, delightful, and heart stoppingly beautiful Johnny Weir.

Faux or for real, fur is being seen on coats, boots, and vests; it hangs from the cuffs of jackets and peeps out from beneath hats. And yes, my little princes, it is for the boys as well as for the girls.

So take a page from the Book of Johnny; give it a try. If it’s faux, that’s fine — but come on. Take a little risk for fashion.

Now that we have talked about leather shoes, we are now going to talk about another shoe that is extremely popular for men in 2010 and that is the tennis shoe.  While you might think that the tennis shoe is actually extremely outdated, they are actually some of the hottest shoes right now.

The reason for that is because they actually are a traveling theme.  You can wear them with pretty much anything at all and honestly – they are comfortable enough that you can wear it while traveling.  Year round these shoes are good for, which is fantastic if you are looking to save a little money.

Puma, Nike and Adidas are all of the brands that produce some of these fantastic shoes and certainly should be where you look!

All right guys, I know that it is difficult for you to imagine shoes as an actually fashion statement, but they are.   In these next few blogs, we are going to explore exactly what fashions are going to work in 2010 for men.  You might want to stay tuned for this one guys, it is definitely going to help you!

Firstly, patent leather shoes are definitely some of the fashion must-haves when it comes to shoes.  Men, pull off those sneakers and make sure that you get yourself some awesome leather shoes and I can tell you that you will be one of the hottest and most fashionable guys around.

Brands like Prada, Ed Hardy and ever Hugo Boss are all coming out with leather shoes and they seriously are incredible looking!

This is a perfect example of how you can use patterns in both the tie as well as the shirt.  This particular combination is a fantastic outfit for some dark jeans or even just some dark blue pants – for they work well together and the stripes play off of one another.

One rule that you need to remember about ties is that they should always – always be darker than the shirt, that way they do not stand out as much … or if the shirt is white, it stands out that much more.

Remember – one color that goes with pretty much anything grey – and also its distance cousin of black.  Grey is something that you can use in a casual outfit all the way to an outfit that is dressy.

One of the keys to building the right outfit is making sure that your shirt matches your tie and that the combination is absolutely perfect.  To be perfectly honest most men do not know the first thing about putting a tie and shirt combination together and that is why most men have women to put them together.

Well guys, I am here to pull you out of that and make sure that you look very, very good at your next function.  It’s a brand new year almost and you should be looking your best.  In the next couple blogs, we are going to talk about how to put a shirt and a tie together.

One of the first things that you need to learn is that if you are wearing a shirt with a pattern on it – you do not always have to wear a solid tie.  More tips in the next blog!

Now, there are some things you most definitely do not want to wear during the holiday season. Above all, you want to avoid any seasonal ties, socks, handkerchiefs, or shirts like they are the plague — because they are. They are kitschy, gimmicky plagues of fashion and they need to be avoided like the plague.

In general, darker jeans or pants are a better bet. After all, the snow can get muddy, accidents happen — but they will not show up so much on dark colors, so no outfits will get ruined right before a holiday party or get together with a date.

Now, a lost art: why do so few men carry handkerchiefs? You should. You should always have one with you, in fact — it is both stylish and gentlemanly.

Women are not the only ones who have to worry about their wardrobes during this holiday season. So, we are going to review some tips that will help you look just as hot as whomever you are escorting.

For one thing, learn how to layer. Layering cotton and wool the right way can make a big difference, and using classic pieces will serve you well.

Specifically, cotton should be worn close to your body, while wool — which retains heat — is good for sweaters, jackets, and overcoats.

Speaking of which, getting a good overcoat is a great idea not just for the holidays but for winter in general. It will add just the right touch of class and sophistication to your ensemble.

And don’t forget the right accessories — a scarf, gloves, even a hat — to go with it.

When you are going to a formal holiday party or other formal occasion, you should also think about wearing a jacket.

Winter is definitely upon us, and we here at Fashion Prince have all the tips you need to make these cold winter months look as hot as they possibly can.

First off, we cannot stress the importance and the style of clean lines for the winter season. Khakis and polo shirts will take you far — as long as you remember to keep warm with your accessories.

You can do that with an ultra classic, ultra classic cardigan — the new and improved versions.

You need to brighten up these grey months too. Forget about dark, dull browns and boring greys. Be daring with dark purple or indigo; dazzle in red and black.

One word: pinstripes. Rawr, baby, purrrr.

Keep an eye out for retro blazers, and if khakis really aren’t your style, try twill instead.

When you have a shirt that has cuffs and a collar in a different color, it is often called a contrast collar. This look can be classy, sophisticated, and terribly sexy — but only if you know how to wear it correctly, and many men don’t.

Usually the contrasting cuffs and collar are white, but not necessarily. And really, the look all comes down to the tie you choose to wear with the shirt. If it is too pale in color and/or design, then the look will appear garish. If the tie is too plain, the style can look cheap.

Go bold with your tie but easy on the pattern of the shirt, more often than not. Silver, for instance, is a great accent color in the ties paired with this style.