FASHION FILES: Class Is In Session

By: Tymeco Pyles

CFDA nominated brand, Public School NYC has turned it up a notch with their unique designs and ever so classic identity. Public School designers Dao-Yi Chow andMaxwell Osbourne founded the label in 2008 and they live by one mission, to find perfection in imperfection. Public School is one of the up and coming conspirators in the new wave of young irreverent American menswear designers. They take inspiration and energy from their surroundings and inject that attitude into their garments. They understand that fashion should help change or augment the way you feel. They want men to feel tough again.

In a constant reaction against the expected, Public School holds a pen in one hand and a sword in the other. They are both teachers and students who continue to critique the culture we help create, resulting in a new vision of constructed garments that focus on fabrication, fit and attitude. The COOLest thing about Public School NYC is the operation. All items are manufactured out of New York, in factories based in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. This is just another principal that sets them aside from the rest.

www.publicschoolnyc.com

Twitter/Instagram: @PublicSchoolNYC

Facebook: Public School

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FASHION FILES : FALL SHOE CANDY FOR MEN

 

Its not often that men get much to choose from when it comes to fashion designs and trends. Because of the general shopping behaviors of men— there is not as much variety for them as there are for women. That's why we're excited to see such a shift in the industry especially in the shoe department. Men's footwear has gotten a mega dose of cool with bold use of fabrics and colors, luxurious leathers & accessories, re-interpreted soles, hybrids, and so much more.

Fall 2012 is serving up some of the most blazing designs ever!

Must have for Fall 2012 - cool classic, hard bottom or a hybrid shoes like some of our cool picks shown above:

• Prada 'Levitate' Wingtips
• Louboutin Metal Henri Flat
• Louis Vuitton Metal Lace up
• United Nude dessert boot silver tumbled leather
• Louboutin John John flat
• Louboutin Spooky velvet spiked loafers
• Alba part neon old school
• Jimmy Choo camo loafers (stay tuned for our camo trend feature)

Designer kicks with luxurious designer patterns, leather or a mix of materials and the sneaker-hybrid:

• Yogi Yamamoto
• United Nude
• Feit hand sewn shoes
• Clae Hamilton Classic
• Clae McQueen
• Burberry Check high top
• Clarks Denim Dessert Boot
• JImmy Choo Belgravia 
• Louis Vuitton Heroes Sneaker Boot Damier canvas

There's so much to suit your cool this fall!

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TREND TALK : LEATHER LOVE

We last featured Zara's fall lookbook which had leather moments incorporated into some of the pieces, and with one of this summer's hottest trend being leather shorts (yes)... it only seems natural that leather will carry over into the fall season in a major way.

Some of the highlights will be the leather peplum, leather leaggings and pants, pleated skirt, and button-up shirt. There are a few unusual or playful ways to incorporate leather for fall with leather bow-ties, skinny ties, shades, and yes, leather socks which were made popular by Rachel Comey, who brought these to market in 2009. They didn't really fly, but with this major leather season, we think its time for a come back.

The most important thing about rocking leather is that it only looks good when you keep it COOL.

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FASHION FILES : FALL TRENDS ZARA LOOKBOOK

Zara Woman Fall 2012 Look Book

Zara Man Fall 2012 Look Book

Hooray! Our favorite fashion season is already coming upon us and we're featuring the best of Fall trends. Zara's Fall 2012 look book is oozing with Fall cool factor. We don't know if it's the photography or what, but the pieces look more lux and richer than ever. Leather and denim and peplums and studs... Zara's fall pieces are a style blazer's playground. We love the tone-on-tone treatments used in the more opulent looking pieces and the use of leather is so clean and simple.

Leather & denim major trend alert!
This season, leather is taking over in a major way! Mixed fabrics accented with leather panels, and leather trimmed peplums, dresses, pants and blazers will be all the rage... we're just going to have to do another post on just leather.

And then there's denim—which is forever coming back almost every season. This time, we'll be seeing high end designer denim footwear and handbags, new dress silhouettes made with denim, denim mixed with leather panels, and much more.

You can start populating your fall wardrobe with must have pieces. Shop Zara here.

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SHOE GALLERY : GO GOLD!

With the 2012 Olympic Games kicking off this week, we're featuring all things gold.
Up first is NAS on 106 & Park. While promoting his masterpiece Life is Good, NAS rocked the coveted Maison Martin Margiela autumn/winter ’12 Men's Gold Foil Replica Sneaker. The kicks are coated in a gold spray that will flake and age with wear to leave a unique COOL appearance.

Go gold and get your pair at:
http://www.oki-ni.com/icat/footwear/maison-martin-margiela-22-mens-gold-foil-replica-sneaker/invt/mm1459gld

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FASHION FILES : BROAD STRIPES & BRIGHT STARS

These are our 4th of July fashion picks for 2012:

Opening this patriotic post is the fabulous Catherine Malandrino Flag Dress (who cares if its from 2009? It's still cool). Give your look a splash of Americana with any one of these clutches including: the Lego Clutch by Arabag on Etsy, salvaged clutch by Totem and Judith Lieber's metallic chain clutch. 

For the gents we chose the cool and impractical (for the summer) Stubbs & Wooton Camouflage Velvert Slippers (at Mr. Porter), and always practical Converse Chucks. We are so feeling these Rag & Bone Checkered Shorts and the effortless Brioni Regal Stripe Shirt, also available at Mr. Porter.

You can turn your face into a canvas of allegiance or shop at Revolve Clothing for comfy tops that'll give your look just the right touch of patriotic tjuz. Swimwear is all about vintage this year. Fables by Barrie offers some amazing vintage red, white and blues for you to debut on the Fourth and continue rocking throughout this summer. 

Those are our COOL picks that will have you looking perfectly patriotic for the holiday and the Olympic Games. 

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TREND TALK : THE NEW BOW TIE

Let's face it, men don't have the variety of clothing & accessory options as women do. Men really have to be creative to pull off a look that that is fresh, unique, and fun. The bow tie has always been a symbol of confidence and have become such a great way for any guy to express his sense of style. Over the past several years, bow ties have really made a splash in fashion. Designers are having fun and experimenting with different fabrics and materials to create some truly eye-popping pieces. Of course, women are wearing men's bow ties too. Celebrity fashion trend-setters (like Janelle Monáe & Rihanna) have been seen rocking them on the red carpet and on stage.

We've chosen some of our faves for this post, but for the record, we do prefer a classic, large silk bow tie that you have to actually tie because classic is always cool. This post is about how designers have been reinterpreting the classic bow tie with unconventional materials. Now these are not for everyone. Only a man with crazy confidence that wants to have a little fun with his style could rock these.

Get a COOL bow tie here:
WUYORK Bow tie Collection http://www.wuyork.com/flash/wuyork.html
Federico Batelli Denim Bow tie collection "Untitled" (order inquiries here: mail@federicobatelli.it
Lanvin Velvet Bow tie - Navy is hard to come by, but you can get a red one here: http://www.mrporter.com/product/166458
CHRISTOPHER CHAUN amazing selection here: http://robotandbrucling.bigcartel.com/
JILL PINEDA faux leather bow ties http://www.jillpineda.com/bow-ties/
Mckenzie Liautaud http://www.mckenzieliautaud.com
 @mckenziebowties

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WATCH THIS : THE SHOPS AT TARGET

Continuing its heritage of great design at affordable prices, Target is introducing its "SHOPS" concept. The retailer has teamed up with 5 small shops from around the country: The Webster (Miami), The Candy Shop (San Francisco), Privet House (Connecticut), Cos Bar (Apsen), & Polka Dog Bakery (Boston). Each brand will be featured at Target starting May 6th.

We're excited to see that one the hottest shops in town, The Webster Miami, got chosen to be part of this amazing project. If you haven't been to the shop at The Webster you MUST go ASAP to 1220 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139. You can also do some damage in their online shop here.
For more about THE SHOPS at TARGET see: http://www.target.com/c/The-Shops-at-Target/-/N-56f52 

 

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BRANDS THAT INSPIRE : BROOKLYN CIRCUS

Brooklyn Circus is a brand that can be described as neo-victorian, dandy, and retro-urban. Its a mix of old and new, lined with confidence and trimmed with grace. The company was founded by Haitian-American, Ouigi Theodore, whose goal is to "refine the image of urban America."
"BKc has produced garments that bring the past forward into the future while extending an ethos of education, empowerment and authenticity." - Source BKc Website 

That definitely gets our stamp of COOL.

Check out some of these videos to hear more about the brand and its founder.

Theodore studied graphic design at FIT and worked as a graphic designer right after he graduated with a history degree. He later scraped together $8,000 and opened his shop. Although he originally helped design the clothes at Brooklyn Circus under the BKC label, Mr. Theodore now farms out the designing, casting himself more as an idea-generator and curator.

Source: nytimes.com

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FASHION FILES : BRAND SPOTLIGHT

UK fashion label, Sons of Heroes, describes itself as a brand "born from a desire to bring a positive, confident attitude to contemporary menswear. Sons of Heroes represents the bold new face of the modern man; resolute in the pursuit of style."

Such a clear and definitive statement from a brand with a distinctive design point of view. The interesting use of buttons and closures, asymmetrical lines and simplicity in color and fabric all make these pieces so unique and exciting. Perhaps the most attractive thing about these pieces is how masculine they feel. Menswear can sometimes go too feminine when designers try to get too crafty. 

A little history about the brand:  Sons of Heroes. The Uniform of Future Icons.
Paying respect to the future icons of the 21st Century, Sons of Heroes has a blueprint that honours our country’s heroic past and the formidable people who played a part in it. With a collaborative history of over 10 years, the Sons of Heroes duo have collectively pooled their expertise, having worked side by side at the creative helm of some of the UK’s most successful and iconic fashion labels and brands.

Sons of Heros is serving up major cool. 

Shop Sons of Heroes on ASOS.
There are a few pieces on sale now at Fab.com.
Stocklists available at http://www.sonsofheroes.com.

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