Prince Not-So-Charming

As you might have already noticed, it’s the season for Metallica T-shirts and Metallica-inspired titles and concepts for posts, and so here comes another one!

This is an outfit I wore about a month ago. It’s a bit outdated already, in the sense that it’s not exactly a summer look, but who cares? It looks cool anyway, and that’s all that matters in here ;)

I started this look from the animal print scarf (I’ve been using it for a while now, even though none of those outfits have been posted on this blog yet for reasons I have repeatedly explained, but I promise they will see the light sometime! LOL), which I chose mainly because it matched my metallic brown nail polish.

The truth is I’ve been allowing my weekly nail polish to determine the colour palette of my outfits lately. It gives me a cool starting point, and it adds a conceptual unit to the whole thing that extends beyond the clothes. Crazy, right? :P Anyway, the metallic brown nail polish gives this particular outfit a cool twist, straying away from the more predictable black/gold combination.

I didn’t really know what to do with the scarf in the first place, so I just left it there and waited for the inspiration to come.

I don’t usually pay attention to style tips in magazines (professional stylists and I don’t really live in the same planet LOL), but this time I made an exception. I was browsing through a slightly outdated list of winter style tips, and I came across some ideas that didn’t seem too horrible, so I decided to give them a try, just for the sake of experimenting.

The first tip was: "Wear a blazer". “OK”, I said, and I picked up this black blazer from Mango for no particular reason (I have a huge pile of black blazers to pick from), just because I was attracted to its slim fit. I’ve had it for at least a couple of years now, and I honestly can’t remember if I’ve ever used it or not (LOL), but I did it this time, and that’s what counts, aside from the fact that it looks extremely cool.

The second tip was: “Match white jeans with biker boots to give your look some edge”. “Ok”, I chuckled, and I picked up some white slim-fitted white jeans and my favourite pair of biker boots (you’ve already seen them before as a part of my Motor Rebel outfit).

At that point, my relationship with the magazine was over, but it didn’t really matter: I had almost completed an outfit without even using my own brain! That felt quite amazing. I finished it up with my Metallica T-shirt, and tied the animal print scarf in a bow.

I’ve had this Metallica T-shirt for a while, and it’s one of my all-time-favourites. Metallica have some of the best T-shirt and merchandise designs ever, and, of course, they have some of the most flawless and iconic album covers in history as well, so it’s no surprise I’ve got quite a stock of their T-shirts ;) This one is illustrated with an awesome Pushead artwork, and it has a very curious texture, topped by some amazing golden splatters. It’s printed in a really cool black, white and gold colour combination – the overall effect is pretty Japanese.

I added my classic black MNG hat (I’ve used it a HUGE lot during the last seven years – you might remember it from my Punk In The Park outfit) to give the whole thing a finishing touch, and I thought it was pretty much done. This look was obviously going to be a half-dandy half-rocker thing – maybe not the most original idea in the world, but still cool. Everything seemed wonderful until I looked at myself in the mirror.

I liked the overall image, but there was something about the jeans that made me uncomfortable. They were white, just like the T-shirt. Everything fell into a black, white and brown palette. It was technically correct, but, for me, there were at least two problems about that look.

The first one was that the shades of white of the jeans and the T-shirt didn’t match as perfectly as they should have. You might call me crazy, but I’m quite a Nazi when it comes to mixing white: if EVERY piece of clothing isn’t in identical (or, at least, compatible) shades of white, I just can’t stand it, and that was the case here.

The second (and most important) problem was that the white jeans combined with the black short blazer and the hat, and tucked into my biker boots made me look like I was wearing an extremely preppy horse-riding uniform (LOL). Of course, that was a total NO.

[You don’t expect me to walk out there looking like Charlotte Casiraghi, do you? LMAO 

We'll leave that to Janelle Monáe ;)]

However, I didn’t suffer a lot because of this little setback. Everything had been too easy until this point, anyway, so I couldn’t complain. I quickly went upstairs and browsed through my latest purchases, and I immediately came across these wonderful golden jeans.

I bought them back in March, along with a bunch of other black and gold stuff (including a matching blazer I still haven’t used), and I totally and absolutely adore them. They have a very curious golden cracked paint effect that's very edgy. They are also extremely body-conscious. I must admit I have quite a hard time getting into them, even though not for the reason you’d expect: they fit my legs quite well – the only problem is that they are not meant for people with heels. That’s right: it takes me about ten minutes to get each foot through the extremely narrow bottom of these jeans (LOL), and I have a bit of a hard time finding space to bend my knees too. Thankfully, aside from that they’re totally fine, and look cool as f*ck. AND they make my legs look longer, which is really useful, whenever I get my ‘Bill Kaulitz legs envy syndrome’ (LMAO).

As soon as I put them on, I knew I had made the right decision. They immediately glammed-up the look 100 levels (LOL), and added a new dimesion of chromatic coherence, especially because the cracked effect on the jeans perfectly matched the golden splatters on the T-shirt. It was SO perfect.

I tucked in the back of my T-shirt in order to keep some sense of proportion (fashion magazines might say it’s cool, but I don’t like to have my T-shirts peaking from underneath my jackets LOL), and the look was done.

A few days later, I came across a Juicy Couture ad that spotted a look quite similar to mine… only not so awesome, of course ;) (LOL). It looked like a more mainstream version of the same idea, which felt kinda weird e_e' Anyway, I still found it funny.

You can judge for yourselves:

[The position on this pic wasn’t intentional e_e' LOL]

[Never forget being stupid is my number one hobbie LOL]

While I was out, I also found this 50s diner, and, when I saw the jukebox on the table, I couldn’t keep myself from succumbing to the temptation of recreating this iconic BTK App picture. That’s a big ‘LOL’, just to make you know.

PS. I really like the summer light that’s captured in this photoshoot. It makes such long and stylish shadows! You don’t need photoshop with a light like this! LOL

Here are some funny pictures from Instagram:

And that’s it. Go out and enjoy the summer before it gets too hot! ;) I’ll try to keep you updated with more of my pre-summer looks and purchases ^^

T-shirt: Metallica

Jeans: MNG

Boots: In Extenso

Blazer: MNG

Hat: MNG

Scarf: MNG

Looks I’m Lovin’ #3: Wide-Brimmed Hats Rule!

As you probably know, we had the Grammys a couple of weeks ago. I’ve never been (and I’m still not) a fan of the event, but I decided to watch the live-stream of the red carpet this year. Most of it was quite  boring and unimpressive, just as I expected, but there was one thing that caught my attention…

Yeah, that’s right: as you can see, Janelle Monáe was wearing a wide-brimmed hat extremely similar to mine! :D

She was not only wearing a cool hat, but she also paired it with a tailcoat. The whole thing reminded me of my Black Death Mariachi outfit a lot! How awesome is that? :D Of course, I would change the shoes… but, hey – nothing is perfect! :P

[Janelle is wearing an Against Nature vest and shirt, a Moschino jacket, a Ralph Lauren hat, and carrying a Jimmy Choo clutch]

The other surprise of the night turned out to be 2 Chainz. I don’t know much about him or about how he usually looks (aside from the fact that he always wears two chains LOL), but I have to say that his Versace outfit was totally impressive. He would have made a nice pair with Janelle Monáe! LOL

[2 Chainz wore a Versace cape and Christian Louboutin shoes]

It’s curious that my last year’s favourite look was also a Versace. Of course, I’m talking about Nicki Minaj’s controversial Red Riding Hood/nun dress – imitation Pope included! The whole thing ended up being quite superficial, but I still think that was a cool idea… and you have to admit it’s the best Nicki Minaj has ever looked! LOL

PS. Do you like my new header? :P I still can’t believe I made it entirely with my cell phone! I edited the picture with Pixlr-o-matic and added the text with Aviary. How awesome is that? LOL I’m still amazed that I have apps on my phone that do things I don’t even know how to do with Photoshop ^O^

Looks I’m Lovin’ #2: Suits!

I have a very curious thing with the subject of today’s post: I love suits and I hate suits.

OK, I should explain myself properly.

There’s nothing in the world I find less appealing than a regular guy wearing a regular suit (a.k.a. what we get sick of seeing at the Oscars ever since the 1930s). It’s probably because it represents the acceptance of the values and social etiquette of the establishment, but I just can’t stand it!

However, I also believe that there’s nothing in the world that dignifies a person’s look more than a suit does – which is probably the reason why masculine fashion has been restricting men from wearing any other type of clothing at formal occasions for the last 200 years.

So… how do we get out of this contradiction? Is it possible to look dignified without being boring? Can you be formal without being standard? Can you be powerful AND beautiful at the same time?

The answer is: of course you can!

All you have to do is break the rules and be creative!

Play with the colours!

We all know suits usually come in greyscale, ranging from the ultra-formal black you wear at funerals (or the Oscars) to the bluish light grey you use at work – white and beige are only acceptable in the hottest climates. Obviously, the objective of a good classical suit is to make you look as uninteresting as possible, so, why don’t you give it a twist and use it to make yourself visible instead? Mother Nature gave us the colours for a reason… or are men supposed to be colorblind?

Come on! Be original and catch the rainbow (just like the Rainbow song said LOL). The brighter, the better!

And, of course, electric blue is always a great place to start ;)

The suit pictured here is a piece from Banal Chic Bizarre 2012 Spring-Summer Menswear collection (don’t worry – you don’t need to wear a black hood over your face to look cooler LOL).

Red and blue taken to the next level!

Play with the patterns!

Run away from the subtle stripes and challenge the world with some unexpected patterns instead!

My personal favourites in this category are these suits from Yoshio Kubo 2012 Spring-Summer collection. The first one has this funny what’s-wrong-with-my-screen appeal you could only expect to find in Japanese fashion, and the second one is just killer!

Everything is allowed... as long as it’s not boring!

Even stripes can have a chance if you take their visual power to the maximum. Just like the more-than-legendary striped suit Dave Gahan wore in music video for I Feel You.

I apologize for repeating the word “killer” so many times in a row, but THAT’s the king of KILLER looks!

Play with the structures!

Take the challenge to another level and defy the conventional structure… just like Bill did with this awesome Jean Paul Gaultier blazer.

Of course, talking about turning boring suits into objects of beauty and adoration, I couldn’t skip over Bill Kaulitz – one of the huge experts in the subject, along with Master Marilyn Manson.

This outfit still knocks me out every time I see it, not just because of its unbelievable coolness, but also because of the awesome reinterpretation Bill made of the original piece. The fact itself that this blazer was originally created as womenswear (Rihanna wore it a few months before he did in quite a different context, much more similar to the version that was displayed in the catwalk) says something about how great his vision was when he decided to take it and transform it into this ultra-edgy sort of SS uniform.

I don’t know what if that’s what he had in mind when he put up this outfit, but, whatever it was, he looks awesome as f**k (I’m quoting Green Day here LOL) in it.

This suit from Banal Chic Bizarre (you might have already recognized the collection by the black hood) is another wonderful example of challenging structures. It even has a bunch of subtle punk details placed there specifically for my enjoyment (LOL)!

Play with the materials!

Don’t think I need to explain this one (LOL).

Pictured below are Marilyn Manson and Dita Von Teese dressed fully in latex: the proof that wearing fancy suits is perfectly compatible with a socially acceptable heterosexual life (LOL).

I won’t be the one who tells you that a latex suit is the most practical solution for everyday life, but, just like Dita herself would say: “It’s not as comfortable as going naked, but there’s something about it we love”.

Got it? (LOL)

Animalize!

Remember the cover of the KISS album?

There you’ve got it! I’m not usually a big fan of animal prints, but they are certainly a great way of turning a suit into a big statement. Of course, this is only suitable for those who are not afraid of looking a bit gangster.

The first two looks featured here come from HEADL_INER 2012 Spring-Summer collection. The short pants and the heavy boots make them look quite childish (okay, the Indian headdress might help too LOL), and that’s something I find particularly lovely (maybe it’s time to check back on my London Calling post :P).

What did I just say about looking a bit gangster? (LOL)

This one here is the mythical Omega outfit (well, that’s what I call it LOL) Marilyn Manson wore at the VMAs in 1998 – I’ll spare you the vision of virtually naked Rose McGowan because I guess none of us wants to go through that again (LOL).

Now that suit IS a dream. If I wasn’t the size of one of Marilyn’s legs, I swear I’d sneak into his house and steal it… well, that’s if he still keeps it.

Unfortunately, I think it doesn’t look that great when you don’t have bright red hair to match it...

Glam it up!

Who said boys don’t glitter? Of course they do, and you should see just how!

No, those are not thigh-high boots (it took me months to figure that out LOL): it’s just a clever visual trick played by Rad Hourani. In fact, it’s a normal (well, “normal”) pair of trousers with matching high-heeled booties, but the overall effect is awesome. Rad Hourani is only releasing unisex collections (thank god SOMEBODY does that), so you can all feel welcome to join this trend… for a reasonable price (LOL).

Are those garter belts peeking from underneath Marilyn’s beautiful wine-coloured suit? Did he borrow them from his (ex)wife? (LOL) I love them! And I adore the huge false lashes he used to wear in that period, too.

Now that's what I call BEAUTIFUL.

Make your own rules!

Fancy suits are there for anyone who wants to use them, and this goes for everyone: boys, girls… who cares?! Never let anybody or anything tell you what you can and what you can’t wear!

Be brave and make your own rules… or otherwise the rules will make you.

Feel like trying something new? ;)