Bill Edwards [Jamaica] never disappoints…his classic style mixed with his eclectic taste mixes well together to form unique pieces for men and women (didn’t even know he did women) that are crisp and clean. The Bill Edwards brand is top of the line…his shirts are well packaged and I’ve seen it available for sale at Lee’s Department Store…has his own section and everything. Lee’s is like Jamaica’s Nordstrom or Macy’s…so you get my drift. Check out Bill Edwards here .

Styleweek Jamaica is well under way and will culminate tonight with it’s history making catwalk in the middle of Kingston’s busy busy business district (well on a Sunday night there’s not much business eh) and I can’t wait to be front and centre. The shows have been great thus far, with the normal setbacks such as HUMONGOUS delays between collections (man, we need to get over this ish!) but its all fab none-the-less.

Here’s your favorite fashionista snapping a shot with hottie model Tafari Hinds of GQ and French Connection fame. He’s such a gracious soul.

I also spotted Saint Top model Canise mingling in the crowd in a FABULOUS pair of black mary-janes with a red heel. She rocked it well in all black including the full length black leggings you all know I adore. Hot eh?

Of course I’m not about to leave you all out of the scene. I got a few clips of the final walks especially the fabulous Les Campbell, noted Jamaican menswear designer, Rojoe from Barbados and the dynamic Dexter Pottinger closing the show with the 3D 08 line. Check the vid for the fabulosity below.

Rojoe

Les Campbell

Dexter

According to My FOS partner Adrain, it is Christian Audigier and his flamboyant pieces. Christian is the designer of the famed Ed Hardy line and and his more premium self-titled line is…apparently…all the craze. So I did a little googling to familiarize myself with the line, since my co-workers are of the same view as Adrain. The Christian Audigier line is very much Ed Hardy like, bright, bold and very patterned. He himself says “his designs appeal to people who want to inject a little fun into their wardrobes or those who just want to get noticed” Clearly this is why this line speaks so well to our dancehall stars that rock Ed Hardy to every Hot Monday, Early Tuesday, Weddy Wednesay, Bembe Thursday, Dutty Friday alike! Here’s an article on the designer himself, its a very good read especially if you want to be a designer yourself as he shares a few of his marketing tips. The male line is VERY flashy and I had a hard time picking out a shirt I’d buy for my hunny, so I asked Rain to pick out his favorites:

OMG that blue one is just hideous! Guys, are you really feeling this line? The female line, I ADORE! The dresses are to die for and it was hard for me to pick favourites. Bubble hemlines, bloussant dresses and peasant tops, all flattering to the curvier woman like myself and gorgeous minis and cinched waisted dresses for the modelesque. So while I’m not a fan of his male tees, his female line “a happen, a occur, it sell and a mek a profit!” which is Jamaican slang for its great! He brings his flavour to the leggings trend as well and while the gold and silver might be a little too trendy for me…those black ones are the business. At $300 a pop for a dress though, I’m only admiring right now. Check him out ChristianAudigier.com

Ok. Shopping didn’t work out as I had hoped, but have no fear I’m still here with the style guide for the men. Gentlemen, step into my office and lets discuss your outfit for Absinthe “The Genesis” this New Year’s Eve. As my opening image shows, you can rock it out like LL or go smoooooothe like Jay Z and still be sexy, trendy, cool. Trends for men this season include gray jeans, slimmer fitting pants (don’t get crazy with the slim) and you all are in on the shine factor as well. Shirts/T-shirts with a lil bling action going on puts you in that fashion forward category. Drop a blazer over this black t-shirt for instant rock star fab. This military style blazer that Diddy is rocking will push you even further rock star as military jackets are so hot right now. This jacket + this black shirt with the bling over some gray jeans = HOTT! These jeans will do the trick. They are Guess and can be found at shop.guess.com

Of course a classic button up shirt will do the trick, this one item can allow you to still express your personal style by the print you choose. A simple stripe print is chic or a shirt with a great print on the back adds the party touch to the outfit. I like these three from Nordstrom.com they’re from simple to stylin’

Here’s another blazered look with jeans that is fabulous and trendy in that desired “understated” manner. But I mean, it is New Year’s Eve, and it is Absinthe…why go understated? Throw a vest over a classic silk shirt in a deep hue like wine red or royal blue and don a complementing fedora and be pimping! Clean white suit? PIMPING

Just don’t do like these clowns and pimp in outfits not practical in our weather…I mean come on now, fur in Jamaica??? I’m not kidding and I know you’ve seen it too!

Ciao gentlemen…see you at Absinthe this New Year’s Eve!

So my male friends all seem to have it on lock. Of course they do, they’re friends with the fashionable Irie Diva right, but sometimes they seem to go off on a tangent that has everyone wondering what they were thinking. The last time I did this is still one of my most popular posts so I had to do it again. One of the longtime fashion rules has always been to not mix black and brown. There are a few instances where it can be pulled off, more on that in posts to come, but I’m thinking this wasn’t one of those instances. I’m thinking he needs to maybe re-read my Male Work Basics post.  It is a very clean, very minimal outfit, but somehow it rubbed us in the wrong way. So as usual I’ll allow you to decide, did he get it wrong or right?

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So I’ve done a female work basics post and it has become one of my most popular…I feel the need to share the love with the men. Today I will be focusing on the Business Casual phenomenon that has come about in recent times to loosen up the strict work environment, but which has only caused much confusion as to exactly what business casual is. I’ve chosen to focus on this style of dressing for the men to wear to work, because it is what is acceptable in most Jamaican business places. Business casual to some is basically without a tie, or without a jacket. In an even more casual environment, then you can go without both. But the button down shirt remains the same as with the trousers. Business casual is really only a notch below business formal and should never be mistaken for casual Friday wear. In most corporate businesses in Jamaica, a suit may only be necessary for business meetings otherwise you are allowed to go business casual for regular office wear. I researched extensively to find the best business casual definition, but the lines are still very muddled. Ehow’s step by step guide to dressing business casually however is the perfect guide.

1. Ask your human resources department for official guidelines. Business casual means different things at different companies. At a large corporation, it may mean a sport coat with a tie; at a smaller company, it may mean khakis and a polo shirt.
2. Before you go casual, check your daily planner to make sure you don’t have any meetings that require formal business attire.
3. Select clean, pressed and wrinkle-free clothes. Your outfit should communicate professionalism.
4. Wear a collared shirt with an undershirt. You can break up the oxford shirt monotony by wearing a linen or flannel shirt or one with a band collar. Knitted shirts and polo shirts are also generally acceptable. A casual sport coat is appropriate.
5. Wear khakis, chinos, corduroys or other non-denim slacks. Check your company’s policy before you decide to wear jeans to work.
6. Be sure to wear a belt, and have it match the color of your shoes.
7. Wear socks that match the color of your pants leave white socks or tube socks in your gym bag.
8. Choose oxfords, loafers, rubber soled leather shoes or boots for casual day. Wingtips are often too formal. Worn-out shoes, sandals or athletic shoes don’t make the grade.

• Observe what others are wearing to get an idea of what is acceptable, if your company has no written guidelines.
• Your casual-day outfit should be formal enough that you can throw on a sport coat and meet a client.
• Casual days generally do not include the option of not shaving.

Noteworthy reading is also this CNN/Career Builder article on crimes of work fashion.

Now for my job…bringing you the images of exactly what all this looks like. Sport jackets and blazers will bring a fashionable flair to your work outfit while breaking up the formality of an actual suit. (please read this article for what exactly a sport jacket is and the difference between that and a blazer) These two are really great for an office setting and can be worn to meetings with clients who are not formal by nature.

But for regular in office wear, when a jacket is not required, a button-down long-sleeved shirt and tie are acceptable for stricter corporate environments (banks, consultation offices etc), and a short sleeved shirt (no tie!) or Polo’s with a pair of pants will definitely work for less strict settings. I’m a HUGE fan of deep purple shirts with black pants…a definite way to be apart from the mundane blues and khakis. Stay away from loud patterns and I mean loud in colours as well as in styles, no Hawaiian shirts please! These stripe shirts are a great way to go.

One of the best ways to break up a suit is to throw on a bright colour inside. This gentleman is fierce in his pink and the blue and maroon below would look great under suit pieces or by themselves.

For pant options…apart from the black and blues, here are a few other colour options. Khaki and grays come in a variety of shades however I am not a fan of light grey or light khaki…it looks too school-boyish/department store-worker-ish for the office. Here are some shades that will work for the fashion forward corporate man. Do not be a clown and take the matching belt and socks/shoes too far, I saw a man today in the Burger King line in a bright mustard-coloured shoes-and-belt combo with his khaki pants and royal blue shirt…can we say foolywang! Shoulda had my camera! Please remember to always be clean-cut, super crisp and smelling fresh!

Its time for a taste of the finer things in life. This post speaks to the males. Males on a mission, on that corporate ladder heading to big things. While some men do not pay great attention to fashion, regard should be placed on some pieces of your wardrobe that speak to your style, status and personality. A watch is one of those pieces. It shows good taste, professionalism, confidence and sex appeal (there’s nothing sexier on a man’s arm, ditch the skull bracelets and pinky rings). Yes a watch can do all those things. Its the reason its such a status symbol and one of those things you should invest in if the boardroom is where you’re heading.

Where else to turn when asking the question, “how do I select THE perfect watch?”, than GQ?

GQ gives us the low down on purchasing the most important accessory in a male wardrobe by first telling us the 5 things we need to know.

Five watch terms that will make you sound like an industry pro

1. Complication
Any function of a watch that goes beyond simple timekeeping. Could be an annual or lunar calendar, could be something as basic as a stopwatch.

2. Movement
All those bits and pieces inside that run the thing.

3. Quartz
A movement powered by a battery and regulated by the oscillations of a quartz crystal. It’s way more accurate than other watch types-which isn’t to say we necessarily recommend you buy one.

4. Self-winding
A type of mechanical watch, containing a rotor on a pivot, that’s wound by the day-to-day movements of the wearer’s wrist. It’s also referred to as automatic.

5. Water-resistant
Just because a watch says it’s water-resistant doesn’t mean you should swim or shower with it on. To be safe, only do so if it’s water-resistant up to one hundred meters.

This is a Tag Heuer watch that I love, described by GQ as an everyday, wear to work type watch. It retails for $1995.

You can read the entire article here (its worth it men!) or check out the excerpt below:

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My friend Darren is a fellow self-professed fashion guru. Always the trendsetter, he has gone as far as to dabble in altering designs to change it up a little, setting himself apart from the rest. I think he gets it right 90% of the times, he’s always fresh and always fly! I just love it when a man has his style game together. This here time tho…I’m not too sure. He’s quite proud of the fact that he’s pulled off his white tie look at his friend’s wedding, however I’m of the view that a white tie does not match with a cream pants! I’m gonna throw this one out to you guys to determine if i’m paranoid or if he did get it right indeed. I’m thinking it would’ve only worked if he had on a cream jacket to match? I dunno y’all… this one goes out to you. So tell me, did he get it right?

Don’t kill me Dee you know I love you!

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Well Pulse Entertainment holds its annual Caribbean Model Search live finals this Friday and I thought I’d let you in on former winner Oraine Barrett, what has the competition done for him?

Oraine Barrett grew up in rural St. Elizabeth, Jamaica loving football. That’s what his life was about mostly until he kind-of collided with modeling. I asked him how he ended up entering Model Search in the first place:

actually my brother’s girlfriend was the one interested but she was shy to go to pulse and give it a shot so my brother asked me to give it a shot so that his girlfriend can have someone to flex with. it eventually paid off. i was 19 at the time. when i entered the competition i was still in high school but i didn’t let many people know that i entered because i did not want anyone to give me negative reactions. i only told four persons at my school, my best friend, my gym partner, one of my coaches and my then girlfriend. i wasnt considering model because that wasnt my dream. football was the ultimate. I was offered a [football] scholarship [from a US college] but my papers went through too late so i couldn’t get to continue my education. that summer of 04 i was confused because i didnt know what i was going to do and modeling was the only other option which i didnt have any clue about. that was one of the most difficult periods in my life.

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Fashionite "Ganja Pilot" writes:

Tell me sum’n, I’m more into jeans and long sleeved shirts whenever I’m going out (clubbin’ or whatever)….trying the sophisticated look y’kno. I used to wear polo shirts exclusively but now I’ve branched off into wearing more t-shirts for just going on the road. So yeh…wat’s fashionable in the world of dress shirts? Plaid? stripes? solid colors?

Very good question! Its hard to shop for you men! Seemingly, male fashion evolves at a much slower pace than women. The variations are rarely humongous but the subtle differences make or break a design! I’ve been researching this question all day and found very few results when it comes to new trends in the male fashion world. So what I did instead was to just browse the various brands that I could remember and see what new designs they had to offer. I saw nothing "new" or nothing really "trendy" but what I found were a few classic designs that will always work for parties or chilling.The transition from tees to button downs is one I think most men, or at least most men that are style-aware, go through. At some point they grow up, leaving the all-occasion t-shirt game behind and stepping up to a classier, more mature look. Big man ting! I’m glad GP has made the step over, most t-shirts are definitely for errands and game nights.

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