A Question of Male Style – Introducing Arash Mazinani

There is one thing I don’t do often enough: write about men’s fashion. So, in an attempt to be more fair, this is a very special post for all of you guys out there visiting my blog on a regular basis.

I want to introduce you all to Arash Mazinani (pictured above). A personal stylist and blogger, one of the few male fashion bloggers that actually write about women’s fashion as well as men’s. His site is sleek, very informative and extremely well documented. His writing and style advice is right-to-the-point, no nonsense, direct and ever so refreshing.

So, ready to learn a bit about style, my beloved male readers? Let’s have Arash answer some questions:

Men and fashion, it’s an “uneasy” relationship, why?

I think a lot guys aren’t bothered about fashion because society does not really encourage men to embrace it. Quite often ‘fashion’ is consider a female interest so guys don’t really take any notice of it from fear of being judged. These are sweeping generalisations however, there are guys out there who do enjoy fashion. I’d imagine as a selection of men get older and they’re less worried about what people think they start to take a bit more of an interest in what they wear. This is how it worked for myself at least.

What sparked your own interest in fashion?

It’s hard to say really, my mum has always been interested in fashion and when I was growing up aimed to be quite stylish. But I think the real point was  when I started going out to bars and clubs. I needed to smarten up my appearance if I wanted to get into swanky places because that’s where all the attractive girls were.

When it came to women’s fashion that really start years later when I got a job working at Harvey Nichols. I joined as a Christmas temp thinking I was going to be working on the casual floor. I actually ended up working on the high end floor that was filled with £3000 dresses from designers like Lanvin and Dolce & Gabbana. It ended up being an education.

 Harvey Nichols in Leeds – full of pretty, pretty things

Do you feel there are enough brands in the high street to cater for men?

Not really, when you consider how many different places women can go to get clothes it just doesn’t compare. But sometimes I think if I was a girl they’d probably be too much choice. Too much choice can sometimes be a bad thing.

What are the basic brands any man should consider?

I would never really recommend a brand as a whole maybe certain pieces from a brand depending on the individual and their budget. I’d always recommend that you buy the best quality garments you can afford. Whenever I buy something I’d be looking at type of fabric and the quality of item before the name.

What do you think about men that let their girlfriends/wives/sisters choose their clothes? Which leads me to ask, how much influence does your girlfriend have in what you wear?

I’d like to encourage independent thinking, I think a guy should really dress for himself, wear clothes that make him feel good.  It’s a touchy subject getting your girlfriend to dress you. I think it’s a good place to start, but ultimately I think a guy should wear clothes because he wants to wear them and they make him feel good, rather than his girlfriend told him to.

My own girlfriend has small influence on what I wear. There are things in my wardrobe that she hates that I still wear. Generally though when I go shopping I’d go by myself so I pick out clothes on my own. I’ll always ask her opinion though because I trust it just to make sure the fit or colour is right.

A great example of a classic: John Varvatos Richard Oxford – we’re sure Arash would approve

In the stylish man’s wardrobe, what are the basic pieces that must not miss?

I’d say a good pair of shoes that have been well polished. A well fitted pair of dark denim jeans. A good fitting white shirt. A navy or black blazer. A selection of well fitted t shirts and also V neck jumpers in colours of your choice. I think that’s a solid base to build up wardrobe.

What are the most common mistakes men make?

Socks with sandals, ha ha only joking I posted a list on my blog of 15 common style mistakes men make there were quite a few on there. I think the biggest which can make the world of difference is not getting the fit right.

In terms of menswear, what item should be eradicated from the face of the Earth?

Sandals, I think it’s just me but men shouldn’t get their feet out unless on the beach. There are other summer shoe options like boat shoes that are much better and stylish.

Thanks Arash for answering my questions. To visit Arash’s site click here.

Pictures: Arash Mazinani, Harvey Nichols, John Varvatos

A man’s rant – The leopard print conumdrum

What is it with men and leopard print?

Is it in their genes? are they secretly allergic to the pattern but scared to admit it just in case we use it against them and take over the world?

Just a couple of male opinions on the subject:

“Although people should be allowed to wear whatever they choose, leopard print for some reason irks me. I think its simply a question of image association. Every time i see someone wearing leopard print I instantly have visions of Rose Bucket of “Keeping Up Appearances”… or films in the 80s or 90s that often portrayed street-walkers as wearing the old high heels and puffy leopard print fur coats. I fight those visions when my girlfriend wears these things, but its just one of those Pavlovian reflexes that has been drilled into me!” Rob, 31, Brussels

“It says “trashy” to me. I associate it with b*tchy, snobbish or “new rich” characters. It’s Hollywood’s fault really” Mike, 27, Madrid

 Good things come to those who wait. Spent ages lusting after these shoes, and found them greatly reduced at the Zara sales

I think we will just leave it at that –  trashy, cheap looking and so on. The truth is, I love it, but only when done well. For example I was almost completely put off while visiting a certain Spanish town – and I won’t “name and shame”- but those ladies need help.

The truth is, leopard print needs to be done with copious amounts of savoir-faire, for example:

The leopard print coat/jacket – better with a “good hair day” and nice make up. Nothing says “trashy” better than a leopard print combined with badly applied cheap flashy lipstick, or pearls, greasy hair, or anything close to being “too much”. If it seems excessive, it is: remove, remove, remove.

Leopard over leopard – the very tricky combination, that is best left to the most courageous full-time fashionistas. I personally avoid it. Too many busy prints will make me shorter, and with my petite frame it is an avoidable look. Tall and leggy girls may pull it off, but it’s not easy to imitate.

Leopard with everything else – it says effortless cool with flower prints, it lightens up an “all black” look. If you want to do leopard but are afraid of the cliches mentioned above, start with a pair of shoes, or a pretty purse.

 Not happy with the boots (New Look) but the heavy rain outside called for them. 

Dress and cardie by H&M; 

Belt: vintage by T2 Antwerp 

Brooch: Mockinghorse

 Brooch by Mockinghorse

 So while many men seem to hate one of our style favourites, always remember: It could be worse. Your man could be one of those guys with a penchant for leopard-print skin-tight underwear, need I say more?

My name is Jessie and I’m the proud owner of a leopard print coat, a pair of shoes, some cardigans, a robe and some jewelry. Are you a lover or a hater?

Pictures: Fashion Limbo

Copy or Inspiration? – Miu Miu Vs The World

I’m currently obsessed with so many things. My head is a mess of ideas and my stomach a turmoil in capital letters. My mind can go from dwelling on unimportant matters like a certain pair of shoes at H&M;, to then torture me with life-changing events like my move from Belgium. My time is filled by a tight schedule that aims to fit writing, blogging, the selling of my clothes and much more alongside wanting to watch the second season of Six Feet Under, or aimlessly reflecting on the need for a long holiday.

I had a hectic weekend, slightly disappointing as it hardly felt chilled or comforting. Only Sunday evening made some sense with a delicious dinner. So, in order to focus on positives, I will only talk about a blouse. That’s it, I’m still going on about my Zara blouse, the one with the cats. The look right below is the one for the relaxed Sunday dinner.

Jumper and blouse both Zara, Jeans: Pull & Bear, Brooch: Mockinghorse

The next picture is what I wore on Friday night. I’ve been heavily inspired by retro loving bloggers Retrochick and Penny Dreadful, and after wondering how the combination of waves in my hair and red lips would work I finally took the plunge.

Dress: Karen Millen A/W 09, Blouse: Zara, Shoes: H&M;

So yes, the blouse has been worn, a lot, and now it’s resting but will probably make a lot of appearances towards Spring.

It’s heavily inspired in Miu Miu last year’s collection. I love the term “inspired”. I love it less when it means “copying”, but the lines between the two terms become easily blurred. Zara does tend to go for the “inspiration” side of things most of the time, but other brands, such as Forever 21, have forged a reputation of unashamed copycats. For examples of this controversy see here and here.

Miu Miu is so colourful, so forward and coveted that lookalikes are bound to appear everywhere this Spring.

Note to whoever fitted this model: shoes in her own size may look better?

While designers sue other brands, scandals arise and insults are exchanged, consumers are in the middle of everything, making choices and supporting either side. To those with more money buying the original designer item is an easy task. How about the rest of us?

While it’s clear there is no justification to support fakes or knock-offs, can we be to blame for wanting fabulous-looking clothes at a smaller price tag? Is this the future of the industry? Copying in a more or less subtle way to satisfy the needs of the masses? Maybe when certain brands get sued, the profits they are making are uncountable times bigger that is worth the fines they receive?

I could go on raising questions on this, excuse the pun, questionable practice. I will simply direct you to this post by blogger Garance, brought to my attention by the lovely Heather Fonseca. Garance has a very strong and defined idea towards clear fakes and suspicious lookalikes.

What are your thoughts on this topic? Is there anything as “inspired” as copying? Should any item reminiscent of another be banned?


Pictures: Fashion Limbo, Miu Miu via Vogue.com

Online Christmas Shopping – The aftermath

If you did some of your Christmas shopping online, chances are that it arrived with a ridiculous delay or that it never actually got anywhere near you – except from a lonely sorting office in the middle of nowhere, where more than “being sorted”, packages seem to evaporate into thin air.

Personally, of all my online purchases did arrive in time. I did order some back in early November so that helped. However, presents destined for me – how annoying is that – got completely lost. My mother is still waiting for her Christmas presents to arrive to family members in the UK, and my brother is wondering whether the gift he got for his wife will arrive soon.

With regards to the ones that were intended for me, this is how the story goes. One was from my boyfriend who had ordered something truly special from Mockinghorse. The other, from my brother with a lovely gift from Amazon. Both guys with a lot of good intentions but nothing to offer me on Christmas day. Even though they had placed their orders around 10 days before Christmas, both parcels were never delivered. They were both forced to tell me what it was they wanted to get me, and how sad they were that these parcels had gone MIA.

Yet pretty, snow makes our world collapse in all manner of ways

My boyfriend soon began investigating the location of his purchase, so he contacted the guys at Mockinghorse, who were unbelievably kind, helpful and understanding. They had a tracking number and the parcel “appeared” to be delivered on the 22nd of December. This never happened. The postal service in Spain, it’s destination at the time, kept repeating it had been delivered, while a local postal worker told us that Madrid was flooded with parcels that were being held or delayed. Funnily enough, all of these parcels and letters have addresses on them, and payed postage, yet they seem unable to go anywhere.

Finally Mockinghorse kindly re-sent us the order, and they even went so far as to offer their apologies with a lovely gesture and a note. As I look at the precious things my boyfriend bought me, I can’t help but feel a bit bad. This is an independent online store, with gorgeous products made in the UK. The lack of the delivery wasn’t really their fault. I wondered how much control they have over orders once they leave their HQ. It’s out of their hands, really.

I follow several independent business owners on Twitter, and both their run up to Christmas and the weeks after, seemed full of comments about refunds, customers complaints, some even got abuse. While I understand how disappointing it is to buy something and never get it, some customers were more than complaining, bullying repeatedly, certain retailers, even after they had been offered refunds or alternative compensation.

 Mockinghorse order arrived today – Call me the “sausage dog lady” but these brooches are too beautiful

Some of these independent retailers have lost a lot of money, because, they are independent. Which means there is no strong, gigantic corporation seeking to make zillions behind them. It’s just regular people like anyone who would read this, trying to make a living, with great quality products, and getting on the one side, very little explanations from postal services, and some strong language from angry customers.

As customers, we feel like we threw money down the drain. As retailers, it feels like Christmas instead of been a season of great profit, becomes a time of repeated dispatches and returns. This means a great money loss.

Maybe we should all order our Christmas shopping in November, or avoid it altogether during periods of bad weather. However that is unrealistic, as the magic of online shopping is to be able to buy whenever one feels like it, no matter the weather, the time of the day, or location.

Maybe more online retailers should offer free tracked delivery like AccesoriesOnline, that may not be as fast, but it does sound a tad re-assuring. And we should also consider opting for more than the “free-delivery” unsafe deals, and pay extra for a signed service.

As online shopping grows, there are still many reasons for us to make our purchases in actual physical stores – nothing can justify unrealistic bigger retailers like Jaeger charging £20 (€25 approx) for international delivery (???)

Have a look around you, there is more than the high street. There are small independent business full of wonderful and unique products in the streets of your town or city. Independent business need our support, and the world would be a truly sad place if said places didn’t exist. The best stores I’ve ever come accross are independent (online and physical).

With online retailers, be realistic. If the delivery looks troubled seek for ways to secure its arrival. Communicate politely, and if your problem gets solved, make everyone know this. Word of mouth is power, and it’s great to use it to denounce bad customer service, but it’s better to utilize it to promote a good online store.

Mockinghorse not only have a beautiful catalogue of unique jewelry. Their customer service is impeccable. I will be ordering from them again, will recommend them to anyone, and if the original parcel does arrive I will send it back to them and cover all costs so it gets to their hands safely, if the guys at the delivery services allow it.

What is your take? is online shopping still trust-worthy and what customer-services have you encountered?


Pictures: Fashion Limbo

What I Bought – A woman’s right to (pretty) shoes

Oh January, you are full of flu-like symptoms such as headaches, terribly sore throats and sleepless nights of coughing. I should know. It’s 5 am when I write this, and I’m suffering from “manflu” except I’m a woman. I will spend the rest of the year blaming the guy who gave it to me, although it serves me well: leave guys with the flu alone, Jess, even when they request a pity hug.

However January also brings new things, and I begin 2011 with a pair of extremely pretty shoes. Pictured below, from Bershka (sister store to Zara and Co) and very Miu-Miu. I got these out of pure envy, spotting them at a fellow Belgian blogger’ site, Polienne . A couple of weeks ago I was in Spain to find they were sold out. When I was about to leave, my wandering eye travelled to the back of the store and found one pair left …in my size. To top it off, they were heavily discounted, at €15. Insane, right? I had found the elusive Christmas bargain.

I may not be able to say much with my horrid flu, but pretty, pretty, pretty shoes I can say

A while back I shared my shoe collection with you, dear readers. There weren’t that many, as from the comments I got some of you had a wider selection. And yes, the number has obviously grown since.  From some friends and acquaintances I received a lot of looks of disbelief, some even questioning my money management skills, others even questioned my entire lifestyle. I kid you not.

 Oh Manolos, one day I shall be worthy of thee (HBO)

I don’t have a mortgage, I don’t have an expensive gym membership, I don’t have kids. I don’t smoke and hardly drink, so what is wrong with my vice being shoes? One of my favourite Sex and The City episodes – although it also makes me cringe –  is the one with the title like this post. Carrie gets judged and even shamed for buying expensive shoes, by a working mother who tells her it’s time to live in the “real world”.

As Carrie, I have bought presents for other people’s engagements, weddings, new born babies, and will continue to do so. And as Carrie laments, no one celebrates single ladies, working girls and independent females. All we can do is celebrate ourselves, and I will continue to do so with pretty shoes throughout 2011 and beyond.

So,  did you hear about Anna Dello Russo insane shoe collection, with 4,000 pairs?

Do you think some women need to get over their shoes, or some need to get over their “real lives”? What is your take?
Pictures: Fashion Limbo, HBO

Things I hope not to see in 2011

I ended 2010 with a nasty stomach bug – too much overindulgence – and now I’m worrying about catching a nasty cold a certain man I know will surely pass on to me. So while I worry about what’s to come from this new year, let me enumerate some things I really, really, pray I won’t see.

Men wearing leather trousers – Not even on Brad Pitt, NOT even him. If he couldn’t work the look, there is absolutely no logical, rational, or super-creative way in which it will work for anyone else. Stay away from them if you wish to have a decent conversation with me, and by decent I mean more than “hello, oh I see what you are wearing, and goodbye”

Harem trousers – They are still on trend and they still push hundreds of women (and men, and that is all of you) into countless magazines’ “how not to wear” sections. Seriously, if Mother Nature believed our crotches should be half way down our legs, she, quite the savvy gal, would have placed them there.

Grey – if that’s all u wear. I like the shade and it can look fantastic, but if you have more than 5 items in your wardrobe in that shade then there is something truly miserable about you. The all in one grey look is as hard to wear as double-denim, and there are more colours out there you really should be wearing. Spring trends will be all about colour, and you better get practising because soon you will realise that grey DOESN’T go with everything.

Shorts – Because I’m fed up of seeing twenty something girls with average legs looking horrid in these things. Are you leggy Chanel Iman? noooo! then put some proper trousers on! And don’t get me started on the shorts plus tights shenanigans..I will slap you!

Damm I start 2011 in good spirits! that’s a stomach bug for you 😉
So, any fashion pet peeves you don’t want to see this 2011?


Picture: Fashion Limbo