TODAY: Designer Savings! Martin Margiela, Rogan, et al.

Go, go, go! You have until the end of the day to enjoy 40% off most items at AlohaRag.com. Great finds from Martin Margiela and other haute-ish designers. Also, denim from Rogan, Levi's, and DSQUARED. If you're not thinking, "HOLY CRAP! I'm going to shop like Kevin Federline fathers children!" then I haven't been doing my job.

I'm especially digging all the kickass jewelry. Check out that Wouters & Hendrix Big Logo Bracelet. Also, I'm a fan of that Golden Goose Affair Shirt. Both are below.


Martin Margiela Distressed Boots


Wouters & Hendrix Chain Bracelet


Wouters & Hendrix Big Logo Bracelet


Rachel Comey Micro Strip Pant


Rogan Original Jeans


Golden Goose Affair Shirt

Top Picks from eLuxury for Men, PLUS: I'm Okay with Hedi

A random stumble through the Web paid off handsomely during lunchtime today, with a number of great finds on eLuxury.com.

Strangely, they're almost all Dior Homme, which isn't a bad thing. In fact, Hedi Slimane is rapidly becoming one of my favorite designers (this after the media hype around him made it difficult to think much of him after he took the Dior Homme helm.)

A quote from Hedi himself, which I think encapsulates the Stylezilla manifesto quite succinctly: "I'd like to think there's a return to elegance, a revival of the notion of 'fashion' for men. I've mounted a crusade against this informal 'casual Friday' trend. I'd like men to think about evolving into something more sophisticated, more seductive for a change."

Without further ado:


Dior Vintage Leather Belt


Dior Pecari Calfskin Belt


Dior Plaque Bracelet


Dior Club Bracelet with Charm




Dior Double Chain Necklace


Dior Studded Club Bracelet



Dior Destroyed Corduroy Pant




Dior Distressed Velvet Pant



All Day Pique Polo, from our friends at Penguin.


Dior Skinny Black Tie with Glitter


Louis Vuitton Satin and Flower Tie

Get Your Stylezilla Web Buttons!

Special, limited-time-only offer: Web buttons to promote your favorite Wildly Opinionated Men's Fashion site! I know how you crazy kids like to put up Web buttons when you do the blogging. Now you can put up the only Web button with Tom Ford's face on it.

If they're hard to read, then you know they're working.

Eventually, I'll have some in smaller sizes and with the annoying animations that I know you love. In the meantime, enjoy.

Polo Sucks But You Can Still Find a Cool Polo Shirt. Not a "Polo Shirt," Mind You ... Er, Just Keep Reading

For those of you who persist in thinking that Polo Ralph Lauren's casual and business-casual looks are for dorks... you're right. You are officially given notice to cease wearing Polo-branded polo shirts and light summer sweaters. They are far too common to look anything but. I trust you follow my meaning.

That said, you can still find an awesome shirt or two at Polo. *Just not with a visible logo.*

How is this possible? The label's good points: well-constructed shirting. (I won't go into suits, or tuxes, which incidentally I'll be wearing this fall. In both categories, you can do far, far worse.)

Unfortunately, the rest of the label is outweighed in many cases by the bad points: too commonplace on the low end, and comically preppy.

If you're following the preppy look, realize that you can EASILY go overboard. Done wrong, you look like you got lost and wandered off the course somewhere after the 9th hole. In other words, you look like a golfing moron. Good for the links, not so good for everyday life. If you don't look like a golfing moron, you're likely to look like a caricature of Reginald Q. Haughtybottom, III, of the New Canaan Haughtybottoms. I'm from Connecticut, I know Reginald, and he's a buffoon.

And while I'm ranting, popping your collar hit its high-water mark ages ago. (Just like the Killers, incidentally.) Feel free to head-butt or pimp-slap anyone who hasn't gotten the message. (Ditto for the Killers. Credit where credit is due, however: They get a nod for attempting to wear the entire Dior Homme line, even though it really means that Brandon Flowers is trying too hard. And THAT job is taken, see also: The Bravery.)

I've nearly forgotten about the real reason that I'm chiming in today about Polo. A sale, and the one cool Purple Label shirt I found. Note that you will have to click on this picture to see it in all its glory; reducing it in size unfortunately reduces the pattern such that it looks a bit like a pillowcase I once owned.


Broadcloth Striped Windsor

But remember my earlier warning: tie-tucking is inane. Best leave that to models and service-industry folk.

This shirt reminds me of Layer Cake, a film in which Daniel Craig's character always makes sure to go home and put on a crisp new shirt and suit after every beating, shooting, drug deal gone wrong, and similar instance of daily British underworld life.

Double-Breasted Jacket Redux

OK, so some readers wrote in taking umbrage with what they thought was assessment about the recent (or would that be upcoming?) spate of double-breasted jackets in my recent post on the Paris/Milan Spring 2005 menswear collections. In this one case, you're right to think that it's possible to look cool in a double-breasted suit. (Of course, I didn't actually say this wasn't the case, but it's not like most of you read what I write too closely, otherwise you wouldn't keep asking whether Seven jeans are still cool or pleats have come back in yet. The answer is no, with extreme prejudice, to both.)

Lest I digress further, there have been cases in which you can look cool in a double-breasted suit.



See? Of course, this is rare. As pictured above, the suit is cut very slim, is white, and sports a different button layout (compare to below.) Consider also that this is in the 70s, and the material (think something synthetic and form-fitting) adds to the effect. The overall result is slimming, rather than bulky -- which is how many double-breasted suits appear on many men today. A skinny tie, sharp boots, and yes, a skinny frame all help dramatically. As they do often. Ask Karl Lagerfeld if you don't believe me.

A Glimpse into the Future: Wearable Looks from the Spring 2006 Men's Collection!

Take a look at what you'll be wearing three seasons from now. Today, we're focusing on the recent Paris and Milan collections from Gucci and Yves St. Laurent. Warning: double-breasted jackets ahead!

For starters, you can keep some of this year's wardrobe. Gucci shows us that the tight single-breasted jacket will still be in -- but keep an eye on the palette for the season.





I'm really digging this two-button jacket with striped tie ensemble.



Awesome, awesome jacket.

YSL's looks are sharp, sharp, sharp with some classic looks.





That suit above is a bit Tom Wolfe-ish, but on a younger guy, you'll look like a million bucks.





Great sweater look.


Now for some controversy. Gucci also thinks you'll be wearing tight, double-breasted suits. We'll see.



The look may be more accessible in black... if at all.



I'm not sold on the double-breasted look myself, but it's worth considering now that it seems to be coming back into vogue in earnest. And lest you think Gucci is operating in a vacuum here (which, of course, mainstream labels NEVER do), Dries Van Noten illustrates that the avant garde faction is also well seated on the double-breasted bandwagon.



MetroNY.com has more info and pix.