At Kris Van Assche

On the Street....Mr. Valentino Ricci, Florence

On the Street....Another Linen 3-pc Suit, Milan

Notice the covered buttons on the jacket.

On the Street.....Omahyra, Paris

Golden Age Of Milanese Fashion, part 1

Golden Age Of Milanese Fashion, part 2

On the Street....Via Venezia, Milano

On the Street....Walk the Walk, Milano

On the Street....Via Tortona, Milano

On the Street....Via Tortona, Milano

This is one of the few gentleman in Milan that I see consistently wearing vintage clothing. It's interesting that vintage is such a nonfactor here in Milan.

On the Street....Cutoffs, Milano

On the Street....Via Verri, Milano

On the Street....Via Venezia, Milano

On the Street....Lucia, Florence

On the Street....The Linen Suit, Florence

On the Street....Just off Via Roma, Florence

On the Street....Gloria, Florence

On the Street....Color Wow, Florence

Sorry I have been slow posting the last few days but I have arrived in Florence and should be back on a regular schedule starting today. (even though I am just finishing work and posting at 3am)



I mean wow!

Purple stripes, Brown polka dots, blue herringbones, and red-trimmed linen - doesn't sound like a combination that could ever look this good or this subtle.

On the Street....White Bow, Florence

I love how sophisticated this is and yet it is also perfect the the weather here in Florence.

Often, being comfortable and chic is a difficult balance.

On the Street.....Just Off Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles

I met CeCe (an aspiring singer) last week in LA while I was shooting a separate project.

I loved her look and knew immediately I had to shoot her. We did a few shots on Hollywood Blvd which came out very nicely.

On our walk back CeCe spotted Spiderman and said "I want my picture taken with him!"

Actually when we first spotted Spidey he wasn't wearing his mask and he was sitting on his luggage looking like a Marvel comic drawn by Diane Arbus.

Afterwards I kicked myself for not taking the shot of him sitting alone and looking so forlorn but the scene was too depressing for me to start the whole process of taking a portrait.

On the Street.....Late Friday, Manhattan

On the Street.....Ian 2.0, Manhattan

On the Street.....By His Own Design, Soho

On the Street.....Shirt & Shorts, Los Angeles

On the Street.....Vintage Missoni, Los Angeles

On the Street.....Blue & Right, Manhattan

At this moment in time, I love wearing almost this exact look when I am going to any kind of party or event in the Spring/Summer.

A well-cut blue suit, crisp white shirt and some type of loafer (in brown) can create a look that is just dressy enough and just casual enough for almost any occasion.

I have tried the same look with a blue shirt but it loses the crisp contrast of navy/white and doesn't create as much of a "finished" look.

A black suit/white shirt combination seems a little too formal and a bit cliche.

I keep the look interesting for myself by changing the model and fabric of the shirt - maybe a linen spread collar, maybe a cotton button-down, or maybe a mercerized cotton polo. I also like to change the shape and fabric of the pocket square but I avoid making my choice of pocket square a focus of conversation (that's a whole separate post).

Do You Use Your Shoeboxes?

I almost always throw out a shoesbox when I get home from from shopping. If a pair of shoes comes with a travel bag I will keep them in that or lined-up in my closet.

I'm not big into the "Eco-this/that" but since we're all trying to be more "green" shoeboxes might be an area to consider. I certainly don't mind taking my shoes home in a bag (paper of course!).

My guess is that since women usually have more shoes than men they keep the boxes to make storage easier.

Men , I bet, throw out the boxes(or keep baseball cards in them) or buy more elaborate storage if they're really into their shoes.

I dont know why I think this is interesting but since we have a more even mix of men and women readers than most blogs or magazines we can get a more varied response to this type of question.

Jazz-Age Lawn Party on Governors Island, New York

Jazz-Age Lawn Party on Governors Island, New York

Jazz-Age Lawn Party on Governors Island, New York

Jazz-Age Lawn Party on Governors Island, New York

Jazz-Age Lawn Party on Governors Island, New York

Jazz-Age Lawn Party on Governors Island, New York

On the Street.....Friends, Nolita

(The Original) John Lobb, London

William Lobb, 5th generation shoemaker


Frank Sinatara's boot last


Rows and rows of lasts stacked to the ceiling


Dusty old sales records - i love stuff like this

From Paris Vogue - Magdalena

I realize that since the supplement i shot for Paris Vogue wasn't distributed in the US that a lot of you didn't get to see the photos.
Well, I am pretty proud of them and I want to have them on my blog so i will run a few of them over the next few days with a little background story - if there is one.


This is probably my favorite shot of the whole series because it was so hard to get.

It was literally raining sideways while I was shooting Magdalena
Because it was raining so hard I had her sit on a covered loading dock that had a little light coming in from the side. Since I was using an 85 lens I was back quite a bit, standing in the rain, while my assistant Lynn held an umbrella right under my chin. We must have looked like we were playing stand-up Twister because we were both trying to huddle under this little umbrella. I'm surprised that none of the raindrops show up in the shot. I think it is because of the dark background and lack of and direct light.

I prefer to shoot outside in natural light and rain can make life difficult but only if you let it.

On the Street.....American Beauty, Greenwich Village

To me, this is a perfect "inspiration" shot.

I think she looks great just her way she is (very American, healthy, full of life, it just feels like Summer) but if i was a designer I would immediately start thinking "this would also look great if it had a pintuck detail right here.... or a braiding detail on the strap...or this color/print/pattern might...."

I guess what I'm saying is that the dress here is important and yet complete irrelevant. The value is it makes me start thinking of a thousand different variations. I could totally imagine a designer printing out a shot like this, taking white-out to all the specific design details, keeping the overall silhouette and begin designing Resort 09.

To be honest, I think the more perfect "a look" is, the harder it is to be inspired by because it is difficult to imagine it any other way and on any other person. The ability to look at this shot and not see the dress (I know it sounds weird) is very valuable here.

On the Street.....Shorts & Cardigan, Here and Abroad

I love wearing shorts in the Summer but it is often hard to feel "dressed" wearing shorts while maintaining the casual feel that you want from shorts.

Working shorts (especially the dressier wool shorts I've been seeing a lot lately) back to a cardigan seems like a great solution. At least everytime time i see it done it usually looks really good.

For me this Summer I'm wearing a lot of shorts with super-lightweight, unlined jackets.
They work even better for me because they fit a little looser and when I am out shooting all day I have more to carry (extra battery , CF cards etc) than I can carry in a cardigan.

I have recently bought jackets from Engineered Garments, Junya Watanabe, and 45 RPM. I find I'm having an Italian Winter and a Japanese Summer.

I will have to do a separate post on these jackets soon, maybe during Pitti when I am really putting them to the test.

On the Street.....Best Use of Vintage, Soho

On the Street.....Black & White, West Soho

On the Street.....Ian Hylton, Soho

I used to work with Ian when I had a showroom and he was designing for one of the companies I represented.

He is an original Sartorialist - he really love the act of dressing-up.

Think a male Diana Vreeland.

Ian lives in China now and we just happened to bump into each other in Soho yesterday.

Like everytime I see him, I was completely blown away by the perfection of his suit (MTM, of course).

Heavy cotton, unlined and must have been perfect for yesterdays early Spring weather in NYC.

While he is in town I am going to shoot Ian a few more times because he is one of those guys that I can't wait to see what he comes up with each day.

Of, course I asked about the manbag (I hope it doesn't distract this post from the perfection of the suit).

Apparently it takes so much paper money to buy anything in Hong Kong dollars that he started carrying the bag just to tote around the cash.

Sounds like a perfectly Vreeland-ish response to me.

On the Street.....Mercer St, Soho

Yesterday I shot two people wearing great items from Uniqlo.

I have only been in the store once or twice but I will have to start taking a closer look.

Top 5 Post-Couture Designers

My Top 5 Post-Couture Designers

1. Armani -first designer to create something revolutionary in both mens and womens - he is the 80's

2. CDG , Yohji - Proved that true artists can also create a viable business. They are wildcards that always seem timeless and of-the-moment simultaneously

3. Halston - I have never been a huge fan but Halston and YSL define the 70's

4. Prada - this story is still being told but , for me, she defines the 90's

5. Marc Jacobs - I think he will prove to be America's most important designer yet. He can deliver $5 bangles in his Marc by Marc store on Bleecker to the most refined items at LV/MJ with the same level of integrity. I think that is totally modern.

5A Ralph Lauren - Few designers have ever created such a complete world of style so successfully and across so many various categories. His ability to do that is remarkable.

Where does McQueen fit in?
I have often asked my friends in the business what was their all-time favorite fashion show and a McQueen show (there have been too many blockbusters to name just one) has been the most consistent answer.

Does size matter?
How can you fit in Dries Van Noten or Margiela or Westwood. Should there be a Top 5 Independent List? but 4 of my top 5/5a are still independents.

And your Top 5 Post-Couture All-Time Greatest designers?
(I think it would be more interesting if we it based on who had the "biggest impact" on thier time period.)

On the Street.....In Black & Red, London

Yves Saint Laurent Dead at 71

Yves Saint Laurent died yesterday in Paris.

I was too young to live the original YSL experience but from what I know of fashion history it must have seemed very exciting, sexy, dangerous, innovative, and beautifully crafted - everything that fashion (at it's very best) is suppose to be about

YSL is generally considered one of the top five designers of all-time.
1. Dior (extra points for having discovered YSL )
2. Chanel
3. Yves Saint Laurent
4. Armani (created a revolution in both womens and mens, no other designer has ever had as much influence in both categories)
5. ?????

Who is number #5?
Lagerfeld?
Balenciaga?
Yohji or Rei? (it seems difficult to have a discussion about design without them but does the size of their business exclude them from the the top echelon?)

Like in sports, I think when we discuss fashion designers we will have to create a line between High Couture (pre-70's) and post-Couture (70's - forward)

Today, I would love to hear your Top 5 All-Time Greatest Designers.

Tomorrow I would love to hear your list of Top 5 All-Time Greatest Modern Designers (post 70's)

On the Street...The DB Vest Suit, London