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Win A Copy Of The New Secrets Of Style

Filed under: Books

new secrets of styleSometimes we all need a reminder of the basics of good style. InStyle is releasing the latest new edition of its top-selling classic, The New Secrets of Style (Time, Inc. Home Entertainment, $29.95) on October 27, 2009. This comprehensive style resource features expert guidance for looking fabulous with confidence and ease. The book uses celebrity examples to discusses the finer points of effortless and timeless dressing. Each chapter analyzes different aspects of a wardrobe, from lingerie to coats, and features "flattery" charts arranged by body type. Written by the editors of InStyle, The New Secrets of Style includes chapters on shoes, bags, jewelry and shows how to combine the various types of accessories with specific outfits to create an elegant, unfussy look.

We received a copy of this book to give away to one reader. To enter leave a comment with your own style tip below.

Some other important details:

* To enter, leave a confirmed comment below.
* The comment must be left and confirmed before October 30, 2009 at 5:00PM Eastern Time.
* You may only enter once.
* One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
* One winner will receive a copy of The New Secrets of Style valued at $29.95.
* Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia.

See complete contest rules here.

This contest is closed. Thank you for your participation.

The Sartorialist: The Book

Filed under: Apparel, Books, Men's Style

Scott Schuman, who worked in the fashion industry for 15 years before starting his now famous blog, The Sartorialist, and landing a column in GQ, has come out with a book of his stunning street portraits that's a must for any student of modern style.

The Sartorialist the book is a 500-page collection of Schuman's favorite photographs from around the world - "from the quiet dignity of a man with silk handkerchief carefully popping out of his jacket pocket, to the pride of a young woman who fashioned her father's shirt into a skirt, from the lightness of a diaphanous dress to the unexpected flash of neon under muted tones."

The Sartorialist captures the "inspirational aspect of people styling themselves in ingenious, playful, creative, unpredictable and distinctive ways," be they models, regular joes, fashion editors, or in a couple instances, children. Schuman sees inspiration in everything, be it gorgeous, garish, or just plain weird, as long as it's done with flair.

There are two versions of the book being published later this month: a $25 paperback (above) and a $175 "bespoke" limited edition hardcover. The Sartorialist was picked by Time magazine as one of the Top 100 design influencers, and has been lauded by the New York Times as "the bellwether American site that turned photoblogging into an art form."

Win A Copy Of The Handbook Of Style

Filed under: Men's Style

Just as we all could use a little more money in our pockets and a little less fat in our diets, so too could most of us use a little more style. The Esquire Handbook of Style offers a handbook for men not just on looking good but on finding your own individual style. Style as defined by Esquire is equal parts fundamental basics and individual taste. The book addresses not just what to do but why. From hair care to stain removal, from packing for a trip to how to wear a scarf with elan, Esquire's handbook instructs without being overly cutesy or pedantic.

The 240-page book could just be your new best friend when it comes to looking great. We are giving away one copy of The Handbook of Style to one style-challenged reader. To enter, leave a comment telling us why you might need a little style help.

Some other important details:

* To enter, leave a confirmed comment below.
* The comment must be left and confirmed before Friday, January 16, 2009 at 5:00PM Eastern Time.
* You may only enter once.
* One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
* One winner will receive The Handbook of Style, valued at $14.95
* Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia.

See complete contest rules here.

This contest is now closed. Thank you for your participation.

Hlaska Ties Have a Secret Theme

Filed under: Apparel


Make a quiet statement of individuality with these men's ties from Hlaska. At first glance they appear to be fairly standard patterns and stripes, but look closer and you'll see a definite scientific influence, especially to do with the stars and solar system. Available in light to dark colors, you can be wearing stripes that double as strings of dna helixes or binary code, or even the rings of Saturn.

We'll leave it up to you whether you want to enjoy your somewhat geeky (said with all the love in the world) fashion statement in relative silence, or go pointing out the details to everyone in the office. $125

Via acquire

Mogul Furniture

Filed under: Decor


Turning high fashion glamour into high-end living environments is the unique talent of the men behind Los Angeles furniture store Mogul. Designers Thomas Piscitello and Neal Wagner were inspired by fashion designer Tom Ford to create rooms that are both luxurious and sexy with rich colors and tactile materials such as fur, leather and exotic skins, highlighted by Swarovski crystal chandeliers and gleaming chrome, acrylic and lacquer details. Neal Wagner also sells his own abstract art pieces which blend seamlessly into the decor.

The company sells furnishings and accessories as well as offering design services and staging. And like Tom Ford, they know that you can't go wrong with a little flesh. The intro for the mogul website features rock music and a parade of semi-nude models reclining on the furniture.

[via Furniture Style]

Domino Magazine's "The Deal Hunter"

Filed under: Decor, Services

Domino magazine, "the guide to living with style," has a fun column called "The Deal Hunter," penned by young Columbia alum Nick Olsen, that features a plethora of style for (mostly) low prices. I know here at Luxist we're often about the high-end, big ticket items, but I think it's OK to watch the finances now and then in order to keep affording the big stuff. Olsen writes in that chatty, bloggy style (which I haven't mastered, alas) and regularly finds things from all ends of the home decor spectrum. Just to show he's not all about the cheap stuff, he recently featured a $950 table from Mecox. Check out his blog if you're looking for a deal but still want lots of style or something colorful for your home.

Shoe Designer Extraordinaire: Nicholas Kirkwood

Filed under: Shoes

Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo, and Christian Louboutin - these are just a few of the legendary design houses that are able to make a woman's feet the sexist part of the body. You may just want to add British shoe designer Nicholas Kirkwood to that list. Kirkwood's artistic ability to create sculptures of art has enabled him to work with the likes of Phillip Lim and Belstaff for their Spring 2008 Collection. And although he has collaborated with many, his own collection is nothing to shy away from. Kirkwood's collection combines a sense of fashion forward edginess with a sexy majestic quality. Featured here are his silver metallic lizard slingbacks accented with a mirrored butterfly wing detail, open toe, and 3 1/2" heels. Price: $545.

Gordon Rush Dress Slides

Filed under: Shoes, Men's Style


Generally, I'm no fan of a sandal on a man, but is it really fair to expect a man to encase his feet in leather prisons in the summer months while I run around in little wisps of footwear? And what about a dinner at a beachside restaurant on a warm summer night, a man should be able to enjoy a nice toe breeze off the water. Luxury men's retailer Gordon Rush has created the dress slide, a type of shoe normally reserved for women but made masculine with rich woven leather details. The slide comes in brown or black and sells for $265. It just might make you rethink mandals.

[via The Stylephile]

The Luxe Life at Zappos

Filed under: Shoes

As a longtime Zappos fan, I love the free shipping and returns, ease of ordering and fantastic selection. I knew Zappos carried high-end items, but just discovered its Luxe Life branch. Here you can find couture shoes (natch), jewelry, apparel and bags for women and men, as well as kids' shoes.

Let's do a quick search, shall we? Criteria: women's shoes, size 8, medium width, any heel height, any price, black. The results? More than 530 styles that range from a high of $1,114 for Cesare Paciotti t-strap pump made of haircalf and accented with a crystal vamp ornament to a low of $79 for an adidas by Stella McCartney slide with a rubber sole.

A quick search on boys' sandals (no criteria) brought up 13 styles that range from a $224 Armani Junior sandal with straps for infants (!) and toddlers to a low of $56 for a D&G Junior slide for toddlers.

You can browse by designer, too, that is, if you haven't fainted from sticker shock or spent your whole month's apparel budget on sandals for your children.

Roberto Cavalli, Swarovski Crystal Jeans

Filed under: Apparel

Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli is known for flashy animal prints and plunging necklines, always pushing the envelop and not conforming...just a few of the reasons he is my favorite designer! These jeans have standard pockets, belt loops and stud detailing as well as the signature Cavalli fit and cut. What isn't standard or cheap is the thousand dollars worth of Swarovski crystal detailing the top! Available online for $1,275....be careful these gems don't get thrown in with your regular laundry!

Miu Miu Harlequin Bootie

Filed under: Shoes

The Prada fashion house started Miu Miu back in 1992, and while Prada tends to veer towards the norm, Miu Miu designs stray far from it! These Harlequin Booties look like they stomped off the runway, and visited the circus before they arrived at the boutique. Black suede with silver and pink cut out design and a heel adorned with rhinestones, make these shoes quite the little conversation starters. Retailing for $890, and with a limit on the number you can order, apparently brave fashionistas are buying these up in a hurry! I wonder what you wear them with?

Luxe City Guides Offer Only the Best

Filed under: Journeys

Luxe City Guides are not your ordinary travel books. In fact, they aren't books at all. They are are beautiful, sleek, accordion-style guides that are small enough to fit in your pocket. These travel and style guides point the discerning traveler to only the best of the best in Asian, European and Australian cities.

From Bali to Tokyo, the guides are packed with personally researched information from city-insiders who know their way around the fashion, food and entertainment scenes. Luxe takes things a step further by including information on services, shops and secrets that you might never find on your own. With Luxe, you are a visitor, not a tourist.

Whether you are looking for the best martini in Istanbul, want to design your own handbags in Hanoi or desire a quiet moment in a secret garden in the heart of Bangkok, Luxe will take you there in style.

The guides are written in an opinionated and irreverent style and are beautiful to look at. With no paid advertising, the Luxe City Guides are updated twice each year with regular online updates.

Buy the guides individually for $9 each, or get a customized boxed set of twelve for $108.

Designers: It's Not Just About Clothes Anymore

Filed under: Gadgets, Wheels, Wings

Who you are is largely communicated by your style, whether you like it or not. Whether you try, or don't try, either way says a great deal. And just what does "style" all include? Many major designers believe it's about more than just clothes and fashion, and are hoping to cash in on some of the other "angles" where their respective brand names can help somebody make a statement. After all, designers are all about style, and style is about a lot more than just fashion.

Specifically designers are branching out into technology and transportation -- and they're doing it in a big way. But then we wouldn't expect anything less from names like Prada and Versace, would we?

State-of-the-art touch screen cell-phones, sports cars, private jets, and even helicopters are just the beginning of this trend. So be on the lookout for more than just clothes bearing designer names and, of course, designer prices.

Radiators of the Future

Recently, designboom teamed up with Bisque Radiators to host the Radical Radiators of the Future contest, to see who could come up with the most innovative radiator designs. Since we're always interested in the latest design trends, we were keen to see the results, which were just announced this week. There were over 3,000 entries from 88 countries around the world and the radiator designs were impressive, to say the least. First prize went to the Archibald design, which is an innovative, but practical, way to dry clothing and towels. You'll have to check out the list to find your favorite, but two of our favorites are Loop and Knot, pictured above.

[via popgadet]

Leggings for Men?

Filed under: Apparel

After Balenciaga came out with their $100,000 metallic leggings, there was nowhere for the women's legging industry to go without changing materials and moving away from the easy, form fitting standard that makes leggings what they are. So, designers have moved their leggings onto men. Marni's brand new men's collection for this coming fall heavily features men's leggings. They're made of microfiber cotton and wool, have bottom stirrup straps and come in a variety of colors. Marni is describing them as "sophisticated," but it seems unlikely that too many men are going to dive right in to this extremely form fitting type of clothing for casual or evening wear.


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