#men's styling

Beams + FW22 Lookbook

"We live in a world that most often glorifies or celebrates the man-hood with the adjectives like chivalry and alpha's based on sheer aspects of external strength, fashioned mannerism and testosterone levels. It is rarely, we come across fellow-creatures that identifies a man, as a man, for his hidden sacrifices, choices and individuality. In an era, where today we men, are as much supportive to the idea of feminism or even a LGBT acceptance, we ourselves are often looked down upon for reasons and incidences that we would never want to be a part of or even be associated with. But, sadly we will always be - history leaves that scar with us. Nevertheless, we, like every other gender, need to show the world or may be just get comforted for traits which are nowhere close to muscle bulks, patriarchy or libido. "

Today, let me share a tale of a male, my views on what defines us - men, which is often overlooked. Traits and qualities that would help the world around us to have a more intimate connection rather than a prejudice. If you agree or have something to share and add, leave a comment or mail me your story or incident or experience, I would love to read and respond.

HIS ENTOURAGE:

We have heard people say - "A human is the average of five people closest to him/her" or a more definite one, " A man is known by the company he keeps". I totally believe in both of the phrases and hence wouldn’t care to know who coined it, but just accept. A man, and when I say a man, I would not short it down to an age bracket but yes, surely someone who has had his share of ECG's in life - over a period has befriended some, foe-d a few and estranged many. But, if you have to judge or cast your opinions about a man, look at his entourage - a bunch of people who are around him in his thick and thins, in-person or distance away. A set of people about whom he frequently mentions or takes time out to get an update of them. And simultaneously, know those people and why they are holding on to each other and you will get a better perspective of that man. After an age, a man only shares his single-malts with a few and these would be his entourage.

HIS TASTE:

Nope, not about the food, but that would definitely help you know him better. I have a quote, yes I do and it goes "It is all about having a good taste". Your taste is your subconscious set of qualities that sometime even you wouldn’t be aware of but strangely the world around you notices that. A taste about the books you read, a perfume you wear, the music you listen to and lastly the political opinions you hold on to. A man is often judged before he even has a clue about the reaction but it is a fact that one can not run away with. Although, I don’t go by the opinion that taste has to be an expensive affair. At times, a simple taste - a choice of not being on social media but going out and actually connecting with people is a taste - an attribute to your personality and individuality. If one closely notices a man and his entourage, it will be visible that the latter are the results of his taste - in various genres.

HIS WARDROBE :

I know it sounds too aesthetic or plastic for some, and we have also witnessed men with dashing robes as biggest criminals but here I am talking about those men who have shed themselves to run for their passion, their heart-calling and in the process have lost and won and lost again and conquered. A man who doesn’t dress up to show the riches or the power but to respect his self-worth and his journey. A man who doesn’t dress to impress but to express. A man's choice of wardrobe talks a lot about his comforts, his eye to details, his experiences, his taste and lastly about his individuality. A man's wardrobe talks about who lives within them, and it is often remembered.

HIS SOLITUDE :

For a lot of us men, miseries derive from not being able to sit quietly in a room alone. A man who can enjoy his solitude is either a beast or a god, which is a tough trait to judge him. Hence it is often what comes from that solitude is a matter of judgement. A true value of a man and his mind is when he is alone - with his visions, aspirations and fears. A man who seeks solitude to re-fuel himself - to serve the society, the people he cares about or just to have a cool-down period before a reaction, is someone who truly values and respects his solitude. It defines that a man in not self-centric but is considerate, thoughtful and comfortable with his own self.

“ TO BE CONTINUED...”

How I Got My UPS (Unique Personal Style): Eugene Tong

The New Rules of Sweats

How many times we come across men sharply dressed, head to toe in some of their expensive robes and gadgets ? A lot, right ? Instagram and Pinterest have assured us men that looking dandy isn’t about privilege but self awareness. Talking of self awareness, how many times have we come across men who is remarkably dressed but carries a bag which just kills the aura, or him per say ? That again, a lot, right?

Problem with us men is that we often shed our greens or say purple in India, with a mind-set : it should be durable, be able to stuff much and get done with what its suppose to do. An easy-peasy way to deal with a purchase that’s a one-time go, or just a bag. A man’s bag, unlike women's purses and clutches has been a neglected segment and the ones that are there, are mediocre enough to call it “carry-on”.

The way we men often decide to buy or say pick a bag is, if its a last minute call or you just need one to travel and keep things handy or else, because you bought yourself a laptop. Apart from this we barely look at this from an asset or an investment purchase. I won’t generalize though, as there are men who make sure to invest in a good messenger bag but then those too are bought out of need and to justify their professional decorum. Men, unlike women, buy the bags as:

- Cheap and for all purpose

- Cheap but professional looking

- Expensive but only for one purpose

- Expensive and professional looking

Today, here, i am just going to quickly brief you about several other aspects that can help us men buy that perfect messenger bag and make you pick the one that suits your personality the best.

PROFESSION

Have you at times noticed a casually dressed men, someone into creatives, walking down the office with a corporate looking messenger bag and you would have suddenly questioned his expertise. Your profession and your bags has as much of connection as your visiting card and your logo. Nevertheless, its more like, your bags would talk about the kind of work you are into. Hence if you have noticed, a lot of marketing guys will have a leather bag (at times tacky) with them, as for the prime reason being that they face and represent the corporate world. It is wise to pick a bag that suits your profession, and it need not be black. For example, a designer can always opt for a classic navy blue/ tan leather bag which looks more versatile and edgy - showcasing that he is not just another work-horse.

PURPOSE

One other major criteria is the purpose. A lot of men in the corporate are frequent-flyers who use their messenger bags for one day travel along with their tech-gadgets. But this may not be the case with few men who solely use the bags for the tech accessories. Hence the purpose behind the purchase is one good thing to take a look at or else you will just end up looking like a man carrying a sack of rice. 

USABILITY

How frequent are you going to use the bag ? Once a day, once a month or use it as your pillow. You really need to look at how much is the use. This shall help you define the budget you're looking at. Sturdy bags come with a price tag and they last long, whereas if you're just looking at the bag as an identity of yourself you might want to refine your budget.

MATERIAL

Just two options to ever pick from: Canvas or Leather, latter being your first choice always unless you work from the woods, which millennials do these days. Leather fades nice and years down the line, your kids would love to flaunt them too. 

BUDGET

Now, this is tricky. I know a lot of you would be like "Hey, I can’t shed that much just for a laptop bag" but listen, it is purely your call and trust me when i say this, CHEAP STUFFS SHOUTS. I don't say that go for designer ones or big labels but at least pick one that is a little genuine and looks worth the efforts and energy you shred to make yourself the man you are.

With all this said and done, I here want to introduce you men (and also for your women) an amazing label for genuine leather bags that blends both, the creatives and the corporate. TRIBE -  a very much home-grown brand. Grown primarily from the frustration of finding an apt quality laptop bags in budget and with quirkiness, TRIBE comes out as a best option for picking a bag that suits each aspects mentioned above. Not just that, with some little extra bucks, they will customize you to bring out the best one to suit your taste and profession.

The founder and owner, Priya, with an extensive experience in the corporate and marketing sector, makes sure that her product reaches the consumers with top notch quality and packaging. All Tribe bags are high quality laptop bags with enough spaces and details to blend functionality with the personality. Mostly dual colored, to add that touch of drama to your outfit, Tribe bags are unisex, come with high quality fittings, zippers and buttons with customization available.

From an array of products to pick from, I picked myself something that compliments my profession as a men-style consultant and a menswear designer. Something that is dandy enough but still looks professional. For me black was never an option, hence I chose a navy leather bag with tan brown details. The quilted exterior with brown stitch, brown handles and gold zipper made the combination as perfect as I could ask for. Furthermore, I am someone who travels with a lot of tech-gadgets and luckily, the bag has enough space for each of them plus additional books.

I understand that not all of us are so keen or cautious while buying something like a bag for laptop, but next time when you plan to, look it as an investment, something that amplifies your over all personality.

Below is the link to get yourself your customised genuine leather bag for your personal and professional looks. Have a look and surely it wont be a wrong choice to pick.

Honestly, except for the few heavy events in life, I prefer the idea of one-stop solutions for my wardrobe. Often for my casuals and footwear’s it becomes way to easy for me to go to one place, look at various brands, try different fits and come out well-shopped with ease and relax mind. Being a style and wardrobe consultant myself, I like to take my clients to one such destination where they not only get various brands to choose from but an elite service from the staff making our shopping session of 3-5 hours comfortable. Yes, one such heaven for the shopping spree is Shoppers Stop.

With the rise in temperature where in some cities the sun flaunts itself at 50 degrees it is better not to move places and shop your spring-summer collection at one stop. Before I make you read this post further, I have a few questions that I would want you to ask yourself. And if for each question, your answer is a YES, then get on your app store or play store and search: Shoppers Stop and hit download. And if apps are not your thing you can walk-in to the nearest store or just log-in to the website for at-your door delivery.

So,

Do you prefer a budgeted shopping?

Are you someone who prefers to have a look at lot many options before finalizing on anything?

Are you someone who hates shopping just becomes it consumes too much energy to hop from shop to shop?

Are you someone who hates pushy salesman?

Do you like to shop as professionally as your work-life?

Are you someone who gets excited to see surprise discounts while shopping?

If your answers to the above questions have been a YES, then go follow what I said and trust my words to have the best experience with range of brands for your spring-summer wardrobe makeover.

And if my words have still not impressed you enough then scroll down to have a look at the collection Shoppers Stop offers to us men, which often makes our better halves envy us.