On the Side

I adore women's fashion, and a beautifully designed dress will make my knees weak.  Menswear however, is an art that has more precision and structure, which I actually find very comforting.  For many women, I think it's fair to say that she would prefer and enjoy the company of a well-dressed man.  (Putting aside well-dressed women for the moment), a man wearing a shirt tailored to his body, a pair of sturdy leather lace-up dress shoes, and throw in every attention to detail from cufflinks to the perfect tie -- the well-dressed man makes a great statement at first glance, even before he opens his mouth or shakes your hand.

As I'm sure future posts will pursue this topic further, allow me to introduce it with a series of short films:  Commissioned for The Sunday Times Style Online,  Chris Floyd presents well-dressed men and their approach to the daily ritual of dressing.  

This one is my personal favorite -- 

Hurts: How I Get Dressed from Chris Floyd on Vimeo.

A different look -- 

Patrick Grant: How I Get Dressed from Chris Floyd on Vimeo.

Go get em' tiger. 

Get Away

So you want to get away from it all.  I know I do.  From daily chores, to larger personal problems, we all can use a break from our busy modern lives.  As a kid, I remember wanting a tree house so badly--I never got one. But to this day, it seems like a great idea even as an adult!  There's a surrealism about one: virtually living in mid-air, and two: being surrounded by open air and trees instead of buildings and cars.

I stumbled upon Finca Bellavista, a sustainable tree house community in Costa Rica which includes rental and sale properties.  For about $200USD a night (double occupancy! Bring a friend to split the tab if needed), you can stay at one of these rental tree houses!  Hassle-free, pollution-free, and away from it all.

Such a refreshing idea, and conveniently executed.  

All good things must come to an end, as we must resume our urban lives. As much as some may complain about the constraints and downfalls of urban living, I confess there are more than enough things to enjoy in our urban centers.  Case in point:  magnificent architecture and design.  Uzbekistan -- an unlikely city to enter the minds of social icons when they need an event space!  But the newly constructed Palace of International Forums in Uzbekistan definitely makes a statement.  It was a collaborative project, involving for than 500 designers and architects.  The expansive architectural beauty will accommodate political, cultural, and various other high profile functions.  

From Central Asia to South America -- happy travels.

The Visual

So much of the world is visual, yet I think for the most part, I instinctively am attracted to the literary rather than the visual.  That is to say, I prefer words on a page versus a picture in a frame.  I've always enjoyed being able to construe and paint my own picture in my mind as I read beautifully woven words and phrases on a page.
Having said all that however, the visual is an inescapable art form, and I actively enjoy the visual arts -- be it theater, musical performances, paintings, and/or photography.  Since I was younger I've liked styling clothes, trying different combinations of clothe items that would be unexpected or unconventional.  This led to my growing interest in fashion, and as I became an adult, this interest became quite the permanent hobby.
Much like my own little anecdote, 'The Sartorialist' as featured in this Intel Visual Life short video speaks openly about his beginnings as a photographer/blogger.  His words and this artfully created short video was inspirational and almost therapeutic for me.  Enjoy:

>Always