Wonderful.

Classic. Watch in Full Screen.

Obsidian.

Photo from Rich White People.

Grease.

All credit due to the owners of this photo.

Blue.

All credit due to the owners of this photo.

Oxford.

All credit due to the owners of this photo.

Thursday.

Every time I listen to the song Marvin's Room by Drake, it puts be in a weird mood. While I don't become depressed, furious or any form of being upset, I still feel a bit empty. I think the song makes me more eager than anything. While many of us can say that we've had our fair share of heart break, none of us can really relate to each other's emotion. However, whenever I hear Drake's voice proclaiming how he deserve's a girls love more than the one that she actually loves, it makes me think just how cool this guy is. The same goes for when I listen to any song by The Weeknd, (which you have to listen to if you haven't already!) or anyone else like them. When The Weeknd is talking about losing his girl to another girl in The Knowing, and how he's discovered her secret, but how he still loves her it just puts me in an emotional grind. As we all know, emotions are not 'cool.' It isn't cool to lose your girlfriend. It isn't cool to be lonely. Tears are not cool. However, the after effect is. Nowadays the brooding, dark and mysterious figures which populate the back of the bars, clubs and taverns are the ones that are the coolest. Falling into habit to fill some sort of void, that is something that we can deem cool though right? I don't know what it is that makes these people cool, but what  it shows us is that happiness is not 'cool.' Which sort of draws a rift between what it is that we want, and what it is that we need. (Haha, no pun intended.)

Anne-Catherine Frey... has no reason to be pictured here. I just want to be her friend. D=
Photo from A Truly Intriguing Subject.

I love my friends, many of them are like siblings to me, and I think that many of them are really 'cool.' At the same time, it was a process to become friends with them. It wasn't easy to become friends with a lot of them, while others was incredibly simple to befriend. I think their 'coolness' comes from their elusiveness. People are  animals, plain and simple. In the social jungle that we live in, being elusive allows one to protect themselves many times. Acting cold to strangers, and being unfriendly to most people prevents one from having to open up, or waste time on people that may either harm them or endanger them. It takes effort to befriend a 'cool' person. However, this self-defense system essentially sacrifices their friendliness. On one side we have being able to defend oneself from the tribulations that Drake and The Weeknd face in their songs, by being elusive and thus mysteriously cool. On the other side we have the opportunity to meet people who we want to befriend, and enjoy the company of people that we can trust. I've had many friends that have betrayed my trust. For that reason, it would make sense to limit my social circle, but it just makes my selection of 'real' friends rather small. There are very few people that really know the real me, and I like it that way. Of course, this isn't because of some sort of hidden aspiration to be the cool guy, but makes me seem either stoic or unemotional. The truth is, it takes effort to know me, and the same goes for anyone that knows the difference between a friend and an acquaintance. Obviously you wouldn't tell your entire life story to a person you meet at the store just so that they could be your friend, right? It takes time to open oneself up to other people. Media makes us believe that the harder it is to crack open that exterior, the cooler this person is, because they know the significance of solitude. Whether that's true is questionable, but I find it fascinating. 

Like minded friends.
Photo from Black Fashion

I guess it also makes friendships more valuable. CONTRADICTIONS.

Blue.

All credit due to the owners of this photo.

Liberty.

Photo by Avid Courtesy League.

Sunday.

The unholy sanction of crippling heat and debilitating rain begets the hell that was these passed two days. While it has not prohibited me from posting an entry yesterday, or the day before, other things of course did. Those things? Friends and Family. Pretty good excuse right? Well I hope so anyway. These passed few days I've been engaged in a number of conversations concerning music. Attending a concert on Friday where I was able to see the likes of Far East Movement, Lloyd, Keri Hilson (faint), Rick Ross, Drake and Lil Wayne, I had a magnificent day. This of course was accessorized with a day of browsing around various retail stores and finally a night on the town with a merry band of cohorts. While I can't say the weekend went off without a hitch, it certainly was one of the most entertaining of the summer. I think it was well worth it to miss a couple of days of posting on my lil' ol' blog for! Besides, as I promised, I'm going to treat my readers with something a bit special today as opposed to the normal crap that you read on a daily basis (if I'm so lucky). Well, it's not that special, but it's significant enough to make up for the two days that I missed. Haha. In order to make up for two days, I'm just going to show you all the best two music videos you've never seen, and then I'm going to talk a bit about another one of my menswear inspirations.

While this young, Pittsburgh based, rapper is far from what people would normally expect to see from the countless stereotypes that are produced from the media, this video shines in its ability to be honest. Instant comparisons to Eminem or Wiz Khalifa noted, Malcom McCormick is in a league of his own. Not coming from a broken home, or poverty, or surrounded by adverse influences, it all comes clear in the intolerably cute home videos that he submits in the beginning of this video. Still young, Mac's decision to pursue hip hop seriously would only rear it's head four years ago. So while I was packing my things for a four year stay at The College of Wooster, he was honing his performance skills and memorizing lyrics. What has it done for him? Well he's officially been signed to Rostrum Records, which is the same label that supports recording artist Wiz Khalifa. So I suppose if you're going to compare Mac to the global nomad, compare him in terms of determination... oh and the fact that they're both from Pittsburgh. (Black and yellow, black and yellow etc.)

The first time I found this video, I replayed it a total of six times. Three times for the video, two times for the song, and one time to see them work in unison. I've lost count of how many times I've watched it afterwards. The powerful animation does little but honor the capabilities of ambient melody that Danger Beach produces. Almost reminiscent of a musical story ala Peter and the Wolf, Danger Beach allows our imagination to run wild with the story that we create with these three unique styles of play. However, it is this video that puts our imagination into fruition, with an animation design which rivals our conception. I could spend hours talking about what this video means, but at the sake of not wanting to sound like one of those guys, I'm going to let you decide what you want about this video, and the song it is based on.

Theophilus London
All credit due to the owners of this photo.

Who the hell does this guy think he is? It's one thing to be envied for your musical talents, I get that. He makes music that is not only genre-defying, but authentic art, I get that. It's something completely else to be one of the coolest guys on the face of the earth. He's cool, having a wardrobe to die for he gets away with things that most people would be mocked for wearing. Now, it's something that's unforgivable to be all of these things, and only be twenty-two years old! There are only two male musicians that I admire for both their music and their fashion sensibility. The first is Kanye West, who needs no further explenation. I mean, the guy has a song called 'Christian Dior Denim Flow' for heaven's sake. He's collaborated with an incredible amount of famous brand names from Louis Vuitton to Nike, and is even rumored to be launching his own line this fall. The fashion photographers love him, and for good reason. So for Theophilus London to be capable of comparing to the Louis Vuitton Don is saying something: instantly. Having style tastes that rival my own, I know that if I were ever to meet my icon, I know that there would be instant conflict. Why? Jealousy. True, while last name London, first name Theophilus has a style that is an ode to his hometown of Brooklyn, he still holds my heart when it comes to the ability to dress how one wants, when one wants. I mentioned earlier about about stereotypes of rappers. While I'm no longer convinced that Theophilus falls under that category, he still breaks the mold. Chains and shades aside, one would be hard pressed to find a rapper nowadays that wears his paints on his waist, with his shirt tucked in, and a sun hat on top of his head. What makes matters worse is that he's not just a snazzy dresser, he also produces music of incredible quality.

Theophilus London ft. Ducks
All credit due to the owners of this photo.

Having released an incredible amount of music in the form of both singles, mix-tapes and EP's, Theophilus has yet to disappoint me with a single key of music. Having recruited the musical talents of Devonte Hynes (aka Lightspeed Champion, for who I've been a longtime fan), Mark Ronson (incredible!) Solange Knowles (not so much) and others, he is quickly finding himself with a legion of fans waiting to see what he is capable of. Even having big names like Va$htie produce his video for his cover of Tweet's "Oops," he was able to land the artistic, and well appreciated talents of Lindsay Lohan. While it appears he is taking a different route than another one of my favorite up and coming rappers (Tyler the Creator), there is no mistaking the fact that his audience is behind him all the way. Also, his LP is purchasable on iTunes for $10. 

Now someone get this man a Wikipedia page and lets go hate on his Complex fashion shoot!

McPherson.

Photo from Citizen Couture.

Meet Tamu McPherson, the creator of the very cool blog, All The Pretty Birds (Check it out!). In addition to being a fantastic photographer, and a wicked dresser; Tamu is a heavyweight knockout.

Blue.

Photo from Fat Stanley.

Wednesday.

While I'm not sure if I have a living style icon, there is one guy that comes pretty darn close: Nickleson Wooster. Sharing the same surname as my alma mater, Nick Wooster is daring, classy and incredibly knowledgeable about men's clothing. So much so that he is capable of wearing a pair of heels (yes, stilettos) and still be considered cool in my books. While I would never be so bold as to don a pair myself, I understand that style is all about testing oneself. This philosophy is clear as day on Bergdorf & Neiman Marcus' previous Men's Fashion Director. While never really having the option to wear any of the things in Mr. Wooster's closet, he follows the same fashion inspiration that I do, and it is seen in a number of his outfits. This is the idea of a 'splash.' What is a splash you ask? Simple: A splash of color. Neutral colors are eternal. We have work white, black, grey and brown for centuries, and they continue to be our most decadent color choices because of their simple versatility. So while wearing what we can rely on, in neutral colors, we can include daring spots in our ensemble with a different color or design that stands out in your outfit. Of course it's not a matter of just wearing a random color and being cool, it's a matter of knowing which splash works for which combination! That's what makes Nick shine so much. 

Nick Wooster (above)
All credit due to the owners of this photo.

Let's look at men's fashion first. There are three corporate shirt colors: white, blue and soft pink. Any other colors would be considered either unprofessional or daring to many corporate offices. However, where a man really gets to express himself in the office is his choice of tie. True, it is possible for a tie to be inappropriate as well, but if your boss calls you out, just change it! While I would never wear a pair of canary yellow bucks, Nick seems to make them look amazing, despite their ridiculous hue. The simple suit, with the perfect splash of color to drive it home. Again, much like I was saying yesterday, women have a few more options than we do when it comes to 'dressing up.' Though instead of the tie, women have the option of shoes or accessories. It is very possible to wear unprofessional shoes in the office, but it would be much more unlikely for your boss to call you out for wearing a black suit and canary heels than it would be for a man to wear a black suit and canary oxfords. The secret is to be subtle with your colors. Don't go for something that's incredibly loud unless you want to be incredibly loud. Take some inspiration from 'The Wooster,' and see what you find. If you like it, then stick with it! If not, then don't worry about it, on to the next inspiration. Just remember to be creative!

Nick Wooster as "Mustached Yakuza."
All credit due to the owners of this photo.

Of course, these are my own personal tastes, but if the previous Men's Fashion Director of Neiman Marcus does it, then why shouldn't I?


P.S. If you want to see more Wooster looks, check out his stalker's paradise, or his own blog.

Vespa.

Photo from Tommy Ton for GQ.

Crisi.

Photo from Kenya Style.

Pink.

Photo by Guerre.