Holiday Do's and Don'ts, Written by Colin Noble

Hello, freaks and geeks.

Sorry I have not posted in awhile, but I’m busy saving the world one crazy person at a time. So I’m actually not sorry. Anyway the holidays are upon us (yay!). Even if you are not religious, we can all believe in the power of eating and gift giving. The holidays are also a great excuse to throw a sophisticated soirée, and sophisticated soirées are a perfect occasion for a fashion moment. Here are some do's and don’ts when dressing for your holiday parties:

DO: Make an Effort

I love casual wear as much as the next twenty-something, but it’s nice to make an effort every so often to shake it up. Chunky sweaters, oxford shirts, or even a patterned tie will add a new element to your look. Think Chuck Bass any day of the week.

DON’T: Go Back to Black

We all like to rely on black when creating outfit. As a new yorker, my wardrobe is mostly black and/or leather. However, the holidays are a happy time (or so it has been explained to me). If you are scared of color, try mixing in colors that can still work as neutrals. Deep reds, olive greens and good ol’ navy are all perfect jumping off points.

DO: Have Fun/ DON’T: Be a Joke

There is nothing wrong with a reindeer sweater or a snowflake tie. In fact, they can be quite chic (i.e. Ralph Lauren). But there is a line here, and “ugly sweaters” are most definitely over the line. If it has been sitting in a box in your attic or if your mom wore it during the 80s, it is probably not appropriate.

DO: Layer

Anybody who knows me knows I love to layer. It is what sets the style icons apart from the Rihannas of the world. This season put a cable-knit cardigan over your collared shirt, or a blazer over your Saint James tee. Layering can be tricky, but you can only learn what works for you by trying. If you keep at it, soon enough you will look less like a Kardashian and more like an Olsen.

DON’T: Repeat Looks

You will most likely have your picture taken at these events, and there is nothing more embarrassing than being caught in same outfit on two different occasions. It is the worst kind of “Bitch Stole My Look”. So spare yourself the ridicule and mix it up.

I now set you free to enjoy the holiday season. Try not to get too drunk on eggnog and tell your family what you actually think of them. But I know you will.

Cheers Queers.

Obsessed: Robyn Lawley

First let me preface this by saying that while I am a feminist and I do believe women should look and feel and be however/whomever they want, I like skinny models.  I do.  And not because I have anything against plus size models- it's just a personal preference, like my affinity for British gingers.

That being said, Robyn Lawley is amazing.

Australian model Robyn Lawley is taking offffff! After being the first plus size model to be shot for Australian Vogue as well as being the first plus size model to be part of a Ralph Lauren campaign, back in 2012. So at 24, she's pretty accomplished.

Anyway she just appeared in Australian GQ rocking a collection of denim pieces and looking absolutely beautiful.

Footnote: Lawley is 6'2" and weighs 180lbs, giving her a BMI of 23.1 which is considered healthy.

Top Priority: Holiday Clutches

As I've mentioned a thousand times, winter is nearly upon us.  While this is terrible for everyone north of the Mason-Dixon, it's not so bad for me.  It just means Christmas sweaters and trapper hats.  But today I want to talk about a crucial element of any holiday party: the clutch.

The clutch is great because it's versatile and can go with anything, it's not too big so you're not heaving around a big bag all night, and they're just like, wicked cute.


The Envelope- BCBGMaxAzria

The Bright- Ted Baker

The Bow- Chloe

The Furry- Tory Burch

The Sequined- Kate Spade

The Fringe- Anthropologie

Trend Alert: Bright Outerwear

As it gets colder and grayer and darker every second until the solstice or whatever, I've been forced to come up with ways to cheer myself up even though I live someplace warm and sunny.  Anyway a huge trend right now is vibrant coats to brighten up your outfit and your day.  Let's explore.

Metro Coat- J.Crew

Boyfriend Coat- Topshop

Peacoat- French Connection

Military Coat- Vivienne Westwood

Topper Coat- Pendleton

So rush out and buy a bright coat to cheer you up and also help stimulate the economy.

What's New: Adam Levine Is Sexy?, Mr. and Mrs. Seth Cohen, Etc.

Basically the only exciting things happening lately are celebrities getting engaged and making wine and being sexy.  So let's dive in.

Adam Levine Is The Sexiest Man Alive- No he's not. Instead here are some suggestions: Matt Damon, David Beckham, Benedict Cumberbatch, Alexander Skarsgard, Prince Harry, Rupert Friend, Andrew Garfield, Eddie Redmayne, Matt Bomer, or basically any ginger.  Or Liam Neeson.  NEXT.

Leighton Meester and Adam Brody Are Engaged- Obviously I have mixed feelings because when I was a child The OC was my favorite TV show and then Adam Brody dated Rachel Bilson both on the show and real life and I thought everything was going to be good forever and it wasn't.  But this is cute.  Congrats!

Miley Cyrus' Eyebrows- What the hell, Miley? I try to defend you and then you go and bleach your eyebrows so you look like some baby animal I can't name off the top of my head.  Please stop.

Brangelina Rules the World- For reasons unknown Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie decided to build a 1200 acre vineyard at their Provence home and then they made a wine and then that wine became "The Best Rosé In the World".  Because that's who they are.

JLaw Loses It- Jennifer Lawrence freaked out while trying to deal with photographers on the Red Carpet of the Catching Fire premiere in NY.

Style Icon: F.E. Castleberry

It's recently occurred to me that until now all of my style icons have been women and the last thing I would ever want is to alienate my millions of gay readers so let's talk about hot guys.

F.E. Castleberry has been around for a few years now, and I discovered him when I went to my first college for my first time.  I think he's technically a fashion photographer but his blog Unabashedly Prep is pretty all encompassing, with a lot of posts on arts and culture as well as big events and artist profiles.

He's become a symbol of the marriage between the traditional 'Ivy League' prep and modern metropolitan aesthetics, a look which he has become quite famous for.  Let's look at what guides his style.  Oh but first, the most important rule, keep good company.

F.E. Castleberry, Kiel James Patrick, and Sarah Vickers

Outerwear is key- Just because you live in the cold doesn't mean you know how to do outerwear.  I think the thing that pulls his outfits together so perfectly is the tailoring and the layering.  It's easy to throw on a shirt and say this is what I'm wearing but his style has depths.

Throwback isn't just for Thursdays- From varsity jackets to madras explosion, blasts from the past Reagan administration are fun.  Plus there's a difference between wearing the same Brooks Brothers sweater your dad wore and going to the Lower East Side and trying to find used shoes.  Chic.

Don't be afraid of color- Color is a good thing!  And you don't have to dress like a piñata to stand out.  Our friend Fred does a great job of wearing a pop of color and keeping everything else simple and neutral.

Your pants are probably too long- If your pants hit below your ankle joint, you're doing it wrong.

Go for jeans- Many "prepsters" will shy away from denim because they think it's not classically preppy.  Who cares.  Jeans are comfortable and people like wearing them.  Plus you can dress them up or down which gives you a lot of options.  Go forth and adorn.

In addition to his blog, F.E. Castleberry also has a tumblr, Collection.

Women Who've Shaped History: Françoise Hardy

Surely as a stylish and well-informed woman/gay, you are both familiar and in love with Françoise Hardy.  

This gorgeous Paris native is famous for her songs, films, and iconic style.  She also knows like 5 languages which is more than some popes.

Hardy began playing music when she was a child and was picked up by the record label Vogue shortly after beginning her studies at the Sorbonne (chiiiiic!) and dropped out of school to be amazing and frolic across Europe.

Then she was in a bunch of movies and just continued to be really famous and beautiful.  Also Bob Dylan wrote a song about her which probably means she's a big deal.

She was also a huge inspiration for artist Nicolas Ghesquière, former Creative Director of Balenciaga and current HBIC of Louis Vuitton (Bye Marc, I'll miss you!) as of like a week ago.

Obsessed: Shearling Satchel

Because I'm a terribly apathetic person I've found it hard to be excited about many things lately.  But then I saw this.

And now it's all I want for Christmas.  It's from a store called Little Liffner, which is just a super adorable Swedish chick but it's sold out.  Luckily for me you can get it at Club Monaco for whatever stupid reason.  Buy it for me here.

Top Priority: Wes in Budapest

If you're a person living in the first world you know and love Wes Anderson.  If you don't, you transitively hate both Gwyneth Paltrow and Anjelica Huston, which is impossible.

Well it came to my attention the other day that one Matt Zoller Seitz, critic and artist, has just published a book entitled The Wes Anderson Collection, which you can buy here if you'd like.

Anyway, clicking randomly led me across the interwebs to this.

Let's talk about this and everything I love about it.

1. Tilda Swinton- Since the beginning of time everything she's done has been amazing.  Fact.
2. Saoirse Ronan- She was in Atonement with Keira Knightley.  Gold.
3. Ralph Fiennes- From Great Britain and therefore amazing.
4. Owen Wilson- Marley and Me makes me cry.
5. Jude Law- Hot and talented.
6. Adrien Brody- Weirdly hot and very talented. (See The Pianist)
7. Bill Murray- Duh.
8. Jeff Goldblum- Duh.
9. Willem Dafoe- Duh.

Yay March 7!

Trend Alert: Bomber Jackets

I briefly touched upon the bomber jacket in my Fall Staples post about military jackets, which you can read here, but I feel like they deserve more attention.

I actually love this trend, not because I like bomber jackets (they make me look weird and awful), but because they're easy to wear, inoffensive, and there are gazillions of options so you can rock one no matter your style.

Plus the bomber jacket has been around FOREVER, and it keeps coming back in a wildly popular way like every two years so just buy one or ten and wear them forever.  It's worth it.  Now let's look at some of my favorites.

Classic: All Saints

Textures: Drew

Varsity: Rag & Bone

Patterned: PJK

Oversized: Nasty Gal

Listening To, Written by Isabel Grover

Hey everyone, I just saw 12 Years a Slave and once you factor in the $9 movie ticket to the therapy I will need, I am probably $159 poorer. That was heavy. But also so good and I recommend all of you go see it. Don’t waste money on overpriced candy because you will not be hungry. Promise.

Without further adieu, here are some new tunes.

You are probably too lazy to research the talented Johan Örjansson, so I’ll tell you all you need to know. He has released three albums and collaborated with American singer-songwriter Israel Nash Gripka Johan’s from the West Coast of Sweden and according to his website he is really only well known in his hometown. So, if anyone ever calls you a philistine, just name-drop our pal Johan. They’ll have no idea who you’re talking about and you’ll win. Works every time.

Astrid Engberg is a baller. We all know I have a love affair with Scandinavia, so it should come as no surprise to you that she is Danish. Her music is a concoction of jazzy vocals sprinkled with electronic backgrounds. As far as the video goes, did the Coen brothers direct it? Speaking of, who’s excited for (my review of) Inside Llewyn Davis?

Hope you had a good weekend Netflix-fest. 

What's New: Housewives, Seflies, Taylor Swift Makes Me Laugh, And More

So I've been incredibly ill with both flu and strep for like months now and that's why I haven't written anything and I'm the worst and I'm sorry.  But I'm pretty much back to being my normal happy, healthy, and chipper self.  So let's talk about what's happened since I've been gone.



Real Housewives of Beverly Hills- It's back. So is Vanderpump rules.  Which is basically the Jersey Shore but in LA and with hotter people.  RHOBH is amazing and I love it and it's my second favorite Housewives behind New York, which isn't even good anymore.  So maybe it is my favorite.  Plus Taylor Armstrong is gone which is good news and they have two new housewives, one I love and one I hate.  And that's basically all I could ever ask for.

Selfies- Tragically, the Oxford Dictionary has decided that this is the new word of 2013.  Twerking was a runner up, so it could be worse.  If you don't know what a selfie is, you're embarrassing.  Go away.

Taylor Swift- She says she doesn't write songs about every guy she dates.  Which means that she's either lying or a way bigger skank than I thought.  Either way I feel happy.  Read the article here.

The Notebook, Part 2- Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams are allegedly back together.  This is amazing news for women 12-92 who have seen The Notebook and want this to be real life.  As an adult woman, I am obviously super on board for this because they are the two cutest people maybe ever.  

It's A Terrible Life- One of the greatest movies ever, "It's a Wonderful Life" is rumored to be getting a sequel.  This is the most depressed I've been since I found out Miley Cyrus wore this.

JLaw- Jennifer Lawrence has weird hair which is stupid but she looks hot which is badass.

Footnote:
A bunch of other stuff has happened but this is literally all I care about in life so let's just move on.