TopStyle

I remember when working in stores how important atmospherics were, at first i didn’t get what that “big” word meant, until someone kind enough explained to me…make sure the music is at the right sound level, music that will compliment the clothing..eh?…air-con set to the correct temperature, breezy pleasant scent in the air, colour-blocked merchandising, your staff well dressed and presentable looking busy with Colgate-Tom-Cruise smiles and eager to serve…atmospherics!..O-kay-thank-you…But really, how important is ambiance…oops! sorry, i mean atmospherics…how important is this  in retail clothing stores today?? HIGHLY! , especially in this e-commerce revolution. I have lost count on the number of occasions that i’ve walked in, and straight back out of stores because something or someone just rubbed me up the wrong way, you know, like when you’ve had this item of clothing in mind that just does not want to leave you and the only way to get rid of this image is to get the outfit…and so when you finally get to the store and make your acquaintance with sally the sales lady, well Sally is in her own world, in deep conversation with her mate about the past weekend events and couldn’t be bothered, music blaring, piano merchandising, stack’d and pack’d…three cheers to competence and i am out the door.

For me, walking into a well kept store, in all aspects, with exceptional service attached to it, is what determines whether i would be spending my money in that store or not, regardless of how much i need that well fitted blazer. Lighting, fixtures & fittings…etc…etc… all play a pivotal role in ensuring a great shopping experience, NOT buying…SHOP-PING experience

Some stats suggest that there are thousands of on-line registered t-shirt companies today making millions and most don’t even have contact whatsoever with their customers. I suppose with the saturation of all these e-stores trying to get a piece of market-pie, it must really be hard to pull away from the pack and get noticed, i mean you really have got to do something unique and special, which is why threadless.com slightly caught my attention, you might have already come across the brand…an on-line community of folks that post their designs for T’s, conduct designer profiles and stories behind the design of the t-shirt, votes, sales, etc…not an entirely epic idea, but a great way to encourage on-line community inter-action and of cause make tons of sales…

Somehow, t-shirts sell, really sell, especially on-line and with an inter-active community of design and consumer enthusiasts, it makes for great sales. Not too sure what the fit or the craftsmanship of the product is like, but the wacky prints, designs,wordings or statements and of cause you can’t forget the humour, makes for a worthwhile purchase.

Recently in vanity fair, Johnny Depp was reminiscing the greats, the classic old school actors and stars of yesteryear. What a great feeling it gives looking back at old black&white movies or photos and taking note of the portrayal of style that some of these timeless stars had or perhaps even maybe just looking at Gran ma/Gran pa pics…em…maybe not…ok, at least in some cases, nonetheless, it would be enough for me to second Depp’s sentiments and say too…Please bring back the greats! Bring back style! Please! and with no drama too. One of my all time favorites, Cary Grant, was the sure deal style icon on screen and off and i am certain even behind closed doors when no one was watching, kinda like being all alone at home serving yourself the finest wine in the finest crystal wine glass with no one to impress but you…ahhh… true style. Who today gets this right?? Not too many. Well…one of my favorite ladies, Milla Jovovich comes close, not so much on screen, but more so on the red carpet and pulls off elegance with ease, her beauty helps of cause, but still, there’s just something in these beings that you just can’t define!

We’ve heard it all before…grey’s the new black…black’s out…black is back…on and on, truth is, black was, is and will always be en vogue, timeless, classic and the ever present foundation of colour in any collection. I must admit, it’s not always easy pulling off an all black ensemble without looking morbid, but for my ladies that can, chic elegance prevails…well…that is, in a non-rock-chick-gothic-grungy-scary kinda way. Imo, black on black has to be done in simplicity and with a hint of femininity…less is more is more is more…not blending too many fabrics, unless you really know what you are up to.I love it when a touch of shine or lace…yes you read right…lace! is added somewhere in the mix. pics Asos.

Elegant. classic. stylish. trendy. raggered…you name it, double breasted fit whatever bill these days. I often wonder whenever i think of a double breasted fitted blazer…how would Cary Grant wear it? Still today, my favorite is a grey herringbone double breated coat i bought three years ago at Zara, the simpler the better…Zara.com, Reiss.com.

If you had the best job in the world, what would it be? One of my favorite lines…love what you do and do what you love…to be able to find a way to generate capital from what excites you in life is the most satisfying feeling there is as far as vocation is concerned. So that’s probably why thousands responded to the ad “The best job in the World”. The initiative came from Tourism Queensland to find a successful applicant to become care-take of a resort on the islands of the barrier reef for six months, and salary?? US$100,000… Any takers??

So what does the job entail? Well, the idea is to report back, so snorkeling, maintaining a video diary and photo gallery, a schedule of travel and events around the islands, bush walking, sampling the spa facility and cuisine, blogging about your day’s events in the sun…things like that…What’s the catch you might be wondering, not too sure myself or if in fact there is one, but it certainly is an inexpensive promotional skim, costing US$1 million, but now has already generated well over US$10 million in revenue and this is before the final applicant has even been selected. The final 16 will go through final selection between May 3 and May 6 2009. I must admit that i admire this creative idea and i suppose if you haven’t yet found yourself making money doing what you love, and in this economic recession, then this may very well be “The best job in the World”.

Topman is still by far the best place, for me, to find and grab the best in menswear accessories. They always have something interesting and do well  in keeping the faith alive in encouraging men to accessorize. So men are accessorizing more than they ever did and there’s  a lot more to play around with now and much more variety than ever.

Don’t try using this in the blistering cold,

its not what it was meant for, well kinda…

but the purpose of the skinny scarf is to

enhance a look, to bring out some colour…

Cuff-links always add an elegant touch

to a professional look. But it does not

always have to be with a business suit

and tie, an unconstructed shirt, fitted

blazer, jeans and trainers gives an edgy

look a touch of elegance.

I like this diamond black pendant,                             

very versatile and not too chunky with a classic shape that could double up as

a unisex accessory.

Accessory king, Johnny Depp, takes sweatbands off the tennis court and on to the red carpet. It’s quite handy to keep a variety of colours and fabrics, lighter cool fabrics are best for this use.

Almost 20 years later and still going strong…Can a model last that long?? apparently so, Naomi, Cindy,Evangelista and the others have…and now Mark Vanderloo makes a major comeback as the face of the new DKNY men’s fragrance. I remember about 15 years ago seeing him in the DKNY ad campaigns with Esther Canadas, who later became his wife, for a short time, wow! how fast time moves. In his early forties now and still looking great, Mark embodies the new fragrance which denotes the energy,vibrancy and emotion of New York City. The DKNY fragrance is about boldness,being smooth and full of confidence and Mark Vanderloo certainly represents that.

I love this spring trench, precise detailing, fitted and perfect length. I could not believe that it’s only 30 pounds! Its by 24:7, Jeff Banks, at Matalan. It’s one of the top 10 coats of the season gathered by drapersonline.com.

Other top 10 menswear accessories  that i liked included these Hi-tops by French Connection at Kurt Geiger for 50 pounds.

Topman leads the pack when it comes to menswear accessories.The look; fitted crisp white shirt, skinny caramel tie, Jeff Banks trench, indigo fitted jeans, French connection Hi-tops and these 15 pounds glasses at Topman to complete a trendy urban look.