Be Patient!

Hello everyone out there on the internet machine, more specifically my readers.

I just wanted to say, don't lose faith in me!!! Ive been prepping for LFW and alberta fashion week so i havent had tons of time to update.

I'll post some sweet pics of the show along with commentary (well worth the wait!) So hang in there and stay sexy!!!

Alright, one more....

So here I am, just trying to solve world hunger, when I get a text from a reader who was mildly insulted by something I recently wrote in my last blog. I was totally taken aback and surprised for 2 reasons; 1, someone actually reads my blog and 2, what I said was, in fact, quite untrue.

It actually worked out pretty well though because my pending apology and correction led me to think about another accessory that I completely forgot about and that I will absolutely never leave home without.....Amazing music!

Just think about it, how interesting or intriguing is someone who has awesome music? They're the cats ass, hands down! And you my friends need to be that person. When you thump a good track in your car, house or at a party, no one really notices what you're wearing, they just hear the music and immediately associate it with you being someone who is potentially dope. So if your music selection needs a little makeover, take note of some of my faves below and your cool points will definitely increase regardless of your style.

First off, because I love Edmonton, and I think they're scene is ridic, I'm going to list my fave Ed DJ's so that if you ever find yourself in the city of champions you can go see them rock up close and personal.

DJ Erin Eden! So here's where my apology comes in. Erin and I go way, way back, and in my last blog I mentioned that All Out DJ's were my fave in Edmonton. Sorry Eden, thats totally not true, you are. I mean how sweet is a DJ where you can go watch The Office and drink wine with her at dusk and then go see her destroy the decks at night (as long as you get there before 3AM of course....) Everyone, and I mean everyone needs a DJ friend like Erin!!! And don't let that mean glare above scare you, I don't think she bites, although she is rather stingey....

Eddie Toonflash is dope. He spins saturday nights at Play and is the hottest, gayest DJ in the universe! I 100% guarantee you a good time if you go see him rock out with his.....

Obviously Tianna J is a total smokeshow, but believe me players, that bitch can spin too! She always brings a lot of energy to every show and can truly party you, your children and your grandchildren into. the. ground. And I just adore her cranberries Zombie remix...

A couple others of serious note in Edmonton:

Chad Cook- Seriously amazing folks! If you wanna dance, and dance hard all night long, check him out, I'd truly have his babies.

Dusty Grooves- 10 outta 10, wicked funk!

Soul'd Out DJ's- I've spent many a tuesday night on the dancefloor at suite 69 with these fellows, don't ever miss a chance to see em' spin.

Shy- she's fairly new on the scene, but don't let this little sparkplug fool you. I love a beautiful woman that can play and play with you she will.....

Now if you don't get to Edmonton much and just want to beef up your playlist, download some of these badboys.

WWWOOOWWW!!! This is the grandfather of mashups my friends, he will truly expand your musical comprehension.

Kid Millionaire (Steve Aoki). I've seen him a few times and he puts on quite a show! Technically he's quite exquisite, and his mixes take in many genres. Definitely peep him out.

Check out their Feel Good Inc. remix! It's so good I can't even speak while it's playing, so don't talk to me!

He remixes a lot of popular pop tracks and I love his style. His Gimme More (Britney) and Rock your Body (J.T) tracks are almost sexual.

Le Castle Vania! I don't know what it is about this kid but I love his tracks, they're cool, calm and collected.

You have to check out their Feathers (Coheed and Cambria) mix, it made me wanna be a better man (if thats possible...)
I can't even talk about Fake Blood, he's that exquisite. Anyone who is in Edmonton March 11th and isn't at this show is no longer a friend of mine.
Designer Drugs are from L.A and bring a ton of dirt to their tracks. If you like feeling like you've been camping for 7 straight days give 'em a listen. So good.

Deadmau5 or dead mau 5 as my friend likes to call him (sorry BFL!!), and it's deadmouse for everyone else, is easily in my top 3 of all time. He's Canadian, which is bizarre, and somehow just continually produces amazing track after track, year after year. Tracks of his that you absolutely MUST download and are not negotiable are as follows:

I Remember

Move for Me

Not Exactly

Ghosts N Stuff

And last, but certainly not least, is the grand and almighty A-Skillz!!! This guy fuses funk, hip hop and breaks and boasts insane scratching and mixing skills. Peep out his squeeze me remix! Like Wow!!! I once stayed up an entire night listening to just that track, its. that. good.

So this truly wraps up my accessory saga, I hope all you players enjoyed it and took some of my suggestions to heart. I know a lot of you just think I'm here blabbing away about my excessive partying and lifestyle, but these accessory's have really worked for me, so use em!

Unadulterated Randomness.

Well Ladies and Germs (remember that awful joke people used in the 50's and thought it was so clever and hysterical?) it has been quite a ride, but this will sadly be the last installment in my accessory saga. And what better way to wrap things up then to unveil my favorite, yet random and dare I say timeless, accessories? So sit back and enjoy, wait, maybe take a few notes, cause I'm about to unleash some diddy's on your punk asses.

The Pipe! Totally priceless and totally unprecedented. Like honestly, who wears a pipe around town? You do, thats who, and you get mad comps on it too. Oh wait, thats me, but it could be you if you heed my advice! I find that it adds just the right touch of charm and elegance, kind of like that Dos Equis guy from the beer commericals, total class. (P.S That is me in front of the All Out DJ's, best DJ's in Edmonton hands down, check out their facebook page!!!)

If you're in a pinch for an accessory (like I was here at Shambhala) you have to improvise. Now don't to be afraid of this people, embrace it, for it is where you become your most innovative. Like above, I was in a rush to see a DJ, I was scouring the campsite for 1, just 1 accessory to complete my otherwise drab and dreary outfit, when there it was, glimmering like a diamond in the trees....pink panties. I'd like to say they came straight off of some woman and onto my head (cause it would sound way more bad-ass), but they didn't, and it doesn't really matter. What matters is that, due to extenuating circumstances I was forced to dress off the cuff, and behold the glory that it produced.

Confidence! No matter what outti you wear, wear it with confidence, that is truly the best accessory you can sport.

I love fur stoles, and by-golly I'm not afraid to say it! However, I just don't wear them enough, and that is truly a tragedy of epic proportions. See the beautiful thing about fur stoles is that they go with everything; t-shirts, suits, button ups, tank tops and even no top. Try and get one with a nice dark hue to it like I have above. Wear it at first just around the house to get the feel for it, then try wearing it to the convenience store, then maybe the mall, and then.....out and about! Careful though, be sure to wear sparingly, the fur stole can be easily overdone.

You have to look closely at this pic to see the unadulterated randomness....can you see it? No it's not that shit-eating grin I have on my face, it's the bracelet on my wrist given to me by non other that my BFL (who is coincidentally in the pic with me). A home-made bracelet, made with love, and characterized by a specifically tailored insider phrase, is virtually priceless and therefore, appropriately accessorized to absolutely anything. Don't leave home without it!

Oh ya, you saw correctly, don't look away in horror just yet, those are indeed....bifocals! I find they have the best shape, lens' and frames to fit any look, and you can find them for dirt cheap at almost any value village or vintage shop. One tip though, they make you feel drunker than you are, so maybe cut back a bit on the shots just for the night.

Everyone needs to own a sailor hat! End of story.

I like a good manbag/murse/"it's European" (Seinfeld..). They keep all your essentials (super slims, vicks inhaler, lighter, camera, sunglasses, money and personal notebook) in 1 handy and convenient location. They can also add a touch of european style if you get a nice small leather one and wear it crisply on top of your outfit. Be sure not to get one too big or it does just straight up look like a purse, and casually/fashionably sporting one of those is still a few years and seasons away....

And last, but certainly not least, a lover! Here I am pictured with mine above, and damn don't I look good next to her!?! A lover can be quite the accessory for a straight man(however, if you're straight, your lover also has to be straight!), but this is one accessory you have to treat with care cause the better it looks, the better you look.

Beautiful Gay Friends!!!

I wouldn't be where I am today (and that's actually not saying much...) if it wasn't for my rat pack of beautiful gay friends. Each one always brings something unique and special to the table, and each one is consequently the apple of my eye.... Now it may be mildly offensive to some of you to refer to human beings as accessories, and I totally concur, however, remember the adopted 3rd world country baby accessory that swept the celebrity nation in 2008? Huh, do you remember? Of course you do.

I guess the point I'm trying to make here is this, if you pair a beautiful gay boy with absolutely anything, it comes out looking mighty fine. Hell, you could even match one up with Kathleen Turner and I'd be slightly tempted to do her! (P.S her role in the 3rd season of Californication is absolutely exquisite, you have to check it out.)

So without further adieu, here is a small look into my beautiful gay friends catalogue.

Oh, ok, first on the list here is the winner of Project Runway Canada Mr. Evan Biddell. I always suggest having a fashion designer as a friend because the benefits are obvious. Evan's especially good because he can always get you into Toronto Fashion Week and can always get you into loads of trouble....

This is a fairly new acquaintance Mr D. Mo. He's a friend of the lovely Robin Mabel Alice Ings so he's always good in my books. Beautiful gay boys typically also have amazing female friends, so getting to know them really boosts your quality friends ratio. Case in point above, isn't she a beauty?

Oh Stu, he's just pure heaven, that's all that needs to be said there.

Matty here is what I call my BFL (boyfriend for life). He' s just all around good for everything. Photoshoots, partying, dancing, wingmaning, laughing, loving, sleepovers, fashion show trips and basically everything else in between. If you're going to try and lock down a BFL and you're a boy as well, I suggest one thats the same size as you cause BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE....your wardrobe is doubled, and fabulously I might add.

The Halamanator. You'd be surprised but, He cleans up very well into a nice, sexy little bitch, and you just never know when thats gonna come in handy.

Andy + Reagan Gallup = basically infinite possibilities, pretty much. If I could have 2 BFL's he would definitely be there, no questions axed, however, thats truly frowned upon (its just poor style), so he's just my A & O (alpha and omega). He makes me look good, real good, especially in situations where I should come out looking like a total asshole! People, you have to have a beautiful gay friend that actually lives in a world where women don't exist. It's a necessity, and it's tough to explain why exactly, but just do it and you won't regret it. Unfortunately, I already have Reagan, so good luck finding another one.

Here's Matty and I again, and I wanted to point this out because it proves a good point. BGF (beautiful gay friends) always help you to push the fashion envelope and dress stronger and more bold, like above. I never would of worn that outti out if it wasn't for Matty's guiding hand (and look how magnificent it is!!!). Take their advice and just do it.

When you have a woman as one of your best friends, it's smart to have a BGF in the friendship trifecta, it just smooth's the mix out better and allows for more cohesion. It also doesn't ever hurt to make sure he's sexy like ol' Dave here.

In closing, I hope none of my 4 readers here felt like I objectified men in any way, shape or form. A BGF is indeed a beautiful creature, and I believe, a still largely untapped resource for straight men everywhere. So men, find one, and when you do, don't you ever let go...

Trucker Hats....

Installment #2 in my tentatively titled "The good, the bad, and the heinous" accessories saga is the trucker hat. Now I'm not sure when, or even if, these were ever really popular, but I love a well placed trucker hat. The only problem is that I always associate them with that awful brand Von Dutch. Can you remember their coveralls? Wow. (And in the small instance you were wondering where or how Von Dutch even became popular, refer to Jeremy Piven's riveting performance as Don Ready in the movie "The Goods", and all will become clear....)

Now because I have so many trucker hats and so many magnificent pictures of them in action, I'm just going to post all of them and comment on a few, cause really, how much can you actually say about a trucker hat?

The first thing to note when wearing, or considering to wear a trucker hat, is that they both attract and repel women. They typically repel older, more successful women looking to settle down and move to the next level because you come across as a younger more playful person. But, they totally attract younger, more beautiful women (as seen above) because you look sort of like a bad-ass who likes to party and have fun (usually with no strings attached....)

Don't be afraid to wear a hat that has some sort of a trashy saying on it because really it can't hurt, YOU'RE ALREADY WEARING A TRUCKER HAT!!! Like the one above reads, "I can't be fired, slaves are sold", and all in some sort of rainbow-ish color scheme too (it is one of my faves though).
And it's always good to wear a trucker hat in conjuction with a nice, classy, clean look to give it more dimension. Always try and keep a homogenous color strategem to the whole look too, so that if flows and doesn't draw too much attention to the hat, it's just an accessory remember.

Or you can use the hat as a punch point like above. I love wearing dark colors, and if you do too, wear a hat with a strong, vibrant color that attracts initial attention to your look, but then allows the viewers eyes to comb over the rest of your outfit. It also helps if you go out frequently because your friends and potential lovers can spot you out of a crowd so you never get lost or left out of any shenanigans.

Oh I love the coordinated look!!! Most people frown on it as it is a little cheesy, but if you do wear a trucker hat out and you can coordinate the same color of hat, but in a different style, with a friend, do it. It allows both of you to change hats intermittently throughout the night, should you get bored of your look and what to change things up for a bit. Plus!!!! Who cares if your trucker hat gets lost (its probably for the good...), it should of only costed you 2-3 dollars anyways.
Match your trucker hat with a v-neck and then wear whatever the hell else you want and it'll work, its a guaranteed truth-fact.

And lastly, the hat and tank combo. Nothing says white trash like it, but conversely, nothing is more lovely. Just the fact alone that you're wearing this outfit out in public speaks volumes about your fashion comfortability. You are one confident mofo in this outti and as such are fun and very approachable by all genders. It's also a good conversation starter....."Hey, are you actually wearing a trucker hat and pink tank top with a "pow" necklace out in public?" Oh ya, I always like to couple the hat with a necklace of sorts as well, helps to tie everything together.

So as you can see, a trucker hat look has a lot of dimensions. As with the bandana it usually looks best with longer hair and sunglasses, actually trust me, it totally looks awful with short hair and no glasses, so just stick to my advice. Furthermore, buy an SUV and keep the back chuck full of random hats and glasses and you'll be well prepared for any occasion life has to throw at you.

Stay tuned for the controversial accessory #3 post, coming soon....

Bandanas?!?!

This is the first of say...... a 4 or 5 part series, that focuses squarely on accessories. Good ones, bad ones, heinous ones, outrageous ones, necessary ones, living ones and everything in between. See, accessories can truly make or break an outfit, and I feel that people are just not putting enough time, energy and resources into them.

A wise fashionista once told me to take off at least 1 accessory from my outfit everyday before leaving the house so as to not overdo my look. However, with the more colorful and flamboyant trends sweeping the world, I feel like excessive accessives are acceptable (only if you can pull them off!!!!), and I want to show and examine what I wear in my everyday life to see where I went wrong (if i ever did...) and where I went right.

So without further rambling, I give you.....Bandanas (ewwww, i know, it even sounds bad rolling off the tongue, but bear with me).

If you're going out dancing (which I do a lot of, and everyone should do more of!!) then sporting a bandana is a good move. Have you ever leaned in to talk to someone, or vice-versa, at a club or where ever and their sweat drips all over your face? Sick. Like so sick. The ol' BD (bandana) takes care of that prob and simultaneously allows you to look fashionable.

See, again here, ladies everywhere cause I'm looking good and totally non-sweaty. However, do choose your BD's carefully people, the one I'm wearing above isn't that good, but in my defense I was at Shambhala and didn't have a lot of options.

Then there's the old man/hippie look that doesn't typically get a lot of play because of its skill level, but is still a good move. If you have a big grandpa style cardigan you can practically get away with murder in the fashion world (its true, i literally killed a man and got away scot free, not even questioned...) Just pair your cardy with a rather stylish BD, longer hair is usually best with this look, and hit the town. The best thing is, I promise you no one else will be sporting a similar look.
The classic bad-ass BD look. Needs no explanation. Wait maybe one, don't be afraid to sport it with a tank even if you aren't even remotely buff like me. Ladies will appreciate the small reprieve from the usual bombardment of roidmonkeys.

Leopard print, need I say more (although it looks like I scared away the rest of the dance floor...)?

K, this may be one look where I might have just slightly missed the mark. I was going for the offensive look, which i like to do from time to time (thus, the handlebars), so I combined a BD, sunglasses and Native American style bead necklace and tank. I personally think it works, and futhermore, kicks ass, but some people may frown upon it.

Nevertheless! Thats the beauty of fashion! I challenge you to wear something mildly offensive the next time you go out on the town, and just when you think your outti can't get anymore foul, tie on an ol' bandana and walk out the door, you'll thank me later.

Men in Tights!

I know the first thing that comes into your mind when you read that title is the ultra lame Robin Hood knock-off movie that stares that guy from The Princess Bride (has he ever been in anything again!?!) and furthermore, the fact that men cannot, under any circumstance, wear tights. Well my friends, all 3 followers of you, watch and observe, for no one can pull off tights (and fur simultaneously for that matter!) better than my ultra beautiful and gay friend Matty.

"OMG, I'm wearing tights and a fur stole!" Well thats not exactly what he said before I snapped this beauty but he should of! I love the way he uses one color palette for the whole outti, when women wear tights they tend to play off a color contrast, but because men in tights is a fairly new concept I think initially, the less attention one draws to them the better (but don't be scared!!!). People should see you and think, "wow, thats a killer outti, whoa...wait a tick...is he, no? wait, but... Yes! Yes he is actually wearing tights. How magnificent." Or something along those lines. Unless you're Matty of course, then you just wear the boldest pair of tights you have and tell people people to deal with it (and enjoy the preview of the goods of course...).

Animal prints are all the rage, so this outfit is very well played. And again, i love the fur stole, it kind of makes me think he's an actual animal, like a Liger or some sort of a beautiful cat man amalgamation. Either way, he (it) can take a bite outta me any day.

"Hi, i'm Matty, don't you wish you were as gorgeous as me?" Again, not what he said exactly, but i like to think he was thinking it. So if you're going to just wear some nice plain, black tights then accessorize that shit with something really colorful and over the top, like this multi-colored, multi-dimensional vest. And big, open boots are always a necessity when wearing tights, any open tongued boot will do, but an old school-Marc Jacobs-wearing-Doc Marten boot will probably do you best.

Now I'm not sure where Matty's clothing is from (i can ax him if you want me to), but I'm sure it's mostly vintage, and thus acquired everywhere and anywhere. The trick again, and what Matthew does so well, is to not make it look like you're wearing vintage, so that the beholder has to ponder as to whether it is as such, or designer. Always keep them guessing, and always try and dress just a little outside your comfort level, you will be surprised with how much more confident you will become.