The Sartorialist

Men wearing leggings under shorts, a very popular “look” in Tokyo right now.

I could shoot this same picture all over Sydney.

So, what’s the deal with the house couch on the front porch?

UPDATE: Of the 100 comments so far, for this image, only two mentioned what I thought was most important element – the strong eyebrows of the girl on the right.

That is a real stylistic choice, as much as choosing a great pair of shoes or a bag.

So what about a strong brow? Can it be a trend or is it totally dependent on the person?

On the way back from Tokyo, I made a quick stop over in Sydney. I still have more shots from Japan, but I wanted to get these Sydney shots up right away.

Recently I ask my grandmother to send me some old pictures of herself and our family, as my girlfriend and I started decorated the apartment. This is one of those photos. She was 14, a freshman in high school and apparently on Belle Isle in Michigan. She looks beautiful. Also, she said at that time, 1949, she made her own clothes, which is pretty neat.

Mr. Kurino and United Arrows have offered to host a VERY informal “Meet & Greet” at their Harajuku location this Saturday from 1pm to 4pm.

After having arrived in Tokyo from New York, it’s 2:45AM and I can’t sleep.

The lady on the right looks like something out of a Yohji fashion show.

I don

We don’t know much about the gentleman on this picture, despite the fact that he always wore something in his breast pocket.

Why are cufflinks so hard to find?

They are always so over-the-top!

Today’s cufflinks often lack a sense of elegance. It?s as if they need to justify their price by shouting, “We’re here!”. Someone once said, “If you notice a man’s cufflinks, then they are too loud”.

That’s why I was so happy, when I stumbled upon a great collection of cufflinks at LEO Design, in the West Village. I have been patronizing the store for years, but I never noticed the array of cufflinks. Basically, all pieces are vintage and priced very reasonably (not inexpensive- but appropriate for their quality and vintage).

The buyer is passionate about his selection and can share dates and design details.

Check them out here:
LEO Design
413 Bleecker St., New York, NY 10014
nr. 11th St.
212-929-8466

I shot this story for Italian Vogue Pelle last August. As you know, magazine editorial budgets are extremely low, especially in this economy. Instead of packing up for an exotic location, I shot this at the hotel where I spent Summer vacation with my kids.

The fishing poles, boogie boards and bag of charcoal belonged to my neighbors. I shot this very early in the morning and kept telling the stylist, “Hurry! Get the bag and bikinis in place, so I can shoot this before they wake up”.

Oh yeah, now Mike tells me he is a born and bred Queens native….actually still lives there.

(click on image to enlarge)
I have always loved this picture of my mother and father (Ann and Herman) enjoying a night out at Grossinger’s Resort in the Catskill Mountains in New York. (It was the inspiration for Kellerman’s Mt. Resort in Dirty Dancing). This was taken sometime in the early 1950′s. My father, who is now 90 years old, told me this was some kind of mystery themed event. What I love so much about this photo, besides that it always makes me laugh, is that it shows what a cute couple they were and that they loved having a fun time together. They were happily married for 65 years and were madly in love.

Growing up poor in Philadelphia did not stop my mother from expressing herself through fashion. She had such a wonderful and carefree style – she loved wearing bright colors and patterns, and never left the house without looking perfectly put together. In this picture I love her plaid skirt and how it matches my dads plaid jacket. Also her lace up shoes are just fabulous.

My daughter Hannah Dilworth was on your site in September ’09 (attached is the photo you took of her) and she always says that her Bubby is one of her biggest fashion inspirations, and someone who influenced her towards a career in fashion.

I talked about “abstract inspiration” in my book and this photo, I took recently in Milan, is perfect example of this idea.

Sometimes I think the readers of this blog take the images too literally as my suggestion of what you should wear or what I think is super fashionable. To be honest, I’m not sure I actually like anything she is wearing. However this image, as a concept, makes me think… but in the abstract.

ps. you might recognize this young man from a post I did about Coney Island in August 2006 and from my book.

UPDATE – I should have written this when I first posted this image. One of the reasons I take a shot like this is that it is so uniquely American.

I took this shot Monday, I had just returned from Moscow and Berlin and, guess what, you don’t see this there.

You don’t see this type of style in Milan or Paris or Sydney or Stockholm. When I see a gentleman like this, like his style or hate his style, I’m forced to react. I think my blog only works when I can have both Lino AND a gentleman like this presented.

There was just something so fascinating about the combination of these two people sitting at the bus stop.

The body language alone speaks volumes about expectations and experience.

(Click on the image to enlarge)

A few years ago I just happened to walk by Lismore Hosiery Co. on the day the shop was moving out. Lismore had been a hosiery wholesaler for decades on the Lower East Side and before that a pizzeria.
I’m not going to romanticize the place and say it was a treasure or anything but you just don’t see this type of interior in New York much anymore.

Is Now This

I know that I take a lot of photos of Lino, but I find him endlessly inspiring.

I love how he eases into Spring with a soft pastel tie and pale grey DB sportscoat.

Perfection for this time of year.

Next week, I will be visiting Japan for the first time!

I will be doing a few events with United Arrows, but most of my time, will be free to shoot.

I will update you later with details of the events.

So some of you were a little upset at my OBVIOUS joke about Queens the other day.

Well, I don’t want to fight you; I want to join you.

So help me love Queens the way you do. (does that sound right?)

I always love finding new places to shoot, like Ft. Greene, last Summer.

Imagine I had an afternoon to spend in Queens. Please share some specific suggestions of neighborhoods, shops and streets to see.

I think the cultural diversity, architecture and open spaces that Queens offers make it unique in comparison to Manhattan and Brooklyn.

I want to thank everyone that attended the events in Berlin and Moscow.

I especially want to thank Nespresso.

Remember last week, when I hinted to show up to the Moscow event early?

Well, I did that because my book isn’t readily available in Russia.

Nespresso imported about 200 books and instead of inflating the price, they gave them away for free!

I thought that was super generous.

My Grandmother Nola (aged 19) 1931 on the eve of her engagement, at Luna Park Melbourne, Australia.
She lived to 97 and I never saw her wear pants ever!

This is our Uncle Matt circa 1925 in Hannibal, Missouri. After school baseball game. Uncle Matt is the one with the shiner. Love those socks!

Why is it that old-school boutiques seem to be the only retailers left that understand the idea of the “hidden treasure”.

Shops today over-indulge in the visual display of product and images. Shouting at customers to dance to their music and submit to their own experience. Shops of yesteryear seduced, like a strip tease, slowly revealing themselves to those that gave their time and attetion.

It is strange that these shops of yesterday are so much more seductive than the “tits-out” stores of today.

Le Louvre, Melbourne

A shop in Barcelona

I love a knit jacket if for no other reason than how slim the sleeves can fit.

A slim cut sleeve drops 10 pounds off any guy in a suit.

Next week I will be in Berlin and Moscow shooting and doing some events with Nespresso.

Berlin
Open to the Public
A moderated discussion on blogging and fashion
April 7th
Michelberger Hotel, Warschauer Strasse 39 ? 40.
7pm to 9pm-ish

Moscow
Book Signing
April 9th
Nespresso boutique
Petrovka Street 15, bld 1.
7pm to 9pm-ish

Fashion month really feels like fashion year (but all crammed into one month)!

It starts in January with Pitti Uomo in Florence and doesn’t end till March with the womens collections in Paris.

Garance recently did a mash-up (my kids watch Glee) of some of our favorite moments.

I remember that most of the times Garance or Chris were filming me, I really didn’t want to be filmed. They seem to find my exhaustion very funny. However , they say (not the Garance and Chris “they” but the general “they” that say things that we say they say) that comedy is pain plus time and now that I have a little time away from the pain the whole thing does seem pretty funny.

Garance Dor

So the recent Diana Vreeland posts have really been a teaser for the next contest.