Monday Outlook: Silky Smooth

We're still in the heart of January, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be preparing your wardrobe for the ides of April. In the previous two Outlooks, I covered the Blue Movement and the Power of Floral, and today I will be covering the move towards silk. Its definitely a move for the fashion forward, but if done right, it will make you look like a bona fide celebrity.

Obviously, when you think silk in men's wear, you think about ties. That wouldn't be much of a statement or trend if you just bust out the silk ties; it'll go unnoticed and won't draw any attention. This spring is pushing the boundaries with the use of silk and most notably so with silk suiting. A silk shirt is great, it'll feel great on the skin and be very light for the hotter months, but it won't make much of a splash. A well tailored silk suit, however, will not only be light, but it will add some pizazz to the cotton suiting you already own.

Gucci's SS14 line includes orange silk!
As I mentioned earlier in this post, a silk suit is a very fashion-forward purchase and also a very pricey one. So what to do for those trying to embrace a trend without paying a pretty penny? Your best bet is with a cotton suit with a high sheen, admittedly a tough find, but will run a lot less than a silk suit and will give you the same look. As for color choice, I would opt for a warmer, patternless fabric; this will allow you to wear those fun florals underneath without any chance of clashing with a plaid or stripe pattern in the suit.

StyleBop: $620
This cotton suit has the same look as Gucci's orange silk suit and predictably at less than half the price! Check in daily for more fashion advice and next Monday for the next Outlook!

Celebrity Sunday: Idris Elba

When you think of style icons, you tend to focus on Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Justin Timberlake...catching a drift here? They tend towards the "lighter" side of the spectrum and its sad because when you get away from the loud mouths like Kanye who are using fashion as a plea for attention, you get to role models like Pharrell and Aloe Blacc (kind of biased here because they are both great musicians). I will be sure to cover them on another Sunday, but today I wanted to focus on a very intense icon who brings it in the style department everyday, Idris Elba.

Making the military look stylish in Pacific Rim.
Out of England, he is most known for his work on The Wire across the pond, but since his emergence in Hollywood in 2007, he has become the go to for roles requiring power and presence. His most recent work portraying the life of Nelson Mandela, he brought just those traits, lending to an unforgettable performance that is up-to-par with the same work from Morgan Freeman in Invictus. What most people aren't aware of, however, is that he is also a DJ going by the alias DJ Big Driis.

The casual three-piece? The casual three-piece!
More important than his immense talent is the fact that he knows how to dress and that has been noticed by GQ who most recently featured Elba on the October 2013 cover. The cover story was aimed at three-piece suits, which he makes seem effortless, but he is also very well known for throwing on the tonal look while attending award shows; for your information, not very easy to pull off. For his time in the American entertainment industry, Elba has already made quite an impact and in terms of style, you would be wise to take a thing or two from his look because he knows what he's doing.

Tonal never looked so right!
Check in daily for more fashion advice and next Sunday for another style icon!



Saturday Spotlight: Frameri

This being the first of my Saturday Spotlight posts, I can explain it as simply as highlighting a company that is less known within the fashion world that needs to be brought to the forefront. Whether its an entrepreneurial venture or a large company that simply lacks recognition, I will give you an idea of what they do and why you should buy from them!


Personally, I have never needed prescription eye wear and hopefully never will, but I have heard that the process gets very expensive. A scholarly acquaintance of mine from the MBA Program at Notre Dame thought that this was a glaring issue that needed to be addressed. Now as an alumnus of the University of Notre Dame, its always a priority for me to help fellow Irish graduates because in my experience, they have done the same for me, so it is only fitting that I use this first Spotlight for the upcoming brand Frameri.


Konrad Billetz and a few of the students from the design school banded together last year with the idea that fashionable eye wear should be affordable for all while having a utility that has never been seen before. The key innovation that puts Frameri in a class of its own is that their lenses are interchangeable from frame to frame, so instead of buying 3 frames with 3 sets of prescription lenses, you'll only need the one set of lenses that can be applied to a multitude of frames.

The Tidal collection offered only at Frameri.
So far, the company offers 3 styles in a variety of colors and patterns and will be shipping in March 2014. In my opinion, the product is only going to keep on getting better as they develop more styles and come up with more product offerings; I know Konrad well enough to know that he won't dwell on just eye wear, he'll revolutionize more than just that under the Frameri flag. I encourage you to visit their website, even if you don't have vision problems, they also offer sun glass lenses that offer the same competitive advantage as the prescription lenses.

Check in daily for more fashion advice and again next Saturday for another exciting Spotlight!