MaleUgly's blog

Hi friends. Pascal Grob (PascalG), one of last month’s Style Icons, is climbing the ranks of male style inspiration and becoming an instant favorite, definitely someone we wanted to hear more from. With his impeccable taste and mature sense of self, he has become a constant source of inspiration both in the fashion and photography regard. His outfits are both relaxed and crisp and are arguably timeless. The same can be said about his vibrant photography of friends, events and street style.

We’ve asked Pascal, what inspires you?

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Many things can inspire you. People on the street, fashion blogs, fashion magazines and their editorials, friends, single garments – this list could go on and on. I was asked to write an article about what inspires me in terms of fashion as a guy. I’ve actually never really thought about this question or even realized what it was, that inspires me to dress the way I do.

My interest in fashion developed about 8 months ago. Basically, it means I started to care what I was wearing and spent more thoughts about clothes than before. I don’t remember where that interest suddenly came from. I can only assume that I was thinking (and still do) that well-dressed people just look more interesting when you see them on the streets at first sight. I admire them and it even makes me kind of happy to spot such people. And I’m not saying that not well-dressed people aren’t interesting, it’s just the first impression for me when I see someone. On the other hand it could also be that some fashionista bores you to death when you get to know them.

Switzerland isn’t really known to be a fashionable country. Actually, fashion isn’t big at all in our small country, so I need to get inspired somewhere else than by the people on the street. All the fashion and streetstyle blogs are definitely my number one source of inspiration. I’m currently subscribed to over 160 blogs with my Google Reader and I’m adding more every month. While streetstyle blogs also feature looks by guys, they often have many more entries about looks by women. But it’s not like I’m only looking for pictures of guys on their blogs, I also take a close look at women if their outfit appeal to me. It’s more about the colour and type of fabric/garment combinations of their outfits. The combination of the right colours is an essential key to a good outfit and you can give it all a twist by playing with different kinds of fabric. Since I’ve already developed an own style more or less, that I’m feeling really comfortable with, I obviously can’t just exactly copy an outfit and no one should do that.

I probably spend one or two hours a day just to read all the new entries of blogs in my reader. In addition to that I’m often just looking fashion-related things up on the internet (collections, archives of streetstyle blogs, information about certain brands, etc.).

Other sources of inspiration besides blogs could be fashion community sites (like this one) or fashion magazines with exceptional fashion editorials. To give you an example: I’ve recently discovered a fashion editorial in an issue of Vogue Hommes Japan called “Story of an Eastern Dandy”, where I spotted the idea of using old book pages as a pocket square in your blazer instead of the usual ones.

I’m sharing photos of my looks on this community and my blog to be part of this big source of inspiration. There are so many more girls than boys active on the internet, that we can be happy about every male person trying to contribute something as well. But actually, there was another personal reason why I started posting looks of mine: Swiss can be fashionable too! Haha.

Items in this photo

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Hi, sorry I haven’t been able to keep up with everyone. As you can imagine, Fashion Week was extremely hectic and having to battle between attending shows and working offered me little time to stay true. Soon, friends!

To keep you interested, here’s a guest blog post from Marcus.

Enjoy!
philip

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Loving the rain and loving clothes used to leave me in a quandary, debating between practicality versus fashion. But no longer! I decided I wanted my cake and I wanted to eat it, too. After moving to the Bay Area, I quickly realized that weather of the precipitous kind required a certain amount of craftiness, if I was to get around without ending up drenched or stuck in a big yellow plastic poncho.

It all comes down to choosing the right fabrics. Gabardine is woven to be naturally water-resistant and a number of high-end brands like Acronym, W)taps, Visvim, and Junya Watanabe have incorpated waterproof fabrics like Gore-tex into their garments. But knowing what to not wear is just as important: authentic vintage tweeds will often have their color fixed with animal urines which can give off a ghastly smell when they get wet. And I’m sure it goes without saying that you want to try and keep your woolen items dry, too, as the combination of moisture and heat will make wool fibers will lock onto one another and shrink. (A fix that requires time and patience is to wet the wool again and stretch it back to the right shape, letting it dry without heat.)

Since today’s weather forecast called for rain, I opted for waxed cotton, which is just a regular cotton fabric with wax that is applied and bonds to the fabric for a windproof and slightly waterproof coating. My new DRKSHDW jacket and Gram shoes are both waxed and let me step in puddles and brave light showers without fear. I also prefer darker clothing whenever it’s raining because I’m not a big fan of the “wet t-shirt contest” look. I hope this helps you guys stay dry and dapper.

Items in this photo
DRKSHDW waxed cotton black jacket
Rick Owens long-sleeve ribbed red top
V::room melange knit tank gray top
Cheap Monday skinny black jeans
Gram waxed cotton black shoes

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Hey kids,

After a long hiatus, I am back and ready to (finally) take MaleUgly into 2009. Thanks to Connie (and Marcus) for manning the post while I’ve been m-i-a.

You might of heard that, yes, I will be reporting back from NY Fashion Week as soon as tomorrow! Actually, make that after tomorrow since I’m spending Friday night throwing ‘bows at the party we’re co-hosting at Le Royale. Here’s the flyer. Stop on by!

Just wanted to say hello. I hope you’ll stay locked (that was an ABDC shout out) for all the fun I’m going to share.

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In this outfit I’m wearing a couple of layers to combat the cold that has taken over the Bay. Supposedly it’s much warmer in NY so I’m on the fence as to what to pack (more on that later).

Some things I’ve been thinking about:
• Vietnamese food
• love
• medical/doctor’s bag
• better camera lens
• fashion from 90s movies
• shoes
• shoes
• …shoes
• the two pieces of Margiela accessories I passed up (and now they’re gone)
• food

Bon voyage!
—Philip

P.S. What are you thinking about?

POLL: What are you thinking about? Items in this photo
Schott toggle green jacket
Velour cardigan blue sweater
Junk de Luxe cardigan black scarf
Kill City skinny black jeans
Opening Ceremony suede desert boot blue shoes
Eastpak backpack red accessories

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More from Marcus. Side note: I’m stealing the Prorsum when he’s busy watching Gossip Girl tonight. Sorry, sir!

xoConnie

Aside from Connie and the staff of BARE, none of my friends could be considered very “fashion forward” people. This isn’t to say that they’re poorly dressed or anything; they just sometimes make choices that aren’t always in the best interest of their personal appearance (editor’s note: Marcus, you bitch.). The one thing that I always hear (and not just from other guys) is that sweatpants are super comfortable and that everything else seems super _un_comfortable by comparison. Well, if you’re going to compare a bed to a bed of nails, the former is always going to win. But it’s not impossible to be comfortable and well-dressed at the same time.

Anyone who knows me knows my penchant for slouchy, drapey clothing: I always find it to be interesting, flattering, and very comfortable. But this doesn’t mean I’m stocking up on XXXL sweatshirts and calling it a day. I like my clothes slouchy, but fitted. That seems like a contradiction, but it really isn’t. I want my clothes to hang on my body, but not swallow it up. But if you’re not after that sort of aesthetic, then at least look for clothes that show off your body, rather than obscuring it.

The quickest way to tell if something actually fits is where the shoulder seam sits. Shoulder seams should gently follow the natural curve of your shoulder. Anything that’s off your shoulder (unless it’s meant to, like the dropped shoulder on my sweater) means that it’s too big and that you need to size down. Also, stop wearing your tennis shoes everywhere. I understand the importance of arch support, but there’s no way to justify wearing athletic gear when you aren’t playing a sport or working out. Pick up a pair of Chucks, throw in some insoles (my lower back kills me if I don’t have my Superfeet insoles), and now you’ve got classic shoes that’ll be just as comfortable as any pair of New Balance.

I know nothing I do will ever stop people from buying, wearing, and enjoying their hoodie/sweatpant/Ugg combos. But at least try something new, at least try something fitted. Who knows? Maybe you’ll like it.

Items in this photo
Burberry Prorsum oversized black sweater
april 77 skinny gray jeans
Fiorentini + Baker leather lace-up black boots

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A man who needs no introduction. It’s geekbonchic, whose sardonic and on-point posts and comments have garnered him a sizeable group of admirers and haters. But haters gon hate, and ballers gon ball, and Marcus my doppelganger will continue to be mean and to be right as long as I keep taking his photo. Sigh.

xoConnie

“Suit Yourself”

Or, at least, don’t feel compelled to look like any old stiff in a grey flannel number. Despite the criticism pointed at how conservatively many designers have played it, the Milan menswear shows have signaled a dramatic if understated shift in how guys should think about suits.

From the slightly dropped crotch tapered trousers paired with slouchy (but not sloppy) sweaters at Burberry Prorsum to the futuristic fabrics that Gareth Pugh utilized for his suiting to the daring angles that Bruno Pieters dreamt up for the inaugural collection from Hugo by Hugo Boss, the suit of today is almost unrecognizeable from the three-button two-piece Daddy standard. This is definitely fashion with a capital “F”; not for the faint of heart.

So how is an average dude supposed to hold down any serious fashion cred when he doesn’t even know how to wear a suit without looking like a his clothes have shrunk or stretched out a few sizes? By no means am I big on suits, but I just had to try it out for myself. And after a few failed attempted, I stumbled onto what works for me: to alter one thing about each piece makes it feel delightfully modern and unexpected (the jacket, the shirt, and the pants).

I opted for full, tapered trousers with a cropped cuff, made even more billowy by my Ann Demeuelemeester shirt (Yes, it is a ladies’ shirt; no, I don’t care). I wasn’t trying to go for any sort of “anti-suit” look, so I topped it off with a more fitted blazer that’s cut a bit leaner than a standard suit jacket. A loose, long scarf replaced the usual tie and after throwing on my ubiquitous pieces of jewelry, I was ready to face the world, a new man in a new suit.

Items in this photo
Kostym one-button peak lapel black blazer
ann demeulemeester asymmetric hem white shirt
Filippa K cropped, cuffed black pants
Fiorentini + Baker leather lace-up ankle black boots
Pudel slashed circle gray scarf

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A cursory look around style sites brings about one inescapable conclusion – the tuxedo is said to be back. The Sartorialist advocates wearing the jacket tight and small over a t-shirt with jeans, but that got me to thinking that the tuxedo jacket is a far too versatile piece for only one look. Over the next few weeks I’ll post a few more ways you can wear one.

This week is the crazy old man, and I use crazy here in the most affectionate way. Ever notice how effortlessly layered most old men are, while the younger folk seem utterly bamboozled by the concept? Here I throw a slouchy Lacoste cardigan under it, and pair that again with a wool striped tie. Textured, chunky, and warm – clearly I like my drinks straight and my politics sensible.

POLL: Tuxedo jackets are for Items in this photo
custom black jacket $60
Lacoste gray sweater $17
Irish Wool blue tie $5

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