Tom Ford Eyewear A/W 10 Advertising Campaign

Nicholas Hoult is such a beautiful boy. He's a nice guy too. Very tall, it makes perfect sense that Tom Ford is somewhat obsessed with him...

The Passing of Many Moons

So just over 2 years ago I started this blog. I never thought I would have kept it up for so long. Granted I haven't been the most consistent of bloggers but my point is that I'm still here. I've come a long way since I first entered the world of blogging and I would like to thank my readers for being around (I promise not to make this a tacky acceptance speech for an award I haven't even received). A few days ago one of my new readers (Benny, he's new to blogging. Click here to check out his blog, it's nice) asked me how I got into styling. It's a pretty long story but I'll give you a rundown of the best bits...

2005 I had just finished secondary school. My GCSE grades were good but they were not good enough for me to go to the college that I wanted to attend (it was one of the best in the country). This is down to the fact that I didn't study (I was to busy defending my throne of popularity). My initial plan was to study English Literature, English Language and Music Technology. I wanted to be a singer/songwriter and producer. This in my opinion was never going to happen due to the fact that I didn't make it into the college of my choice so after a lot of wallowing in depression I decided to apply for another college (one of the roughest in London. Someone got stabbed on the first day). I initially applied for both the music course and the fashion course. In the end I chose fashion because I was to shy to audition for the music course.

Little did I know, that shyness would have a massive effect on my life...

So I ended up studying fashion. At first it was great but then in my second (and final) year it turned sour. I went from being star pupil to the black sheep of the class. My main tutor hated me and the feeling was mutual. I failed the course. I knew I was going to fail and for that reason I went and started working part time as a tailoring assistant while I was studying. It's funny because I was learning so much more there than I was while I was in college which just goes to show that the system for creative education doesn't work effectively. So anyway college finished and I left with no qualifications but I still had my job at the tailors so I stayed there for a while. My time there totalled a year when an internship opportunity at SuperSuper magazine opened up. I went for it and I got it (because I'm amazing!). On August the 16th 2007 I started out as an intern. By October 4th 2007 I was the fashion coordinator.

That is basically how I got into this side of the industry...

Since leaving SuperSuper in 2009 I've gone on to work with a number of brands, celebrity clients and magazines. It really has just been a case of networking with the right people. I'm a Pisces born in the year of the snake, I'm naturally charming. In this industry that's all you really need. Make the people love you and they'll give you the world. How do you think I manage to stock my wardrobe?

I do love what I do but there are a lot of things I hate about this industry. I won't go into detail because there's no need to. There are loads of things I love about this industry too. It's not for everyone but if you make it your own you'll be fine.

P.S

Sorry for the essay, I know you people don't like reading much.

ACNE SS11

Such classy looks...

I have fallen in love with this cummerbund / t-shirt combination...

Moët on the Rocks

It would seem that it's no longer enough to just chill the champagne...

 

I'll have a glass of Moët on the rocks please.
On the rocks?
Yes, I said on the rocks. Can't you see the sun violently beating down on my skin?!

My name is Niyi and I'm an alcoholic because if something's worth doing it's worth doing well...

Juun.J SS11

This is innovative menswear...

Click Here for more info...

The (new) Worlds Most Expensive Suit

I tried to ignore it, I really did but I just couldn't resist. When someone combines tailoring and diamonds, the two things I love the most, I can't look away. In this case it is very unfortunate because the suit is disgusting! For £599,000 you would expect at least an ounce of class but no, this thing looks like it's been bedazzled by a 12 year old.

Thank god only 3 of these are being made...

Alexander Amosu did it better last year...

And at on £70,000 this one almost seems to be a bargain...

I'm still undecided as to weather or not diamonds have a place in the world of tailoring outside of accessories.

Balmain SS11

Here is my take on the menswear collection from Balmain...

It's almost offensive that Balmain is able to charge the most obscene prices and get away with it when there is no form of inovation being expressed. The styling is paltry and very little creativity has been exerted to produce this collection.

 

To cut a long story short, this collection is impressing nobody. To quote Suzy Menkes of the New York Times "Even if he wants to turn his back on formal wear, Mr. Decarnin needs to look forward, rather than back to those familiar rebel years." This is just the tip of the iceberg. Quoting Kevin of Mymanybags.blogspot.com "Refresh, reinvent, inspire... it's how you stay fresh in this cut throat and ever evolving industry. How many pairs of biker jeans do you want us to stock in our closets? How many biker jackets, combat boots and 'moth hole' ridden t-shirts can we own?" These being the nicest comments I have found thus far I can't imagine the journalistic respons to be a positive one and in all honesty I agree with both statements.

The previous collections from Balmain Homme were allong these lines but it was fine because they were doing something new. Here we have the same laziness that has been killing menswear for decades. Considering how inspiring the womenswear collections have been I dont think it's unfair to expect more.

I will say that I could totally get down with those silver jeans and that grey blazer though the models fail to do them justice...

P.S

This isn't the whole collection but it's the best of the collection.

Burberry Porsum SS11

In a bid to empty the bank accounts of men all over the world Burberry Porsum have made their Spring Summer 2011 collection available to pre-order exclusively online. The thing about online shopping is it isn't real. That's why it's so easy...

Key Pieces...

WARRIOR BIKER JACKET - £5,995.00

COTTON GABARDINE TRENCH COAT WITH WASHED LEATHER SLEEVES -  £1,595.00

STUDDED UTILITY CANVAS CROSSBODY BAG - £1,995

 Now I will be honest, that studded bad did need a double take but rest assured it is mens and not womens.

Click Here and file for bankruptcy later...

Why Are Your Luxuries Important?

Before understanding why luxury products are of importance we must first understand what they are. People often just assume that something is of a luxurious nature without actually taking the time to consider what makes it so. The general idea is that the higher end brands like Gucci and Louis Vuitton are luxury brands because they are expensive and their products are bought by the affluent but it goes much deeper than that. To the well heeled, a Louis Vuitton bag or shirt is a basic standard. For someone who is used to spending upwards of £1000 on a daily basis these kind of items wouldn’t be considered a luxury purchases. In the same way that for the average consumer a pair of £50 shoes from ASOS would not be considered a luxury purchase. The fact is that luxury is circumstantial. There is no benchmark or system of regulation that dictates when something is or is not a luxury item. This is as good as it is bad because many times we will witness the use of the word in a place it should not be. For example, in the local supermarket when buying toilet roll. The word luxury is often used to boost sales by conveying a sense of quality and because unsuspecting consumers don’t fully understand what luxury is they fall victim to the ploy. Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t even have anything to do with the quality of the goods. In reality luxury is about emotion. It’s about how something makes you feel. For example, when you walk into a store and you try on those £300 shoes and you feel like you could walk a million miles that’s luxury. Even if the shoes cost £30, if they have the power to invoke that kind of emotion and you know that it wouldn’t normally be an everyday purchase then to you that’s a luxury.

Now, all superficial reasoning aside, the reason these types of products hold importance to the average consumer is because of this very emotion. A primary example is a wedding day. The reason a man will spend so much money on having a suite made to measure is because when he wears that suit he feels invincible. That suite becomes his armor effectively boosting his confidence and making for a smooth running day. This applies to anything considered a luxury. That “special feeling” is such a necessity and should never be overlooked. It’s not everyday that everyone can afford to by everything but the day you do find that one item that sets your heart racing, don’t ignore it. There’s a reason for those palpitations. That is your luxury…

An Eye for Luxury...

The fashion world has been making glasses for decades, it was only a matter of time before someone decided to move into contact lenses. It comes as no surprise that John Galliano is the one to make it a trend. This isn't the first time he has done this, in 2004 he designed a set of contact lenses however this is the first time that lenses have been branded by a fashion house. As you can clearly see these contacts feature the CD logo...

Currently on sale throughout Europe these sell for around £75 to £100 and the last 2 months.

Click Here for more info

P.S

I can't wear contact lenses because I get really squeamish about putting things in my eyes. The thought alone makes them water... Shame!

Everything's for sale...!

I am a firm believer in the fact that everything is for sale. Everyone has their price and there is no amount of trouble you can't buy your way out of. For example, Saturday evening I went out and didn't come home until about 7pm on Sunday (fathers day). Effectively I had been absent for over 24 hours and when I came strolling in like some filthy alley cat my father said to me "Niyi, where the hell have you been?" to which I replied "I went out last night and then I went out again today." Now before he was even able to respond I quickly got in there with "Happy Fathers day by the way" while handing over this...

Conversation over!

Now repeat after me...

Everything is for sale. Everyone has their price and there is no amount of trouble I can't buy my way out of.

Click here for your Dunhill Fix

The All Seeing Eye...

Villain or hero if worked well the eye patch can be your most effective accessory...

Alexander Skarsgård - Paparazzi - Lady Gaga

Samuel L. Jackson - Nick Fury - Ironman 1/2 - Incredible Hulk 1

David Hasselhoff - Nick Fury - (T.V Series)

Kurt Russell - Snake Plissken - Escape From New York

Tom Cruise - Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg - Valkyrie

And the girls...

Angelina Jolie - Commander Francesca "Franky" Cook - Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

Daryl Hannah - Elle Driver - Kill Bill: Vol. 1/2

And me...




Channelling my inner dictator. It's time to take over the world!!!

Shadow Hawk Armoured Super Terrain...

I've never been a fan of massive cars. The concept of having a Hummer on normal roads has never really appealed to me however I look at this thing and the only word to come to mind is 'YES'.

This beast makes a mockery of everything to have ever touched the roads. With it's 40 inch wheels this thing is bloody humongous. Sitting in a new category of road vehicles this STV (Super Terrain Vehicle) will set you back a cool €1 million. It's a worthy price considering only 12 examples are being made each year. So this thing is also able to do 0 to 60 in 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 208mph. At this size you'd think it were impossible but with a 1,100 horsepower there's no excuse. The ride height or ground clearance is adjustable from zero to 44 inches while in motion which could make for some spectacular display while on your way to the local supermarket to pick up some milk.

For more information Click Here

SUPERSUPER Issue 21

OUT NOW!

So regardless of what happened between SuperSuper and myself (I still haven't told you guys, just know it was a messy break up) I do have to admit, the new cover for issue 21 looks bloody fantastic. It's totally a step in the right direction. It says that they now what they were and they know that it's time to move forward.

Well done to them!

Blackberry Gold?

No words can describe the overwhelming joy accompanied by my latest acquisition...

My Gold Blackberry Bold

It was a question of either Swarovski crystals or just plain and simple gold. I decided to leave the crystals to hotel heiresses.

I live a good life...

Sexual Equality in Fashion: Mr Porter

When it comes to online retailers for menswear there aren't many options worth noting. We have ASOS, Oki-ni and Top Man. This in comparison to the hordes of womenswear retailers is nothing so believe me when I say that Mr Porter is more than welcome in the world of mens fashion.

P.S

For those of you that haven't figured it out, Mr Porter is going to be the menswear equivalent of Net-A-Porter.

A Quote I Found Today

I would much rather just ignore humility than use it as an arrogant caricature

 

An official Niyi Crown quote.

Five by Rio

So when he's not wearing trainers and kicking balls it would seem that would renowned football player Rio Ferdinand likes to wear pretty decent shoes.

We already know the deal when it comes to celebrity brands. I'm sure Rio does not claim to be a fashion designer however he is involved in the design process and that is good enough for me. I must say I was a little surprised at how tasteful the shoes are.

Click here for more information

Twenteen issue 1

I was recently asked to be a contributor to a new lifestyle magazine called Twenteen. I put together the product page for this issue.


Click here for the whole issue

Maybach Exelero...?

I am about to show you why James List is so amazing. Many moons ago A car was made by Maybach. It was the only one of it's kind and it sold for a crazy (yet justifiable) amount of money. It was called the Exelero. Probably the most coveted car on earth in my opinion. Well now there is hope for all you rich bitches out there because on James List you can order your own replica. For €550,000 what you're getting is a Dodge Viper, reworked by Swiss hands into your very own Maybach Exelero.

This is very welcome what with the news of the Maybach brand disappearing.

Get it here

P.S
Shipping is free in case you were wondering...

Veja - The Grid

Summer is officially here which means it's time to bring out those clean, pristine all white trainers. What's that? You don't have a pair of clean, pristine all white trainers? Well today is your lucky day because Veja are here to lend a hand.

Inspired by the postindustrial world this shoe which is also available in purple, black and Moonrock Grey has got an uncomplicated coolness about it.

Available at Selfridges

P.S
Veja shoes are made using wild rubber from the Amazon and the leather is tanned using a method that creates no pollution so not only are you looking good but you're also being moral. Which, for some reason is really hard to achieve in this day and age.

60 Days 'Till we Get Laid

A little while back I teamed up with Photographer Ian Cole to work on his quarterly arthouse fashion journal entitled Supplementaire. It's online now as a magazine but it can also be bought as a 12"x12" 320 page hard back. No corporate pretence, no ads, just art...

Here's a little sample...

Ian and I actually go quite far back. When I say quite far I mean back to the dawn of my career as a fashion stylist. He was the first photographer I ever worked with. The shoot wasn't great but one image has managed to survive almost 3 years in my portfolio.

In my own Element

The Monday just gone was a bank holiday for us over here in the UK and in all honesty I can't say I was happy about it. For those of us that are self employed this means a whole extra day added to the 28 day invoice that we sent in order to get paid. It's not convenient at all. In fact, public holidays in General are of no use to me, I decide when I get time off work. Public holidays just delay my getting paid.

Anyway that's not what this post is about. On Monday, I went and lost my tattoo virginity. It was an interesting experience to say the least. A lot of my friends had told me that it doesn't really hurt. This is a lie! The pain is diabolical... To tell the truth it's not really a pain, it's more a sever and unrelenting discomfort. My tattoo only took about 30mins and the pain after that can be compared to falling down on concrete and grazing your skin. It's like a warm stinging sensation.

Check out my ink...

In case you're wondering what it all means just think back to secondary school. Remember the Periodic Table of Elements? Well these are the most important in my world. Platinum, Gold, Silver and Carbon. Why did I get these permanently etched into my skin? Well besides my love of jewellery it's also a gentle reminder that no matter how many material possessions I manage to acquire at the end of the day I'm still just a bunch of atoms and when I die I'll revert to our basic element which is carbon. Carbon also happens to be the same thing Diamonds are made of. Just goes to show how special we are.

P.S
They are not in order of atomic mass as they would be on the periodic table. I've placed them in order of value based on the cost of extraction... Hurray for science