Taste Maker: Sid Mashburn

Who:  Renaissance Cary Grant and James Dean types and trust fund wielding film school drop-outs with an eye for style and a penchant for the finer things.

What:  A throwback men's specialty shop with all the essentials for your international playboy lifestyle.  Well, they can at least help you look the part.

Why:  The clothes make the man.  You know what they say about naked people...

Sid Mashburn

1198 Howell Mill Road

Atlanta, GA 30318

404.350.7134

info@sidmashburn.com

Hours:  Monday-Saturday 10:30am-6:30pm (and by appointment)

The Emperor Knows Clothes

Après moi, le déluge.

Last week I had the (guilty) pleasure of seeing Valentino:  The Last Emperor.  The film was a surprisingly candid look into the divinely glamourous life of Signore Valentino Garavani and his lifetime partner in business and life, Giancarlo Giammetti.  Elegant, touching, humorous, with a touch of drama, the film contained all the elements one would expect in the telling of any life story.   A must see for every fashion enthusiast, you will leave feeling inspired after a peek into the life of one of the world's greatest fashion inamorata.  

Valentino:  The Last Emperor.

Reinventing the Wheel: Alternative Makes Basics Fresh Again

Basics are a crucial part of every wardrobe.  We all have that one amazing t-shirt that fits just right or that one perfect tank that works with everything you put it under.  You know your go-to shirt to throw on to go get a cup of coffee, or that looks great styled under a sport coat for a night out. Below are a few of my current basic essentials from Alternative Apparel that are getting me through the steamy days and steamier nights in Los Angeles.

The first piece pictured is the Gym Rat Eco-Fleece Raglan.  I love this shirt and have been living in it as of late. It's a killer staple because it can be worn on its own, or paired with a short sleeved button up for a preppy yet casual warm weather look.  Personally, I like to cuff up the sleeves and wear it with one of the Burnout shirts also pictured.  Pair with some tailored shorts and high-top Vans to complete the look.  Don't forget the vintage shades.

Also pictured is The Perfect Crew.  You know what?  The name delivers.  The pima cotton is super soft and hangs like an expensive T, but doesn't break the bank at $35.  I really dig the black, it looks great under a blazer or on it's own.  

The line is extensive, but these are just a few of the pieces I have had the joy of obsessing over lately.  Check out the rest at http://www.alternativeapparel.com/

This is a photo of me in the studio as I write this, wearing the new Beachwood Heather Burnout Cut-Neck Ring.  A truly modern twist on a classic style.  Simple and standard, yet cutting-edge. Just what we live for at White and Black.

Bat my lashes

I undoubtedly adore musician Natasha Khan aka Bat for Lashes. She is a huge style inspiration, if I ever caught wind of her holding a yard sale I would book a flight to London ASAP just to be able to rummage through her stuff.

My love for her started a few years back when I saw a brilliant music video for her single "What's a Girl to Do". Now that she has a new album out I thought I would pull up some of my favorite photos of her personal style...















A few quotes by Natasha about personal style:

"I think for the very first album it was more my excitement at being let loose and free to be creative, and picking things out of the dressing up box, and swapping and changing things around that didn't necessarily fit together. I'd always had a love, more intellectually, of Native American folklore and I really liked strange photographers like Diane Arbus and all the beautiful drag queens of New York, and I really loved Nick Cave and his gothic dark things."

"When it came to people wanting to do press pictures early on I really delved into my inspirations and just picked out things that spoke to me in quite a spontaneous way. I feel like that's carried on, really. I've really developed my understanding of what I like to wear, and I've got more comfortable in my fashion and knowing what I like and don't like."

"There's so much weird politics and regulation about what's cool or authentic. And to me what's always been cool is not giving a shit what people think, that's the epitome of cool. If you have to dress a certain way to be cool or taken seriously then you're not being true to yourself, and that's quite sad really isn't it? I don't put any demands on anyone else, and I don't think anyone else should do the same."

"I like old fashion more than current stuff for men. I've noticed that the younger generation in Brighton are starting to look quite smart. Everyone looks like a poet or a writer, and I find that really sexy."

"I've seen Nick Cave around, and he does tend to be quite smartly dressed, but I have seen him in quite dress-down casual stuff, t-shirt and jeans I think maybe. He's not always the dark lord, and I'm not always the mystical, feather-wearing goddess."

Obsession: Rick Owens Leather

Fashion, for me, is more than a hobby.  It's an obsession.  I have obsessions within the obsession.  It's deep on many levels. Usually, every season I fixate on one piece from one collection.  It haunts my dreams and my browser history.  However, one constant addiction I have is that of Rick Owens leather jackets.  It's almost as if each season Mr. Owens, an LA native based in Paris, has read my mind before I even knew what I was thinking.  

The Autumn/Winter 2009 collection is no exception.  Each masterly styled piece will be a wardrobe staple, classic yet strikingly modern.  His overall aesthetic may be a little hardcore for the general public, yet the beauty is that piece-by-piece, they can be incorporated into an effortlessly chic ensemble.  Here are a few examples of what is currently haunting my fashion fantasies.

Wheels are turning in Fashion

First came the CHANEL Bike, I would definitely ride this around...

...then very recently the CHANEL "Personal Transporter" made a debut at Cannes this year by actress Diane Kruger.


Segways crack me up I remember when they were once called the "transportation of the future", yet the only people I see driving them are security guards. I wonder if any CHANEL retail locations will have their security using these?

Now the CHANEL Concept Car has arrived! Designed by Jinyoung Jo a Korean car designer, The design of the car was "centered on simplicity of lines" and has a classic black and white color scheme to "follow in tradition with Coco Chanel's tailored suits".

Honestly I don't like it one bit, I would think a CHANEL branded car would be classic looking like a Rolls Royce. I wonder what Karl thinks of the car...