Gingham, Plaid & Prints @ Sharp: The Book for Men (Winter 2011 edition) Party

Looking like anything but farmers in suiting with checkered shirts at Tom Ford!

In Toronto – The launch of Sharp Magazine’s semiannual style bible always brings gentlemen out dressed to impress. While there was plenty of classic suiting and leather jackets spotted, I couldn’t help but notice there were plenty of guys rocking a corporate farmer look. Maybe it’s because Thanksgiving is only a couple weekends away or maybe they do farm, but these guys were rocking gingham or plaid shirts under their suits. Some even went so far as to have the cuffs sticking out from the jacket sleeves.

Other key mens style notes for the evening included pocket squares and mixed patterns. See pictures below for a view of the corporate farmer look. I say ye-haw! but what do you think?!

I have to tell you about these shoes. And to be honest, if I wasn’t already obliged, I might keep just keep them to myself!

Unassumingly dapper, equally comfortable, priced amazingly and even ethically contrived, Urshuz is a revolutionary approach to footwear. Currently the styles available are only made in men’s sizes, but once the women’s line is launched (I hear it’s in the works and I hope it’s similar to the men’s), I’ll be joining the revolution!

Urshuz, conceived by Canadian shoe designer Grant Delgatty (K-Swiss, Vans, et al.), is an interchangeable shoe. That is, a combination of uppers and soles that you can attach or reattach to each other, creating a different shoe every time! Both uppers and soles come in a variety of colors and materials (leather, suede, jute) for you to essentially mix and match. Popular combos are a grey lace-up sneaker with a bright orange sole or a leather low-cut shoe with a ‘baltic’ blue sole – but with the creative freedom to choose your own shoe combo at a great price, you can interchange however you like!

My man received a beautiful cognac colored (sienna) leather pair of low-cuts with a co-ordinating cork sole, exactly his style! Not only do they look pricey with the premium leather and perforated lining, the ergonomic thermo plastic rubber sole is apparently “moccasin-comfy”, so he says. And the combination costs $75US! Awesome! For Christmas I’m considering the perforated white sneaker for $40 and because the sole is so comfortable, the attachable flip flop upper come summer.

“Unassumingly dapper, equally comfortable, priced amazingly and even ethically contrived, Urshuz is a revolutionary approach to footwear.”

Urshuz uppers and soles are interchangeable using a patented looping system – elastics that loop onto locking channels in the soles making it easy to attach and reattach. Once you get your groove on (using a little tool that hides in the sole), you can assemble a shoe in a few minutes. Even if you don’t want to do the labour yourself, you can get another pair of Urshuz at about $65 for top and bottom. And then, when you’ve had enough, Urshuz has a recycling program for your old soles.

In Canada, Urshuz is available in select stores in Quebec but can be easily purchased online. In the US, several Urban Outfitters are carrying the line, which means we’ll likely be hearing more about the brand. Find all stores online >

Stylish Staff Vs. Hip List Partiers at The Bay’s Topman Launch
It has long been a fashion truth: some of a brand’s best dressed people are the sales people. I guess that stands to reasoning since they act as pseudo mannequins as they sail around the store helping with pant sizes and outfit suggestions.
At the Topman launch at The Bay, this truth was undeniable. Despite the list of fashion bloggers and other notable members of Toronto’s hip list, the staff gave them some solid competition for the title of best dressed. Below are some photos of the stylish staff mixed with members of Toronto’s in crowd. Bet you can’t tell them apart.

Dapper Dudes at Sharp: The Book For Men Spring/ Summer 2011 Launch

Most women feel that men have it easy when it comes to getting dressed. For women the options are endless, while men tend to have it easy – or do they? Those in the fashion world know that menswear holds more than meets the eye, since stand out style can only be accomplished with subtle detail to attract notice carefully balanced so as not to earn the ridicule of other men. Luckily for Canadian men, Sharp Magazine is here to help them muddle through.

While it offers up six issues a year covering topics like style, cars, tech, food and women; bi-annually they release, Sharp: The Book For Men which delves into key fashion for the season and provides a compilation of ‘everything a man needs to know’! In honour of the release for the Spring/ Summer edition of Sharp: The Book For Men, a bash was thrown at Origin Restaurant on King St.

For a preview, check out Sharp Magazine >>

Fashion designer Philip Sparks showed his Fall 2011 collection at his Burroughes Building studio in Toronto last Monday (March 21, 2011), off-site and before Toronto’s ‘official’ fashion week.  As always, attending media, bloggers and stylists only had good things to say about the collection of both men’s and women’s wear – and photos and reviews have been going viral all week.

However, seeing as it is spring – I am most interesting in Phil’s now recognizable current offerings (for Spring 2011 and to the delight of Toronto women, Phil Sparks put out a women’s line for the first-time).

See more great photos of the Philip Sparks Spring 2011 Collection showing via www.nolanbryant.com

Shop Online – http://www.philipsparks.com/shop/