A blog dedicated to the interesting, scandalous, useful and cutting edge in the world of men’s style, fashion and grooming.
You'll know what we know.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
A MOTH likes his WOTH s, WWLs, and whatever they call the gratuitous knockouts in GQ just fine, but it’s exceedingly rare to find all the qualities one desires in just one woman. Often we’ve found that at least two are required.
And when it comes to the perfect pairing, it’s hard to beat the two pictured here: statuesque stunner Jessica Stam and cooler-than-thou actress Chloe Sevigny.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
When it first came out in 1973, Lou Reed’s tragic rock opera Berlindisappointed fans who’d been expecting an upbeat follow-up to his glam opus Transformer. Left to gather dust, it took twenty years for critical opinion to come around and finally dub it a masterwork.
Larger-than-life artist/auteur Julian Schnabel had, of course, always been a believer»
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
Sex Pistols svengali Malcolm McLaren is one of Thom Browne’s biggest fans. Perhaps the subversive nature of Brown’s sartorial spin appeals to the old saboteur. McLaren’s been a firm believer in épater la bourgeoisie since the SEX days.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
When he last made the MOTH scene at the Tudors premiere, Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers was decked out in a killer custom-tailored midnight blue dress suit by John Galliano. For the Met Costume Institute Gala the other night, he one-upped the basic black tie crowd in a similarly more-sartorial-than-thou suit designed by Nicolas Ghesquière for Balenciaga.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
Here making his second MOTH appearance, the multi-talented André Benjamin (aka André 3000) stole the show at the Met Costume Institute’s gala Monday night.
What won us over was his beautifully-cut cream shawl-collared dinner jacket with a subtle tone-on-tone glen plaid pattern, which could be from his Benjamin Bixby line, though it looks a little on the formal side—perhaps Ralph Lauren or Brioni is a better call—worn with Hollywood-waisted dress trousers, velvet evening slippers and a perfectly-proportioned pointed-end black velvet bowtie. His signature flourishes were apparent in the straw fedora, pearl shirt studs and a somewhat faded-looking but nonetheless brassy boutonniere»
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
We’re not entirely sure just what look Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan was going for with this stripey Hello Sailor rig he wore to the L.A. premiere of Iron Man the other night. Actually the outfit looks more suitable to swabbing the decks than manning the mainsail, though it’s possible Corgan wasn’t thinking nautical thoughts at all. Perhaps the movie’s comic book basis simply went to his head»
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
Browsing through photos of the usual muttonheads at the Washington Correspondents Dinner the other night we were surprised to see our old friend, brilliant writer/director Bruce Wagner, among the throng.
Wagner, whom you might know from his masterpieces cinematic (Wild Palms, Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills) and literary (Force Majeure , I’m Losing You, Memorial), is a writer/producer of British actress Tracey Ullman’s new satirical series, State of the Union.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
John Waters wasn’t the only one to surprise us with his stylistic splendor at the Cry-Baby musical premiere the other night. Waters’ fellow Baltimorean Adam Duritz, the Counting Crows frontman and record producer, blew in like a breath of fresh air with a preview of coming attractions, sartorially speaking, swathed in summer suiting befitting a southern gentleman.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
We always just kind of took it for granted that king-of-camp John Waters only ever wears vintage threads. That’s what the writer/director’s skinny suits and ties always looked like to us, and it seemed to match his retro persona perfectly. The other night at the opening of the new musical version of his 1990 film
It was the modernized boating blazer that tipped us off, of course»
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
A few months ago we appealed to Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter—in an avuncular fashion—to discard the double-breasted suits which added an unflattering layer to his majestic midsection; the wrong kind of camouflage, if you will.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
Debonair designer Zac Posen has been on the verge of snagging many a MOTH before now, only to be usurped at the last moment by some slightly more splendiferous fellow. Truth be told, there were some very close calls where we ended up handing the prize to a less consistently natty rival, simply because we knew there’d never be a shortage of stylish Zac sightings. The man seems to be at every A-list event on the social calendar, and he’s usually the life of the party.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
There’s something kind of frightening about this photo of Robert Redford and Christoper Walken—and we don’t mean in the good way that Walken usually gives us the willies. Perhaps it’s merely the fact that these two incredibly charismatic and stylish cinematic icons have gotten so damned old, while so few young fellows of any discernable panache or even talent have come along to replace them.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
Here we have a topping triumvirate to be reckoned with: haute hotelier Andre Balazs, literary lion Tom Wolfe, and dapper designer David Chu. Wolfe is of course a style icon of long standing, but the other two are no slouches in the dressing department either. In fact it’s rare to see three of the nattiest types in town across such a broad spectrum having a tête-à-tête.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
Quirky indie icon David Byrne has mastered many artforms, and he’s got the Grammys, Oscars and Golden Globes on the mantle to prove it. The Scottish-born former Talking Head and RISD dropout recently joined Paul Simon onstage for one night of the latter’s month-long residency at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
Ask, and ye shall receive: an extra helping of MOTH star Waris Ahluwalia for your viewing pleasure, that is. Our favorite beturbaned member of the bon ton is pictured here with gal-about-town Jessica Joffe at a Theory party for artist David Ellis the other night.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe, last seen layering it on like a motherfucker, has always been distinctively dressed, but we’ve never seen him looking quite as natty as he did at the Food Bank for New York City’s anniversary awards gala at the Chelsea Piers the other night (where we also spotted a stylin’ Isaac Mizrahi).
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
Dashing designer Isaac Mizrahi makes a splash but always stays on the safe side of zany—no easy feat when you’re establishing yourself as a too-beaucoup TV personality. Though his women’s clothes and various bringing-style-to-the-masses projects get all the attention, he turned out a damn fine men’s collection for Fall 2008, which was good enough to get the nod from Bergdorf’s.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
The other day when we said there were no challengers to Keith Richards’ reign atop sex, drugs and rock’n’roll royalty, it obviously triggered something - the appearance of a certified contender, David Johansen of the New York Dolls.
By now, you’d think someone else would have come along to usurp Keith Richards’ as the archetype of sex, drugs and rock & roll style. As a group, the geriatric juggernaut that is the Rolling Stones seems a bit comic with their never-ending world touring, but while the rest of the band looks like they’ve traded hookers and blow for Depends and Metamucil, Keef keeps rocking on.
He’s not carefully-maintained and certainly not well-preserved, but rather perfectly and stylishly weathered.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
Sharon Stoned, we mean—as far as we know foppish Fiat heir Lapo Elkann has steered clear of the hard stuff since that unfortunate incident with the transvestite hooker in Turin.
In fact, our boy Lapo is now such a testament to recovery he was hobnobbing with the actress at an event honoring his appointment as ambassador to some kind of newfangled medical center.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
Following in the footsteps of Sean Penn and Petra Nemcova, aging action hero Bruce Willis has been stepping out lately with a much younger model, sometime Victoria’s Secret siren Emma Hemming.
Willis isn’t really known for his sartorial savoir faire, but he does have the sense to realize that a new look is necessary to pull off a poule de luxe.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
If you’ve spent any time on the New York style circuit, you’ve no doubt come across idiosyncratic aRUDE magazine founder Iké Udé. With his dandified duds, the Nigerian-born artist, publisher and aesthete brightens up many an otherwise dull evening.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
He creeped us out in Match Point and modeled for Versace and Hugo Boss before embarking on his latest role—a kind of priapic, po-mo Henry VIII in The Tudors—but Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers has always won full marks for his stylish attire.
At the Tudors premiere the other night, he sported an ensemble that had an almost Rockabilly look to it: a midnight blue dress suit with satin piping on the lapels—custom-tailored by John Galliano—and a superskinny leather tie by Camilla Staerk.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
Looking through the past week’s party pix we were struck by this classic triptych of extremely influential characters. At an opening of an exhibition of photographs by Mikhail Baryshnikov the other night, the coolest dude to ever don a pair of ballet tights was flanked by fellow icons Julian Schnabel and Lou Reed.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
Brazilian jewelry designer / socialite Luigi Tadini—full name Gian Luigi de Almeida Prado Tadini—is one of those rare fellows who can pull off an ascot. You might say he’s carved out something of a niche in the offbeat neckwear department.
Tadini, a sometime model who also had a small role in The Devil Wears Prada, describes his style as “a mix between a young Mick Jagger and 40 year-old Cary Grant and perhaps a little Alain Delon”. The man knows his references, at least.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
Last time Scottish actor Alan Cumming caught our eye, he was sporting the latest in equestrian chic. For this, his second MOTH conquest, he would at first glance appear to be dressed much more conservatively—but only at first glance.
We find this triple-black ensemble of his, worn to the premiere of a new off-Broadway production of Chekhov’s The Seagull in which he co-stars, to be of equal interest. It’s rescued from the mundane by the dressy elements, the textural appeal, and an offbeat approach to the old ‘black tie’ chestnut.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
What we have here is a study in contrasts. You could call it old vs. new, youth vs. experience, or even the future vs. the past. On a purely sartorial level, however, we would just call this pic of Irish nouveau-folkie Damien Rice and Canadian-born singer/songwriter, poet and novelist Leonard Cohen good vs. bad.
At the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s gala at the Waldorf-Astoria the other night, the great Cohen was inducted into that dubious institution. Rice performed one of Cohen’s songs in tribute; he should have borrowed Cohen’s classic evening clothes as well.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
In our first five months of MOTHs we’ve witnessed some significant sartorial transformations—see Hanks, Tom—but none so dramatic as today’s honoree, Terry Richardson, the photographer who’s pioneered a sort of nouveau-perv aesthetic. Richardson, son of famed fashion photographer Bob Richardson, lensed fellow MOTH Tom Ford’s controversial new ad campaign. Richardson has long favored a uniform of grungey plaid flannel shirts, thermal underwear and well-worn tees.
But the Natural History Museum’s Ball saw another side of Mr. Richardson»
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
The gangster / jazz great look is a hard one to pull off with any measure of success. Too often practitioners err with exaggeratedly-cut or outlandishly-fabric’d suits, overly large or oddly-hued hats, ridiculous neckties, or just generally odious accessories and embellishments. The trick is to keep things as elegantly simple and classic as possible, perhaps even a little austere if you really don’t want anyone thinking you’re on your way to a costume ball.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
The prevalence of the Sleek Grey Suit among men of style these days is aesthetically appealing but not terribly interesting, sartorially speaking. But here comes Stanley Tucci to show us how it should be done.
Tucci, the acclaimed actor (and also writer, producer and director) who currently has seven different movies in production, elevated the SGS to a whole new level with the simple addition of a dashing, brilliantly hued scarf.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
The restaurants bearing the Mr. Chow moniker are known as much for their haute-chinois cuisine and glittering clientele as their sophisticated, understated elegance. Small wonder then that the real Mr. Chow embodies the latter perfectly.
We’ve never had the pleasure of dining at the original London location, opened in 1968, but the super-stylish New York outpost on E. 57th St. is one of our favorite restaurants in the world. The man behind it all, Michael Chow, is also an actor of note and an art collector extraordinaire whose portrait has been painted by David Hockney and Jean-Michel Basquiat, among others.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
In his capacity as a graphic design demigod, Chip Kidd routinely transforms books into objets d’art. In the course of a celebrated career he’s done dazzling dustjackets for everyone from John Updike to Bret Easton Ellis. Some of his work, like the famous dinosaur skeleton he designed for Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park, even takes on a life of its own.
Photographed by Clint Spaulding / Patrick McMullan.com
It’s high time for a tip of the hat to our fearless MOTH photographer Patrick McMullan, no slouch in the dressing department in his own right. He makes it look easy, but we honestly don’t know how he keeps up the pace.
Welcome to the MOTH makeover edition. Rather than an award for a single outfit, this one goes to Tom Hanks for his recent transformation from Tinseltown schlub to one of Hollywood’s best-dressed men.
Up until the past few months, it was strictly sack suits and Today’s Man looks for the hapless Hanks, when he could even be bothered to wear a tie. When Hanks started turning out extra nattily, we quickly detected the hand of Machiavellian style master (and MOTH mainstay) Tom Ford, whose new ad campaign is causing such a ruckus. Ford prescribed well-cut suits and elegant ties with bespoke details in classic monochromatic palettes worthy of Cary Grant.
This is a MOTH won by dint of sheer overwhelming effort on the part of quirky R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe. Simply put, Stipe staggered us with the most impressive example of layering we’ve come across all season—and trust us, the competition was fierce.
At the New York premiere of Be Kind Rewind the other night, Stipe wore all of the following»
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
Cuban painter, sculptor, illustrator, chronicler and critic Ruben Toledo is in an enviable position for a well-dressed man about town: his wife Isabel is a fashion designer who frequently whips up bespoke threads in their sprawling loft-cum-atelier hidden atop a turn-of-the-century building.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
At the house of Bill Blass, where he was recently installed as creative director, young designer Peter Som is overseeing the women’s line (Michael Bastian has control of menswear). But Som, who worked for the late Mr. Blass himself after graduating from the Parsons School of Design and who debuted his own collection in 2001, is no sartorial slouch.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
At some imprecise moment over the last decade or so, Lou Reed morphed from groundbreaking rock’n’roll genius and primogenitor of everything cool into a scrawny, wrinkle-necked old man in outlandish clothing. There must have come a moment when Reed, who turns 66 next week, realized that the good old black leather motorcycle jacket was no longer appropriate on a man of his years. That was fine as far as it went; but instead of deciding to dress his age - which of course need entail no sacrifice of style - he made the classic mistake of dressing like a much younger man; practically a teenager, and a partially lobotomized one to boot.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
While he may have dressed multiple MOTHs (four to date) as well as James Bond, every so often we’re reminded that Tom Ford is really his own best model. In the same sort of way that a restaurant with an absentee owner never seems quite right, Ford’s clothes come across so well precisely because they’ve been road tested and perfected by the man himself, who just happens to be one of the most stylish men on the planet.
The other night at the opening of a new wing at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art»
When we last checked in with Blue Iris, the tint had just been named Pantone’s Color of the Year. Capturing 2007’s peaceful, contemplative side, Blue Iris was going places, we just had no idea how many places.
Seen here modeling Thom Browne’s latest collection, Blue Iris has kept busy during his tenure as Color of the Year. Here’s a few of the places we’ve spotted the season’s hippest hue:
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
Fiat heir and Agnelli scion Lapo Elkann has experienced a lot of ups and downs in his 30 years. Once destined to succeed his legendary grandfather Gianni Agnelli, Lapo’s career trajectory came to a crashing halt when he overdosed in the apartment of a transsexual hooker in Turin in 2005. He has since sobered up (according to some reports) and moved to New York after the lukewarm launch of a sunglasses line called Italia Independent.
Robert Geller
We return to our runway recaps, detailing the top ten Kempt looks from Fashion Week. It’s important to note here that since most men’s collections are revealed to marketers and buyers two weeks before the big festivities under the tents, most designers have a two-week jump on the women’s clothiers, allowing for laid-back, open-bar presentations here and there. This may or may not have been a good thing. We’ll have to check with our sponsor.
8. Loden Dager:
A little-known brand in the big scheme of things, Loden Dager has gained a good deal of popular support from editors and insiders. Some of this is due to it’s colorful cast of designers, but more of it has to do with their intriguing mix of prep and subversion. Yes, yes, at their presentation (white wine) there were flat-front pants and simple overcoats a plenty. But the careful use of oversized checks, wide collars and bold color palettes made these familiar, almost conservative forms new and inviting. In particular, a ghostly slate three-piece suit was a winner. [Paper Magazine]
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
One thing we always look forward to during Fashion Week is the daily appearance of Hamish Bowles, Vogue’s European editor-at-large — not to mention an impeccably-plumed peacock who was one of our original MOTHs.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
Waris Ahluwalia is much more than just the cool Indian guy in the Wes Anderson movies; he’s also a jewelry designer and one of the best-dressed men in town, though people tend to focus on the turban and not his threads.
The other night a Purple magazine Fashion Week party at Paul Sevigny’s crypto-swank Beatrice Inn, his favorite haunt, Waris bowled us over in a bespoke brown, green and burgundy flecked herringbone wool tweed suit with a forest green wool waistcoat and a crimson knitted wool tie: a perfectly balanced and seasonal palette that’s as warming to look upon as it must be to wear.
With the “rock look” flying around so much these days—we’re looking at you, John—it’s easy to forget the people who crafted that look in the first place: the musicians, but more importantly the photographers.
Scandinavian photographer Eric Broms’ is one of the more recent arrivals to the scene, but his work is a pretty good example of it. His subjects range from icons like Madonna and Debbie Harry to the more primal flair of Mr. James Osterberg (also known as Iggy Pop.)
For a chance to see the pics in person, try his photography exhibit uptown »
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
So far Fashion Week has been pretty much of a disappointment sartorially; blame it on the morons who decided to hold the thing in the middle of February, when inclement weather dictates that one must choose comfort over style, like it or not. Still, we’ve seen a couple of standouts at the various shows and parties; first up, natty Nigel Barker, the London-born photographer and America’s Next Top Model judge, pictured here at the Betsey Johnson show with fashion maven Mary Alice Stephenson.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
We have always regarded idiosyncratic impresario Andre 3000 (née Andre Benjamin) as one of the most stylish men in modern music. A fitting heir to Jimi Hendrix in many ways, it’s felicitous that Benjamin (who has several acting credits to his name) has long had a Hendrix biopic in the works. Now he’s branching out into fashion with his own line called Benjamin Bixby, inspired by 1930s football players.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
The admirable cause of saving the High Line on Manhattan’s West Side might have only gotten so far on merit alone; what really put it over the top were all the fabulous fetes and benefits held to raise money for the daunting task of converting it into a public park and promenade (and possibly the only safe vantage point for viewing the Meat Packing District on some nights). High Line booster Bronson van Wyck (as in the Expressway named for his ancestors), is the event planner extraordinaire who donated his serves to the cause.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
Out of all the Hollywood heavies stalking the red carpet at the 14th Annual SAG Awards the other night, bearded Canuck Ryan Gosling stood out for his superlative sartoriality.
Gosling, a Chet Baker fan and accomplished jazz guitarist in his own right, sported one of those signature Tom Ford single-breasted, peak-lapel three-piece suits we’ve been musing on lately, in a new incarnation. His was a steel-hued silk and linen herringbone number with oversized patch pockets, worn with a white-collared tan and gray checked shirt and black leather shoes also from Ford’s closet. Adorning his lapel was a special tribute to unfortunate pal Heath Ledger in the form of a black ribbon designed by his sister Mandi, Gosling’s date for the evening.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
Scottish actor and parfumeur Alan Cumming has always been one of the more interestingly-dressed Hollywood types treading the red carpet. While a little theatrical for our taste at times, he often pulls off a nod to showmanship while still managing to be the best-dressed man in the room. Such was the case at the Italian Trade Commission’s Made In Italy cocktail party hosted by Isabella Rossellini the other night.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
It was merely a matter of time ‘till Andrew Saffir snagged his first MOTH. Saffir, one of the best-dressed men in town, is also one of the most visible; he hosts some of the hottest movie premieres in the city as founder of the chic Cinema Society.
At a dinner for Marie Claire magazine at Milk Studios the other night, the former Ralph Lauren exec and Hamptons habitué turned out in a haute hacking jacket and cargo pants combo that radiated sporty elegance.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
It’s officially the season of the single-breasted peak lapel suit—which suits us just fine. Once solely confined to the realm of bespoke, this snappy style dating from the 1920s has enjoyed a revival of late, as our two newest MOTHs can attest.
On the heels of Josh Brolin and his dapper D&G number comes Matthew Broderick in an equally alluring black birdseye wool model, worn to the premiere of David Mamet’s new political play November the other night. Like Brolin, Broderick eschewed a necktie, opting instead for a signature stripe Paul Smith scarf, the stylishness of which we can personally attest to since the very same model is often found adorning our own neck this time of year.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
Josh Brolin was named after Steve McQueen’s character in 1958’s Wanted: Dead or Alive; consciously or not, he seems to be living up to the name. Like McQueen, he’s a rugged fellow who races cars in his spare time, and now he’s picking up something of the legendary King of Cool’s style as well.
At the National Board of Review Awards gala the other night (where he rubbed shoulders with fellow MOTH Julian Schnabel), Brolin stood out, but subtly so, in a two-button, single-breasted peak lapel suit in lightweight wool from Dolce & Gabbana’s fall collection, with a texturally interesting diagonal weave and flat-front trousers.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
Yes, we know what you’re thinking: What the hell is he doing here? Certainly no-one in their right mind would call larger-than-life art world provocateur Julian Schnabel well dressed, but you’ve got to admit he’s got a lot of style—inimitable and even unenviable as it might be. When he first started wearing pajamas in public we were more than a bit skeptical; but when he threw some cashmere on top we started to see the light.
Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.
Look sharp, men, the competition is heating up—we have our second repeat MOTH on the heels of Daniel Day-Lewis’ landmark victory last week. The first time around, dandified Los Angeles-based vintage clothing mogul Cameron Silver caught our attention with a green velvet Gucci suit and custom croc loafers. At the Art of Elysium benefit gala in L.A. the other night he went one better in a custom-made toile dinner jacket that blew the lid off the staid black tie crowd.
Photography: Patrick McMullan
Here’s a hint: When Thom Browne’s clothes start to look a little ridiculous on Thom Browne, it’s obviously time to start dressing like adults again. At the unveiling of
