Steampunk Alley

Oliver B. is back--and it is good to be back--with a renewed joy today for fashion. Just when you thought you had grown up, done all your book reports for school, and put H.G. Wells on the bookshelf never to be looked at again, fashion said "Flams!"

Hopefully you all get the Victorian era references because that is the essence of steampunk fashion, although that term wasn't coined until 1979. Steampunk fashion has no set guidelines, but tends to synthesize modern styles influenced by the Victorian era. This may include gowns, corsets, petticoats and bustles; suits with vests, coats and spats; or military-inspired garments. Steampunk-influenced outfits will often be accented with a mixture of technological and period accessories: timepieces, parasols, goggles and ray guns.

This haute cant of togs is very much up my alley. Even though the Victorian era was about propriety and morality, there is something so S&M about the corsets, dark makeup, images of steam steam STEAM!! It's dark, it's edgy, it's sexual ... and I am excited that it has made its way to the forefront of fashion. Period clothing can be a very fun way to experiment with your style. You can acquire pieces from certain eras and give them the modern twist to make them relevant now.

Take a look at this woman's coat for example. Notice the buckle detail at the shoulder. I LOVE that! I have been on a hunt for a men's coat that looks like this for years. There's something simplistically complex about the design that I just adore.

And do I really need to say anything about this look? I am all about little touches like the buckles, the buttons, etc. that you just don't see often on garments. And my absolute favorite essential from the Victorian era is a cameo. The belt above has a cameo, and I have been on the hunt for cameo accessories: belts, rings, necklaces, whatever I can find. I did find this for you ladies out there:

Thanks to Holly for bringing this trend up. I think it is a wonderful lesson in style. Period pieces are a great way to add a uniquely personal touch to trendy fashions. I am personally a fan of the 60's retro look for men. I think it was a great era for men with wonderful tailored suits, vibrant colors, and cocktails! And you know that was my James Bond era as well ... enough said. So, some of my accessory choices such as hats and sunglasses reflect that era. I'm also a fan of the Victorian era for the details in the clothes ... so I am always on the hunt for a jacket with extra buckles, fabric pieces or odd zippers. So when I wear those pieces they reflect me because people see those details and say that's definitely something Oliver B. would wear.

And can we all just take a moment to admire these boots.

I just think these babies are on fire! That is the kind of boot that can only say one word: SEX. Notice all the little buckles and things on the boot. They're like little treats along the way. This is the boot of sex and fear and danger and signs that say "Do. Not. Enter." All my favorite things in life. Did anyone get that reference? Look to the hell my fans. The sex is in the heel ... lurking, hiding, stalking. Lesson learned.

Here's to style. Cheers!

Something's Got a Hold of Me ... Oh, It Must Be Leg!

Jackie,

Thank you for sending in two very good questions. You know Oliver B. is always here to settle a fashion dispute ... especially one with such a longstanding tradition of being set in stone. It is my purpose in life to tear down such traditions, and shock the conscience of those traditionalists out there. That is not to say that I myself am not into traditions. My entire blog is dedicated to preserving a sense of tradition in fashion ... style must be timeless.

With that said, please tell your mother that pantyhose are not timeless style. They are relics of a far away time that for the most part should be forgotten. This is 2010 ... and in this time we do skin. I will not completely condemn pantyhose to a life in the garbage, but with all the creamy lotions, with their own built-in tanning shades, there is no reason to hide your legs behind tan fabrics 365 days of the year. It is perfectly ladylike to show bare legs nowadays. These days it's how much skin you show that makes you unladylike, not that you show any at all.

If she really starts to get on your nerves about the pantyhose, let her know that there was once a time when it was unladylike to not wear a corset. Would she like to try that on for size so she can be considered a lady in someone else's era? I don't think so. The damage to the rib cage alone would be a deterrent. Maybe she should embrace a new world of clothing where women dare to bare a little skin. There's no harm in it. My mother is 61 and even she doesn't wear pantyhose with a dress anymore ... and she's a charm school gal from a well-to-do family. Enough said.

So, in answer of your question: no you do not HAVE to wear pantyhose with a dress or skirt. If you have pantyhose that you CHOOSE to wear as your own personal style, that is fine. But there is no longer a requirement to wear them. Skin is in!

In answer to your second question I have one name for you: BEYONCE!!! We all know this woman is bootylicious and has curves for days. She knows how to dress those curves too. Take a tip from her lookbook: go old Hollywood glam, and don't be afraid to tailor the hell out of your clothes. The era Beyonce channels is an era where women's curves were celebrated. Thickness was beautiful ... the 40's and the 60's. Also look at Mad Men for style tips. These women accentuated their bodies and preserved an hourglass shape. Their clothing was dramatic and drew you in. These are my favorite decades for women's fashions. These were certainly glam eras: you don't hide your body; you flaunt it. Whether you're Marilyn Monroe celebrating a curvaceous figure, or Joan Crawford assaulting the screen with her broad shoulder pads ... they made their bodies heard. You must do the same.

But the one thing all these eras and women had in common: they tailored their garments well. Good tailoring cannot be overlooked. Whether it's just a pair of jeans or a cocktail dress, get in good with a great tailor and he will make you look stunning every time. When your clothes hug your body in just the right way, everything you think is wrong with your body is what you'll love looking at. Most designers all the way down to Target brand clothing are making their clothes a little more form-fitting so that they are bought with an almost tailored look to them. Even bargain stores are recognizing that a tighter fit just looks better.

I would also stress that you must ... and I mean MUST ... do more than just wear a pair of jeans and a tank top. Do something with it. Accessorize the look, add a pair of heels, maybe a short-cut leather jacket. Jeans, baggy t-shirt, and sneakers tend to accentuate the negatives of curvaceous figures.

Now that you have some new-found wisdom, I want to see you get out their and show those skinny bitches that stick is not a sexy figure. Now, let's go get a drink.

Here's to style, Jackie. Cheers!

Fall Forum ... Come one; come all!

Hello everyone. As we approach the fall season, I have decided to open up dialogue once again with everyone so that they can ask whatever question is on their minds about fall style.

I enjoyed the last open forum, and am hoping to find some inspiration in this one as well. As I have stated before, I am getting a little bored with fashion these days. It all looks the same now, and that wouldn't be so bad if the bulk of it looked halfway decent. Nowadays most people look sloppy and out of place. Then the rest are over trending themselves. Ugh I say!

So ... I am open to your questions, comments and/or outrageous objections about fall style.

Let's go!

Open Forum ...

Okay ... Oliver B. has been away for a while. So sorry to those who actually read my blog and take in the knowledge. I have been seriously lacking in inspiration for fashion these days. People dress so tragically in South Florida. I'm amazed that even in 2010 this Night at the Roxbury look is considered fashionable. Ugh!!

A couple of weeks ago I was shopping with a friend, helping him create a new look for his new body. I walked him through a few stores and a few designers and gave my input on what would look best on him, and my tips for creating a "unique-to-you" look. That got me thinking: how many others have specific questions like he did on a particular look they are interested in?

So today I am making this post an open forum of discussion. You ask the fashion questions, and I will provide the style answers. No topic is off limits ... except whether flip flops are fashionable ... they aren't. EVER!!!! PERIOD!!!! ;-)

The door is open ... who's gonna step in? I await my visitors.

Here's to style. Cheers!

The Tell-Tale Smells ...

Oliver B. is posting two blogs in one night. This particular blog is a special edition just for a special reader who asked a question that did provoke some thoughts within me.

The question asked was whether I had ever written a blog on scents in your home. While generally I would not comment on this in a blog, I did think to myself that the smell of your home can play a lot into your style. The daintier you are, the more likely that your home will have some flowery, powdery scent. Conversely, the more masculine you are, the funkier your home might smell. Have you ever noticed that even the cleanest man will have a "man smell" home? Never fails.

But Oliver B. is here to help the men pick out a scent that will not put their masculinity in jeopardy, but will at least allow a woman to walk into your home without immediately running away. I myself prefer the Meadows & Rain scent from Febreeze Air Effects. Why? Being a country boy, I like the smell of open fields and the way it smells during a rain ... that fresh smell of Meadows & Rain reminds me of my younger years. I'm allergic to chlorophyll (which makes plants green, so clearly it's everywhere) so I don't spend a lot of time in open fields like I used to as a kid. This smell is a memory refresher ... and with my apartment smelling like your everyday clean air, it doesn't call my gender into question. So, I would recommend something basic for men as a smell. The regular scent, or something that's rain, or plants, etc. Your home should basically smell like you opened the window and let the apartment take in the scents of the outshine environment (assuming the outside environment is natural and not big city garbage and urine). Lavender in a man's home is the quickest way to say I have a vagina actually. Do you have a vagina? You do if your home smells like lavender. I would also say that for fruits, flowers, powdery scents, and even the infamous Vanilla & Baking Febreeze Air Effects. Let the women have these scents ... you'll be fine without them.

I realize that many people don't use Febreeze, but rather prefer Neutra Air, Glade, etc. I do not advocate one product over the other. But, since I am familiar with Febreeze I use it as a reference. You can use any brand you like, just stick to the guidelines I have set forth.

I cannot stress enough to men that you must have some scent in your home. Trust me guys, we have gone nose-deaf to our smells after years of funk. By the time we got to high school, any chance we ever had of knowing how bad our rooms, apartments, homes, smell while living alone were gone. But they do smell ... badly. It's a fact. At least once a week, usually a Saturday, I open all the windows of my apartment and air out the place. Then after 24 hours of an air-out, I spray a little Febreeze in each room. While there are certain weeks I may have to give an extra spray mid-week, I find that this helps keep my place from smelling too much like a guy's apartment. It's hard to entertain (friends, Romans, countrymen, etc.) with a funky apartment, so you should always have your special scent ready for the occasion.

Remember that a stylish man is not a perfect man, but a prepared man. Go get your scent and be prepared.

Here's to great smelling homes. Cheers!

The Ghosts of Old Hollywood Return ... Again ...

As I opened my March issue of Vogue, I came across this marvelous Dior ad. I have always been a fan of Christian Dior. And now I'm even more of a fan because of these ads. Oliver B. has been truly starved of beauty in the recent issues of many fashion magazines. Everything has become so futuristic, cold, structural ... mechanical. Where is the beauty? I need beauty! And now I have it. Just look at this wonderful ad from Dior. It is definitely a blast from Hollywood's past. A wonderful throwback to old Hollywood glamor. If you pay attention to the ad the model is styles a lot like Lauren Bacall.

What I enjoy about this ad is a reminder of femininity that used to exist in our world. Don't get my wrong, I'm all about Sasha being Fierce, and divas being the female version of a hustler, and women who want to play a LoveGame or two, but I also enjoy some feminine glam. The days where a woman had class and sophistication, and a grace that today you may only find in black-and-white films. I miss that in women. I am grateful that the fashion houses are ready to celebrate glamor again ... and beauty. I was starting to see too much glamor and not enough drama. Oliver B. needs drama!

Christian Dior is not the only house celebrating Old Hollywood. Armani has an ad featuring beautiful long pants, reminiscent of Katharine Hepburn (who made women wearing pants fashionable at a time when all women wore dresses. St. John also has a little black dress that screams Meet me later for drinks, Mr. Gable. The list goes on ... the March Vogue issue is filled with beautiful clothes that scream of an era where women were women, and men were men. It's amazing how far we fell during our revolution of fashion, and how quickly we retreat every few years to old Hollywood to remind ourselves that we still need those beautiful dramatic garments of a oft-forgotten era.

If you ever need an example of the retreat, just look at several of the gowns worn by the stars at this year's Academy Awards. The sharp lines of last season's couture have been shaved down to curves. Now we want clothes that tell a story rather than summarize one. Didn't those sharp lines just seem to cut you off mid-sentence when describing them? I miss details, and gaudy jewelry that was offensively large. Insult me with your bold & beautiful wares ... I can take it.

Here's to style ... and to Old Hollywood. Cheers!

Santa, baby, hurry down the runway tonight ...

Oliver B. is back for the holidays and ready to help some of the men enter the new year with a mindset to jazz up their wardrobe. That's right, get your pencils ready and your calculators going for those fabulous gift cards you’re gonna give for Christmas. Yes, I said gift cards. Don't be afraid to give people what they actually want for Christmas: no chance of standing in line at the Returns counter. HA!

Give the gift of fashion this year ... it's good for the soul, you know.

My January 2010 GQ issue has arrived and I have torn threw it to find the upcoming trends and the ways to jazz up a wardrobe with pieces that you can recirculate through the years in your closet collection. The new year is about thinking outside of the box. It's about color coordinating to the extreme ... mixing a red polo shirt with a fuchsia polo sweater, or teal with aqua blue. Something bold and eye-catching. Vibrant. Surprising. NEW! Delicious.

Perhaps you're an office worker and don't have the free hours to go that bold and vibrant. Not a problem. In an officescape defined by bland cubicles and by-the-books colleagues, you can still do something to get noticed. GQ is sharing how you can bring some life to your business wardrobe. And of course Oliver B. is here to add in a hint of long-term style to the suggestions.

First, sport a plaid pocket square. Where is it written that the pocket square has to be plain old white? Try a patterned handkerchief into your jacket. An perhaps you can try one with a very rough texture (think burlap).

Second, discover our lost friend, the sweet and round BROWN. Wearing a black belt with black shoes is kind of like whispering; you'll never speak out of turn, but you'll never be heard, either. Now, a brown belt with brown shoes? That's a statement--loud and proud. Be sure to choose muted colors around that brown option. A nice grey suit, navy shirt look. Something that makes brown the star immediately as you look at it. You can't make brown a star when the entire cast is all brown. Think about that the next time you match from head to toe.

Third, recharge your dress shirt. A brightly colored shirt can work at the office. You just need to be sure that the style of the shirt is traditional, and if you have to wear a tie, think dark. Again, the shirt is the star, so the ensemble cast should fade into the background. Let the color do all the talking. I'm a personal fan of blue, maybe even hunter green. But these colors work with my skin tone and eye color. Be sure if you go for a bold color it is a color that will look nice on your skin tone or with your eye color. Just because you wear a style doesn't always make it the style for you. Remember that style reflects you ... so check the mirror once in a while.

Fourth, get the modern briefcase. Offered by everyone from Louis Vuitton to Banana Republic (a favorite of mine), the modern briefcase--in canvas or textured leather--makes a mature alternative to the messenger bag. It also doesn't throw off the sleek, slim lines of your wardrobe. A clumsy briefcase will damage the aesthetic look of your new style.

Fifth, get some hardware. Consider wearing accessories that anchor your look with some heft: solid frames, sturdy cuffs, a slim steel watch. You don't have to wear them all at the same time (remember Coco Chanel's teachings on accessorizing). You just want accessories that reach out and slap passersby in the face and say "notice me!" If you can get people to focus on that accessory and miss the rest of your look, you've done it. I really love the solid frames. It's very 60's (my favorite era) and it brings up images of the hot nerd (who is amazingly in style right now as THE arm accessory ... thank you Emo fashionistas for aiding in that wave of appreciation).

Finally, understand the power of three. A three-piece suit is nothing to shy away from. For many years, we all felt that it might be a little too dressy for the regular workday. Not so anymore. Once the jacket comes off in the morning, the wardrobe is still sharp. Don't knock it until you've tried it. And the one great thing I love about the vest is it adds extra buttons to your wardrobe. I love buttons ... especially when they're being undone at the end of the day ... or during it. Your call ;-)

To summarize GQ's newest issue, I have written a little song for you all to convey the lessons of the day, with a couple of extra suggestions I found in the magazine that I liked. It's my special holiday gift to the readers who keep coming back time and time again for the sporadic rantings of a visionary striving each day to make people as beautiful as the world they live in. So, for your reading pleasure, I give you "Santa Baby" Oliver B.-style:

Santa baby, slip a plaid square under the tree, for me
I've been a real voguish guy
Santa baby, and hurry down the runway tonight

Santa baby, a Prada belt and Salvatore shoe, brown hue
I'll sit on the front row
Santa baby, and hurry down the runway tonight

Think of all the fun I've missed
Think of all the bright dress shirts you must enlist
Next year I could be oh so GQ
If you'd check off my Christmas list

Santa honey, I want a Vuitton briefcase
Don't make that face
I've been an angel all year
Santa baby, and hurry down the runway tonight

Santa cutie, there's one thing I really do need, accessories
Cartier cuff links will do
Santa baby, and hurry down the runway tonight

Santa baby, and fill my fashions with three-piece suits, to boot
Check out how sharp it looks
Santa baby, and hurry down the runway tonight

Come and groom me up please Jamie
With some moisturizer from L'homme Healthy
I really do believe in you
Let's see if you believe in 'mani

Santa baby, forgot to mention one little thing, a ring
On a brand new smartphone
Santa baby, and hurry down the runway tonight

Hurry down the runway tonight
Hurry down the runway tonight

Here's to style. Cheers!