Christian Louboutin: Our Favourites

Everyone knows a Louboutin when they see it; the shiny red sole or the notoriously fierce women's Pigalle shape is an instant giveaway. We're not going to bore you with Mr. Louboutin's influences or company founding dates - all that matters is that Louboutin's are here and dominating the footwear department. As much as we appreciate the incredibly decadent designs for our lady counterparts - we have to let you know about the equally dashing designs for us men.

At #1 we have the sophisticated yet casual 'Nono' sneakers. An odd name choice as we screamed 'YESYES' when we stumbled upon it. These sneakers are perfect for off-duty weekend wear or playfully paired with a sharp suit for a formal occasion. Two lace loop-holes means the front isn't dominated by laces, giving the shoe a wonderfully simple and minimal aesthetic. 

#2 is the elegantly designed 'John John' Loafer - a shoe so nice they named it twice! With a sumputous mix of velvet, satin and patent leather, the John John is texturally perfect. The shape and sleekness of the loafer resonates an 'old time gal' 1920's cosmopolitan feel - tap dancing and all. At $895 it's steep, but a small price to pay for the level of Parisian craftmanship that goes into each shoe.

We know. #3 is a sneaker you'll either love or hate. A few of our eyes bulged in sheer fear when we saw the 'No Limit' sneaker, but the majority of us applauded the stylish execution of such a loud and heavy design. Rhinestones? Check. Spikes? Check. Lepoard? Check. Cork? Check. What more do you want?

For the sharpest of gentleman, we give you #4 the 'Dandy' Loafer - and oh my is it dandy. A real no-nonsense slip-on that would certainly pack a punch if married with a Tom Ford suit. Soft ribbed leather at the top means no painful rubbing that some stiff leather loafers can inflict. The Dandy truly is the epitome of suave simplicity, and like the John John loafer, a pair will set you back $895.

Last but not least is #5, the 'Rantus Orlato' leopard printed pony sneaker. This shoe is ideal for the young, fresh-to-death guy who can incorporate a fierce animal print into his ensemble. We envisage these sneakers with a pair of skinny black jeans and a graphic Givenchy tee.

Hard Graft: Sleek Utility Accesories

Created back in 2006, Hard Graft produces handmade accessories using a signature combination of premium wool felt and Italian cow leather. Each and every piece from Hard Graft is unique and exudes a sense of raw, logical design. We adore the details of utility, whilst maintaining the appearance of sleekness. Our favourite pieces are below: 

 #1 is the 3 Fold Heritage Weekend bag. We love the light brown vegetabled tanned leather and the fact that every handle and rivet is reinforced from the inside. The multi-fold design is something we adore, and strongly suggest having a look on http://www.hardgraft.com/ for a look at the other ways to use the bag. At £492, it's not cheap but not too painful to purchase for a hell of a lot of craftsmenship.

At #2 we have the Laptop Bag. This £325 slim and versatile piece is perfect for the tech-savvy on-the-go gentleman. The shoulder strap is perfectly practical and the top handle provides a level of formality to the bag.

#3 This case is priced at £82 and accommodates your Macbook or iPad. An incredibly reasonable price, as the leather slip-pocket at the front can fit your phone, wallet and any other paraphernalia you carry.

#4  is an iPad case that we love. The deep grey wool and earthy smooth brown leather work wonders together.

For more iPad ideas, click here for our post on our favourite designs of last year. 

(images courtesy of Hard Graft)

Golden Globes: Dapper Gentleman

The Golden Globes 2012 took place on 15th January. We were glued to the Red Carpet TV coverage at an ungodly hour (we're based in London) to pick out our best dressed gentleman of the evening. We were expecting the majority to follow suit, literally, and arrive in a simple tuxedo - but to our surprise, many played with colour, cut and accessories. Starving? Let's eat:

The host of the evening, Ricky Gervais (top left), arrived in a maroon 2 piece suit, with black lapels and black detail down the leg, as well as a black shirt. Firstly, black shirts are a big mistake - whether it be a for a formal or informal occassion, black shirts are infamously hard to wear and rarely look good. The colour of the suit is all wrong and has an awful sateen finish which makes the whole look appear cheap. If you have a closer look at his shoes, they look like heavy duty steel-capped workwear boots. Oh and Ricky, lose the sunglasses.

When we saw Viggo Mortensen (top right) glide down the red carpet in a black 2 piece with striped tie, we knew he'd chosen well. We love the casual nature of the look; the unbuttoned jacket and his hair without a kilo of hairspray was a pleasant surprise. The preppy, collegiate style tie was a contempary touch that brought the outfit out of the awards show norm. Top marks Viggo!

The ever suave and charming George Clooney (bottom left) arrived in a tuxedo with new squeeze Stacy Keibler. The cut of the jacket and trousers seems slightly too long, and make the fit too loose. The silk lapels are far too wide and the velvet cord down the leg resonates a suit Hugh Hefner would pick. A little disapointing but as ever, Clooney dresses too classic and unoffensively that no one notices.

Last but most certainly not least is Channing Tatum (bottom right). The young buck of our favourites proved he can give the older Hollywood gentleman a run for their money. We have no complaints with this suit; looks to be a perfect fit, the thinner lapels keep the jacket modern and the slim fit trousers keep the silhouette flowing. The white pocket-square finishes the suit off nicely, but a dash of colour there would've been better.

Milan Fashion Week: Burberry

Milan Fashion Week has begun!

Creative Officer, Christopher Bailey showcased a refined country/city gentleman collection. We loved the majority - but a few garments did catch our attention for the wrong reasons. Excuse the poor image quality, it was all we could get our style starved hands on.

This first piece takes a modern design twist on a classic shape:

We love the block tonal striping at the bottom - adds a contemporary aspect to the mix of what would've been a simple overcoat. The use of nostalgic 70's colours was prominent within the collection; uses of burgundy, mustard and light brown all graced garments at some point or another.

Longing for a garish animal applique on a shawl-collared jumper? Neither are we...

What looks like a collage from a troop of infants, this jumper was one of a handful of anomalies. The bulging shawl-collared cut never has appealed to us and the design is not on the good side of garish.

We love a good polka-dot design here at Style Starved, and this next shirt is no exception:

We love this light crimson and alabaster polka-dot shirt and tie. One of our favourite looks of the F/W range and both pieces are sure to sell well.

These beauties immediately caught our eye whilst we watched the show:

Soft black leather plus embellished silver studs equals sheer brilliance. There's no denying that we love these gloves, but they fail to gel with the rest of the collection and seem an odd choice amongst the country/city gent theme. We can't help but see a design resemblance between these and Christian Louboutin's spiked Louis sneakers.

Catalogue corporate wear anyone?

The deep brown block trim nor the fabulous suit it's paired with can save this jacket. In an odd colour which is certainly not easy on the eye, this piece looks like it was plucked straight out of a mail-order catalogue. The collar is far too wide and the sleeves look stuffed with too much goose down or polysester.  We're sure the piece is well made but can't see any way of it looking good.

We'll finish on a good note:

Again, apologies about the image quality but this duffle coat looked glorious as it transcended down the runway. In a warm coffee brown tone, this coat is bound to be a bestseller. We adore the heavy leather buckle fastenings - Bailey, you did well.