The Facehunter

There are quite a few blogs on line that feature what I like to call "real life" fashion photographers.

Blogs like The Satorialist and Fashion Toast, by Rumi Neely, feature outstanding photos of great looking people wearing great looking clothing.

One of my favorites is a blog called Facehunter by a photographer named Yvan Rodic (photo above)

Described as "a man out and about in London and beyond: eye candy for the style hungry" this blog is pure fashion inspiration and after 4 years of successful blogging Yvan has released a book of his best images.

The Facehunter, published by Thames & Hudson, is a book of about 300 images and some commentary by Yvan and readers of his very popular blog. Check out a few of the promotional images below and be sure to check out the link or visit Amazon.com to grab a copy of the book.

Make it an Outstanding Day!

- Kenyatte

Hermes = Horses (lots of them)

A friend of mine sent me this clip from the Wall Street Journal Online.

Bugatti, the ultra luxury automobile manufacturer has teamed up with the French design house Hermes to create the Bugatti Veyron Hermes Edition.

My favorite quote of the clip comes at around 1:23 in...

"in any recession there are always people that benefit from the recession. People involved in oil...etc"

...yeah...I wanted to punch him in the face too (not for the comment....for the car)

Hermes has long been known as the worlds best saddlery. Clearly, they know a thing or two about horsepower.

Make it an Outstanding Day!

- Kenyatte

Molded by Clae

I was looking for a way to breath some life into a great pair of Levi's black denim that I've owned for some time and ran across these while web surfing.

The Whitman, by shoe company Clae (shown here in black patten leather) is a fantastic alternative to the black boot or dress shoe when the occasion calls for bit of casual flair. I love a shoe with personality and the Whitman has loads of it.

The low profile of the show gives you the ability to wear it with just about anything and the wingtip accents add a novelty and formality to this trainer that allows it to adapt nicely to nights on the town.

Clae has a collection of about 19 different styles of shoe and the Whitman comes in 11 different colors. The silhouettes are wildly original yet the design aesthetic is simple and relatively easy on the eye. The company does a great job of fusing the comfort of athletic footwear with design cues of traditional dress-inspired styling.

Making shoes that are adaptable enough to help fill the ever shrinking void between the dress shoe and the athletic shoe, this company is true to its name...Clae (pronounced "Clay")

Make it an Outstanding Day!

- Kenyatte

Take good care of your Cash

I have to be honest. It's been a while since I've worn a wallet. I don't have anything against them (necessarily), but in what is becoming a cashless society I have found it more practical to use slim card holders to avoid the bulkiness of traditionally super thick wallets.

Even so, I've been seeing a lot of great wallets lately and am starting to reconsider my decision. Here are a few great single fold wallets by designer that I'm sure you recognize.

From left to right in the photo below: Passcase by Calvin Klein, Spring Clip by Nixon, V-Twelve by J. Fold and the Bi-Clip by Diesel


The thing I love about these is the fact that each of these designers have looked to do something a bit non traditional. No plain black or brown, sandwich size wallets here.

From left to right below: Leather pebble wallet by Corto Moltedo, Diamond Pressed leather by Dior Homme, Bi Fold by Burberry and Navy Bi Fold by Francesco Biasia.

Whether it's the red leather by Nixon, the Navy blue by Francesco Biasia or the pressed leather design by Dior Homme you can count on one thing - the guy who pulls this wallet out is a guy who takes good care of his money.

Make it an Outstanding Day!

- Kenyatte

Adidas SLVR - Fall/Winter Collection

The adidas SLVR collection is one of simple sophistication. It is, in my humble opinion, some of the most beautifully designed athletic apparel I have ever seen. Check out the Fall/Winter collection below...

Next to Y-3 (also made by Adidas) the SLVR collection has an aesthetic feel that is without comparison - especially when you consider how affordable the collection is.

Men's and Women's apparel and accessories consist of a reduced color palette with varying color accents each season.

The collection strives to reduce complexity through creative solutions and features like t-shirts with a single seam and trainers made out of only 7 components - the average athletic show has over 25.

As fantastic as this collection looks the most impressive part of it for me is the women's wear....

Do me a favor...

Picture your girlfriend wearing Nike....

Now look at this picture...

...yeah...this ain't Nike...

Make it an Outstanding Day!

- Kenyatte

The Style of a King

Today marks the 27th anniversary of the Martin Luther King national holiday. As we celebrate the man who spearheaded the civil rights movement and the dream that has, in so many ways, come to fruition, I wanted to spend a few minutes showcasing photos that disply the personality, style and charm of Dr. King

This shot at the Washington monument, from the foot of the Lincoln memorial, is one that you have likely seen but it's a great shot non the less. The fit of the suit is not too shabby either...it's perfect actually...

There are quite a few shots of Dr. King in this brown mole hair suit. You don't see the brown suit much anymore but I've always been a big fan of this color, particularly in the fall.

This photo of Neil Patrick Harris is a great example of the modern brown suit. I know, he's not a real Dr. but he played one on TV. This color looks just as fantastic when paired with pale pink as it does with a white shirt and thin black tie.


Speaking of thin black ties, this shot of Dr. King in thin black tie and understated tie bar is a testate to his minimalist style. The focus is, as it should be, on substance.


That said, style points don't hurt...

This shot, below, of Dr. King dressed to the nines in light tan poplin with two of his children is a

outstanding shot. I love the combination of imagery - the pristine suit, the father with his children on the swing, the worn soles of his shoes - it is a photo that, at the same time, says this is a person who is about the business of his business as well as his family.

The photos above seem to suggest that Dr. King was a man who understood that fashion should be bought with intelligence, put on with care and then promptly forgotten about so one can go on living his life, or in this instance his dream.

May God continue to bless and keep us all...and as always...

Make it an Outstanding Day!

- Kenyatte

One Pair...Off Suit

I was looking through an old Esquire magazine and happened upon Style feature that I remember liking a lot.

It was of a Tommy Hilfiger Wool Houndstooth Jacket that is actually part of a suit. I looked up a few photos of the suit and was.....well.....unimpressed...

The suit is not terrible but the pattern is so prominent that when you pair the jacket with the pant the overall look is a bit overbearing. There just seems to be way too much going on.

Here's the thing, take the pant away and you're left with this...a thing of beauty.

This jacket with a pair of dark denim or khakis is going to look amazing. Similarly you could pair the pant with a chocolate brown velvet blazer and you create a look that balances out the very vocal charisma of the houndstooth.

There's a lesson here gentlemen - Don't toss the baby out with the bath water. If you have a suit that you feel isn't working anymore you should ask yourself - is it the pieces that aren't working or the combination of the pieces that causes you to cringe?

If one of the pieces can be salvaged or retooled by a different pairing why not give it a try. You might be able to breath a little life into a suit that no longer suits you.

Make it an Outstanding Day!

- Kenyatte Nelson

Tweed & Velvet

Style With Benefits - Thoughts on Female Fashion

One of my favorite female bloggers, Rebecca, has decided to start a feature on here site, Style with Benefits, that allows male fashion bloggers to provide commentary on women's fashion trends.

She's "injecting some testosterone" into her blog (as she so eloquently puts it). From women’s fashion trends to street style photos, she asked several of her favorite men’s style bloggers to sound off on a weekly ‘panel’ to see if they're on board with what the ladies find popular, attractive or just plain outstanding!

My first assignment was to provide my honest and up front opinion on the trend below...Faux Fur...

Check out my response (it's hilarious....trust me) and see what the other male bloggers had to say here. Enjoy!

The folks at Peta say "I'd rather be naked then wear fur"...well somebody should have told these girls that the birthday suit would have been a better option.

...I'm not sayin...but I'm sayin...

btw - Kudos to Rebecca and Style with Benefits....very well done indeed my dear!

Make it an Outstanding Day!

- Kenyatte

Yele Haiti

In the aftermath of quite possibly the worst natural disaster in Haitian history I have been thinking about how I might be able to do my small part to increase awareness of this tragedy and enable the readers of Tweed & Velvet to help in any way possible.

For those who might not know, Haiti (officially the Republic of Haiti) is a Creole and French speaking Caribbean country that occupies the island of Hispaniola along with the Dominican Republic.

On Tuesday, January 12th, the region was hit with a 7.0 scale earthquake that left much of the country devastated. Since then the earthquake has been the most noteworthy news story across the globe, with most of the developed world rushing to help the people of Haiti.

Fortunately there is no shortage of organizations looking to aid the nation but I wanted to shine the light on one in particular.

Founded in 2005 by Grammy-Award winning music producer Wyclef Jean, Yéle Haiti is a grassroots movement that builds global awareness for Haiti while helping to transform the country through programs in education, sports, the arts and environment. Yéle’s community service programs include food distribution and mobilizing emergency relief.

The mission of the organization is to create small-scale, manageable and replicable projects to contribute to Haiti’s long-term progress. Check out this recent interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper.

If you're interested in donating please visit Yele.org for more information. In the meantime, please pray for those in Haiti and those with family and friends who might be victims of this tragedy.

Make it an Outstanding Day!

- Kenyatte

The Blazer Alternative

Who would have known that a Bavarian immigrant would be credited with the creation of the fabric that has defined casual wear for the better part of 150 years.

That said, when Levi Strauss begin creating denim jeans, the second best thing ever done with the fabric was the creation of the denim jacket.


Over the last 10 years if a man wanted to bridge the gap between business formal and casual wear, the first thing he reached for was a cotton or wool blazer to pair with a denim or khaki pant.

Well thank God for Mr. Strauss and some Italian Sailors from Genoa Italy (see a short history lesson at the end of this post) because I would submit that you can look just as dapper when you take the denim from the bottom to the top....A denim jacket that is.




Jackets like the one from "The Brooklyn Circus" (above) show great examples of how you can dress up this casual wear staple.


The great thing about the denim jacket is that it is ubiquitous. If a brand makes clothing for men you can pretty much bet that they make a denim jacket. Rag and Bone (above), Ralph Lauren, Topman, ASOS.com, Diesel, G-Star etc...etc...etc... Each of these brands, and countless others, make great denim jackets.

Find one in either a light or dark wash (or both) with a slim profile and high arm holes and wear it with chinos and a plaid button up and you'll look smart without looking pretentious.


Or you could do it like Mr. West and pair the jacket with you favorite color khaki pant and a t-shirt.

Either way, give the blazer a break and top yourself off with a denim jacket.

Make it an Outstanding Day!

- Kenyatte Nelson

**Note: The term "denim jeans" is not redundant. Denim is the name of the fabric. Here's a quick history lesson...

The word "jeans" comes from the French phrase bleu de Gênes, literally the blue of Genoa (in reference to the clothing worn by sailors from the Genoa region of Italy). Jeans fabric, or denim, originated independently in two places: the French town of Nîmes, to which 'denim' owes its name; and in India, where trousers made of denim material were worn by the sailors of Dhunga, which came to be known as dungarees.[2]
At the same time, denim trousers were made in Chieri, a town near Turin (Italy), during the Renaissance, and were popularised in the 19th century. These trousers were sold through the harbour of Genoa, which was the capital of the independent Republic of Genoa which was a naval power.

What does this mean??? It means the Italians started the jeans trend about 300 years before anybody in San Francisco (are you surprised?)

The Billion Dollar Women

Before 2009 Zoe Saldana, born Zoe Yadira Zaldana Nazario, was probably best known for her role as Theresa Jones (fiance of Aston Kutcher) in Guess Who - the reprise of the Sidney Poitier flick "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner"...

That, gentlemen, was before 2009. From January to December 2009 this stunningly beautiful women has been in movies that have grossed close to 1.5 Billion dollars in global ticket sales.

Yeah....billion....with a "B". Take THAT Halle Berry

Whether she's playing Lt. Uhura in the J.J. Abrams film Star Trek....

...or, more recently, channeling the 10 foot tall uber-sexy humanoid Neytiri in the James Cameron film Avatar, Zoe has been heating up the screen in every way imaginable.

She has also made blue my new favorite color...

With the ink dry on her contracts for the Star Trek and Avatar sequels, this New Jersey native (by way of the Dominican Republic...cause face it...nothing this good looking ever came out of Jersey) is set to have a career just as beautiful as the women herself.

Make it an Outstanding Day!

- Kenyatte

No Small "Frye"

Since I did the post a few months ago about the Timberland Boot Company I've been mildly obsessed with finding outstanding pairs of brown leather lace up boots.

The good news is that I didn't have to search very far. Truth is that the tall lace up boot is a very popular piece this winter. Every one from classic shoe makers like Red Wing to contemporary collections like those from John Varvatos and Zara have introduced this boot in 09/10.

John Varvatos

If you don't want to drop the $600 required for the JVs then I would opt for these...

Fyre Company - Sid Tall Lace Up

The Sid Tall Lace Up boot (above) comes from the US based Frye Company, started by John Frye - an English shoemaker in 1863. It's a convertible boot that can be left up or rolled down for a more interesting profile.

With a more rugged sole the Owen Tall boot, from Frye Company below is another fantastic option.


Both boots look great and both are sold for well under $300.

If you're wondering what to wear them with, the answers pretty simple...

...Damn near anything!

Make it an Outstanding Day!

- Kenyatte

Tie One On

It’s a new year gentlemen and after taking some time to spend with family and friends over the holiday it’s back to work.

Let me first take this time to thank all of you who have been on this amazing journey with me over the past year. I hope your 2009 was filled with as many blessings as mine. I appreciate your continued support of Tweed & Velvet and hope that you continue to find value in my words during this year. My readers are my inspiration

In 2010 my wish for you is simply this…

May bad fortune follow you around all year long…and never catch up!

I didn’t go to some fancy-schmancy formal affair for New Year’s Eve but I did wear a bow tie - with gray denim a gray cardigan and a blue patterned button up. It was casual enough for an evening with friends, but dressed up enough to demonstrate that I have a certain amount of respect for the holiday that brings in the New Year.

Although I have quite a few, I don’t get to wear bow ties very often. I think that’s going to change this year. I have a sneaking suspicion that 2010 will be the year that this oddly shaped accessory makes its triumphant return to the forefront of men’s fashion.


With the bow tie showing up on the print ads and runways of fashion heavy weights like Tom Ford and Dolce & Gabbana it’s no wonder that fashion from hipster to haute couture has found a way to work it into the look for this year.

Dolce & Gabbana 2010

Brooklyn Circus 2009

One collection that I am very excited about is the 2010 bow tie collection from French Design House Laurent Desgrange. The Paris based house is known for its whimsical fashion, art and set design. The Parisian point of view comes shining through in this collection of some of the most beautiful bow ties I have ever seen.

Aside from the incredibly creative design sensibility, for me, the most impressive thing about the collection is that it includes not only the traditional “thistle” bow tie, but also the lesser known “diamond point” and “bat wing” ties as well. Adding a few of these to your collection will make you a man among men.

Diamond Point Bow Tie

Bat Wing Bow Tie

From beautiful florals to prints inspired by $100 bills, you can find the entire collection on line here and you can shop a few select pieces here

Pick your favorite color, pattern and style and tie one on….

….oh and I do mean TIE one on…clip ons are STRICTLY prohibited.

Make it an Outstanding Day!

- Kenyatte