Warren Beatty & Natalie Wood

Attending 1962's Oscar Night we have Warren Beatty & Natalie Wood; who both can be described in one word on that ocassion: Elegant. Both co-starred in 1961 on Elia Kazan's film "Splendor In The Grass".



Photo: Flickr

Top 5 Sunglasses

It has been written many times that a stylish and elegant gentleman needs certain basic items in his wardrobe. This time I'll focus on talking about 5 sunglass models which are basic and quintessential; all of them have been worn in the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and still nowadays.

To start I'd like to talk about Aviators, which have been around since 1933 when the US Air Force commissioned Ray Ban to create a special and unique kind of sunglasses for its pilots. These sunglasses are available in many different models; with black, mirrored, green, or brown lenses.
Continuing with the Aviator style, instead of using a metallic frame Aviators can be found with an acetate frame. Below a pair of Massawa sunglasses by L.G.R which have black celluloid acetate frames.



Wayfarers are the epitome of style. These sunglasses which have been featured several times in this blog, have been worn by many actors, musicians, artists, statesmen throughout history. After their 2007 comeback they can be found in many different colors and styles, yet you should always have a pair of Black and Tortoise Wayfarers. To wrap up this list I'd like to talk about Persol Ratti 649 sunglasses. Made by Persol in the 50s these sunglasses became iconic when the likes of Marcello Mastroianni and Steve McQueen wore them in the 60s.


Photos: eyegoodies.com, hdosport.com, topbuysunglass.com, & lgr-sunglasses.com

The elegance of Cary Grant

Cary Grant's great sense of style and elegance have been widely discussed throughout many decades; this combined with his portrayals in some of the best films in cinema history have made him an icon.

Photo: Flickr

Jean-Michel Basquiat

Jean-Michel Basquiat was an American artist who became an icon of the Neo-expressionist art movement in the 80s due to his works: graffiti and paintings. Based in New York, Basquiat created works which were rich in symbolism and color. His paintings contained skeletical figures and masked faces with gestures, urban life elements, writings, and unrelated images that blended perfectly to create collages.

Photographed 25 years ago, in 1985 at his studio Basquiat is seen sitting wearing a suit, barefoot, and smoking a cigar. Behind him one can appreciate some of his art.


Photo: Flickr

The Who: A combination of color and art

Spring/Summer is all about color, and an example of this was provided by The Who in 1968. Their "Magic Bus" not only looks like it could have passed by Carnaby Street; but it is an example of contemporary art from those years (it has colorful motiffs associated to the "Flower Generation" painted all over it).

In addition the members of The Who are wearing vivid and eyecatching clothes, a mixture of styles and color combinations.



Photo: Flickr

American Gigolo

"American Gigolo" is one, if not the most stylish film of the 1980s. It not only launched Richard Gere into stardom or made Giorgio Armani a household name, but it is a film that clearly depicts the style of this period and 30 years later still has an influence on fashion.

Besides the clothes, this film is worth watching for the interior design, the locations in California, the soundtrack composed by Giorgio Moroder, and last but not least Lauren Hutton (one of the most famous models of the 70s).

Gere's character, Julian Kaye, is someone with a great sense of style whether it's formal or casual he always looks sleek and modern. Wearing impressive suits, polos, or jeans he is a style icon. Below a photo of Richard Gere posing with a light blue colored ensemble made up of jeans and a rolled up shirt. Not very visible is his camel colored jacket on his back, a great option to complimment this outfit. His sunglasses are a pair of "cat eyes" Ray Bans which were also very popular in the 80s.




Photo: GQ

Sean Connery

Sean Connery is seen below getting out of a private plane in 1980 wearing a sports jacket, a slightly open shirt, dark pants and shoes. Even when travelling (regardless of the distance) one must always look stylish and elegant.


Photo: Flickr

Steve McQueen: Mod Dandy

Steve McQueen, "The King of Cool", looking very dandy and elegant around 1968-1969. On this photo from McQueen's "Thomas Crown Affair" period, he seems to combine perfectly the dandy aesthetics with the upbeat Mod trends of the era. McQueen is wearing a double breasted jacket suit, probably blue, with matching shirt and light colored tie. His hair, a bit long on the back adds a youthful air to this ensemble.




Photo: Flickr

London Calling

"London Calling" is one of the most iconic songs in rock history, made famous by the 70s punk band "The Clash". Its bassist, Paul Simonon, was photographed below prior to a performance in New York City on the summer of 1979.

His appearance somehow reminds us of Marlon Brando and a 50s rebel with his rolled up black short sleeve shirt, black jeans, and gelled hair. Although not very visible, Simonon is wearing a pair of black leather bracelets.




Photo: Taringa

Malcom McLaren

British performer, publicist, manager of the Sex Pistols, the New York Dolls, and Bow Wow Wow; entrepreneur, & visionaire Malcom McLaren passed away yesterday. A music and fashion icon during the fourth quarter of the 20th Century, he made important contributions to both fields that are still trascendent nowadays.

Before being manager of the Sex Pistols (which were introduced to the public using "above the line"/creative & innovative advertising techniques) he opened with then girlfriend Vivienne Westwood, one of Britain's most talented designers, a clothing store on Kings Road which was originally called Let It Rock.

Below Westwood & McLaren inside the store during the early 70s. McLaren is wearing a black shirt and pants, a golden skinny tie and waistcoat, a blue/black striped jacket, and messed up hair. Westwood on the other hand is wearing black leggings and a yellow angora sweater. Both outfits are very ecletic and stylish.




Photo: orangeintense.blogspot

Alain Delon's summer shirts

Spring/Summer is the time of the year where the weather is warmer and therefore one has to wear few layers and fresh clothing. For this season there is nothing better than a linen or cotton shirt, like the ones worn by Alain Delon. Bright and light colors are recommended, and if the shirt has an interesting design it's a plus, but a simple shirt can still make you look elegant.

Orange is a great color for this season, just try to keep it subtle and not too flashy.

On the set of "La Piscine" Alain Delon decided to add the finishing touches to his outfit with this tortoise square framed sunglasses.

Photos: Flickr

Syd Barret

Syd Barret is wearing in the photo below an ensemble that definetly has the Romantic/Victorian touch of the late 60s. The red velvet trousers and white ruffle shirt make this an eye catching outfit.

Photo: Flickr

Bruce Springsteen: The Boss

Bruce Springsteen, "The Boss", shows us that one can wear a leather jacket, a torn t-shirt, a pendant, jeans; and have a 3 day beard and messed up hair and still look well dressed. Not to forget the attitude either!

One can wear this ensemble during the upcoming months without the leather jacket if it's very warm and I think it will have moreless the same impact.



Photo: Flickr