My husband has had his eye on this Stanfield’s long john onesie since we first stepped into Mr. Lees General Store and Haberdashery off of Main Street. So today, after having coffee with a new friend (a European one, which is doubly exciting!) I popped into the store to buy him a red one for Valentine’s day.

This photo from the Stanfield's website is not very cool.

Mr. Lee’s was very busy, and I didn’t want to tempt myself by looking around too much, as I knew it would end up being expensive, but it is a very cool store, definitely worth checking out. Here are a couple of photos and a blurb from their blog.

“Mr. Lee’s has a curated selection of accessories, clothing and accompaniments that we feel are noteworthy, rare and purposeful, and above all else special. In addition to this we carry a template of product that was sold by general stores of the 1930’s &40’s: specialty foods, hard goods, apothecary, magazines, fine paper products, flowers and notions.”

And here’s the onesie photos.

Brown paper bags are totally underrated.

Stanfield's is very Canadian.

This onesie has great benefits!

Not sure how comfortable I am about posting photos of my husband in his (long) underwear.

Well, if this collection is a sign of times to come for Maison Martin Margiela, who has just lost its namesake founder and creative director, and who the owners have decided not to replace, then I guess the brand will be just fine. Ok, ok, its not as “creative” as Maison Martin Margiela usually is, but to be honest, I would happily buy this entire collection for my husband and he would look great. (If I could buy it in Vancouver, and if I had the money. So its not gonna happen…) This is a great collection, which looks like it fits incredibly well.

I Adore…

that this is either a one-piece that doesn't look stupid, or that it is a tailored jacket tucked into trousers, which also looks very cool.

a very sexy leather shirt.

this perfect tailoring, and the light grey vest underneath.

perfect trench, perfect trousers, great scarf, what more can a man ask for?

duffle coats, especially this one.

that this version of acid-wash looks classy instead of tasteless.

this lovely fur collar. But the high heels look dumb.

I Loathe…

the tucked in leather tee.

the print on these trousers. And heels a tad too high for a man.

All images from GQ.com.

Paul Smith is the go-to when it comes to good tailoring, great shirts, colour and print. And because he sits at that entry-level luxury price point, it means a lot of his clothing is a lot more affordable than the big luxury brands.

I Adore…

the statement colours. And because Paul Smith is actually English, he can get away with the punk references.

the collar on this jacket. Plus it looks great over the camel top and navy trousers. The man knows how to do colour!

charcoal, plum, violet, and Klein blue on formal wear and jersey mixed together in one outfit.

colour!

a manly pea coat with the storm flap detail.

I Loathe…

this mix of print and colour. And the hat looks too small.

the hooded sweatshirt. It turns the look sour, as does the choice of model.

All images from GQ.com.

When it comes to womenswear, Lanvin is god. I have always regretted not buying a red Lanvin bag for £500 and a grey Lanvin dress for £400 in the Harvey Nichols sale a few years ago. Lanvin dress for £400!!!! The bag was a bright red patent leather shoulder bag which would have fit my entire life and look chic, and the dress was a grey wool sheath with a giant ruffle fin running down the back. Note to everyone out there who has hesitated, NEVER hesitate when it comes to Lanvin. Anyway, the point here is the womenswear is amazing and the menswear isn’t nearly as good.

I Adore…

the wrap belt with visible velcro. (At least I think that is what it is)

beautiful colours and this great jacket.

that the colours in this outfit remind me of Robert DeNiro's outfits in Casino, which I believe to be the finest mens outfits in the history of cinema.

the coat that looks soft and textured but still tailored, and sharpened by the black detail on the collar.

the biker trench.

I Loathe…

the feminine waistband on this jacket.

this sweater. I mean, what guy can wear this without looking like a dork.

more unflattering, feminine knitwear. And a high-waisted trouser.

when Lanvin does punk but it ends up looking like homeless guy.

All images from GQ.com.

Anyone who knows me or who has read this blog for a while probably knows that I am obsessed with Hermes and love everything about them. So you won’t be surprised that I love their menswear collection. But I AM surprised, since I haven’t been much of fan of their menswear recently, and so I was very pleasantly surprised when I saw this collection. The thing you have to remember about anything Hermes is that it is not just about the way that it looks, but everything they do is about quality, quality, quality. So the knits will be the finest of 3 ply cashmeres, the skins will be soft, supple, and rare, and the construction will be nearing haute couture standards.

I Adore…

easy French tailoring and a melange of greys.

the deep blue cardigan, and the fact that its worn casually but chic.

a perfect outfit. The suit is well-tailored, the vest gives a dash of colour, the tie, hanky, and chain add personality, and the whole look just WORKS. Why couldn't Dunhill's formal tailoring look more like this?

a check suit that doesn't look retro or eccentric.

the dash of colour from the scarf. And the jacket, oh the jacket, which must be made out the finest of skins and perfectly finished and costing three months salary, if not more.

great trousers, a beautiful scarf, and the jacket that works perfectly over the gray marl knit.

I Loathe… (well, no one is perfect!)

trousers tucked into boots. Save that for the brands that are trying too hard. Hermes, you don't need to do that.

the belt worn over this coat, which can only be described as a last minute styling disaster.

All images from GQ.com.

I wouldn’t normally report on Dunhill, but in many ways, it is sort of a brand to follow, since Kim Jones became the Creative Director. I went to university with Kim, he was in the year above us, and he wasn’t very liked by many of the other MA students at Saint Martins. But I liked him, he was interesting, and although he wasn’t inccredibly talented, he was a genius at selling himself. He was also very good at delegating, before he was doing anything major, he already had three interns doing research and running errands for him, which is probably why he was able to achieve so much in the past few years. He got appointed Creative Director at Dunhill quite recently, and he has stopped designing his own collection. Dunhill is a tough one, it is so classic, it probably doesn’t actually make much money from the clothing, and the Dunhill people probably don’t care. But I am quite confused about what Kim is doing for them. He was more of a sportswear designer, and i thought he was going to bring an edge to Dunhill. But he isn’t, he has just taken very boring classic clothing, and styled it. Either he lost his spark when he went to Dunhill, or the Dunhill Powers-that-be are not letting him get creative.

I Adore…

this classic coat. Great shape, great colour, and made effortless by rolling up the sleeve.

this casual look, which is the only way that trousers tucked into hiking boots is going to look good.

I Loathe…

that this guy looks super-ultra classic (that is REALLY classic) but the trousers tucked into the boots look like a wardrobe malfunction, not a cool way of styling the outfit.

trousers tucked into socks, and more cinched waists. (Is the cinched waist inevitable for next winter? So many designers are belting their coats so tight, it looks like it is going to be "all about the waist" for next season.)

contrived styling at its worst. The colour contrasts are amazing, but with the best, bag, socks, and hiking boots, it is just not happening.

this poor re-invention of the Barbour coat. Leave that to Barbour.

All images from GQ.com.

Dior Homme has been weak every since Hedi Slimane left a few years ago. (And I feel very sorry for Hedi, he probably thought he was going to get picked up by some fabulous brand, or find an investor for his own collection, but the industry lost interest very quickly and now all he is doing is taking some photographs.) Kris Van Assche, the successor, had a tough act to follow, but it seems he is finally starting to find his way at Dior Homme.

I Adore…

the super classic outfit, but with a few interesting details: the rolled up trouser leg, the white trimmed tie.

when the shirt and tie are exactly the same colour and material.

the neckline on the shirt, and the slightly oversized coat.

that this look has a deceiving detail. Look again, the jacket is open and closed, at the same time. Maybe not practical, but very interesting.

layers of wool with leather in between. A delicious sandwich of textures.

I Loathe…

this top. It looks very unflattering, especially with those trousers.

a bit too much drape and excess fabric in this outfit.

All images from GQ.com.

I feel like I haven’t paid enough attention to Ann Demeulemeester in the past few years. I have always had immense respect for her work, but I haven’t followed it very closely. She is part of the Antwerp Six (which I talked about in this blog post) and although this menswear collection is very “fashion”, there are some very strong pieces.

I Adore…

this coat, even though its tied way too tight around the waist.

the collar on the top, the accessories and the boots.

the fur neckpiece. I want one.

one of the first fur coats I have have seen this season that don't look too "pimp."

the layers, the drapes, and the general feel of deconstructivism.

this rock look. Almost every designer is trying to do ROCK (unless they are doing SPORT) but this one looks authentic and effortless and actually cool.

I Loathe…

paper bag waists on men.

the shape of these trousers.

feather boas for men. It's taking the rock look to far into the world of goth.

All images from GQ.com.

My good friend David buys a lot of Comme des Garcons for his concept store in Kiev, Atelier 1. He said that the Comme shows were sometimes very frustrating, because there was rarely a lot of clothing on the catwalk that could be worn by real men. He and the other buyers used to sigh and try and fill their quotas with the shirts (which, by the way, are the some of the best menswear shirts on the market.) So I was very surprised to see a ton of easy clothing in this collection, in fact, its probably my favourite Comme des Garcons menswear collection ever.

I Adore…

lots of grey velvet, and fur trimmed parkas.

the slick grey tailoring, the blue socks and shirt, and the asymmetrical vest.

rugged tailoring and the visible pocket bags.

the shiny slick hair, black outfit, and pink socks.

pink shoes and blue socks.

I Loathe…

four piece shorts-and-trousers suits made with tacky fabrics.

crotchless grey chaps shorts worn over blue trousers. (I guess I should be happy they are worn over something, and not nothing at all!)

more crotchless chaps shorts, this time way too long.

All images from GQ.com.

Givenchy’s Fall Winter 2010 menswear had a religious theme, which for the most part, worked quite well. The collection also featured some incredible shirting.

I Adore…

the "crown of thorns" necklace and the fact that this look is very angelic.

this tailored suit. And the guy in it, who resembles my husband a bit...

the bib detail and the ultra fine cotton of this shirt.

I Loathe…

shiny leggings on men. But his bomber jacket is hot.

taking the religious theme too far.

All images from GQ.com.