Monday, May 31, 2010

On A Few Of My Favorite Things

Oh my fantastic followers! Shame shame shame on me for leaving you hanging for oh. so. long. And I could take precious time here apologizing, to you, my favorite trendy queers. Explaining how busy I have been, how the cruel and fascinating day job of science keeps your Boy at Sea mightily occupied, and how night after night I am in high demand at this social function and that raucous evening (a BaS must play, mustn't they?)...But no! I will simply say, that I will try to be more present in this relationship...and now, onto the fashion! Surely you can forgive this face and this outfit...FYI folks, black skinny jeans (Target), paisley monochromatic white button down (H&M) and burgundy slim suspenders (courtesy of my lovely roommate's closet). It was a look, but a fabulous one, an attention-getting one, and just the right amount of casual and dapper. Cheers.

Alright you trend monsters, my plan for tonight's post was to finish up my discussion of L.A fashion and then move right along to some of the latest fashions I have been seeing and trying out here in Boston as the warmer months have been upon us. So on with it.

When last I left you I promised I would finish talking about the AMAZING vintage stores that I visited when I was out and about in various parts of L.A. So my goal was to find 3 stores that had been talked about in a GQ article that I had read that talked about the 25 greatest vintage stores in the U.S...and these 3 were near each other in L.A. So, staying true to my overpowering desire to look at everything beautiful and vintage and classy and dapper and gendered and not gendered, I hunted down Chuck's Vintage, Mister Freedom, and American Rag...


1. Chuck's Vintage:
Had closed down. Fail Chuck's, fail. Still, the store front looked lovely and vintage-y, of course, that was probably because it was shut down and bedraggled. Shrug.

2. Mister Freedom:
This store, was BY FAR the most SPECTACULAR store of SARTORIAL WONDERS I have ever had the pleasure of perusing. This gem is owned by a French guy (from what I understand) who is just completely in love with American fashion and culture and so has spent years collecting priceless pieces of classic American dress and displaying it here, in this brilliant half warehouse, half barn store type place. He also makes his own clothing to add to the collection...When you first walk in, you can hear him up in the loft working steadily away on a sewing machine. Honestly, that is the only sound. No one comes to address you, or ask if you need help, or what you might be looking for. Nope, he is above you, hidden away, with only the soft speedy whirring of the sewing machine to keep you company as you begin to move slowly through this stunning sea of fashion. We're talking old metal lockers stuffed with vintage Letterman jackets of all varieties and......you turn a corner and there is a leather jacket from the 40's, just chilling, hanging there, perfect and smelling like it did when it was first made. And everywhere there were shelves of boots and shoes, racks of shirts and pants, ties, hats, blankets, canteens, scarves, suspenders. Pieces of clothing that were ages old and still mint. Colors and fabrics that were just superb, and largely all men's clothing interestingly enough. Worked for me! Also, came across a jacket made out of Japanese silk...made in Japan...in the 1800s. I think that was about the time I blacked out and came to in my own personal fashionista heaven. Also this:A pair of men's shoes in handmade Italian leather. I felt as though I was in a museum and probably shouldn't touch anything....touch anything?! Are you freaking kidding me! I wanted to wrap myself in the leather that shoe was made in and bury myself under six feet of the cloth that most of the shirts in that place were made out of it! Damn.
The facade of Mister Freedom was also equally amazing. My friend and I drove right past it because the sign was so small and the rest was so random:
But hold the presses to those of you who were just running out the door and hopping on the next flight to L.A...Not a single thing in Mister Freedom was cheaper than $90. So, to you lucky rich trendy bastards, go for it! Buy it all, and then bring it home to me, and I will become your best friend and favorite queer. And to you unlucky poor trendy bastards (like this dood right here) just put it on your list of places to visit sometime in your life. It was an honor - honestly I'm that much of a fashion nerd - just to be in that store. Just to smell those smells, and see those clothes. Truly one of a kind.

3. American Rag:

This place, while equally delightful to your Boy at Sea, was a part regular hip, trendy clothing store, a part vintage rag, and a part strictly for denim.The back of the store had a wide selection of well worn, well-loved vintage T shirts at reasonable prices that were all charming. The tie/ascot/bow tie selection was also incredibly admirable and I was hard pressed not to leave that store with all of them in my hands. I did however, end up finding and buying my messenger bag that I have been on the hunt for, for quite some time. Seriously, if you had hung out with this little queer at all in the past year, it was a life issue for me that I hadn't found one I liked. But American Rag gave to me a wonderful vintage black canvas messenger bag. Simple in its design - a non-adjustable strap that just happened to hang perfectly a little below the small of my back, one large pocket that can fit my computer (if necessary). But mainly is perfect for a cellular piece, wallet, keys, and at least 4 options of eye wear (2 fake Ray Bans mentioned in my last post, 1 pair aviators, and 1 pair reading glasses - your Boy at Sea's eyes are always prepared for all weather conditions). Needless to say the bag has some faded areas and worn seams, fabulous brass buckles and nothing more. In this case, less is SO much more. It wasn't until after I made my purchase and was having some flirts with the adorable and super hipster boy working at the counter that he told me about the ENTIRE BACK HALF of the store that I had totally overlooked and was dedicated completely to denim - all washes, cuts, fades, and styles you could possibly imagine...and then some. Reference the above picture for a taste. And here's the front of American Rag - your BaS recommends very highly that you go here and make some purchases. The employees are delicious, and the clothes are to die for. Heard. Alright my loyal lovers of queeriosity (new word to coin?!) and female-bodied male-presenting fashion, I think I am going to have to end my L.A discussions now, this is becoming excessive. To sum it all up: GO THERE. See the sights, feel famous, and frequent these stores. Hold old leather, smell shoes, and brush a real silk ascot across your face, then go down the street and be catered to by trendy, alternative, and super attractive people and perhaps buy some acid wash skinny cut offs and a vintage T, along with a bow tie and a vest to top it all off. Then walk outside and just have a day of vanity. You'll feel free of all stress, at least for a wonderful moment. I promise.

I was going to now include some pictures of some other outfits I have worn recently that have really left me feeling fabulous and boss all day long, but I realized that I have also included quite a few pictures here and perhaps instead should just let these pictures and words marinate for a moment. Take in the sartorial brilliance that is L.A's fashion scene, and next time we talk I'll be sure to post the numerous pictures I have of myself in various outfits (I swear it's a healthy amount of vanity). I also need to do a major post on updating one's wardrobe for the humid months of Massachusetts summer. So I will get right on that! I have lots of thoughts and ideas and little tidbits that are making me super giddy. So, just wait I tell you! (In the meantime, here's a little sumthin sumthin to hold you over until dinner....)
This is one of my new favorite styles for the summer months: black skinnies, fitted white V-neck T-shirt and my Micheal Kors black suit coat over it. Super simple, clean, and does not leave you over heated. It gives you an updated classy look that still allows you to have male lines and hide whatever you may want hidden. Also, just found out, it's great to dance in. So there's that.

Two last points of interest remain before I sign off for the evening.

1. I went to Provincetown this past Memorial Weekend for a little vaca from Boston and to well, you know, be around as many crazy sexy queers as possible. Check. HOWEVER I was wildly disappointed with the fashion statements that were being made...mainly because...there were none! Pretty much all popped collars and polo shirts, baggy cargo shorts, and night out apparel that included the same outfits, plus a hoodie or a hat here and there. And obviously plaid. Well so be it, the faces, the dance moves and the flirting made up adequately for the lack of sartorial stunners I could admire. With the exception of one. For sure there were maybe a handful of people who caught my fashion-eye, but there was one in particular whose outfit I actually remember completely: classic fitting shorts of a dark navy color I believe, with a killer (not over-kill) fish print on them (kind of perfect if you consider you're on the Cape), a clean white V-neck T, and a great powder blue blazer with skinny lapels. Now, I know that you're saying "come on Boy at Sea! Obviously that is the only outfit that struck you, that's the dapper look you're always after! Give it a rest!" But hear me out, please my dears! While that is a look I tend to be drawn towards myself, I think this one stood out in particular because everything on this person fit so well! That is such a plus. And the colors were a great choice, and the use of patters, we know how I love a good pattern. It was a great outfit, and cheers to the person rocking it.

2. I stumbled across this Mika video that I had never seen before. I know that not everyone is a Mika fan (perhaps it's hard to get into that falsetto) but I think he is fantastic and not only his music and his Freddy Mercury-esque voice, but also his entire style, look, presentation and theatricality. So here, enjoy, just take note of the wonderful blend of gender and fashion and lyrics and HIS GORGEOUS OUTFIT I WILL WEAR THAT SOMEDAY BY GOLLYlovelovelovelove. Hmm, yes, clearly I'm reaching that point in the night when it's time to just say good night my fellow friends of everything gay and fashionable, and I will speak with you all soon. Promise.

Sleep well, and stay classic and queer my friends

-BaS




Saturday, May 8, 2010

On Disappearing for a Beat and Returning Even More Enamored

Well good afternoon my fellow friends of fashion! Your Boy at Sea has returned after my long absence and with OH. SO. MUCH. to share!

An amazing trip to Los Angeles that resulted in new thoughts, new sartorial observations, and lots of new pictures, followed as well by a step towards new and more bold outfit choices for the mean streets of Boston that I have begun to document daily.I have so many new thoughts and pictures and ideas and comments to share with you all that I do believe this is going to extend from one post into many. So, as always, I bid you stay tuned because there will be lots to come.To begin with, I would like to open this post with a quote I came across a while back from London artist and man of fashionable intensity Sebastian Horsley:

"It is better to go to Hell well tailored, than to Heaven in rags."
I couldn't agree more Mr. Horsley. And in fact I think I have begun to agree too much. Perhaps there is something to be said here about living a life free of material things, a life of love and family and friends and goodness and repentance and a guarantee of pearly gates, but hold on... Do you not know your Boy at Sea at all?! This little atheist queer doesn't have time for Heaven and Hell. There are far too many people to meet, friends to love, family to cherish, and suits to search for. So I say, yes, if there is a Hell, and if I am heading there anyways because of my life of sinful non-normativity, than I damn sure I want to be going there in Ralph Lauren Black Label
Alright. I'm not here to discuss Heaven and Hell. I'm here to talk about clothes and styles and trends and the amazing dimensions that female-bodied people are bringing to the man's wardrobe. So, onto L.A.

I will tell you right now my fabulous followers, L.A. is huge and so I only just scratched the surface of what it had to offer, but I will tell you I was delightfully surprised by how much I liked it there!
As for the fashion I think I was expecting everyone to be in shorts and loose billowy button downs with small dogs walking about in the scorching sun perfecting their already perfect tans. I was incorrect. For the most part.To begin with the weather there - a breezy 70 during the day and a clear crisp 55 at night - is wonderfully conducive to wearing layers and that was exactly what I saw! In fact people often seemed a bit overdressed with jackets and sweaters and scarves during the middle of the day. But I found that it actually worked out quite wonderfully for me because I was able to wear skinny jeans or jean cutoff shorts (just take your skinny jeans and hack 'em off to just a smidgen above the knee and fold once and you have the latest summer look, my queers and bois) along with a button down, and a pullover sweater with a deep V-neck, perhaps even throw on a simple scarf or a hat and the look was complete but I never felt overwhelmed or overheated.
In the day I could pull off the sweater and as soon as it got cooler I had the layers I needed to keep warm. Not to mention (obviously) the extra layering did wonders for covering my chest and making me feel comfortable but not bulky. A little something like this:
Only for this particular outfit I tossed in a cream-colored knit tie and was wearing a short-sleeve button down with a button collar (the button collar helps provide more stability to hold up the knit tie which can be a bit heavier and make the neck of the shirt sag). The shirt is a little too tight on me when it comes to hiding my chest, but with the sweater on over it provided the extra coverage I needed but I never got too warm. Perfect.

Oh me, oh my! My dear queer folk, I am already realizing how much space my thoughts are taking up and I certainly don't want to keep you up too late or distract you from your busy work hours, so I will try to wrap this post up shortly and promise promise promise to bring you the rest of my thoughts sooner rather than later.
A couple final points:

1. The thrifting in L.A. was amazing...like fan-fucking-tastic. At Thank You Mart (where everything, and they mean EVERYTHING is just $3.99 http://www.thankyoumart.com/) I found 2 amazing vintage youth baseball shirts (always priceless when they have funny sponsor names etc) as well as 2 pairs of imitation Ray-Ban sunglasses, which are super trendy right now and I found mine with awesome detailing and for yes, that's right. $3.99. Get with it!
2. I also came across a Buffalo Exchange in the same area http://www.buffaloexchange.com/. Now, my dearest friends of sartorial decadence, if you are hip to my jive, than you know that there is also a Buffalo Exchange here in Boston! Right in Davis Sq. actually, and I do hope you frequent it.
But it was wonderful to check it out in L.A and see what the people in that area were turning in for and turning up. I did indeed find some gems. The black V-neck sweater I mentioned earlier I found there. It has a wonderful stripe pattern on the inside of the hood and a second sleeve inside that comes just a bit above the wrist (with the same stripes) so that you can fold back the sleeves together or individually and create a unique look each time. Furthermore, and perhaps the reason I bought it (aside from the fact that it fit super swell and hid what I wanted it to hide) was that on the lapel of the sweater, there was a very small brooch, clearly pinned on and left by the last owner. It is a silver and black gem studded leopard. So strange!! And soooo wonderful! It makes this piece genuinely unique, used, vintage, a bit femmy, and surprisingly studly in my opinion.
I also found there a killer pair of sneakers that look as though they were only worn once! They are men's shoes and in my size no doubt! A true treasure. The shoes are by Gant, a Swiss clothing brand, that is described as traditionally American with European flair. I do love the European flair! (http://www.gant.com/www/northset.html)
Now, I didn't have a chance to take a picture of the shoes, but they will show up in a later post, so keep those peepers peeled. My friend described them as a combination of a bowling shoe, a dress shoe, and a boat shoe. And I would have to agree. They are two-tone tan with some sexy details. I am quite smitten with them.

3. The vintage shopping in L.A. is quite different than the thrifting. Grossly more expensive, but the clothes were TO DIE FOR. I do not recommend visiting these stores with the intention of buying (unless you have your first-born or a mortgage on hand) but I DO DO DO recommend going to browse and take in all of the sartorial glamour and bask in the warm welcoming rays of the fine craftsmenship, the most dapper and dandy looks, and clothing that has it's own personality.

HOWEVER, you needy needy queers, you will have to WAIT to hear about those castles of couture because I am TIRED and this post is far too long! So, please, as always, I beg of you to return for the next installment from your Boy at Sea. In fact, I can entice you with a guarentee of pictures from all of the vintage stores I visited. As well as a promise that I am going to start documenting some of my own collaborations of clothes and begin to give you a better feel of exactly what the Boy at Sea leaves the house looking like each morning. Don't lie, you're intrigued.


Well then, you have no choice but to come again. And in the mean time, here's something wonderful and lovely and perfect and ooooh, boy, yup....Some samples (of various seasons) from Junya Watanabe, a Japanese designer who I think I'm falling a bit in love with. My new swoon-worthy fixation.

Good night and sweet dreams friends, stay queer, stay classic...
BaS