For you see, I could not have done it without your support and patronage, nor could have it been made possible without the collaborative partnerships I have formed and the relationships that have been fostered as consequence.
So thank you again!
As such, you can expect more of the same from monk + eero in 2016 alongside a creative bounty of new offerings, a dedicated newsletter, and various style (travel) series and contests/giveaways. So, do keep your eyes open.
Now onto the years sartorial best.
What follows is a convenient and personally reflective package of the best (and most popular) content to be found on monk + eero in 2015 — editorials, style photo journals, outfit inspiration — in addition to the cultural muses and trends that dominated the landscape this passing year.
Shall we dive in?
STYLE EDITS & LIFESTYLE FEATURES
STYLE INSPIRATION + PHOTO DIARIES
THE BEST…AND WORST
BEST: CAMEL (OUTERWEAR)
Deemed a trend, but in reality a timeless and classic colour/aesthetic, camel adds a touch of sophisticated refinement to any ensemble/garment it graces and looks great on everyone— irrespective of vocation, ethnicity, or cultural mores. With that said, investing in a camel jacket is a sound decision that will pay back stylish dividends for decades to come! Something that cannot be said of 99% of seasonal trends. |
WORST: SOCKS WITH SANDALS
This persistent abomination to menswear needs no reflective rebuttal…it truly is stylishly appalling! Commonly associated with — and attributed to — ill-informed tourists and slackers alike, the socks with sandals trend is a look that will never be acceptable, no matter how prevalent it may be amongst those who are less stylishly inclined. Point being: it should be avoided at all costs — like a sartorial plague of sorts. |
BEST OF: OUTFIT INSPIRATION
MOVIE + MUSICIAN/ALBUM
For the combined style (artistic + sartorial) and the quality of the finished product (not the best movie nor album of the year on award level merits per se), Spectre and John Newman, and his sophomore album Revolve, are monk + eero's respective cultured style picks for the year.
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With asartorial pedigree that is unrivalled by any other fictional character (or of any gent walking the earth for that matter), James Bond is undoubtably an unparalleled cultural style icon — one who many inspirationally reference on a daily basis. And in Spectre, 007 puts on an aspiring sartorial display (once again outdoing his previous efforts) to say the least, putting on a masterclass in Apres-ski style erstwhile nailing his signature tailored suiting. Suffice it to say, the refined ensembles he sports throughout the film are sharp enough alone to kill — which is telling as he arguably switched up his look as often as he dropped bodies (which was often and innumerable) throughout his latest adventure.
A true sartorial and adrenaline inducing treat. |
John's style can be (arguably) defined as being 60's British Mod cheekily mixed with modern sensibility, an aesthetic that is seemingly out of place with his adrenaline boosting, uptempo music. Nevertheless, its a look that — when teamed with his artistic expression and stylized music videos — has earned him this humble accolade.
As for the album, John acoustically references and takes many queues from a multitude of established soul tenets — jazzy orchestrations (hand-clapping, backup singers), Motown guitar vibes, and the use of heavy brass (horns, trumpets) and drumming — in due course of crafting an eclectic mixture of sounds that are backed by emotional vocals that, while passionately driven, are not too sentimentally deep (a la Sam Smith and his lovely heart-string pulling ballads) nor heavy-handed. Style and creative substance, Newman delivered both in spades. |
With that in mind, one must remember that everything inevitably changes because the natural order of the physical universe predicates it — is contingent upon it. Nothing remains the same; everything is transitory — albeit with one glaring caveat: the timeless style and nature of the refined (cultured) gentleman.
So, here's to reflecting upon the past whilst keeping a keen eye on the fast approaching future. Too sticking to our sartorially timelessly wardrobe foundations while celebrating both 2015's stylishly collective glories as well as those in which 2016 promises — may it be a year as stylishly refined and culturally vibrant as the one we have just experienced.
Now, on to 2016 …
Cheers!
~ Lyle Eero ~
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What were your favourite style highlights and moments from 2015? And what do you think is going to capture the imagination of the menswear industry in 2016?
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