STYLE@LXG: Vibram Five Fingers KSO!

Well its no secret to some that I've been on the lookout for these beauties for a quite a while now - not just for their reputed ergonomic design, but simply because they look so outrageously wild! As far as footwear is concerned, there's nothing else that quite looks like a pair of Five Fingers! 

The Vibram Fivefingers was named one of the best inventions of 2007 by Time magazine, and I've been curious about them ever since. Just by the looks of them, it would be easy to dismiss them as a sales gimmick - trainers that are designed to look just like your actual feet. I mean that does look pretty cool...

But subsequent research and feedback from professional athletes actually attests to the effectiveness of Fivefingers in both training and everyday use. Voted “Most Popular” of all the models available, because of its versatility, the KSO features a thin, abrasion-resistant stretch polyamide and breathable mesh upper that wraps around the entire forefoot to literally “Keep Stuff Out”. A single hook-and-loop closure helps secure the fit. The non-marking 3.5mm Vibram® TC1 performance rubber outsole is 'razor-siped' for enhanced flexibility and a sure grip on wet or dry surfaces... Well that's what it says on the label, and I am blinded enough by the science of it to believe them...

So with all of these salient points in its favour, I finally went ahead and got me a pair of Fivefinger KSO's. And how cool are they!

Just admiring their shape and form - its great when designers get to go mad with their creations, and still see them come to life as they intended, without any compromises having had to be made for the sake of sensibility and conservativeness.

Yes, at first glimpse, you would hardly call a pair of FiveFingers a sensible pair of shoes - in fact they are not so much shoes as foot covers with a pocket for each toe.

So how do they feel? Well, the thin flexible soles allow you to feel absolutely everything under your feet. And this may be disconcerting to some - especially those that appreciate the spongy comfort of padded soles as they run in the park or trek over hillsides...

Indeed the Fivefingers are not cushioned,  so they make every run, walk or hike an engaging event. They are considered a training device because they force your body to adapt to a new style of  footwear. That, in turn, apparently stimulates the muscles in your feet and lower legs to build strength and improve range of motion.

But this is quite a radical adaptation from the norm, and in fact the accompanying guide also recommends for the first week or two of wear, that you just use the Fivefingers for about an hour or two a day. And this evening, after having proudly worn mine around town for at least four hours, I understood why...

I had muscles that I never even knew existed in my foot, cramping with aches and pains, and my calf felt like it had been repeatedly beaten with a hammer. But that's my own fault for overdoing it on the first day. A couple of hours later on, and my feet now have a pleasantly warm and buzzing sensation... So obviously its going to take a gradual getting used to...   

That eventual adaptation is said to result in increased balance, greater mobility and improved core stability. Only time will tell...

I'll let you know after I take my KSO's out for a proper spin!

STYLE@LXG: LIKE A BOSS...

Hong Kong actor Chow Yun Fat walks down the catwalk during the Hugo Boss Black Fashion Show.

Held in Beijing, China, Friday, May 18, 2012.

Celebrating his 57th Birthday at the same time, the iconic action star still rocks the joint.

Style and Substance...
A Gentleman no doubt...

STYLE@LXG: Marc Jacobs Skater Style

If there's a menswear trend this year that's worth taking seriously, its got to be the straight-line, skater-dude, laid-back attitude that dominates the MARC BY MARC JACOBS Fall Collection.

Youth-driven, accessible and plenty to love about, Marc Jacobs' menswear line is every bit the designer collection - produced in Italy, full of specially developed fabrics and hand-finished details, and price tags to match - but its attitude is exactly the opposite.

The label calls this approach "weird luxury." Jacobs and his team drew their inspiration this season from the unlikely marriage of nineties skaters and Istanbul.

The former provided the technical details, like reflective sheens on track pants and bags, and the vintage-seeming, often slightly militaristic shtick (many pieces on first viewing, look like they came straight from the army surplus store); the latter, the scorched-earth palette of mustard brown, khaki, and terra-cotta red.

And for once, we could actually see most of these styles and combinations translating relatively easily from the catwalk to the sidewalk.

JSM

Marc By Marc Jacobs, 
01-11 Mandarin Gallery, tel: +65 6304 1376; 
02-09 Takashimaya Shopping Centre, tel: +65 6304 1375; 
Level 2 Isetan Scotts, tel: +65 6304 1393.
Follow the LXG on facebook

STYLE@LXG: The Panama

If you're spending a lot of the time in the great outdoors, or indeed you live close to the Equator, you're going to need something to protect your crowning glory from the sun.

You need a suitable piece of headgear - and one that still exudes an air of stylish manliness. 

Baseball caps are fine - in their own specific, laid-back setting. But if you are to maintain that gentlemanly air, just walking down the high street, or attending an afternoon business meeting, or indeed wining and dining your better half at an exquisite open-air eaterie - you've got to up the stakes and go for a much classier option.

There are really only two choices here – the panama and the boater. Both have connotations that put off most men, whether of The Man from Del Monte or the Chap from the Boarding School...

The classic Panama, as worn by The Man, is stark white with a navy blue ribbon. Very sharp, very smart. But if we want something a bit more casual – suitable to odd jacket and chinos rather than a white linen suit – we can change the ribbon to a more casual brown, café au lait or mossy green.

Then wear the hat suitably so that the body tends towards tan rather than cream. For it will cook slowly in the sun, darkening the colour. There are models that are already more of an off-white, but they tend to be made with coarser straw and take away too much of the elegance of a good panama. Plus the other advantage of wearing the hat in, is it will become personal: moulded to the shape of one’s skull and dented in line with one’s misuse of it. This too will remove the air of starched men in banana republics.

If it looks a little dry or liable to crack through overexposure to the sun, give it a spritz of water inside and out. This should be done with any panama after a month or so of use.

The finest panama (made of course in Ecuador, not Panama) is the Montecristo. It is the finest because the leaf has been split into the greatest number of strips, creating a particularly tight weave. It is this weave that makes it flexible and therefore rollable. However, if you desire a more casual panama hat, go for the cheaper model with the larger weave. Or, indeed, the cheaper folding model with the distinctive line across its crown where the hat is folded. Both options will scale back the formality of what has to be a dominant summer hat.

  Again, as previously stated, it does take a certain air of confidence to carry off a Panama. Don't feel overwhelmed by it, or apologetic and shy. Your accessories are what you make of them, so wear that Panama at a slight angle, and stroll along as if you're the only one walking down that street...    

JSM

LXG on Facebook

STYLE@LXG: Brogueism

Gentlemen, gentlemen, gentlemen – fashionista extraordinaire Jean Saint-Martin here with the first of my essential style guides for classic, man-about-town fashion that never goes out of style…

So let’s start with a number one necessity – you can’t stamp your footprint on life without a damn good pair of shoes – a pair that works as well in the city as it does out of town. Brogues are my recommendation: 

Appropriate with business attire, brogues look equally right with corduroys and jeans. What's more, the brogue, an oxford with perforations on the tip and border seams, started out as a heavy country shoe. This pedigree remains. Cap-toe Brogues are of heavier construction than most dress shoes. And this feature will also serve you well, should you be forced to kick the stuffing out of some boorish swine.

In the office, black brogues are king. Black pebble-grain brogues in particular look great with a grey suit. The wingtip brogue is great with a suit in a “winter cloth” – think heavier fabrics like flannel or tweed. If you’re wearing a slick, trim suit in a light cloth then a quarter brogue will do the trick. When it comes to picking your socks, never forget to match the colour of them to your trousers and not your shoes.

However, outside of the office or in creative industries, anything goes. Casual suits look amazing with a twist on the usual brogue - for a creative kick, choose an out-of-the-ordinary colour – like yellow brogues matched with a charcoal-grey flannel suit. Nice. Of course it does take a certain look and air of confidence to pull this off – so Mucho Mojo Muchachos!

With jeans, any colour of brogues will do but the perennial favourites are brown quarter brogues or wingtips. With a shirt and a blazer they add a sort of nonchalant casual sophistication that so many guys try to pull off but rarely get right. You’ll also score major style points with the ladays…

Brogues are the way to go – 'cos JSM said so!

‘Til next we meet…