…item. De Gemma, off of the Queen Street West Store. Typically I’m not a huge fanatic of leather items, but this one was a definite keeper (after my slip up with getting a plain white Coach wristlet with a barely-detectable logo seared into one side). Nude in colour, the wristlet is an incredibly soft exterior with a fully functional interior complete with cardholders and a zipped change compartment.

I’ll treasure it around my wrist, always.

Alas, gone are the days where I could roll out of bed and put on my favourite pair of jeans, my grungy ripped up sweater, and my rugged combat boots and stroll out the door carelessly. Now I roll out of bed, put on my nicely ironed button down, neatly pressed trousers, and freshly waxed lace-ups and stroll out the door looking like every other average joe out there.

It’s boring and I hate it.

I hate the lack of individuality in business casual and formal dress codes, but it’s something that I and every other corporate junkie out there has to live with. Women have it better though, at least you gals have a wide range of acceptable options. However, us guys are rather limited to our button downs, ties, and trousers (we can add a sweater in the winter, or a polo in the summer if we’re lucky).

So to unbore myself and to spice up the world I’ll be living in for a majority of my adulthood, I’m planning to add a little UMPH UMPH into my business casual wardrobe. Curious?

1. Trousers that wear like jeans, but aren’t jeans! My next buy? Some Robert Geller Maharadja trousers (see pictured). They are slim and almost jean like, but also something I can probably get away with wearing at work.

2. Cool as **** lace-ups. I’m tired of moccasins, I want some sleek lace ups to go with my slim trousers. I also want shoes that are well made, and youthful. Gonna check out ‘Premiata‘ or ‘N.D.C. Made by hand‘ as they’ll probably offer exactly what I’m looking for.

3. Edgy Jackets and outerwear. I prefer long classic jackets such as trench coats as imo they can be quite gangsta and can look beautiful with a suit/dress shirt/tie combination peaking out. Just bought a poly-coated one from Band of Outsiders that definitely does not resemble the one your grandpa used to wear.

Metro Pop Magazine was a bit of a mystery to me - I went to Chapters with the intention of finding another copy of Lula Magazine (which, since I’ve reported, has never surfaced on a bookshelf again for me), but came out with a copy of Z!nk Magazine and Metro Pop, totalling about $12.50 altogether.

My main motivator for buying Metro Pop was that it was sealed with a mysterious gift contained inside the pages. From my endless efforts to tilt and see what it was inside, I determined it was either a) A Swim Cap or b) Something inflatable because it looked like it had a valve.

And what was it?

Why, a friendly inflatable shoe from Onitsuka Tiger and TokiDoki of course! What an incredible promotion - I’ll forever keep my inflatable shoe. And I got so distracted, I haven’t even actually read the magazine (whoops).

> images are from..me! even the handwriting, yikes.

Fun with photos - expect more. Gem in nautical - dressing up.

> dress jacob boutique, belt - vintage

It’s no surprise that Gossip Girl returns on Monday, September 1, 2008 - I’m ecstatic to see what wardrobes the stylists have rummaged together (nothing like an abundance of designer all on one set). This picture reminds me of the Animorphs. Someone please tell me they remember that show/book series. Anyone? Ooookay.

You know the theme song, you probably don’t know the girls, and you know the idea of bringing back a show from the 90s that ran for 10 seasons proooooobably isn’t the BEST idea.

Regardless CWTV is keen on the remake for the late 2000’s, complete with Shenae Grimes of Degrassi: The Next Generation (I guess it’s a strategy to get someone who’s already done it on another series to…do it again).

Regardless, the NYLON photos look pretty rad. Shenae Grimes, AnnaLynne McCord and Jessica Stroup (who?) pose for this month’s issue of NYLON.

> images from nylon mag

So we’re being shallow and looking for a facelift. It looks a little bare but when you move into a new space it lacks coziness for a little while.

If you’re reading this now, congratulations - you matter most to me. Thanks for visiting, some really big stuff is happening (did someone say…big-awesometown-event?)

Stay stationary and watch me change.

Want to be a part of it? Email me mang.

PS: The comments are still there! They’re just little right now, right under the title. Come back, come back! I miss you all! :D

IKEA, you’ll love me for this.

Because I love you for this. The Grundtal has changed my life in that it’s no longer a disarray - rather than callously chucking my clothing on the floor and never again making eye contact with it, you’ve forced me to hang things up neatly.

ATTN: Fashionistas. Get one, it’ll make you sane.

That’s all!

My latest discover has been fredflare.com, and from that emerges this darling Paul Frank log backpack, complete with a miniature plush ax. Wear with your favourite flannel to complete the lumberjack look for fall.

If I didn’t look like a complete idiot, I’d sport it. Anddd..you?

> image from fredflare.com

Toronto upped their street fashion game in the heart of downtown - after visiting the Toronto Stussy store on Richmond Street, I was blindsided by the collaboration of Stussy and Neighborhood. The LA and Tokyo fashion brands teamed together to create a limited line of t-shirts, button up shirts, jeans, hats, accessories and even a shoe set with Nike.

Graphics used on the clothing take on the skater vibe of Stussy and the punk/biker vibe from Neighborhood. Group 1 items were released in June, Group 2 items in July and the final Group to end the releases were released this month, available around the world.

Keeping in line with the obsession of tattoo art on clothing (boggling where this trend was born), Boneyards hired on Jack Rudy to do a limited time collaboration.

Way to jump on the bandwagon Toronto, way to go.