For a long time, men have been expected to dress inconspicuously. Keep it to the staple navies and greys, anchor your outfit in one colour, and whatever you do, don’t out-dress your partner. The last one still rings true today (don’t do it, boys) but it’s fair to say that lots of guys on the menswear circuit are happy to be audacious with their sartorial decision-making, naysayers be damned.

You might hear a bit of yourself in that. You’ve possibly just bought a wicked loud print shirt that you want to introduce to the world, but you’re not sure how to go about it without earning a derisive nickname that’ll dog you even when your ashes are being sprinkled into the wind. Or maybe you are just a bit bored of the monochrome, single colour routine you’ve fallen into along the way. Nevertheless, variety is the key to a remotely-interesting life, and your clothes are no exception to this (hopelessly trite) platitude.

RELATED: These Are The Most Unforgivable Men’s Fashion Sins

Some guys love a bold print. Others wouldn’t touch them to save the lives of their beloved. Who knows who’s right. Either way, this guide will help you navigate the tricky world of loud prints, sans embarrassment. We’ve collected a (by no means exhaustive) selection of popular prints, alongside a few key pointers on how to include them in the rotation.

This is a selection of some, but not all, of the prints you can expect to find on the market.

Paisley

Although originally imported from Central Asia in the 18th century, this print derives its name from the township of Paisley, Scotland. During this period, local weavers produced shawls featuring the patterns they observed coming from India and Persia. It’s the teardrop or curled kidney bean pattern you see on old-guy vintage ties and at discount Persian rug stores. Frequently seen on accessories, but we’ve legit seen a paisley jacket recently (not that anyone was game enough to wear it).

Prince Of Wales Check

This popular pattern goes by glen plaid, glenurquhart check, and the Prince of Wales check. Whatever you call it, it’s usually associated with the sartorially gifted, rakish royal Edward VIII, who promoted the pattern as a young prince (although many say that’s where his talents ended). However, he certainly wasn’t the first person to make use of it, royal or otherwise. The Prince of Wales check is noticeable for its combination of two light and two dark checks with alternating stripes, intersecting to create an irregular but distinctive pattern.

Gingham Check

Although it nominally belongs to the big family of checked prints, gingham is actually derived from the Malayan word genggang, which means ‘striped’. These days, gingham shirts are an omnipresent feature in wardrobes and shop floors. Sometimes disparaged as the tablecloth check, the gingham print is pretty much the tomato sauce of menswear. Everyone probably has one stashed away somewhere.

Windowpane

Popular on suits, overcoats, and shirts, the windowpane check is distinguishable from its glenurquhart brethren simply because it features an evenly-patterned singular check across the fabric. Once again, the dashing Edward VIII – by that time the Duke of Windsor – was fond of this pattern on his jackets. He was in good company, however, and this print enjoyed some popularity in the 20th century. It’s made a bit of a resurgence, particularly on statement blazers and sports jackets.

Stripes

No one really agrees how stripes trickled down into the male wardrobe. Some say the motif was greedily plundered from historic sportswear. Others claim that English bankers were the progenitors of the style. Who knows. Today, striped patterns are famously associated with gangsters, Wall Street douchebags, and their various imitators. They also have a strong (and less douchey) affiliation with boating and other sports. Pin stripes are thinner than chalk stripes, although both are common in business wear. Bengal stripes are a common feature on men’s shirting – think the venerable Brook’s Brothers button down. There’s also an encyclopedia’s worth of the history of striped ties, which were used to denote affiliations to a regiment, tennis or golf club, or member’s only club.

Floral

Flower power hasn’t always attracted a male audience. In textiles, florals have enjoyed a rich history in East Asia, from which they were originally sold to European traders and replicated. Florals are often combined with cultural motifs or symbols, particularly on the camp-collar and bowling shirts that are hugely popular now. There’s still some lingering hesitation towards floral prints in masculine sartorialism. Plenty of blokes think its effeminate, emasculating, and so on. That’s essentially bullshit. We like to think there’s nothing more emasculating than letting the judgement of other people determine your style (unless it’s something disastrous like a floral jacket & shorts combo).

Camouflage

Like plenty of things originally conceived well outside the parameters of ‘farshun’, the art of concealment has been thoroughly reappropriated by designers on high-street who have no use for its original function. Soldiers have employing inventive methods to conceal themselves from adversaries for as long as history has been written.  However, the first widely-used camouflage pattern in modern warfare originated in Italy in the late 20’s. The rest of the world caught up shortly thereafter, although its use was primarily restricted to elite units. Although the trend has come and gone over the late 20th century, camouflage is still popular in urban streetwear. Recently, the odd camouflage tie or blazer has been observed in the wild.

Now that we’ve illustrated some of the key patterns doing the rounds, we’re going to set you up with a few simple tips on incorporating loud prints into your wardrobe and daily rotation.

Is it Setting-Appropriate?

As above, no, yes, no. First thing’s first. Does the event or occasion call for a loud print? Look for a dress-code stipulation on the invite. Ask a mate whose been to this sort of thing before. This is because some events are particularly stringent on what you can and can’t get away with. A black-tie soirée with stringent dress standards, for example, might see you ejected by the doorman if you rock up with a paisley bow tie. Is it an engagement party or wedding? No one likes the wanker who sartorially upstages the groom. Is it a funeral? I won’t bother explaining that one. Yacht party or debauched end of year bash? All bets are off. Loud print that shit to your heart’s content (just don’t look at the after-action snaps or look your boss in the eye ever again).

Less Is (Usually) More

If you’re going to bring a loud print to town, stick to just one. Combining prints is a tricky business, and few blokes have the nous to cash in. Employing a single loud print ensures that it becomes the centre point of your outfit, and doesn’t have to compete with other patterns elsewhere. You’re less likely to commit a faux pas if you exercise restraint. For example, a bold floral print bowling shirt is best paired with plain navy shorts in summer. Party up top, business down below (or something).

Pattern Marriage

…but if you can’t resist, keep a few general guidelines in mind before you start throwing caution to the wind and chucking loud prints together like it’s your last day on this good earth. The first and best rule is to ensure that the prints aren’t the same size. If they are, they’ll clash and give people a splitting headache. It’s like sartorial friction. Furthermore, limit your print salad to two, and no more. I’m yet to meet someone who has the time or sartorial instincts to make three prints work on a consistent, regular basis. Anything excessive looks like you’re trying to attract attention or are a bit of a clueless numpty. Either way it’s not much of a panty dropper.

Colours

This one is highly subjective, but related to the second point. A loud pattern generally looks best if the rest of the colours in your outfit are understated and neutral. Mild, neutral colours sit in the background while the print occupies the centre stage. You want to give the print space to do its thing. Too much colour can overcrowd your style and make you stand out (not in a good way). You can, of course, experiment with colours as you please. But if caution is your priority, then use a neutral selection to let the print stand on its own.

Loud Print Pointers

Don’t wear the same loud print on regular rotation. Too much of the same schtick, and you’ll become the ‘loud shirt’ or ‘statement jacket’ guy, instead of Tom, James, Baz, or whatever.

Do ensure that any prints you combine are different sizes. Don’t give your companions a migraine in a tragic attempt to break sartorial boundaries.

Don’t wear too many prints. One is fine. Two is bold. Three is reckless abandon and hard to pull off without looking like you’re having a quarter/mid/twilight life crisis.

Do man up and wear floral. Real men don’t let locker room banter determine their wardrobe (unless your mates are telling you to stop wearing fedoras, in which case, listen to them).

Don’t let the pattern wear you. If you don’t have the cojones to pull it off, leave it at home. Otherwise, be confident in your choice.

The post How To Wear Loud Shirts & Prints If You’re A Guy appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

It’s always fascinating to see athletes get really passionate about sports other than their own, or what they do to stay fit when they’re not competing.Michael Jordan famously retired from basketball in 1993 to pursue a short career in baseball, Kelly Slater is a surprisingly good golfer… Australia’s very own Ellyse Perry astounded the sporting world by debuting for both the national cricket team and the national football team in the same year and at the age of 16. Phew!Perhaps it’s not that surprising that world-class athletes are good at sports outside of their chosen discipline, but it’s still intriguing when it happens.Formula One drivers are perhaps the biggest dark horses when it comes to ‘backup sports’. People don’t tend to think of F1 drivers as athletes in the same way that other professional sportspeople are, but actually, they’re some of the fittest athletes on the planet – and when they’re not behind the wheel, they tend to surprise people with their skills.Case in point: McLaren driver and certified Aussie legend Daniel Ricciardo, who can putt like a pro and land three-pointers so effortlessly fans have suggested a career change.Ricciardo’s exploits inspired us to keep digging and see what other ‘backup sports’ the world’s best athletes like to dabble in and there was one consistently popular one: cycling. Yes, it seems as if many of our favourite sports stars love to cycle in their downtime, both for fitness and for fun.

DMARGE spoke exclusively with Finnish F1 driver Valterri Bottas – world #2 and Lewis Hamilton’s teammate at Mercedes – who, like his on-track rival Ricciardo, regularly ditches four wheels for two. Indeed, his love of cycling is reflected even in his choice of car:

“At the moment in Monaco [where he lives] I drive a Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 because I do quite a bit of cycling… so if I want to take the bikes somewhere, it’s nice to have an SUV.”

Considering Bottas could have his pick of any car in Mercedes’ expansive lineup, that he prioritises something he can fit his bikes in says a lot about how much he must love the sport. (He’s also dating Australian professional cyclist Tiffany Cromwell – more evidence of his passion for cycling…?)Another F1 driver who loves bikes is legendary French driver Alain Prost. Indeed, when the four-time Formula One Drivers’ Champion collaborated with Richard Mille on a signature watch model, they created a watch with a manual odometer because Prost wanted an easy way of keeping track how many kilometres he’s cycled when he’s on the go. Niche, but it goes to show how seriously ‘The Professor’ takes his hobby.But it’s not just F1 drivers who like to cycle. Tom Brady, the NFL’s brightest star and recently-minted seven-time Super Bowl Champion can be regularly spotted on a bike, as can Irish MMA champ and self-proclaimed ‘face of the fight game’ Conor McGregor, who recently completed an ocean voyage on water bikes with Princess Charlene of Monaco (herself an ex-Olympic swimmer) to raise money for charity. The connections keep on popping up, don’t they?RELATED: Conor McGregor’s Latest Fitness Craze Makes A Splash In Monaco

The NBA’s LeBron James might just be the biggest non-cyclist cycling fan, however. Bikes have always been important to ‘King James’, who in a 2018 Wall Street Journal shared how “everything I do comes from my childhood, from my growing up, and what I feel was part of my success… [cycling] represented freedom.”LeBron over the years is known for cycling to and from practice and has championed a number of charitable pursuits revolving around cycling. He used to hold an annual ‘Bikeathon’ in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, where he’d give out dozens of bikes. James also founded the I Promise School in Akron, which on top of providing uniforms, food for families and career placement services for students, it also gives them bikes and helmets. He certainly puts his money where his mouth is.RELATED: LeBron James Dares To Do What Few Men Can In ActivewearOther famous sporting figures who love a bit of two-wheel action include GOAT-status footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, who often jumps on both a road bike or a cycle machine in order to stay fit; tennis god and Australian Open favourite Rafael Nadal, who loves to cycle around his picturesque birthplace, the island of Mallorca; and bodybuilder/actor/politician Arnold Schwarzenegger, who can be regularly found cruising the streets of Los Angeles on a fat-tire bike.

Of course, not only is cycling incredibly enjoyable, but it’s an exceptionally good form of exercise. According to betterhealth.vic.gov.au, the benefits of regular cycling include increased cardiovascular fitness; increased muscle strength and flexibility; improved joint mobility, posture and coordination, plus it’s a great way to burn body fat. No wonder, then, that so many of the world’s top athletes are a fan.Inspired to get on a bike yourself? Check out our guide to the best cycling brands that’ll make you a Tour de France tour de force.

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The post 'Backup Sport' World's Top Athletes Secretly Love appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

White jeans aren’t just for sailors any more. Even the biggest denim addicts can swap out their beloved jeans for a pair of white pants and look totally rad in the process. They may seem like a specialty item, but white pants are actually surprisingly versatile – they can be dressed up or dressed down, paired with almost any other colour, and worn in all kinds of weather.

Here are four foolproof ways to wear white trousers…

White Trousers & A Shirt

A simple summertime combination is that of the classic white trousers, shirt and dress shoes. Here you can wear almost any colour shirt a either linen or cotton fabrics. Don’t stop a just bright colours, instead consider soft blues and pinks or try some unique fabric patterns from the likes of Gucci or Ferragamo. Finish the look with a belt and match the belt with a pair of loafers, espadrilles, derbys or even clean leather sneakers.

White Trousers & A Blazer

This more formal look sees white pants paired up with double monk strap shoes and a double breasted blazer. Blue blazers are a common favourite and easily paired with a blue t-shirt or shirt. If you prefer earthy tones then green or pinks / red blazers will also work nicely. with white trousers. Note the chic mix of colours: a light blue shirt, tan or cognac shoes, and a darker brown jacket. A black blazer will work too but we recommend wearing a black t-shirt or black shirt with this combination.

White Trousers & T-Shirt

White often feels like a formal colour, but it can easily be roughed up to become casual on-the-street wear. To take it down a notch, wear your white pants with a lowkey dark t-shirt and a favourite pair of worn-in footwear. Layer with a blazer or open shirt, and mix in accessories like a rubber watch strap or wooden beads. Just because your pants look pristine doesn’t mean the rest of the look has to. (Maybe skip the hat, it’s a bit nowhere.)

White Pants & Bright Colours

White is the ultimate neutral. In fact, the only thing you shouldn’t pair your white pants with is a white shirt. Too much of a good thing is never a good thing. Take a leaf out of Lapo Elkann’s book instead, and match your white pants with something bright, patterned, or otherwise eye-catching. Play up the contrast between the colours.

Five Shoes That Work Best With White Pants…

1. A brown loafer
2. A black derby
3. Espadrilles
4. A navy blue leather sneaker
5. A brown monk strap

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The post How To Wear White Pants & White Trousers If You’re A Guy appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Byron Bay is a hippie-surfer-wellness alterna-lifestyle destination. It’s also Australia’s answer to Silicon Valley. A community of like-minded creatives, selling authenticity to the masses.Authenticity and headstands.Speaking of: a photo recently uploaded to Instagram is probably the most Byron Bay scene you’ll see in 2021. Posted by @lordsofbyronbay, it depicts a man doing a headstand next to a shortboard, and a woman doing a downward dog next to a longboard.

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There is another woman carrying a nose rider mal on her head in the background. A man called @twlyf is tagged.Welcome to The Pass.Comments next to the post included: “Surfing the source man… swear to god,” “Upside down brah,” and “Hipsters are funny!”

“Paddles out.. next minute ‘why am I at Clarke’s'”

Though most were dismissive of the man’s attempts to align his chakras (“Warming up for what? Most likely 2 ft and crowded AF”), one commenter came to his defence, citing a practical need for such antics: “[If you] wanna surf the pass on a pro model thruster like that bloke you need be warmed right up.”Our take? He’s certainly grounded. Also, when did it become a crime to do yoga on the beach?Oh and, the image reveals an embarrassing truth about modern Australian culture. We’re so over the antics of The Truly Insincere and ‘Kardashian Culture’ that we are just a little too keen to tear down anyone who does anything a little out of the box.

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This is not the first time Byron Bay has been mocked. @lordsofbyronbay have made a habit of posting posturing incidents (see above) on their page, and no one can forget the time Vanity Fair went to town on The Hinterland’s micro-influencer industry.“In this young, mostly white, ahistorical, neoliberal utopia of the imagination, anyone can go anywhere,” Vanity Fair quipped in 2019.Since then, The Byron Bay Effect has only become more pronounced, as has the reaction to it (both from locals and outrage seeking tabloids). Even satirical paper Betoota Advocate has weighed in.

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The upshot? Though being ‘hinterland adjacent’ used to be something to brag about (“Yeah, I did 6 months in Byron”), it’s almost becoming something to be ashamed of. Keyword being almost, with a DMARGE correspondent recently heading up the coast to investigate the charms of the lifestyle (he’s yet to come back).As for the future: no longer is Byron Bay a sleepy oasis of hippies – it’s now full of celebrities, influencers, Sprinter Vans, Land Rovers, Melburnians with “ironed jeans,” British backpackers and Sydneysiders. With the work from home and van life revolutions in full swing, this doesn’t look like changing any time soon.There’s stuff wrong with the changes, but irony in them too (see: “The Awkward Truth About Byron Bay’s ‘Local’s Only’ Attitude”).Not content with elbowing in on the local scene, many newcomers are intent on co-opting it too, playing at being a hippie, learning to surf, milking their own almonds, etc.Though some locals are happy to share the ~chill~, others are over it.RELATED: Most Bondi Photo Ever Sums Up Australian Cafe Culture In 2021As one Byron Bay resident wrote last month in the comments of surf website BeachGrit, “It’s… a sad thing to watch a town we loved be subsumed into parody.”“I just came back from riding my fresh 9’9″ at Wategos, a pintailed & rockered wildcat of a thing that Ed Sinnot made me for Christmas, purpose shaped for navigating the marauding peaks out off the Cape, one of the very few spots you can avoid the c*ntery that seems to have washed over Byron in the last 6 months.”“You can’t avoid the c*ntery in the carpark though, I was no shit squashed into my car park by 3 fuckers in Black SUV’s, I had one at both nose and tail and one on my wing waiting for me to move so he could gobble up my park, I felt both outraged and intimidated, black SUV’s are no doubt designed to intimate, the vehicle of choice for the master race.”

“The carpark felt like a parable for the Byron housing market.”

“There was a time, not so long ago, that it was considered an uncouth act to drive a luxury vehicle in the Byron Shore. I used to joke that the secret to success around here was to have lots of money but pretend that you didn’t. Dave from Pighouse Flicks drove a convertible Rolls Royce with a 9’5″ in the passenger seat, but I’m fairly sure that he was being ironic. Now the Black SUV is the new surf van, Byron is long past trying to hide wealth, now it’s a matter of letting it all hang out.”“There’s still a lot of legends that live around here, salt of the earth folk that have been doing it real for generations, but the fresh waves of nouveau rich are gobbling Byron up faster than it can rebirth itself, I’m sensing it’s for the dogs, like many others who have been here for a generation, I’m deftly crafting my exit strategy.”The author of that article summed Byron in 2021 up well, writing: “Byron is Abu Dhabi with cafes and warm-water peelers instead of air-conditioned malls. Euro-babes and Brazilian studs do the coolie labour instead of South Asians.”“It’s a monument to greed wearing a spiritual cloak. A glittering dream metastasized into a malignant nightmare. The bastard spawn of unhinged neoliberalism and grinning hippy capitalists running riot in an orgy of aimless consumption in the spiritual supermarket.”

“No other place on earth is so falsifiably mytho-poetically rhapsodized over by post-modern knowledge workers…”

“It’s a town more status obsessed and class conscious than Victorian England, more wealth inequality exists than at any time since the Vanderbilts and Rockefellers strode the boardwalks of Manhattan.”RELATED: ‘Humble’ Photo Smashes Stereotype ‘Sydney Has No Culture’ “Surfing is just the latest accoutrement. A kind of necessary flag to wave that shows peers that you are doing life right.”There’s your evening dose of cynicism, served hot.

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The post 'Most Byron Photo Ever' Highlights Australia's Changing Coastal Culture appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Australia’s property mania might be the only thing more contagious than The Spicy Cough.First, it was just Sydney where things were overheated. Then the blight spread down south to Melbourne and Hobart. Now it seems even regional Australia is being affected by insane levels of speculation.Last year DMARGE reported on a bizarre property sale in the Blue Mountains: a dilapidated rural shack in a fire zone that still managed to net over $150,000 at auction. Spending that much money on a literal rusty tin shack was and remains ridiculous… But it seems that it’s only the tip of the iceberg.Half a year later and another tin shack with a crazy asking price has come across our radar, this time on NSW’s South Coast. Meet 24 Grant St Broulee: with an asking price of $3.25 million, it’s the most expensive shack in Australia, according to realestate.com.au.

A fisherman’s shack that hasn’t hit the market in almost half a century, the property can most generously be described as ‘minimal’ – although it’s leagues better than that aforementioned Blue Mountains dive, boasting two bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom, a garage and a shed, with running water and mains power.But the value isn’t in the structures on the property, it’s the land itself. You know what they say: location, location, location. And what a location it is. The views are spectacular, an expansive ocean view with Broulee Island proudly on display. The property is only a short walk down to the beach, too, yet has easy road access. There’s even a tiny petrol station and supermarket/bottle shop just on the other side of the road – talk about convenient.RELATED: ‘Shagged’ Brisbane Apartment Could Be Australia’s Biggest Missed Opportunity24 Grant St is actually a 2,000 square metre property, so if you didn’t want to keep the shack, you could take full advantage of the site and build something fantastic. That’s if you still had anything left in the piggy bank after spending that $3.25 million…

Of course, it’s not a good thing that even a property as basic as this – ocean views aside – is going for such an insane amount of money. Aussies in regional Australia are increasingly finding themselves priced out of local markets as the property bubble continues to expand, with a shocking number of people being forced to live in their cars.

The gentrification debate is always a fraught one, but it’s one that’s never been more relevant as the entire economy (and world) is still coming to grips with the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. These overheated property prices are more than just a novelty to be laughed at – they’re a cautionary tale.

Still, if you’re in the market for a beachside getaway, you can find out more about 24 Grant St here.

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The post Humble Shack's Crazy Asking Price Yet Further Evidence Of Australia's Property Market Insanity appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Dubai has become a popular spot for tourists, especially Europeans, to escape winter (and strict COVID-19 restrictions) and loll in the sun.Though things look loose though (to the point where CNN Travel reports “take a passing glance at Dubai, and you may think life is back to normal”) as tens of thousands of visitors have made the trip in recent months, “the virus inevitably caught up with the city despite precautions aimed at limiting its spread.”

“Cases began to rise, nearly quadrupling since November,” (CNN Travel).

Instagram, however, still shows a laissez-faire paradise, in the throes of a peak year-end season of sin.

 

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Reality may soon hit, however.Gulf News yesterday reported that a private yacht party in Dubai was busted by police for violating mask-wearing and social distancing rules, with attendees fined 50,000 dirhams (AU $17,743) each. The licence of the yacht operator was suspended for a month.

لمخالفة الإجراءات الاحترازية والتدابير الوقائية، شرطة دبي بالتعاون مع “دائرة السياحة” تضبط وتحرر مخالفات بقيمه 50 الف درهم لعدة أشخاص أقاموا حفلة خاصة في يخت تجاري من دون الالتزام بالتباعد الاجتماعي وارتداء الكمامات، وتم ايقاف رخصة الجهة المشغلة لليخت لمدة شهر. pic.twitter.com/jG3Af8eKfk

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) February 7, 2021

Indian Express yesterday reported that Dubai has imposed fresh COVID-19 restrictions amid criticism over a surge in cases.Criticism has come from both ends, with travellers returning to their home countries coming under the microscope too. Travel shaming of this sort has been seen all over the world.Danish tourist Emma Mathilde explained to CNN Travel: “In Europe, everyone is locked at home, it’s cold and it’s gray. Dubai is the only place you can travel to, so everyone is going there. It’s sunny, you can go out to eat, and that’s why people get furious over why they have to stay home when other people are enjoying their lives.”“With a recent UK travel ban effectively cutting off what had in recent weeks become the world’s busiest airplane route, Dubai’s openness is clearly facing external challenges,” CNN Travel reports.

 

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“That said, the emirate is determined to keep its tourism-reliant economy in business, and officials are unfazed about the recent bad press, confident that levels of compliance with Covid-19 precautions have so far been in keeping with expectations,” (CNN Travel).Helal Saeed Al Marri, director general of Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, told CNN Travel, “If we ask everybody to change their behaviour 100%, it’s very unlikely to get full compliance. In our case, we’ve asked people to tweak their behaviour, to learn to live in the new normal, and people have embraced that.”

“If you walk in the street in Dubai, people are wearing masks. If someone isn’t wearing a mask, it won’t be the authorities that tell them to put a mask on, it’ll be a passerby, because that’s the way we’ve learned to live within this Covid era.”

Another theory is that Dubai’s rise in cases could actually be down to residents, not tourists. As CNN Travel reports, “The city’s population is made up of around 85% expatriates, many of whom either visited home in December or attended local Christmas or New Year gatherings as a substitute for cancelled trips back to see their families.”

 

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Either way: Dubai authorities will now need to strike a balance between safety and profits.

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The post Dubai Pays High Price For Peak Year-End 'Season Of Sin' appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

While many people consider the NBA to be the most stylish professional sports league in America, the well-heeled players of the NFL certainly give the ballers a run for their money.Case in point: Odell Beckham Jr. The Cleveland Browns wide receiver is one of the most stylish men in the NFL; a charismatic and consistently crisp dude who’s known for rocking fashion-forward brands like Chrome Hearts and his passion for expensive Nike sneakers, as well as his ability to pull off a suit like nobody’s business.Like his fellow NFL style icon Cam Newton, OBJ marches to the beat of his own drum, an admirable character trait that’s been brought into focus with his latest fashion flex.Last Friday, OBJ shared a candid shot of himself to Instagram where you can see a solid gold Richard Mille RM07-01 sitting on his wrist. OBJ’s got a few ‘Millies’ in his collection – including a RM 56-02 Tourbillon Sapphire worth over 2 million USD – but this gold number might just be the most interesting.Why? Because it’s actually a ladies’ watch.

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The RM07-01 stands out among Richard Mille’s expansive collection of high-end timepieces because it’s the only one RM has ever made that’s available with a Cuban link bracelet – which is what we assume drew OBJ to the model. The man does like his chains…That such a macho dude like OBJ would defy the commonly-held prejudice against men wearing women’s watches speaks volumes about the direction the watch world is headed. Firstly, it proves that men are becoming more open-minded about the types of watches they were, not constraining themselves to a simple label. Which is a good thing: if you like something, wear it, who cares what anyone else thinks?RELATED: Football Superstar Neymar Jr. Demonstrates Why More Men Should Wear Women’s ShoesSecondly, it’s emblematic of how the watch fashion cycle is heading towards smaller watches after years of bigger watch sizes being in vogue. Watch sizes were much smaller in the 90s – so it’s somewhat fitting that as 90s fashion has enjoyed a renaissance in the last half-decade, a 90s taste in watches is also coming back.Speaking of the NFL, Super Bowl LV is currently in full swing with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers squaring off at the Buc’s home field in Florida. ABC News is running a live blog if you can’t get to a TV.

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The post Odell Beckham Jr Kickstarts ‘Controversial’ Watch Trend Men Should Pay Attention To appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Throw your preconceptions in the wok; veganism and ‘foodie’ culture may not be as at odds as you once thought. By ancient logic, the two should be enemies, but by modern logic, there’s nothing stopping them from buddying up like red wine and spaghetti.As CNN Travel reports, “The Michelin Guide has awarded one of its coveted stars to a French vegan restaurant for the first time.”

“ONA, which stands for Origine Non Animale or Non-Animal Origin, has been handed the accolade in the newest edition of the long-running culinary guide.”

ONA is located in a small village called Arès, near Bordeaux. It is the first vegan establishment to ever appear in the Michelin Guide to France. The guide has been going since 1900.54 restaurants have earned a Michelin star for the first time during this year’s update. On that note: Michelin said a “key takeaway from the 2021 selection is the continued spread of diverse styles of cuisine across France.”

“At ONA … vegan cuisine takes center stage for the first time in a restaurant to win a Star in France.”

The award may also signal something of a shift in French attitudes towards food. As Forbes reports, “Most French vegetarians and vegans will tell you that it’s not easy avoiding meat in France, the land of culinary savoir faire, although the situation is changing somewhat. Increasingly, vegetarian options can be found across the country–since 2018, schools have been legally required to offer vegetarian or vegan options one day per week.”

An incredible signal (among many more) that plant-based dining is not a marketing niche or micro-trend, but rather is on a stable, long term upward trajectory. https://t.co/lJfYI6OKEX

— Matthew Hayek (@matthewhayek) February 1, 2021

ONA was opened by self-taught chef and former archaeologist Claire Vallee, and prides itself on a seven-course evening menu priced at 59 euros (AU $93). Specialties include: yellow zucchini ravioli with black truffle gnocchi and a Swiss chard ballotine with vegetable ricotta.

 

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A post shared by ONA by Claire Vallée (@ona33740)

“It is because you believed in me, in this crazy bet beyond my doubts, my anxieties, my fears but also thanks to our common work throughout these last four years, that today we obtained our first STAR in the MICHELIN GUIDE,” Vallee wrote on the restaurant’s website.“You carried me, you trusted me, nothing was won, on the contrary, and you knew it! And yet you have never stopped believing in me. I am so proud of us, of our tenacity, our responsiveness, our mutual support. There is so much to say, so many thanks to give, so much emotion, the head is spinning, the fingers are shaking and the heart is beating ready to break! Words are no longer strong enough to express to you all that I am feeling at this moment.”“But THANKS to you my team, my suppliers, friends, family, clients, advice, loan helpers, crowdfunders and our little ants. THANKS to the very laudatory Press which made us known through articles, radio or visual broadcasts but also to all the actors of the Arcachon Basin who rewarded us during competitions. And a very big THANK YOU to the Michelin Guide and its inspectors who placed their trust in us by highlighting our work, our commitment and our desire to express ourselves through a different cuisine.”“We will continue on this path because this star is mine, it is yours, it is that of the impossible, it is the one that definitively brings Vegetable Gastronomy into the closed circle of French Gastronomy and Global…There are adventures beyond codes, time and space, nascent alchemy, realizations and extraordinary stories where magic can finally interfere.”

“Follow your dreams!”

Though vegans have been lambasted by the likes of the late Anthony Bourdain for their ‘Hezbollah’ like rejection of Everything That Tastes Good, and as virtually zero civilisations have ever existed which didn’t exploit animals (leading to the idea; vegan food can never be ‘cultural’), speaking to a number of top chefs and world-renowned foodies last year, DMARGE was told a dish doesn’t have to be old to be cultural.RELATED: Why Parisians Will Never Understand America’s Obsession With Low Carb DietingBen Groundwater, an Australian travel columnist and host of Traveller’s podcast Flight Of Fancy, told DMARGE, “If a country or a city has begun embracing veganism in a real and organic way, going to that place and eating that food is most definitely a cultural experience. It’s just not traditional.”

“To me, culture is the here and now, it’s what people are interested in, what they’re eating and what’s popular right now. If a food scene has a history of innovation, which it does in, say, the Basque Country of northern Spain, then I would consider a movement towards veganism a very real part of that culture that travellers would want to experience.”

Gary Prebble, the owner of Bistro St Jacques told DMARGE the same: though (by definition) ‘new-age’ food can’t be considered traditional, that doesn’t mean it can’t be cultural.RELATED: Italian Chef Reveals The Subtle Signs You’re Outside A Tourist TrapFor Mr Prebble, a “groundbreaking dish” has “a special combination of elements including flavour, texture, aroma and taste that leaves a lasting impression.”Though some chefs have voiced their doubts over the degree to which it is possible to create top-notch food without “blood and spatter”, Matt Preston, award-winning food journalist, restaurant critic and TV personality told DMARGE, in his view, ‘cultural’ dishes can be created with both vegan and non-vegan food (and that there’s more to vegan food than air-fried tofu from Coles).

“I would argue that India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan are awash with dishes that are culturally valued or adored above their role in nutrition. Whether that’s mustard oil in potato mash with green chilli and coriander in Bangladesh or daal in India (and elsewhere).”

“Chase the ingredient and you find dishes that take on huge significance all over the world – like hummus or ful medames in the Middle East.”As French lawyer and gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin once said in the 1800s: “The discovery of a new dish confers more happiness on humanity, than the discovery of a new star.”Long live innovation.

Read Next

• Forgotten Memoir By Anthony Bourdain Reveals The Secret To Good Dining
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The post Surprising Michelin Star Award Marks New Direction For French Culinary Culture appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Whether it’s because your boss has finally stopped wearing suits or you’re going somewhere upmarket in town, learning to mix and match separates is a worthwhile skill to have on your sartorial CV.

As business workplaces becomes more casual and the lounge suit continues to fall into disfavour, shedding the suit and mixing up separate jackets and trousers is becoming an exercise with which more and more men are becoming familiar.

However, it’s not quite as simple as grabbing your favourite suit jacket and a pair of chinos and hoping for the best. But like any part of men’s fashion, all it really requires from you is observance of a few basic rules.

Here, we’ve simplified the separates game. It’s not too hard, gents, and definitely not the most important thing you’ll do with your week (we hope).

Get Your Patterns Right

Wearing separates should encourage you to be bolder than you would be in the office. It’s more than fair to incorporate patterned separates when most of your wardrobe is plain navy or charcoal, but some small caveats apply.

Sure, no one wants to look like they leapt out of a department store catalogue. But going the other way (i.e., peacocking) is probably more ruinous for your closely-guarded reputation in the long term. Stick to one big pattern. For example, a windowpane check jacket over plain trousers.

Keep the rest of the story as simple as possible. Too much on the pattern front says suggests you’re a bit clueless or trying too hard. But if you are feeling a bit of reckless abandon, you can combine patterns by remixing different sized shapes.

Our guide on how to do prints will tell you everything you need to know.

Colour Rules

The classic two-piece suit is a reliable source of anxiety management for most guys – it does most of the colour arrangement work for them. Separates aren’t so simple.

First up, avoid colours that are too close, such as navy and a softer blue. Doing this creates the impression that you’re trying (and failing) to produce a close match up. But don’t go too far the other way. Too many colours can be visually overwhelming and create a sartorially confused impression that won’t

Stick to one colour as an anchor and build the rest around that. For example, a navy herringbone blazer with a white shirt and cream pants. Or, a brown tweed blazer and indigo jeans. This is a solid base for you to experiment with varying shades depending on your skin tone and the season.

Lastly, and your mileage may vary on this one, but we’d recommend avoiding black with separates. It’s a harsh colour in daylight, and tends to clash against most colours. Stick to dark blues and greys initially, paired with a neutral.

Pick A Texture

As remodelled country attire, sports jackets were historically made in coarser weaves both to distinguish them from their city brethren and to enable men to dress more informally.

This is still mostly true today. Generally, jackets with pronounced texture are less formal than plainly woven garments. This is something to consider if you’re worried about dress code stipulations on an event invite.

Additionally, you should think carefully about sports jackets that are finely woven or shiny. These have an annoying tendency to resemble stranded suit jackets that have lost their bottom half along the way. Even worse, you might look like a stingy bastard trying to make do with your corporate Monday-to-Friday kit.

If you do end up wearing separates in a fine fabric, make sure the rest of your outfit carries the effect. For example, a finely woven wool-silk-linen blazer with superfine merino wool trousers.

Match Accessories & Footwear

Here’s where you can have a bit more fun. Due to the underlying informality of wearing separates, you can spruce up your kit with small details.

These will help produce a point of difference from your everyday working outfits (and give you an excuse to showcase those suspect stocking fillers that haven’t left the wardrobe yet). Whether that’s a floral pocket hankie, suede belt, or lapel pin, you have more flexibility to experiment compared to the office.

Just don’t over-accessorise like you’re an #menswear ‘influencer’ – pick one or two little additions and leave it at that. Don’t wear more bling than your better half.

Your choice of footwear with separates is much more generous – no such thing as ‘no brown in town’ with a casual blazer and pants. Loafers should be at the top of your list. Chocolate brown (tassels optional) works with most colours and levels of formality.

Chelsea boots aren’t far behind, especially for winter, and can be dressed up or down easily. If you’re feeling bold, luxe white sneakers can give you a crisp overall look (just don’t wear them to the club).

Separates Do’s and Don’ts

Do invest in staple colours first

You get more mileage out of navy and grey than salmon pink or aqua (and won’t look like a #menswear Instagram tosser).

Don’t overdo pattern combinations

Pick one, run with it, and avoid the temptation to dandify your way into the silent mockery of your peers.

Do play with texture

The whole point of separates is to explore options you don’t have access to with a lounge suit. But try to keep the textures in the same family. No s150 superfine merino jackets with thick herringbone pants.

Don’t wear your work jacket with casual chinos

Buy a sports coat you cheap bastard.

Do think about having a seasonal rotation

Linen or cotton for summer and wool for winter. It’ll prolong the life of your garments and limit discomfort during climatic extremes.

Don’t try to incorporate every trend or accessory you have into your outfit

It’s better to sit on the understated end, than look like you’re a castaway from Fashion Week.

The post How To Wear Wearing Suit Separates For Men appeared first on DMARGE Australia.