Another year down leading us to the beginning of another and a fresh start. My first year of blogging has been an experience, to say the least. I had some learning moments along the way and know I still have so much to learn and experience to gain with this adventure. As with all new things, it takes trial and error to find out exactly where you want these learnings to take you.
While we begin to make New Year resolutions and set goals for the New Year, it’s important to look back and reflect on the previous year and all that has been accomplished and learned. I like to think of every experience as an opportunity to grow- we are either feeling accomplished because we were successful or we we have learned from something that didn’t go the way we planned. Both experiences, the successes and the opportunities are important to reflect upon. 2017 offered lots of accomplishments but also just as many opportunities for me to learn and grow. One area I have felt success while also feeling like I still have a lot to learn is this exact platform. I have always been interested in photography and men’s fashion, so I decided to put some structure to my hobbies and created My West Edge. This has become a place for me to start sharing my sense of style, expand my photography and express myself through writing. The goal this year is that everything I learned in 2017 will set me up to be more successful in 2018.I am excited to see what this year brings and cannot wait for the new adventures that lie ahead.
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I don’t know about you, but I tend to have trouble finding that special gift for the person who is the most supportive, caring, and loving in my life- my mom. That’s right, it's Mother’s Day in a few weeks and I am having trouble finding the right gift for this wonderful and amazing person. It also doesn’t help that she is already stylish and has a very particular taste when it comes to fashion and accessories, which is why this makes things a little challenging.
Luckily I partnered up with JORD Watches to find that perfect gift! Now before I gift this new Frankie series in the sandalwood color, I had to borrow it for a little photo shoot and review. JORD offers an array of unique men’s and women’s watches in a variety of styles, colors, face shapes and sizes. I cannot get over this Frankie series in terms of how stylishly modern, crazy detailed and yet very simple and sleek. They make beautiful watches out of wood that are not only unique, but look cool. I have purchased a few watches in my day and I just love the wood finish that gives it a rugged but clean look. JORD was awesome enough to create a contest for my followers and readers! Every person that enters has a chance to win $100 E Gift Card to purchase there very own JORD watch! But wait there is more, since only one of you can win everyone else that enters the contest gets a $25 E Gift Code just for entering!! This will end May 14th, 2017 so make sure to enter by clicking HERE! To see more: My JORD Watch Men’s JORD Watches Woman’s JORD Watches Even though the sun is shining, the Pacific Northwest is just not letting go of winter. To try and encourage this weather out, I have been running errands with these two jackets. This bomber navy base with brown leather sleeves is my go to. I know it has those fall colors but it also works well with the earth tones that everyone is raving about for spring. The second one takes a classic, timeless piece and adds some spice. The denim jacket is a must have for the chilly spring mornings and evenings. The white leather sleeves brighten up your outer layer to allow you to add light or dark base layers. These two are going to be my weekend warrior jackets.
My very first client as a personal stylist!! I am so excited to share my style and vision for fashion with other people. There is honestly nothing better than helping someone look and feel better about themselves just by picking out a couple of things that make them feel more confident. The feeling when seeing them light up, that “oh dang I look good” smile and mini chuckle is something I truly enjoy seeing in others. Not only am I helping others organize their closets and add some style to their wardrobe, but also bringing out their confidence and helping them see themselves in a more positive light. My first client, Erik, was hoping to get some ideas as to how he can dress himself better with the clothes he currently has, as well as, how to style them together differently. He also wanted to put together some outfits that he would be able to wear to work and head straight out to meet up with friends for drinks. Being in Seattle, you do run into a lot of tech companies that supply you with lanyard name-tags, polo’s tucked into jeans and white dad kicks. Everyone knows the tech guy starter kit. Thankfully, Erik was a few levels above that look. We had a chance to go through his clothes and get a base of what he wears now. This allowed me to see what our limits were with colors, patterns and cuts. After we made some room in the closet by getting rid of baggy, washed out and not flattering colors, it was time to make a list of what we needed. After we sorted through his current wardrobe, I decided that Erik needed some sharp dress shirts, casual shirts, and maybe a couple of things out of his comfort zone. He had a great base of blues, greys and blacks but needed some color and a couple of items that would add flare. Another thing he requested was some new dark denim jeans to either dress up or down with outfits. Finally, we wanted to take a look at some lightweight jackets/ outer layers to keep with the theme of adding some spice to the new look. Voila! We were able to update Erik’s look and style! As you can see, we added some patterned shirts with bold colors, which elevated his current, base-colored pallet. I personally love the sharp red check and small print blues. With these shirts, he can dress them up for work while also running to get happy hour at the local spot after hours. I wanted to add bold colors with Erik because he does have a very pale and delicate skin tone- I didn’t want his clothes to wash him out.
We also found out that Erik was buying size large in shirts and he thought that all shirts are the same. Just by asking questions and having me there as a confidant, we were able to fit him in the different sizes he needed based on the type of shirts we found. We had another break through with jean size- thinking that all jeans fit the same. We found out his true size and were able to get these clean Banana Republic travelers jeans. These are such a great fit, I had to get a pair myself. We ended with a bonus pick up with this Zara bomber jacket. This jacket will keep him stylish for the remaining winter weeks. Hope you enjoyed this as much as I did! If you or someone you know needs an upgrade to their style or just someone who enjoys helping others become more comfortable with their style, you now have someone that can help. We are approaching that time of year where the sun starts to peek through the winter snowy clouds and start shining down some rays. But don’t start digging out those shorts and t-shirts just yet. There’s still some time before we get in our board shorts and floral print button ups. Lately, I have been addicted to this blazer. Very functional to wear to work and transitions great to evenings out- also a great top layer for those chilly mornings or late city nights. I love pairing the bright grey of the blazer with darker pieces and it’s such a flexible piece, it can be layered with sweaters or shirts for a more relaxed look.
I decided to dress it up a bit since we had another gorgeous day here in the city. I went with Banana Republic dress shoes, a classic, clean look. The navy slacks from J. Crew offset the bright top. A crisp clean dress shirt, but not just any plain white, adds a bit of flare with the polka dots, matched with a blue stripe-patterned tie, both from Express. So you can see how all these pieces work well with the recent weather boosting people’s mood and makes it easy to add some brighter colors to your outfits. This is just one look I love with this blazer. I Hope you liked the look and feel free to make it your own! Football season is over, and all those Sundays with the boys, out at the bars, rooting for your team, have come to an end. Time to make it up to the special one in your life. No matter what I have planned, I enjoy dressing up. It just shows my loved one that I took the extra time, not only to plan the evening, but that I also put some extra thought into my outfit.
Since my special someone will most likely read this post, I came up with this outfit to give you all some inspiration- I’ll share what I actually wear later, so I don’t spoil it for her. Here in Seattle we are expecting cold, rainy and snowy weather. This makes it a hard to escape the typical rain jacket and go-to sweaters. I’ve decided to go with a black suit jacket and slim black jeans. Now I know I didn’t keep it all suited up, but I just really like the cut of these jeans. They are slim and sleek and not too baggy or straight like some suit pants. Then I added some color with the floral pattern shirt that gives this outfit some flare. Since its Valentines day and all, I went with a pink floral shirt. I matched this shirt with a Hugo Boss, iridescent red, blue, and purple stitched tie. This tie blends the darkness of the black suit and the brightness of the shirt that makes it softer to the eye. The vest is definitely optional, but a great way to look slimmer in the midsection, if you happen to tuck in your shirt. I went with some black Chelsea boots to tough through the rain but also ties in the whole suit up look you see. Key tip; shoes, belt and watch band should always match colors. Reason why: it completes the look and shows you put the time to color coordinate and blend well. The finishing touch to this look is a classic gold watch with a black leather band. A watch is a wonderful accessory to complete an outfit. It is also the classy way to keep time, rather than look at your phone, when on a date. Hope you enjoyed this outfit and hope you can WOW your date or meet that special someone looking and feeling good. Men’s Fashion Week in Europe is heating up the winter and autumn styles and latest trends. Unfortunately I am not well known in the fashion world and have to search and scroll around just like the rest of us, but someday I will be able to explore the world a bit more freely. At least that's the goal. I figured for those of you that are following my blog and instagram @west_edge you would like to see the hot trends and what to look for when you go shopping next. This is a great way for me to share with you my taste and style that I prefer and hope this gives you some interest in sprucing up your closet this season. My fashion stomping ground is London, Pitti Uomo in Florance, Milan, and Paris street style for the latest and greatest. As you noticed I mentioned street style, reason why I am avoiding any catwalk looks and runway shows becuase I believe the real clothes and styles are out in the streets showcasing actual menswear you could find, buy and wear comfortably and confidently. But it also gives you a very natural candid look at how the clothes function and move in the everyday life. London has moved on from rock'n roll leather, punk colors and spikes to more of a classic gent in a three piece suit with a modern twist. Noticing a lot of long pea coats and wool layers. I’d say the look of a professor by day and James Bond by night. Loving the gray and navy colors as the base with some accent colors to add your own personal touch. Pitti Uomo, Florence is getting down and dirty. What I mean by that is I’m seeing a lot of cream, brown, coffee colors from base layers all the way to accents. It’s a color that I haven’t thought of wearing because it made me feel like I’m putting on my grandfather’s old suit from the 70's. But I have seen some that 70's show style around the stores and streets, just another classic looks for the modern man. Winter and autumn already have these naturally tones so why wouldn’t you want to bring those to your wardrobe. Milan is keeping it classy with navy suits and long cream coats. Nothing out of the ordinary for Italians to host perfectly tailored suits. But I did notice some mixtures of leather jackets and baggy oversized sweaters. I am digging the blend of a perfectly tailored suit that has been muffled down with a new age swag. It just gives you variety in going to work well dressed but not feeling too stuffy with friends later that evening. Out of all of these I am surprised with Paris. Its my first time looking into Mens fashion week so deeply and never would have thought that Paris is in its own world. A lot more relaxed and urban wear matched with suit vests and smoke jackets. There always has to be one wild card and Paris is it. Bright colors and clashy patterns somehow work well together to create some real street styles you can rock year round. Just feeling comfortable in your own skin and exploring some different patterns and colors. I hope you like the looks I picked out. If you want to see all of the photos from these places go check them out at www.gq-magazine.co.uk. All photos that I used were taken by Robert Spangle. I might have to put some of these looks together and share with you all, bringing the European style to the PNW.
Here in Seattle we love our grays and blacks, usually because that's a reflection of the gloomy weather we're having this time of year. This year however, with snow in the city I find myself inspired by Christmas spirit and the chill in the air to expand my color choices with some icy blues. I based this look on what I imagine a countryside Englishmen would wear while taking on the town, simple and classic. For my shirt choice I set the winter themed palette with a lighter blue long sleeved woven @jcrew. Black jeans are a staple for any outfit whether you're going for business, casual or trend so I selected my @zara skinnies for this look.
We love our layers in Seattle so I had to add one of my go-to quilted jackets tying in a darker shade of blue accented with suede elbow patches for a vintage twist. Carrying on a suede theme I finished the look with some of my favorite @bananarepublic suede oxfords. Seattle and suede are a tough pair but nothing completes a look like a clean shoe. Get the look: J. Crew shirt ZARA jeans Banana Republic boots It’s that time of year, where everyone gets together for holiday dinners, “friendsgiving” and extravagant New Years Eve plans. Seattle is infamous for its dark, rainy and cold winters, a little depressing if you ask me. So dressing up for these events is something I personally look towards- layers to bare the weather, with enough comfort to feel relaxed indoors while not burning up in a turtleneck sweater. Recently, I was over at my family’s for Thanksgiving dinner and weekend shopping; avoided Black Friday entirely with movies and football all day. It was chilly running around the city throughout the weekend so I did need something to keep me warm & comfortable. I decided to assemble some holiday colors- the hint of red Zara jeans, that have a suede-like feel, matched with a plaid J. Crew green, navy and white flannel. Really nice to dress up with a skinny tie and shirt tucked in or relaxed as you see in the pictures. With these cold festive month’s, I threw on a navy Pea coat from Topman to make this outfit a bit fancier and to feel cozy. Finished off with these comfortable black leather Johnston & Murphy boots from Nordstrom. All these pieces put together make a great outfit for family dinners and holiday parties.
Get the look: J & M Karnes Cap Toe Boot ZARA Pants J Crew Flannel Shirt TOPMAN Peacoat Seattle Fall weather can be a little tricky sometimes. One second its raining sideways and a few hours later the suns out and it feels like spring. It can be stressful to dress for these days, especially when thinking about comfort, the weather and all the events throughout. During these times, my style has a Pacific Northwest impression with a hint of flash and pop. It’s not fall without the base layer of flannel and every guy should have a few in several colors. I prefer maroon, red-ish and green. Since most of my core pieces are blue, these colors add variety and the contrast help highlight each individual piece.
This past weekend I went to a UW tailgate & determining what to wear was difficult. Do you blend in with the college hoddies and workout gear? Don’t get me wrong, I love being comfortable, but its nice to add a little spice and personal style to separate yourself from the crowd. Bomber jackets have hit the fashion market hard over the past two years. Similar to the lettermans jacket in the previous style post, this bomber jacket is flexible and keeps you warm through the day. Especially when the venue changes from tailgate to dinner to a night out. To add to the 40s pilot look with the jacket, I like to pair it with heavy duty boots. In this case, I picked up a pair of Barney New York leather boots. Lightweight and super comfortable, these have become my daily walkers during the rainy & cold months in Seattle. These boots can easily be dressed up with some slacks or when worn with jeans will have a more edgy look. With all of the neutral colors accounted for, it’s time to drop some flash to this outfit. Nixon was a brand I wasn’t very familiar with or that interested in with the styles they had in the past. Recently, I noticed their collection expanded with some simple and clean, while also fun and flashy pieces. These began to get my attention. This is a Sentry Chrono gold band with a navy face and gold dials. It has a fun yet sophisticated vibe, making it feel natural to go from an afternoon of UW football to the Seattle night life. |
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January 2018
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