What I'm Wearing Now

I'm a huge fun of japanese brand Uniqlo and I own several pieces by them. Despite the weird name and High Street status, Uniqlo is known for their fierce attention to detail and the quality of materials used and no wardrobe from New York to London is without one a crisp white oxford shirt or a knitted tie by Uniqlo. Simple, cheap and effective.

Recently they teamed up with Jil Sander, the famed German minimalist designer and came up with +J. The line has been met with critical acclaim, awards and overwhelming demand especially in this post-financial crisis, escalating oil prices economy. Bringing in Sander's minimalism and (almost) architectural design to down to the common man. A friend of mine recently got me two pieces from the most recent collection. My good friend had to hustle in the shop in the wee hours, elbowing youths and grannies alike to get his hands on the precious merchandise.

Here's what he found:

1.) Woolen Slim Fit Jacket

Perfect for nights out with the boys and garden weddings. And the office definitely. The jackets cuts a very flattering silhouette. 

2.) Windbreaker

Then there's this slightly futuristic jacket which is perfect for the now very unpredictable rainy season. I got mine in cobalt blue (as above). The prospect of cold and wet has never looked so good.

Here are some of my favourite pieces from the women's line:

A cotton high waist coat

Stand collar, long sleeved shirt dress.

19th Century Fashion by way of The Matrix.

No More Donload

I recently got hooked on NoMoreDownlowTv a YouTube based bi-weekly show about issues affecting the Black American LGBTI community and especially the DL epidemic. The episodes are pretty short at about 20 minutes but they cover have a wide range of issues from Black Lesbian filmakers to interviews with Wanda Sykes and Darrel Stephens.

Defiantly something to blast away the work day blues so subscribe now + the presenter is kinda cute!

If You Can't Fix It Then You Got to Stand It.

The title of this post comes from E. Annie Proulx's seminal short story Brokeback Mountain. It's a beautiful story and mighty heart breaking which I may review/ discuss at some later stage. But for now I want to talk about something else.

So I've been having an interesting couple of months. I figured I'm to damn old to be hiding in any kind of closet so I've been systematically coming out to people who I feel are important in my life. Frankly it's exhausting stuff and I'm half tempted to print up a t-shirt whit the phrase 'GOD MADE ME GAY, GET OVER IT!' written in glitter. Everyone has taken the news better than expected,some are shocked and to many I am the first gay person they know. I'm not yet at the point where I can say I'm openly gay but I think I want to get to that point. The question is then what?

Sometimes I question whether or not I'm gay. Sure I like guys, I like hooking up with them but I never had a legitimate gay relationship. I never had a boyfriend, meanwhile some of my friends are usually 'between relationships' I've never gotten to the point where I can honestly say I like someone. But I digress.

Growing up I was always a nervous and shy boy. A habit I am yet to outgrow. So the other day I was at a little soiree with lots of gay men, and even though I was with a bunch of people of my own kind I felt tense and nervous like it was my first day at school, like everyone was silently judging me even though they probably weren't. The truth is many of the people there were out and proud human beings. I felt like a fraud, a poser someone who didn't belong with people who were so obviously comfortable in their own skin. I honestly admire people like them even though every other profile on GAYDAR reads 'NO FEMS' these fems are some of the bravest and genuine people I've ever met. And that's something I have to fix, my self-confidence, maybe I'll get laid one of these days...

In Brokeback mountain the character of Enis Del Mar was left with regrets and memories after the death of the man he loved. That's something he couldn't fix cause the past cannot be undone. They lived in a different time and place and all he can do is accept things as they happened. I however can fix things or rather fix myself. I don't know how yet but we'll see. I want to live as honestly as possible but that is not enough, I'd also like to share my life with someone, I feel I should but I'm afraid of man things the least of them is being found out by my family, the greater one being that I don't want my potential boyfriend partner or whatever finding out what a fraud of a person I am as if there is a kind of perverse romaticsm to being single... Self-confidence right?

DYNASTY

Since Mad Men is off air and won't be returning for a 5th season till at least next year I needed a regular dose of early 60s American drama, machinations and private struggles. Que The History Channel with The Kennedys - the closest thing ever America came to a Royal Family. Despite an outrageous budget the show's critics have been far from nice and many have called the 8 hour Ode to the (in)famous clan, historically inaccurate, badly scripted and staid.

My biggest qualm with the show, for it is watchable seeing as GLEE! is on Easter hiatus, is that they cast KATIE HOLMES as Jackie Kennedy-Onassis (Jackie-O). Before Michelle-O and Carla Bruni made First Ladies fashionable there was Jackie. Holmes struggles with the broad and nasal Boston-Irish accent and brings a girl-like vulnerability to the role which I find unnerving (coz this aint Dawson's Creek anymore) and Jackie comes off as weak-willed, infantile and less than glamorous.

Bitch fit aside, the show which some may take to be the gospel truth, paints a very damning picture of the Kennedy's. That they steal elections, are ruthless, carnivorous womanisers and have no hubris. Joe Kennedy, the family's patriarch and JFKs father comes of as Darth Vader by way of Winston Churchill; cold, calculating, ruthless and ferociously ambitious - pushing his sons to the highest offices in the great US of A.

I'm about half way through the series, all I need now is Marilyn Monore and trip to Dallas in an open top limo and I think I'll call it a day. Needless to say, the show does not make any shocking revelations. All in all a clever way to learn misguided history while killing time.

Now if only GLEE could get back on air!