Believe the hype, Tom Ford is the pinnacle of men’s style. Here are his golden rules for eternal style:

1. I don’t believe in playing around much with suit cuts. I like a fairly classic shape that gives a man strong shoulders, a fitted waist, and long legs. Classic simplicity always works.

2. Someone who is secure enough to be very present when relating to another person is sexy. In other words, a good listener always lands who he wants.

3. When mixing patterns, don’t think about it too much—just throw it together.

4. I hate the trend of short suit jackets. When a man’s butt is showing below the bottom of his jacket, I think it makes him look like a female flight attendant from the back—not my idea of sexy.

5. With jewelry, I actually like bracelets more than anything else, but they have to be small and simple. Cary Grant always wore a simple gold bracelet with his watch, and I think that was very chic.

6. If you’re careful not to overuse Botox, then yes, why shouldn’t you use it? A little bit of it between the brows can make you look less stern and more approachable. Who needs to frown, anyway?

7. Just like girls need to learn to be comfortable in heels before they go out in them for the first time, a man should try wearing a suit throughout a normal day. I do most things in a suit—and sometimes even in a tuxedo—and so I’m really comfortable in one.

8. When it comes to grooming, keep earwax out of the ears and keep stray hairs and flakes of skin in check and you should be good to go. In the morning, I put ice cubes on my eyes and use lots of Visine.

9. Time and silence are the most luxurious things today.

10. There’s one indulgence every man should try in his lifetime: If you’re straight, sleep with a man at least once, and if you’re gay, don’t go through life without sleeping with a woman. Either way, you might be surprised at how natural it will feel if you can get past the mind-fuck of stereotypes. In the end, it’s just another person that you are relating to in a physical way.

Check out CSquared Style Inspiration here

Stay Stylin’

CSquared

Subscribe to Csquared Menswear by Email and stay tuned to Csquared’s Facebook or follow us on Twitter at @CsquaredSA for more stylin’ daily updates.

CSquared Menswear is stocked at selected boutiques and premier Stuttafords and Markham stores nationwide.

CSquared Mediterranean Resort Summer Collection 2012 will be available at HOM Menswear, Stuttafords & Markham stores, South Africa’s ultimate online shopping and style destination for men, ThirtySixMan and online retailer of international and local fashion brands Zando.com

The annual British GQ Men of the Year Awards were held this week in London and we have got to say the gents were on point. Honestly going through all the red carpet looks was such a pleasure and there were so many dapper men in attendance. If only all red carpet events could be as stylish.

We rounded up our fav looks from the evening, let us know who impressed you.

• Chris Hemsworth, The Avengers actor and his stunning wife were in all black for the event.

• Essex born model David Gandy in Dolce and Gabbana

• British track cyclist Christopher Hoy opted for a three-piece grey suit.

• Comedians David Walliams and Jimmy Carr in matching velvet jackets.

• Sacha Baron Cohen cleans up good!

• Mad Men’s John Slattery in Dunhill.

• Tinie Tempah in none other than Tom Ford

This week Tom Ford celebrated his 51st birthday. In honour of his birthday its only right we acknowledge the man who is one of today’s most influential fashion designers.

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After gaining his fashion experience with Perry Ellis, Tom Ford made a huge move in 1990 to Gucci, where a style icon was born. As an eager young designer and with Gucci on the verge of bankruptcy he saw an opportunity and used it to show his vision of style, competing with other lines, including women’s ready to wear range and menswear. Tom Ford had single handedly brought back the dying fashion house, with his glamorous clothing and provocative fragrance campaigns he revolutionised the way brands marketed themselves. Ford left Gucci in 2004 to launch his own line – Tom Ford – in 2005 and won the CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year award in 2008. As proof of his status as a style icon, Tom Ford at Daniel Craig’s request, he designed the wardrobe for Quantum of Solace in 2008 and he is back on duty for the 2012’s “Skyfall”

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The Tom Ford look is very suave and sophisticated yet still masculine. One guaranteed way to follow in his footsteps is to find a perfect fitting dark suit with strong shoulder, tapered waist.

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CSquared Menswear, avail at Markham & Stuttafords

Another Tom Ford style statement is to not be afraid to leave an extra button open on a formal shirt when suiting up or my try a deep v-neck or scoop neck t-shirt when dressing casual rather than the same old standard fit tee. Finally to seal the top Ford look, when accessorising, keep it to a minimum, wear only one to two chic pieces of jewellery at a time.

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CSquared Menswear Summer Collection avail September 2012

Tom Ford just oozes sophistication and elegance. His love for quality tailoring and formalwear means he always looks sharp, with clean lines and a masculine frame. If there is anything you can learn from Mr Ford is that fit is the KEY. For formal situations it is the be all and end all of how great you are going to look. An ill fitting suit, shirt or trousers looks horrendous and it doesn’t matter how much you spend on your items if they do not fit correctly. 

CSquared Menswear Summer Collection avail September 2012

Stay on trend with more CSquared Style Tips

Stay Stylin’

CSquared

Subscribe to CSquared Menswear by Email, and stay tuned to CSquared’s Facebook or follow us on Twitter at @CsquaredSA for more stylin’ daily updates.

CSquared Menswear is stocked at selected boutiques and premier Stuttafords and Markham stores nationwide.

CSquared Mediterranean Resort Summer Collection 2012 will be available at HOM Menswear, Stuttafords & Markham stores and South Africa’s ultimate online shopping and style destination for men, ThirtySixMan

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For our final “Something For The Ladies This Women’s Month”, we give you Spanish model Jon Kortajarena.

Kortajarena was discovered while vacationing in Barcelona when he accompanied a friend who was invited to attend a fashion show. Whilst there, a booker noticed him and persuaded him to give the fashion world a go. 

Known for his engaging presence, natural elegance and unquestionable sex appeal, Kortajarena has become the go to guy for campaigns in need of a little carnality. From his first appearance for Versace in the early 00’s to his long term work for Tom Ford and seemingly endless portfolio of editorial work, Jon has carved out an impressive niche for himself 

Kortajarena appeared in Tom Ford’s directorial debut, A Single Man. Although he appeared for only five-minutes he became memorable as Carlos with his James Dean looks. Jon emerged as the one to watch.

Gents, for your Sunday Haute Babe fix click here. We will be back to regular scheduling next week!

Stay Stylin’

CSquared

Subscribe to CSquared Menswear by Email, and stay tuned to CSquared’s Facebook or follow us on Twitter at @CsquaredSA for more stylin’ daily updates.

CSquared Menswear is stocked at selected boutiques and premier Stuttafords and Markham stores nationwide.

Images:models.com & fashionisto.com

Image: Numero Homme 14

What is timeless style?

Timeless style is easy to define yet hard to explain; simply it’s a sense of style or a way of dressing that will never go out of date or become unfashionable. Like many things in menswear it is elusive and seemingly unattainable – we men don’t have the same amount of choice in clothes as women do. Timeless style is  wearing certain clothes which embody the whole persona.

So how does a piece of clothing become timeless? 

For an item of clothing to become timeless, we at Csquared think it must have some kind of impact on popular culture – whether that be someone cool wearing it in a movie, an artist painting it or a singer writing a song about it. If someone who has a lot of public support wears a particular piece whilst doing something iconic then the item is well on its way to being cemented into the wardrobes of the world’s most stylish men.

The Men Who Embody Timeless Style

Over the last 60-ish years, many different men have embodied this sense of timeless style. To name a few: Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, Marlon Brando,  Cary Grant, Sammy Davis Jr and the modern stylish man right now, hands down is Tom Ford.

A timeless style requires more than just considering the clothes you wear. All these men seem to share a number of personal characteristics; the first – and KEY – being confidence. Most of them have to be confident because their jobs push them into the public eye, but if you watch them, notice their actions, how they speak, their mannerisms, you will notice they have a sense of true inner confidence that just oozes out of them. With this confidence comes an innate sense of style and fashion – of what always looks good on them and in what situation. These men are all undeniably “cool” . Cool seems to go hand in hand with timeless style; cool people make an item timeless and timeless items make people “look” even cooler.

What stands out about all these men is that you could take each and every one of these out of the generation they lived in and put them in another and they would still look just as great today if they dressed exactly the same way. They had an innate sense of style which transcended generations and every cyclical trend we have seen in between. 

Now that we’ve spoken about what times style is and the men that embody it lets talk about some pieces that ARE timeless. Pieces everyone should own and  know will look fantastic on them.

The Suit

Image: Tom Ford S/S2012 Menswear Collection

Quintessentially male, the suit is every males formal uniform of choice. Always smart, the suit can be worn as easily to work as it can to a cocktail party. The suit comes in different styles and colours: single breasted, double breasted, three piece, one button, two button, peak lapels, shawl collar, black, white, grey, navy or even brighter colours in summer. Pick your poison as the list is a long one.

If you want something that is truly timeless, then stick to a two button mid to dark grey suit – it will work at any situation you throw at it.

The Blazer

Image: Vogue Hommes - Gas Masked Suitings

The blazer is a versatile piece that can be worn for just about any occasion. Whats great about a blazer is that it has the unique ability to both dress up and dress down different outfits. Wear it with a v-neck t-shirt and a pair of jeans and you instantly look smarter, pair it with some trousers and you suddenly look more causal than the people in full suits.

For the winter months, Csquared recommends a grey blazer and for summer a navy blue blazer, although a black blazer can be worn at any time and is great for party season.

The Trench Coat

From the black and white films of the 40s to the present day, the trench coat remains a must have piece of clothing. You can stick to the classic khaki colour or a black/navy version if you want something a bit sharper. Wear it over a suit, or a simple pair of jeans and polo shirt combination for a more dressed down look.

Wear it closed and tied to make a formal statement or open with the belt tied around the back for a more casual look. 

What are your favourite timeless pieces and style icons?

For more Csquared Menswear Style Inspiration go here.

Stay Stylin’

Csquared

Csquared Menswear is stocked at selected boutiques and premier Stuttafords and Markham stores nationwide.

Subscribe to Csquared Menswear by Email and stay tuned to Csquared’s Facebook or follow us on Twitter at @CsquaredSA for more stylin’ daily updates 

Image: GQ Aprill 2011 Issue

The Met Gala also known as the fashion Oscars took place in New York City on Monday night. This year fashions finest gathered to celebrate Prada and Elsa Schiaparelli who together comprise the Costume Institute’s new exhibition the Impossible Conversations.

One thing you can count on when it comes to Met fashion is that is always outrageous. Csquared had a great time on Tuesday discussing this years most controversial look - Marc Jacobs in a Commes des Garcon lace tunic and white boxers on Facebook and Twitter.

But we are not here to discuss the outrageous, we want to share our top looks from the men.

Best Dressed

Hands down the best look of the night for us was Zac Posen in this maroon suit and purple bow tie. The velvet jacket is pure elegance. Tailored to perfection, the color also stands out in the sea of black tuxes which a lot of the celebrities opt for at such an event.

Tom Ford…there is very little wrong this man can do in terms of style and it doesn’t hurt to have the gorgeous Chanel Iman on your arm either. The double-breasted jacket with wide winged silk lapels fits Tom well and the flower on the lapel adds a touch of panache to his outfit.

While we don’t think the sunglasses were necessary the suit itself is on point. This is how black tie should look. As one of the performers for the evening Bruno Mars was expected to look his best. And check out the crocodile shoes!! On a side note Bruno should stick to his coiffed hair which also would have been a better hairstyle for this event. 

Men in Black

As expected with such a formal gathering there was a lot of black suits and tuxedo’s. A safe choice some would say but the below really stood out for us. They all look refined and polished for us these gents showed all in attendance how a tux is supposed to fit.

Darren Criss in Calvin Klein (bottom right) is a favorite for us because his suit is not black black but a charcoal colour showing black tie doesn’t strictly mean black.

The Colour Brigade

A few of the men in attendance did however opt for some color. Hamish Bowler’s pink jacket is a homage to the events theme as the color is featured quite prominently in the exhibition.

We do however have to call out Mick Jagger for wearing trainers to such a formal event. Mick you have walked enough high fashion red carpets in your time to know that trainers do not belong there!

The Velvet Crew

One of the biggest trends at the moment in men’s fashion is velvet jackets. Swizz Beatz and Tom Brady did the trend absolute justice. They both took a style risk with this but velvet jackets are great for formal occasions just remember to wear a different fabric for the trousers never head to toe velvet.

Let us know what you thought of the red carpet looks? Anyone we didn’t pick but you liked?

Can we also take a moment to appreciate Beyonce in this Givenchy creation!

For more Csquared red carpet coverage go here.

Stay Stylin’

Csquared

Subscribe to Csquared Menswear by Email and stay tuned to Csquared’s Facebook or follow us on Twitter at @CsquaredSA for more stylin’ daily updates.

Images via Zimbio