The Long Coat

Now that Heavenly Hosting is up and running I can come back to commenting on fashion and the like. First order of business: the long coat. As far as styles go, the long coat (for men) has been a staple for the upper class. Since before the days of our founding fathers, the longer coat has been making appearances around the globe. This year is no exception to the rule. What you may notice is that the length of the coat has shortened from the calf length to the mid thigh. Now, the 3/4 length coats or "car coat" has made it back into the fashion limelight. I make the strong suggestion that every male should have at least one type of "overcoat" for the winter months. This allows you to dress up the wardrobe and maintain an appearance of elegance while having a suit on underneath. Nothing says fashion faux pas like a ski jacket with a suit.

For women, the length is a little bit more flexible. A slightly longer coat, like the one pictured, can do wonders for stretching out the body and drawing the eyes upwards. Plus, with the flare at the bottom and the collar at the top, it creates the appearance of an hourglass without being overstated... a most desired look.

Sister Site

So for all of you out there who think I'm a huge time waster... I have another reason for you to think so. If you look over to the right, you'll see the new link to a site called Heavenly Hosting. That's right... it is written by none other than yours truly. It is dedicated to hosting parties and superficiality extraordinaire. Feel free to check it out. I expect that the fun haters out there like Redhurt will find millions of ways to tear it apart. Let the games begin.

G & S II

And just in case you thought that my ideas of self-marketing were over:

Five, Six... Slevin

This evening I decided to watch a movie that I had heard quite a bit about. The only thing was that I really didn't know anything about the movie. That being said: go out and rent it. Lucky Number Slevin was all and all a good movie. As the movie unfolded via witty dialogue and plot twists, all I could do was sit and listen intently. The phrasing and sheer wit of the characters is fantastic. It is almost the kind of movie that you need to watch over again just to catch all of the innuendos and jabs being thrown around. Example:

Slevin: Who are you?
The Boss: I'm The Boss.
Slevin: I thought he (pointing to other guy) was The Boss.
The Boss: Why? Do you think we look alike?

This may not seem like much in writing, but with the speed and timing that it is delivered, it brought a quick chuckle to my lips. Final Verdict: If you like movies like the Usual Suspects or L.A. Confidential or any good movies, go out and rent it. Plus, you can think about how awesome it would be to meet a character like the one played by Lucy Liu.

*Odd fact of the day: In 1995, The Usual Suspects total US box office gross was $22,627,479. In 2005, Lucky Number Slevin (a similar movie) total US box office gross was $22, 494, 487. Coincidence? I think not.

G & S

So, recently I've had some time on my hands to think of creative ideas. Since I've been reading several different books about branding and fashion marketing, I've started thinking about myself as a marketable product. This stems from the development in the fashion industry of associating a designer with a brand (ex: Tom Ford with Gucci). Upon further inspection, I began to see that hospitality seems to be a trait that both my wife and I share... along with a taste for fashion.

As long as I can remember I have loved to put on parties and entertain guests. It is in my nature, though, to go above and beyond what a normal host would do. Extravagance and elegance are the two traits that I attempt to dovetail in all of my guests' experiences. I strive for upper class luxury with spa-like relaxation and ease. This is all pulled together under the guise that it took nothing to throw it together.

All of this led me to think of a brand/logo that I would use for my wife and myself. This logo could be placed on everything from invitations to the very napkins at the party. After an afternoon of brainstorming, I came up with an acceptable logo that is both simple and classy. Then, after working on the logo for so long, I decided to do an advertising campaign for this new "product". The advertisements would capture the ideals of our dogma while arousing intrigue and a subtle desire. The result of all this is captured within these several print advertisements*. Final verdict: Overdone... maybe. Creative... totally.

*Click on the pictures to view the entire advertisement in a larger format. The writing can be hard to read in the current size.