Real Men Wear Kilts

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the Watch the Throne concert featuring Jay Z and Kanye West here in Atlanta.  I'm a big fan of Kanye West's music as well as his keen sense of sense.  He tops my list of celebrity men whose fashion style I truly admire.  Kanye has never been afraid of taking certain fashion risks.  That's why it was at no surprise to me when I saw him come out on stage in a leather kilt.  He wore fitted leather pants underneath and some Air Yeezy 2's on his feet.

Love it!

I love when a man is comfortable enough in his own skin to wear certain articles of clothing that are otherwise considered to be girly, feminine, or even 'gay'.   The 'kilt' goes way back in history.  Kilts were originally worn by the clans of Scotland and their plaid colors signified their loyalty to a certain clan or tribe.  They were worn by the most masculine men of their time as battle wear or for ceremonial affairs.

Kanye West is definitely not the first man brave enough to throw on a kilt.  

Kid Cudi  sported a kilt on New Year's Eve in Miami last year (and caught a lot of slack for it).

Diddy wore a kilt last year during a performance in Glasgow.

Lenny Kravitz, another man who takes all sorts of fashion risks, wore a kilt during a show in Scotland.  Very fitting.

And even gansta Crip rap artist, Snoop Dog wore (of course) a blue kilt back in 2007 to the MTV Europe Music Awards in Germany.  He wore blue Chuck Taylor's with his.

The kilt is like an expression of fashion freedom for men of our time.  Any man that can confidently pull this trend off without worrying about other people's opinion gets an 'A' in my book.  Confidence is sexy. Go out and get you some.

Kid Cudi in Nike Air Mag Marty McFly Shoes

Rapper Kid Cudi recently won four pairs of the Back to the Future Nike Air Mag "Marty McFly" Shoes on Ebay.  He couldn't wait to show off one pair of his new shoes at the Complex Magazine party where he celebrated his being on the cover.  The shoes are only available through auction on Ebay where bids are currently ranging from $3,550 to $40,000.  Although it is not known exactly how much Cudi paid for the shoes, it is estimated that he paid five figures for each pair.  Proceeds of the shoe sales go to the Michael J. Fox Foundation to benefit Parkinson's disease patients and research.

Kid Cudi at his Complex Magazine Cover Party sporting his Marty McFly's

Nike Air Mag illuminating, rechargeable Marty McFly shoes

Kid Cudi seated next to his girlfriend, Jamie Barrata at the Complex Magazine party

Kid Cudi celebrating his cover at the Complex Magazine party wearing his Nike Air Mags with a black Dries Van Noten jacket (pictured below), ripped jeans, and a Nouss Sommes Jesus piece around his neck.

Dries Van Noten Jacket that Cudi is wearing. Retails for $1,795.

 Kid Cudi's Complex Magazine 2011 Cover

I must admit that the Marty McFly's are indeed "fly".  Men, would you pay five figures for a pair of sneakers?  All I can say is that at least the money is going towards a good cause.

Shamballa Bracelets

I've been noticing this new jewelry trend that men are sporting now.  I see men wearing these beaded "disco ball" looking bracelets.  A gentleman sat down next to me last night at Fox Sports Grill while watching the Atlanta Falcons vs Philadelphia Eagles game and I noticed he was wearing one on his wrist.  I asked him what the name of bracelet was and where they can be bought at.  He gave me the information on where he bought his from (northskull.com) and told me that you can find them all over the internet.

They're called Shamballa Bracelets and are very popular amongst hip hop artists, athletes, and R&B singers.

Shamballa bracelets (also spelled Shambala, Shambhala) are beaded, Buddhist-inspired bracelets consisting of round beads ranging fron 9mm to 13mm in diameter and strung on a string and tied together at the ends.  The beads come in several different forms such as plain, faceted, or set with diamond simulated cubic zirconia or crystals.  The bracelet can be adjusted to fit any size wrist.  These bracelets which are inspired by meditation and tradition of Buddhist culture, are said to represent ancient symbols like karma, inner peace, tranquility, and happiness. According to King Ice, "There are many ideas as to what these Shamballa bracelets represent, however, the general idea is to promote your well being"

Many celebrites have been spotted wearing Shamballa jewelry on their wrists.  Jay Z, Rick Ross, P Diddy, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown and T.I. to name a few have all been photographed wearing the bracelets.

Chris Brown wearing Shamballa bracelets on his wrist

Birdman, Baby or whatever you want to call him is seen wearing Shamballa bracelets and necklaces

Rick Ross, Lil Wayne and T.I. advertising wearing Shamballa bracelets

*Photo Credit: kingice.com

Jay Z wearing a Shamballa bracelet on the cover of Gotham magazine

Justin Bieber even wears Shamballa jewelry

Diddy wearing a Shamballa bracelet while sitting front row at a basketball game (next to Nick Cannon).

While this trend seems to be very popular with men, Shamballa bracelets can also be worn by women and have been seen on the wrists of many female celebrities as well

Singer Dancer Ciara wearing a gold and black Shamballa bracelet

Eva Pigford wearing a pink Shamballa bracelet

Singer Fantasia sporting Shamballa beads

Keri Hilson rocking the Buddhist-inspired jewelry trend

*The previous 5 photos (from Bieber to Keri) are credited to: jewelrybynet.com

Shanballa bracelets can be found online at kingice.com, northskull.com, theblingking.com

They can also be found here in Atlanta at Crystyles Boutique located at 2115 Piedmont Rd. NE Suite#3106 Atlanta, GA 30324. The boutique's owner makes them and takes custom orders. 

Color Blocking Trend for Men

One of my favorite trends this summer is "color blocking".  Color blocking is when you combine different colors that support and compliment each other. This hot trend has been extremely popular amongst women, and easily so. I mean, what girl doesn't like bright colors?  Color blocking can also be done by men, however, it takes a very confident man who is not afraid of color to successfully pull it off.

Yesterday, I was perusing through my tumblr account and came across this picture of actor Lance Gross on his personal tumblr page:

He totally nailed the "color blocking" concept here.  He took (what appears to be) a light aqua colored blazer and put it over a blue t-shirt and white pants.  Also, notice the grey "flower" on the lapel of the jacket. And I can't help but to notice the blue watch on his wrist.  Very nice and well put together. And it also doesn't hurt that he is very, very easy on the eyes. Lance wore this outfit to an Edge Magazine anniversary party. *side note* I wish we could see what shoes he paired with this outfit.

Here are pictures of  some other men who are also capable of pulling off color blocking:

Kanye West has the color blocking concept down to a "T" in this picture.  He used tan, orange and turquoise to achieve his look.  All three colors compliment each other and look good together.  Good job, Mr. West! (and again, I would like to see the shoes)

Model Taejahn Taylor appeared in a color blocking spread in GQ Spain Magazine called "Ola De Color" back in June 2011.  The spread includes this picture along with many others of the handsome model rocking several different color blocking looks.  

I came across this picture on tumblr.  This young man successfully pulls off color blocking.  The colorful background makes his outfit "pop" even more.  I don't know who he is, but I found this picture on his tumblr page: hawkchronicles.tumblr.com

It is nothing more refreshing than seeing a man that is confident in his own skin.  It really takes a man with an impeccable style, who is not afraid to go outside of the box, to pull off color blocking.  The age old theory that only women can wear bright colors has now turned into a myth as proven by the pictures in this post.

Women, what do you think of the color blocking trend for men? Would you want to see your man in bright colors? Or would you prefer for him to stay inside the box? 

Are there any men reading this that has tried color blocking or wouldn't be afraid to try it?