Monday marked the start of the very first Cincinnati Fashion Week, a 5-day extravaganza of parties and events designed to entertain and provide me with an excuse (finally!) to break out the Giuseppes.

It’s also the week of article submission deadlines for the upcoming issue of Style Sample, so posting will either be very heavy (if I manage to get my ish together), or very light (if I collapse into a quivering mass of nerves), depending on how much alcohol is involved.*

Monday started with a reception at The Brush Factory (if you recall, founder Rosie was featured in issue #5 of Style Sample). Genius that I am, I remembered my camera but forgot the battery, which it needs in order to, you know, function.  Obviously, I didn’t get any pictures at the event, so you’ll have to make do with photos of photos from their lookbook, which is about as bootleg as it gets.

On Tuesday night, I stopped by the designer meet-and-greet at FB (no, not Facebook–an actual bar) and, having remembered my camera and battery, took a bunch of random pictures under the guise of continuing my foray into photography.

Lesson of the night: do not attempt to take candid shots of fashion people.  They can detect when a camera is pointed at them with almost laser precision, and will invariably smile and pose as soon as the flash goes off. Seriously, every time.

Adorable guy whose name I forget with CFW founder Nathan

Stylish partygoers

A CFW volunteer with designer and model Ashley (right), who I recognized from the Rachel Rachel Roy spring lookbook. She said they randomly contacted her and asked her to fly to NY for the shoot!

Dude’s shoes were so cool, I took a picture. ‘Cause I’m shallow like that.

Cincy Chic founder Amy with Nathan

Designer Lisa Malanij was there with her publicist, who works for an agency but does freelance PR & design on the side. Now that’s what I like to see–get out there and make things happen!

*Likely not very much, because I drink maybe one glass of wine per month. However…I’m thinking this week may require a break from the norm.

One of my favorite female bloggers, Rebecca, has decided to start a feature on here site, Style with Benefits, that allows male fashion bloggers to provide commentary on women’s fashion trends.

Check out my response (it’s hilarious….trust me) and see what the other male bloggers had to say here. Enjoy!

The folks at Peta say “I’d rather be naked then wear fur”…well somebody should have told these girls that the birthday suit would have been a better option.

…I’m not sayin…but I’m sayin…

btw – Kudos to Rebecca and Style with Benefits….very well done indeed my dear!

Make it an Outstanding Day!

- Kenyatte

These old school Liz Claiborne trousers are so Miss Denecke (my second grade teacher), whose life goals must have included looking like an extra from the set of “Knots Landing” and teaching us to properly write cursive. I’m wearing teacher pants and a blazer. It’s (almost) like I’m a grown up!

Speaking of growing up*, have you ever thought about what it would be like to spend your childhood as an unpaid laborer or sex slave? Neither had I until I had the opportunity to sit down with Emily Hill of Stop Traffick Fashion, an online shop dedicated to raising awareness about human trafficking through the sale of merchandise created by survivors, who are often sold/kidnapped as children.

Emily with Stop Traffick Fashion merchandise

My heart sank into my toes when she pointed out that much of the world’s supply of cacao–you know, used to make chocolate–was harvested by slave children. I almost cried when I went to ChainStoreReaction.com and saw that Haagen-Dazs…mmm, dulce de leche ice cream…wait, what was I saying again? Oh yeah, so the tears flowed when I noticed that Haagen-Dazs hadn’t yet responded to the Producer Pledge, and I promptly added my name to the letters to several companies on the site.

No one’s saying you have to be perfect, and it’s pretty much impossible to know the entire supply chain of every single item you use, but I figure the least I can do is try. Even if that means scaling back on the desserts and Forever21 binges.

Check out the full article on my Examiner page and try to think of ways you can make a difference.  If nothing else, you can get some holiday shopping done!

*Need to work on my segways, huh?

How do I begin to describe Traditional…

Timeless…Beautiful…Provocative… Pieces of Art.

Truth in Design.

Furniture pieces breathtaking in their quality and traditional elegance, each piece has its own unique history that beautifuly distinguishes one historical style from another.

Traditional furnishings can hail from England in the 18th century, the French countryside, or even the exotic lands of the East. But if you equate “traditional” and “grand” with “old and stodgy,” it’s time to take another look. These rooms are just irresistible and tempting, like Godiva Truffles!

Over the last several months you’ve seen me write a lot about what I’ll call throwback denim. Denim that is simple and comfortable and comes from a simpler time. A little less “ass-vertising” if you know what I mean…

I love brands like Rock & Republic and True Religion but I hate the fact that other brands think that men don’t want other options. Fortunately there are a few denim houses that recognize that the tide is changing and, as a result, are bringing fantastic denim washes and fits without having to scream and shout the brand name.

One of those brands is Cult of Individuality.

The name is a bit of a hint into the brand point of view….

Unlike other denim brands, Cult has made the choice to prioritize feel and fit over other aesthetic attributes. Now don’t get me wrong, the denim from this brand looks great but this is a brand that recognizes that the magic of denim occurs when you slide your legs in and pull the waist band over your hips.

If they feel familiar, comfortable and like they’ve been your favorite pair for a decade then….really…nothing else matters.

Cult of Individuality understands that. It’s a “guy’s guy” brand of denim – worn-in and rugged, designed to look and feel like the jeans that you’ve had forever that you just live in, but in the most modern of cuts.

Available in Hagen Straight, Rebel Slim, Rocker Skinny & Trysten Boot cut, the line was just picked up by Bloomingdale’s and is also available in specialty stores worldwide – retailing at $185 (a great price-point considering all the hand detail and distressing that goes into these jeans).

Cult of Individuality calls it’s denim “the canvas of the owner’s life experiences” – what an outstanding way to describe denim….so very true.

I say pick up a new canvas and create a masterpiece!

Make it an Outstanding Day!

- Kenyatte