Fashiontribes Fellow

New Menswear Store B Blessing! Fashiontribes Menswear

Located at 181 Orchard St, BBlessing will have you at their mercy with the newest menswear designs they have in this little outique. My friend Oliver Helden, whos clothes Ive been seeing for few seasons now with the help of GenArt, gave me a call and told me about the store opening and that they would be carrying his line. So I stoppped into the store opening which was a total blast. (And thanks to the NYPD for that open container ticket. It was hot and crowded in the store and I needed to step out for a moment, jeez.) The store has a fun atmoshpere, with a wooden bar near the front (which acted as a the sponsors bar for the opening), a dj and record section located on the second floor, and the clothes you've been looking for. BBlessing carries there own line, plus lesser known lines such as Oliver Heldens and Rag and Bone, plus better know Surface to Air. The store has a little bit of a hipster-ish feel, but not in the Williamsburg, mothball, grandmas vintage clothes, fixed-gear bicycle, i-am-so-different kinda way. More in a cool rockstar and Harley good kinda way.

Go and see Sean Shuter at BBlessing. 181 Orchard or www.bblessing.com

Fashion tip: pay attention to Oliver Heldens clothes. Youre going to be seeing some more 90's goth overtones this fall if you havent already.

-michael sheeley

Hotboy menswear Brian Wood! Fashiontribes Menswear

One of my reponsibilities as a fashion editor is to help the reader find out about new designers before every Tom, DIck, and Toolbox knows about them. Heres the newsest cat on the block with some new ideas for menswear. When I choose clothes to buy, I want something thats a little different, but not so different that its ridiculous looking. Nobody wants to be mistaken for being in costume.

Brian Wood meets my expectations with ease. You may have heard of his name from being a previous CFDA award winner or a GenArt finalist. If you havent heard his name before,its just a matter of time before he's a household name. Or at least a fashion house name!

Check out his good at www.brianwoodexclusive.com Contact him through the site for info on buying. T-shirts will be available online soon, or go now to Probus at 714W 181st St. I WANT THAT DENIM COAT!!!

THompson Hotel Sunday Soirree! Fashiontribes Menswear

The Thomspon Hotel is one of the best, if not THE best hotel in Manhattan. When it comes to hospitality and luxury they have it mastered. Usually you cant even get into the hotel without a room reservation, let alone get to the private, members only rooftop. My friend Patrick Hazelwood has the 'in' for the rooftop on Sundays. And if your in the industry like I am it makes a perfect place for a business meeting. Or maybe a post-weekend martini with friends disguised as a business meeting! When you walk onto the roofdeck its like walking into a Maurice Villency furniture showroom, expect your up on the roofdeck. A beautiful, experienced waitstaff is ready to bring you your every want and need. What makes this place different from other rooftops is the designer spent a moment to think about the layout. When its sweltering on the sidewalk, its 75 degrees and breezy, but the sun is setting on the OTHER side of the building, so you dont have it right in your damn eye the whole time; ie, no alcohol bright-sunlight induced headache. Bottom line: its very easy to find yourself absolutely content and not even realize your in the middle of Manhattan.

Patrick runs two parties there. The Sunday Soiree from 4pm to 1am, and a Wednesday afterwork party at the Thom bar on the second floor. I usually wouldnt bother to plug a promoter, but Patricks the atypical promoter. When you walk in he'll introduce himself to you if he doesnt already know you, and help you feel  comfortable, most likely offer you a seat at his table as well as a drink. Or at least call a waitress over to help you.

Drop Patrick an email and tell him I sent you. Patrick runs other parties too at places such as Soho 323 and a few other high end clubs from Wed. through Sunday. Ask to be put on his list for his parties, and the kicker, you can stop waiting on the lines and start enjoying yourself. Seriously, one of the few promoters that can get your through the door in moments. You walk to the front and tell the bouncer your there for 'Patricks party' while the masses wait behind you.

Drop him a line and reference my name at info@b1-productions.com or call 917.821.2280 

-michael sheeley

Hotspot! Lazaro's Jewelry. Fashiontribes Menswear

It used to be that when you thought of mens jewelry, the image that came to mind was not a pleasant one; Mr. T's big gold chains, Nelly's gaudy ice, mafia mob bosses with gold chains caught in a forest of chest hair, Liberace, the list could go on but my point has been made. There is a fine line with mens jewelry and its always not an easy thing to pull off. If a necklace is too thin it comes off as femme, too large and you're Flava Flav, so selecting what (and when) to wear is the key item of note.

At Lazaro's Jewelry located at 54 Mercer, you'll find exactly what you're looking for. Whether you want the heavy silver, rock and roll look, or just some pinkie ring bling, this is one stop shopping. You could find something for the significant other too, but sometimes daddy needs some new shiny and this is the place for mens jewelry. Most of time Lazaro himself is in the shop and will help you find something no matter what type of budget youre working with. Whether the skull and crossbone cufflinks for the professional with bad ass side or heavy sterling silver link necklace with a diamond encrusted front clasp for the rockstar in a band (that actually makes money!) you'll find the personality of this shop and its owner a warm place to shop with very reasonable prices. Dont worry...he's not as scary as he looks in the photo! Call them at 212.219.8494, and closed on Mondays.

Hint: Check out the two discount cases in the back! And keep an eye out for uber-hot sunglasses coming soon!

-michael sheely