TEXTBOOK

A long time ago I said I was going to start doing more menswear posts. I haven’t really lived up to that, so here’s my way of making it up to you. Recently I found a new place to get much better images of menswear so the quality issue I was having is fixed, huzzah. Over the weekend somebody left a message in my ask box to do Mrs. Lovett and Sweeney Todd. I love the story and can’t believe I didn’t think of it before. For those who need a refresh—Sweeney Todd is the story of Benjamin Barker the barber and his twisted revenge lust. After a wicked judge’s eye falls on his wife and he is banished for crimes he didn’t commit, he returns to London to get his life back. As fate would have it, his shop is now above Mrs. Lovett’s meat pies. Mrs. Lovett welcomes him back and informs him of his wife’s death at the hands of the evil judge and the whereabouts of . Long story short—lots of people die when they go to get a shave. Awesome.

1. Barker is back in town

Coat, sweater and scarf by John Varvatos, shirt by Louis Vuitton, shoes by Burberry Prorsum

2. Joannanaaaaaa

Coat by Burberry Prorsum, shirt by Neil Barrett, vest by Givenchy, pants by Alexis Mabille, shoes by Dries Van Noten

3. Fancy a shave?

Coat by Alexander McQueen, suit by Canali, shoes by John Varvatos

Also, it’s tumblr tuesday. I haven’t asked in a while but you could make my day and recommend me if you like.

All images from Vogue UK.

I never really get to show my appreciation for Marni because they don’t do traditional runway shows—which means I can’t Textbook them up. But nevertheless, I always love it. All the clothes are approachable but have that same “Shit, where did you get that?” quality. As per my usual opinion, the outerwear was tops (#2) and I would definitely pick up some of the separates. Maybe this year I’ll actually be able to afford something from them. Good show Marni.

All images from Vogue UK.

I always like Bottega, although it will always be beyond my reach. So far, they have my favorite look from all of the Milan shows, NUMERO DOS above. Along with Burberry and Jil Sander, Bottega has picked up on the color vibe. I don’t know, I don’t really have much else to say…Bottega is always good and I want that coat…too bad it’s like more than $4000.00

All images from Vogue UK.

I always check out Vivienne Westwood expecting a little bit of theatrics and a very little bit of wearability. Who could forget the collection that was quite literally Derelicte from Zoolander? But her fall ‘11 show was a pleasant surprise. Finely tailored suiting, a nod to her English heritage and plenty of pieces you could do whatever you want with. That cardigan thing up there in #2 is pretty sweet, good with a leather jacket and whatnot. Good show. Unfortunately for us Americans, there are few places to purchase her collections.

Hopefully the newly launched MR. PORTER (brother to NET-A-PORTER and cousin to THE OUTNET) will bring us some Vivienne Westwood come fall.

All images from Vogue UK.

Milan is colorful this season. If things keep up, it’s going to be a very bright fall.

1. Bottega Veneta

2. Burberry Prorsum

3. Jil Sander

All images from Vogue UK.

Yah, so I want all of this. No commentary. Done.

All images from Vogue UK.

As usual, Burberry was a tour de force in outerwear. Then again, that’s what fall shows are really about. The most memorable pieces were definitely the technicolor dream coats that started off the show. This group was patent and bold, a nice change to the often muted outerwear pieces that tend to dull an entire look down. After the vibrant pieces came a more subtle and traditional mix of toggles, brown plaid and shearling—much more approachable for the conservative customer. To top the show off there were details of cow print and a finale of rain and clear hooded slickers. It was a more light-hearted show than we’re used to seeing from Mr. Bailey, perhaps a nod to the slowly recovering economy. It never hurts to see a little optimism on the runway.

All images from Vogue UK.

I’ve received tons of requests for a re-style of Daisy Buchanan. She was one of the very first posts I did back in 2009 so she was due. Having been unable to marry Gatsby prior to the story taking place, Daisy found herself a rich and suitable man in Tom Buchanan. However, once Gatsby begins hosting lavish parties and bathing in money, she rekindles their relationship. When her husband discovers the affair, he plays on Daisy’s greed and pride to end their love after an intense scene at The Plaza Hotel by exposing Gatsby as a bootlegger. Daisy rushes out of the city with Gatsby chasing after her and in their journey home, Daisy kills Myrtle (a minor character) with Gatsby’s car. Unable to identify the driver, Myrtle’s husband tracks Gatsby as the owner and murders him before committing suicide. Daisy, once in love with Gatsby, fails to attend his funeral and faces no penalty for her crime. Oh Daisy, I wanted to like you so much, but you’re disgusting.

1. “I live on East Egg, that’s like way better.”

Dress by Oscar de la Renta, coat and bag by Tory Burch, shoes by Loewe

2. “I’m going to a party on West Egg, when did I become this desperate?”

Dress and bag by Valentino, shoes by Dries van Noten

3. “Well, that’s the end of Myrtle…”

Dress by Alexis Mabille, shoes by Elie Saab

All images from Vogue UK.

My latest post for Fashionista is good to go! Enjoy Daphne Guinness, as you might expect there’s some Gareth Pugh, some McQueen and all kinds of awesome. Get to it. Hop to it.

All images from Vogue UK.

Ever seen Phantom of the Opera on Broadway or on film? If you haven’t, I highly recommend it. I think we first saw it when we were kids. It’s a pretty spooky story about a tortured hipster that dwells beneath the Paris Opera House. When new management comes in, things start getting a little crazy. What unfolds is a tale of murder, chandeliers, love and toy monkeys! The heroine of the story is the talented Christine Daae who rises from chorus girl to Prima Donna. Orphaned as a young girl, she grew up in the opera as a ballerina. Anyway, just netflix it, it’s good.

1. Off-Duty Ballerina

Dress by Chloe, coat by Michael Kors, shoes by Valentino

2. Masquerade!

Dress by Alexander McQueen, let’s just say the shoes are Rodarte for good measure

3. Music of the Night

Dress by Lanvin, shoes by Yves Saint Laurent

All images from Vogue UK.

I love nintendo, I really do. For many years it replaced friends in my life and to a degree it still does. Also, I look extremely graceful playing the Wii, it’s like a dance. Anyway…the holy grail of Nintendo titles for me has always been the Legend of Zelda. From NES, to gameboy, to SNES, to N64, to Wii and everything in between it’s fucking amazing. The story’s heroine is Zelda, princess of Hyrule. She keeps pretty busy you know, protecting the triforce and helping defeat that jerkoff Ganon. So clearly you’re not dealing with a girl content to wait for some prince to rescue her, she means business.

1. Yo, this is my castle

Dress by John Galliano, shoes and socks by Meadham Kirchoff

2. Chillin’ in Kakariko Village with my homegirl, Impa

Jumpsuit and bag by Diane Von Furstenberg, shoes by Lanvin

3. Ganon, get the butt out of my Kingdom

Dress by Mary Katrantzou, boots by Emilio Pucci

All images from Vogue UK.

Ahoy Textbook friends. I’m stoked to let the cat out of the bag (again, whoops I posted it for 3 minutes yesterday) about this Fashionista Jonie that starts today. I’ll be posting over there each week, but instead of doing characters from books and history, I’ll be doing fashion industry people. We chose Kate Lanphear, Senior Style Director of Elle to start because she’s fucking awesome. To see the looks, just head on over to Fashionista and drop a comment there or here for who you wanna see next. Of course you can always tweet to either of us (@johnjannuzzi and @fashionista_com)

And boom, Kate Lanphear is my 170th character post. Check them all out here in the index.