Man Fashion: Mao Suit

Man Fashion designers are remodeling the traditional Mao suit in the hope that it will once again become a popular item of clothing.

The gray "Zhongshan", or Mao suit, that President Hu Jintao wore when he stood on the rostrum in Tian'anmen Square for the 60th anniversary celebration of New China, caused a stir both at home and abroad. It had a Western-style slim cut, but all the suit's characteristic elements, including pockets, buttons and color.

Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925), first president of the Republic of China, introduced the Zhongshan suit.

It dominated local menswear for six decades - from 1920 to 1980 - during which time Western media portrayed China as a "gray society" as all the men wore them and looked the same. Chairman Mao Zedong popularized it and this is why it is known in the West as the "Mao suit".

When President Hu wore his Mao suit it signaled its rejuvenation and designers busied themselves creating new patterns for the new millennium. The modern Mao suit is an expression of one's personality.

According to Liu Yuanfeng, dean of Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology (BIFT), Mao suit firstly made an appearance when Western culture was brought into China in 1920. The Mao suit was a fusion of fashion and culture. It had the outline of a Western suit, but had Chinese elements.

There are redesigned Mao suits on the market now that have a casual look. Kevin Kelly, Eve and Notting Hill are three menswear brands that have produced new styles that are currently only available in Beijing and Shanghai.

The modern Mao suit has shiny copper buttons instead of gray plastic ones, and is slim-cut. The four pockets have been cut out. The suits are made from synthetic fibers and silk rather than just cotton. It can also be embroidered and accessorized with scarves, leather bags and boots.

With mixture of Chinese and Western culture, would you believe, Mao suits, inheriting both, will become popular again?

Man Fashion Tips: Men Dress Suit Care

Decision in buying a dress suit for yourself is fairly simple, but there are other more critical consideration beside dollar and cents. Yes! How to take care of your dress suit. So dress suit care should be on the top of your to do list once you purchase your suit. Some of the suit care that you might want to consider: dry cleaning, tailoring, storage and moth protection.


Moth Protection - It would be a great tragedy if you wore a $1,000.00 dress suit once and then found it had been eaten by moths the second time you went to wear it. Moth protection is a must for anybody keeping suits in their house. These little insects can cause big problems in a matter of seconds. Unless you plan on keeping an eye on all your suits at all times you should take measures to protect them.

The biggest enemy to the moth besides your fly swatter and array of poisons is cedar. These bugs despise the pleasant smell of cedar and will not go near it. A cedar closet is the ideal body guard for your clothes. However, cedar hangers are much more affordable, portable, and financially viable.

Suit Storage - You'll want to have your suit ready to wear at all times which means curled up in a ball under your bed is not an option.

Suit storage is a necessary piece of the suit care puzzle. Storing your dress clothes in a haphazardly manner can cause you a lot of pain when you go to wear them.

Suits need to be properly cleaned and pressed after use. Hang them in a manner that keeps them from acquiring any new wrinkles in between uses.

Cedar closets are the ideal place to hang your suits but a normal closet out of direct sunlight is a fitting alternative.

Suit Alterations - Unless you plan on staying the exact same size all of your life you will probably need to find a good tailor.

Areas that can be tailored elegantly are:

1. Waist - The waist can be taken in aggressively to make the pants more snug. Expanding the waist is limited to how much excess material is in the pants. You can tell how much you have by looking inside the back of the pants.

2. Legs - The legs are like the waist in that they can be shortened by great lengths but are limited in the amount you can lengthen them.

Jackets can be let out at the waist and shortened at the sleeves but be careful to get a good tailor if you decide to do anything else.

Dry Cleaning - If you decide to just pop your suit in the washing machine you can probably forget about ever being able to wear it again.

Good dry cleaners can really make a mans life easy. Being able to toss your suit on without having to worry about whether or not it was done correctly takes some of the daily stress away. Besides, we have enough to worry about don't we?

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Technorati Tags: Man Fashion, Mens Fashion Tips, Men Suit Care

Man Fashion: Obama Inspiration

We are witnessing history in the making, all of us are living and breathing hope - not the wild eyed, rainbows and sunshine hope that right winged mocked us with. We and the world are now entering an era where a shift of mindset is taking place.

While members of the international community have welcomed Barack Obama becoming the 44th President of the United States -- and the first African-American to take leadership of the country, their fashion style was also the center of attention all over the world too.

Mr President Barack Obama´s fashion style: a neat night blue suit, with a matching overcoat, white shirt and red tie. So… the flag colors covered the body of the most known man alive and most praised.

Michelle Obama´s look: Very chic and elegant, without falling down the line of grey. Gorgeous and shining, in an Isabel Toledo´s yellow suit. Excellent contrast between the shoes and olive green gloves breaking the monochrome of the lemon colored brocatto.

Some of first couple fashion in the past.

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Technorati Tags: Man Fashion, Obama Fashion, Barack Obama, Barack Obama Pictures

Man Fashion: Joseph Abboud

Today I would like to introduce a brand new premium men fashion style for you, for those who are in men fashion world for a while, this brand should nothing new to you.


Joseph Abboud's tagline, Style with Substance, pretty much sums up the American label's approach to Men Fashion. Stylish yet never overtly flashy, the label fancies itself as a sophisticated and enlightened alternative to pricier European Men fashion designers' brands, with apparel made for 'real men".


Fiercely proud of its made-in-America tag, along with accessories like cufflinks, ties, belts and many more are also catching men fashion world attention lately.

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Technorati Tags: Men Fashion, Designer Fashion, Abboud Fashion, American Fashion, Men Accessories

Man Fashion: Unbuttoned Styles

Whether you agree or not, double-breasted suits do look better buttoned up. But then so in fact do single breasted suits. Chasing down a man in a single breasted suit that looks better ‘unbuttoned’ is a challenge; ask a chap in a two or three button to fasten one of them and his figure is instantly altered, and usually for the better.





So you will probably be interested, and experienced, in purchasing ‘off the rack’ suits. And most of these suits purchased will meet the requirement of ‘sufficient formality.’ However I think it is a failure of design that most suits cut for the everyday man look unsatisfactory unless the material is drawn into the waist by the securing of a button. I always feel that ‘unbuttoned glory’ is possible and achievable with a suit – consider the magnificent frock coat and morning coat designs of the recent past – and would always advocate a little adjustment to make the unbuttoned man a good deal more elegant.



Unbuttoning is to be expected; there’ll be the long days at the office, the warm afternoons dragging laptops and luggage to the airport and the relaxation occasions in the local wine bar after the clock has chimed 6. It is important to attempt to retain as much of the ‘pinch’ created by buttoning that maintains the correct positioning of the jacket so it is vital to assess suits as a buttoned and unbuttoned possibility. If there is insufficient ‘pinch’ then the jacket has a tendency to ‘fall away’; too much and the jacket is likely to constrict movement.



So here is the general rule of thumb:-

• Buttoned if wearing a shirt and tie


• Buttoned or unbuttoned if wearing a shirt and no tie


• Unbuttoned if wearing a vest or sweater as well