Polo Life

This summer, I am all about the polos. I love a nice fitted polo that accentuates your upper body. It helps show off your chest and shoulder. It lets people know that you have been in the gym hitting it hard each day.

A tailored polo is a quick get up to looking posh but without the effort. I am a firm believer that you cannot go wrong with a polo. When in doubt rock it out.  

Today's look is a full-on outfit from Banana Republic Spring/Summer 2018 collection. The main piece from this look is the printed polo shirt. What I love the most about this polo are the solid black collar and the black banded sleeve hems. It just makes this polo pops.

I love to play with different prints and see how they mesh together. When you have two busy prints you want to stick with the same colour in both pieces. In this case, it is black and grey. Since each of the pieces has those colours in their prints. They are not fighting each other but compliment each other.

Get The Look:

Polo: Banana Republic

Pants: Banana Republic

Chelsea Boots: Aldo

Gone With The Wind

A windy afternoon running errands in Banana Republic Spring/Summer 2018 pieces.

I wanted to pick an outfit that I can go to meetings, run errands, and meet with friends at an event at the end of the day without having to go home to change.

LA traffic is no joke guys. I am always practical with my daily looks as I know plans are always in the making. I am pretty spontaneous with making plans with my friends because sometimes I get bored or hyped up and hit them up to chill or get drinks.

I styled this look so easy to fit wherever I am going. Playful with my multi-colours pattern dress shirt and keeping it simple with solid colour pants. You can have both, a playful and professional look to match your personality. You never want to be boring with your "business casual".

Get The Look:

Shirt: Banana Republic

Pants: Banana Republic

Sneakers: Converse

Lounge

Excited to announce my partnership with Abercrombie & Fitch showcasing a few of their pieces that you can wear for any occasion.

Summer ahoy, keeping it simple and clean with Abercrombie & Fitch. I have always been a fan of the brand since growing up and loved to see a brand grow as I grow.

The brand transition was such a great move as they brought back old fans and brings in new fans.

One of my favorite piece from the recent collection is this light denim shirt. I can lounge in them at home or out running errands. Never have to worry about changing shirts to go out in public.

Get The Look:

Shirt: Abercombie
Pants: Urban Outfitter
Shoes: GREATS Brand

Dressy

I feel like dress shirts are highly underrated these days. People mostly feel like they are supposed to be worn with suits only. Often case that is the best way to style it, but I do not believe it is the only way you should style it.

I love to wear dress shirts during the summer and fall season as it gets hot in California to do any layers. I usually keep it simple and leave a few buttons unbuttoned with a tank top showing through.

As for the dress up appeal, that is where the right kind of footwear comes in handy. You want to wear a double monk-strap dress shoe to go from casual to chic.

Get The Look

Shirt: Banana Republic
Pants: Topman
Shoes: Aldo
Tank Top: Hanes
Watch: Triwa

Feels

Can't go to the Havana this summer, so I am taking Havana to me. Adding some floral to my wardrobe during the summer.

I know what you are thinking, "Floral for summer? How shocking". Well, how can you not wear floral prints for the summer, it is the only time it is acceptable to do so, so why not?

Play around with the prints and be playful. I love to wear floral prints for my shirts and keeping the lower parts of my outfit like the pants and shoes simple and clean. That way the attention goes straight to my shirt and have a whole cohesive look.

Get The Look

Shirt: Topman
Tank Top: Hanes
Pants: Topman
Shoes: H&M
Watch: Daniel Wellington

Love In Capri

Dolce & Gabbana welcome Summer 2016 by launching its annual limited editions of their famous fragrances Light Blue from 2001 and Light Blue Pour Homme from 2007.

Both fragrances inspired by the summer atmosphere in the Italian island of Capri. Perfect for the summer with its light and fresh aromas. A great melody of citrus fruits and musk wood from white flowers.

Dolce & Gabbana known for putting on a show. They partnered with Condé Nast Traveler to take us to Capri in Los Angeles in The Hills. The event is a theme party where guests show up in Capri inspired outfits.

Keeping my outfit in theme with Capri. I wore linen pants with floral prints shirt and white kicks. You can never go wrong with linen for summer as it is light and breezy. If you know me, you'd know that I am pretty simple at times. I do not like to do overboard in prints. I love to have one big statement piece with simple everything else; like my shirt and pants combination.

Get The Look

Pants: Perry Ellis
Shirt: H&M
Suspenders: Thifted
Shoes: H&M
Watch: Daniel Wellington

Redefine

We could be and do anything we want. That's what I have been telling a lot of my friends. I know that It sound really cliché, but we really have to seize the moment. So...that's why I've decided to move to Los Angeles, CA. I am scare to start over again, but I am excited for what to come here. I don't know what is going to happen or if I will do well. I just know that I want this. Sometimes fear is a good thing. It pushes me to succeed.

Today's blog post is about mixing the new and old pieces in your closet to create a new look. Mixing two of my favorite suits from Darkoh and Perry Ellis to create a bold suit.

I am not the kind of person to wear an outfit once. I always recycle my looks by changing up a few things about it. If you remember from my previous blog post, this red double breast suit was a made for my birthday. I have worn it a few times by styling it with different shirts and shoes with it. This time I decided to just wear the blazer only.

I decided to pair the blazer with a simple pair of black dress pants that is part of my Perry Ellis suit. I love the color combination of red and black. It is just a bold and powerful look that you can wear to an event that you want to stand out in.

Get The Look:

Blazer: Darkoh

Pants: Perry Ellis

Coat: Tiger of Sweden

Shoes: Tiger of Sweden

Modern Trail

Put on your Timberland shoes and head on an adventure. Create your the Modern Trail. The Modern Trail is your journey. At Timberland, their boots, shoes, jackets and sandals are made with your work, play and travel adventures in mind.

The Modern Trail is about everyday adventures, connecting with fellow explorers and sharing what's discovered. I am discovering my campus at Michigan State University during winter, a real life winter wonderland.

Keeping my look very simple and casual with a black shirt and black jeans as the attention will go to my yellow boots. In theme with my winter outdoor look, I pair it with a forest green bomber that is a favorite of mine.

Get The Look:

Jacket: 21 Men

Shirt: H&M

Jeans: American Eagle Outfitters

Boots: Timberland

Piece By Piece

Today's blog post is about staple pieces. Buying pieces for your wardrobe that you can pair it with many outfits and year-long.

These staple pieces can be wore by itself or layer up together.

Let's start with the first layer; a simple white shirt. I love a fitted white shirt as it can go with under any sweater like this "Inside Outside" sweater from H&M. This is one of the piece #SelectedByBeckham. I love the neutral color of this sweater as I can wear it with grey pants or jeans for a more casual look. A perfect selection from H&M: Modern Essentials.

This spring you will see a lot of white jackets, more importantly, white leather jackets. They are becoming a hot issue in fashion as they add an alternative to the classic ones. The perfect jacket to help layer with your sweater. You can wear it over the shoulder or just wear it normally, either way, it is the perfect spring jacket.

One of my favorite winter jackets that get compliments often on the street. I love color and texture of this jacket as it pair perfectly with all of my outfits during this winter.

Get The Look:

Winter Jacket: Forever 21Men

Leather Jacket: Forever 21Men

Sweater: H&M

Shirt: Forever 21Men

Pants: Uniqlo

Sneakers: Nike Roshe

Bracelet: Enteresant

New Classic

Bringing back the classic look in a new way.

Thanks to Sprezzabox for their monthly supply of menswear goods, I was able to style my Darkoh suit with influences from Wall Street.

This blog post is inspired by the men of Wall Street. You can easily spot who works in Wall Street by the way they dress. They are known for strong contrast of colors, bold colors, expensive accessories, and of course, suspenders to make sure their wallet won't pull their pants down.

Although, I am not a fan of the typical shirts with thick lines, or a solid color with the contrast collars and cuffs. I decided to just keep my shirt a solid color. By keeping a solid color shirt, I can pair it with a funky polka dots suspender.

To complete the look of the Wall Street you got to make sure you have your accessories in order. You tie have to be in contrast with your suit. You suspenders got to be over the top. And your shoes, they are the thing that puts the whole looks together. Stick with a wingtip or brogues, but no square-toed shoes. They are tacky.

Get The Look:

Suit: Darkoh

Shirt: H&M

Suspenders: Weekend Casual

Tie: Jack Sartori

Shoes: Aldo

Watch: Daniel Wellington

Phone Case: Stil Mind

The accessories in this look came from SprezzaBox. Sign up for their monthly supply of menswear. Effortless style for just $25 a month.

Challenge

Happy New Years everyone!!

This year, I want to start challenging myself, I want to push my creativity and comfort zone in what I can do and cannot do. 2015 was a great year for me as I left behind a 9am-5pm job to focus on doing what I love and to be "free". I have never regrets any of decisions I made as I know that it will help me learn and succeed.

2016 will be a game changer for me as I want to inspire others more and give back. I want to have a voice and share my experiences, struggles, and overcomes. I am lucky to have a platform like this blog and my social media channel to do so.

As part of my new year goal I have teamed up with Bulova newest campaign #BeBulova to showcase their Military Collection (shown above). The idea behind #BeBulova is that as visual storytellers, we want to tell the stories of innovators and creators who embody the DNA of the Bulova brand. They want people to showcase lifestyle to accompany their content that speaks directly to their brand.

I am giving away a brand new watch from the Military Collection on my instagram. All you need to do is share your #BeBulova with an instagram post tagging me (@datswhatupp) and (@bulavo) in that post. Also, make sure you are following both of us on Instagram to be consider in the contest. The contest will ends a week from now. See below for the guidelines;

Guidelines:

1: Follow @Bulova and myself (@datswhatupp) on Instagram.
2. Make a post on your IG sharing your #BeBulova story and tagging both @Bulova and myself (@datswhatupp) to be consider in the contest. Also, tag some friends you think would be interested in entering.
3. Winner will be announced a week later.

Today's style post is how to style the Bulova watch for a sporty chic look. The Bulova watch from the Military Collection have a very sport feel to it with the nato strap. It allows you to dress casual or dressy depending on the occasion.

I decided to style this watch with a double-breated blazer from one of my suits. I am a huge fan of mixing and matching suits as you get more looks from it. I paired the blazer with a blue and white checkered print pants. For accessories, you can always trust SprezzaBox to help you add some boldness to your looks like the tie and handkerchief. Finish the look up with your favorite pairs of white sneakers.

Photographed by Kim G.

Get The Look:

Blazer: Darkoh

Pants: H&M

Tie and Handkerchief: Sprezzabox

Watch: Bulova

Sneakers: American Eagle Outfitters

Peanuts x Lacoste collection

In honor of the 3D wide animation “The Peanuts Movie” out this year, Lacoste partnered up with Peanut once again after the success of their 2010 collection.

The 2015 collaboration showcase a seasonal set of the brand's signature polo shirts in grey, white, and navy, as well as a navy sweatshirt. 

The tops feature whimsical scaled-down graphics of your favorite Peanuts characters, including Snoopy and Charlie Brown, interacting with the iconic Lacoste crocodile. Pieces from the collaborative project will be offered in both adult and children sizes, available now online and in-stores.

Thanks to Lacoste and Peanuts I get to relive my childhood and played dress up with my favorite character from the show; Snoopy!

Cruising through the streets of the Upper West Side on a nice Fall day we were able to shoot with beautiful houses and colors in the background.

Today's post, I am styling one of the the most timeless and iconic piece you need to have in your closet. This staple piece will help you create a classic outfit.

I am talking about the classic Lacoste polos. They have became such an iconic piece throughout the years. Remember, they are definitely investment pieces, so don't be afraid to splurge on certain ones if the time is right.

The Lacoste polos are so easy to wear and style. All you need is a nice pairs of fitted jeans or pants. The perfect footwear to style it with is some clean white sneakers for a sport chic look; or a nice pair of loafers for a more sophisticated style.

Remember to share your best lacoste polo with the hashtag #MyLacostePolo on social media to be feature on their site.

Shot by Kim G.

Get The Look:

Polo: Lacoste

Pants: H&M

Sneakers: American Eagle Outfitters

Watch: Daniel Wellington

Summer Fling

Winter may be approaching us, but that does not mean the rest of the world will be in a winter wonderland.

Reminiscing about one of my favorite summer trends this summer; bold prints jackets. A great staple piece for spring and summer.

Styling for a bold piece can be difficult as it can clash with your other pieces such as your pants, footwear, or even accessories. I recommend when wearing such a bold piece you want to dress around it and keep everything simple.

In this look, I am just wearing a fitted white shirt and a blue pant with subtle plaid prints on it. To keep this look sexy and summery I decided to keep some of my top buttons unbutton. A nice pair of white sneakers to keep it casual. During the night you can change up the look by button up the buttons and switching out the sneakers for a nice pair of brown wingtips.

A watch can say a lot about you. Make sure the style of watch you choose go with your look. Also, people like it when you are punctual. It is a great quality to have and can help you a lot in the long run.

Shot By Lam Matt Nguyen

Get The Look:

Jacket: H&M

Pants: Tiger of Sweden

Shirt: Tahaanga

Watch: Filippo Loreti

Sneakers: Nike

Laconic

Sometime you just got to let your outfit do the talking for you. Growing up I had a hard time expressing myself because of my insecurities. I was very shy, reserve, and not as out going as I am now. I use clothes to express myself and I still do to this day.

Today's blog post is about letting loose. One of the best things about owning a nice suit is the ability to style it many ways. Today, I am letting loose from the dapper look into a more relax look for the summer.

Let's start with a nice shirt and unbutton 3-4 of the top buttons to let the breeze in your chest so it can glister in the sun. By not buttoning all the button you are already letting a cool and casual vibe for this suit.

Keeping it classy with the accessories with a pattern handkerchief and a gold watch for that pop of color to your full on solid color suit. I'd love to wear sneakers with my suit when I like to dress down. A pair of clean white sneakers are best to compliment a casual look.

I'd would wear this look around town as it is easy to wear and very comfortable. A great look for dinner and the club/bars after.

Photos by Lam Matt Nguyen

Get The Look:

Suit: Tiger of Sweden

Shirt: Tahaanga

Hankerchief: Sprezzabox

Watch: Triwa

Sneakers: Nike

Iconic

One of my summer essentials must-have is a nice polo. A nice polo can do so much for your wardrobe as it is the key to a more modern, upscale look. The brand that I first think of when people say polo is Lacoste. When choosing the right polo to wear I go for comfort and style and that is why I choose to wear Lacoste.

When wearing my favorite polo from Lacoste I'd like to keep it modern and chic with just a pair of pants which is part of a suit. I believe style is about comfort and you should feel comfortable when dressing for summer as it can get hot and humid. You do not want to be over-layering.

I'd like to keep my accessory for this look simple with just a nice silver watch from Triwa. Each TRIWA watches is a thoughtful juxtaposition of classic silhouettes, Swedish contemporary design and curated materials.

One of the important key of putting an outfit together is the footwear. Wearing the right style can put this whole look together. For this particular style I went with a wing tip for a more fancier look than casual. You can always style it with a nice pair of white low top sneakers or a casual and chic look.

Photos by: HAGUE NYC

Get The Look:

Polo: Lacoste

Pants: Calvin Klein

Shoes: WIndsor Smith

Watch: Triwa

Derring-Do

Whoever seeks good finds favor, but evil comes to one who searches for it. But sometimes it is fun to be bad.

The second installment of my style post in styling your favorite suit into different looks. In my previous blog post I kept it very minimal and easy to wear from day time to night time.

Today's style post is more edgy and stylish than the first. I'd like to say that this look is about bringing the edgy side of you out. The dark side where you don't let it shine much, but now you can in how you dress. Sometime being bad is just half as fun as doing good. Style is about being creative and often time you get to play with it.

One of the best thing about a simple suit like this one, you can play with it by styling it with  pattern/print shirts to add some edge or contrast to the suit. In this look, I added a a tribal influenced shirt to pair it with the blue suit. With just one piece of clothing I turned this suit into more of a night out outfit rather than something you would wear at the office.

Now let's talk about adding accessories to this outfit to complete the look. This made sound weird, but this fur lining leather jacket is one of my accessories to this look that helps bring the edgy feel. If you ever want to feel like a bad-ass I recommend you investing in a pair of leather jackets. They are the ultimate bad-ass jacket that is trending every spring. Adding some two chains to the mix helps bring out the gold prints in my shirt. Keeping my wrist game on point with the helps of the Daniel Wellington team by providing me with this rose gold watch.

This year footwear is all about the monk straps. They are the men's stylish dress shoes as they bring class and touch of masculine to your look overall. They are very easy to pair with casual look or formal.

As I my style evolve through out the years I like to experience and see what works for me. I am becoming more daring on how I style my suits because I do not like to be typical with it and play it safe. It does not always have to be suit and tie. So have fun and add some prints and leather to your suit. Be bold with it.

Photography By: Hague NYC

Get The Look:

Jacket: 21 Men

Shirt: 21 Men

Suit: Darkoh

Chain: Thifted

Shoes: Topman

Watch: Daniel Wellington

Basic

Over the past few years, we have come to a conclusion that to dress boring or normal is "basic". Why do we have to dress for attention, but rather just dress in whatever we feel comfortable with. Dress for yourself not for others. To dress “normal” is the height of chic, yet to call someone “basic” is the chicest put-down, one that shows no signs of disappearing.

Today's style post is very "basic" or I'd like to call it chic. It is an easy look that is easily put together when you are in a hurry or don't have time to put something together but you still want to look effortless. One of my must have essentials in my wardrobe is the basics, which are, clean white shirts, tailored black slacks, an overcoat, and your to-go-to black shoes.

Whenever I am traveling away for the weekend I always pack my basics because it is light packing and can be put together in many ways. They go with any shirts, slacks, and occasions. During the last leg of winter, this grey overcoat is my everyday coat to withstand the chilling wind and cold. The reason why I love this coat is the way it is made. So simple and practically. It has a great shade of grey and really does go with all of my looks (as you can see from my previous style posts). Plus I am a sucker for long coat. But who isn't right? When putting it on you just feel chic.

The last accessory for this look is a nice pair of watch that adds to the outfit and isn't there for display. The Filippo Loreti watch is the watch with a story. It is an unique and personal piece of jewelry that holds valuable memories.

 Photography by: Hague NYC

Get The Look:

Overcoat: H&M

Shirt: Topman

Pants: Topman

Shoes: Tiger of Sweden

Watch: Flippo Loreti

Nexus

We all heard of that one saying "____ is the new black" but let's be real. Nothing is ever going to be the new black. Black in anything is just simply easier on the eye. Here are a few tricks on how to look like stylish dressed in black from head to toe.

Today's blog post is all about looking sleek and chic in black. Dressing in black is very simple to do, but it can be tricky as you can look like some high school rebellious kid going against society (we all been there, done that). I am going to teach you how to look like the matrix in the fashion world. When wearing all black, I like to play around with different material for each pieces. Putting together fabrics that goes well with each other.

Starting off with a long bomber jacket with faux leather sleeves and cotton body. Pairing the jacket with a moto jacket for a grungy look. Finish the top with a button down shirt. As for bottom of the outfit I always trust my black jean from Uniqlo as you can get it tailored right after you buy it. You can pick it up the next day free of charge. Finishing off the whole look with a pair of polish dress shoe. I believe that the perfect pair of shoes can put the whole outfit together.

Photography By: HAGUE NYC

Get The Look:

Bomber Jacket: Brooklyn Cloth

Moto Jacket: 21men

Shirt: Topman

Pants: Uniqlo

Shoes: Tiger of Sweden

Watch: Daniel Wellington

Acuity

My outfit for the first day of New York Fashion Week. I figured why not start off the first day with a bang in a custom made 3 piece suit from Darkoh. This is my 3rd season of going to New York Fashion Week since moving to New York. Every season has been an amazing experience and a learning process for me. 

I was invited by the designer of Darkoh to attend the show and have access to the backstage before the show. I have never seen the behind the scene before a show and I must give applause to all designers, make up artists, models, and everyone involved it in. Everyone is constantly on the moves and knows what they are doing.

Sitting in front row watching the Fall/Winter 2015 collection in my custom made suit from the designer herself was an experience of a lifetime. To be acknowledged by what I love to do and having the privilege of doing it during Fashion Week is one of my top moment in 2015. I

Get The Look:

3-piece suit: Darkoh 

Tie: 21men

Shoes: Rainman Japan

Watch: Klasse14

Eyewear: KaiBosh

Peripatetic

New York Fashion Week started on Thursday and it's been such a hectic week. My room is a mess from changing outfits for shows and just getting a few hours of sleep each days. I do not have time to clean my room so I just use my chair as a clothing rack to toss used clothes on it.   Focusing on work, going shows, and working on my blog all at the same time can be exhausting, but I could never complain because it is something I love doing and been wanting to do forever.

Today's blog post is all about playing with prints. Prints can be tricky to wear because some prints clash with each other and most times some prints are just hard to style. When incorporating prints into your look you got to play it easy. Choose one bold clothing that is going to be the main attention of your outfit. In this case, my solar shirt is the main attention. I always wear solid color shirts when pairing it with prints because it helps bring out the prints. I finish up the look with a nice tailored pants and some clean sneakers. Always remember not to pair clothing that clash with each other. You want to wear pieces that will go well together and helps bring out the main attraction of it.

Photo By: Hague NYC

Get The Look:

Jacket: The Narrows

Sweater: Brooklyn Cloth

Pants: Topman

Sneakers: Vans

Watch: Triwa