From Catwalk to Closet: Burberry Prorsum Fall 2014

If you don’t live in an urban jungle, it’s likely that you resonate more with the soundtrack of fashion shows than the fashion itself. Season to season, art walks down runways backed by twinkling flash-photographers with a cool factor that would not translate well outside of the city. That is until Burberry Prorsum took to catwalks with a Fall 2014 ensemble of ease.

Ripe with artfulness and wear-ability, as described in this review on Reckless Animals, this line was made for the young urban dweller no matter the amount of skyscrapers—or the lack thereof—that surround you. From olive-toned capes to full-bodied trenches, Burberry’s menswear begs to be worn on the back of free spirits with a not-so-free itinerary.

Three looks from the Burberry Prorsum Fall 2014 menswear collection.
Photos courtesy of recklessanimals.wordpress.com.

As a 20-something living in Colorado, the neighborhood name brands include the likes of North Face and Columbia. While I’ve trusted them both to get me to the bus stop with a normal body temperature, the spring and fall allow for comfort without resembling your favorite marshmallow dessert.

This fall, Burberry will walk much further than the stretches of the runway. Forego your classic denim jacket a time or two this fall and mix in the layered capes and collars of Burberry Prorsum Fall 2014. 

Complete Slideshow

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Creating Cardio Outside of the Gym this Winter

Wintertime prompts some adjustments in the way you conduct your day. Where there’s snow, it’s likely that your snow shovel is within plain view upon walking into your garage. Where there’s freezing temperatures, you wouldn’t dare drive without gloves for fear of frostbitten fingers. Unless you’re located in fair weather regions, the frigid season also brings out some creativity when it comes to getting in the proper amount of exercise.

The start to 2014 is as good a time as any to be loyal to your gym membership, but before you get your limbs tangled into knots with dumbbells, take to the outdoors.

According to Active.com, snow-surfaces and icy obstacles might put your personal trainer’s workout to shame. Amongst the seasonal sports to take part in during winter, snowboarding and downhill skiing burn 429 and 432 calories per hour, respectively. Topping that with 468 calories burned per hour, is sledding. That’s right, the activity of your snowsuit-wearing childhood is enough to burn off any amount of hot chocolate, so don’t feel guilty about the extra marshmallows.

Just before the festivities of Christmastime, my family and I packed our lunches and our ski gear for a day at Powderhorn Resort atop the Colorado Mesa. Legs quivering, and heart racing, the end of a ski run will make you aware of neglected muscle groups without the machinery of your local gym. “[Skiing is] a great all-round way to keep both the body and the mind healthy and fit for anyone willing to give it a try,” according to Fitday.com.

Take the hesitation out of working out in the winter and roll it down a snowy hillside. Cold weather will not be the villain in achieving your fitness resolutions. Take your cardio to creative limits this season, but don’t forget your extra pair of socks. 

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It's not You, it's "Her"

Political correctness as we know it has the breadth to acknowledge the classic stories like boy meets girl, boy meets boy, girl meets girl. But Spike Jonze introduces us to the not-so-common tale of boy meets operating system in his latest film, “Her”.

A writer facing the gray heartbreak of looming divorce papers, Theodore, (Joaquin Phoenix) purchases a surprisingly lively operating system who names herself Samantha (voice of Scarlett Johansson). Programmed to help with Theodore’s every need, audiences watch as Samantha’s curiosity for the world ignites rejuvenation in her owner, and eventual partner. 

Portraying the love affair between technology and human beings that Baby Boomer parents have long been criticizing their children for takes the stage and envelopes audiences in a new dimension of love, without a lick of parody. Cheek to lens, Samantha helps Theodore to write a love letter laden with newfound curiosity and ambition on each of their adventures.

No doubt a hyperbole of the connectedness between man and gadget, the film offers a refreshing interpretation of the future that steps away from Hollywood’s typical latex and stainless steel. Instead, the actors don cotton and wool while they pioneer a more classic creation of the future with captivating performances.

Ripe with emotion, crisp cinematography, and a meaningful soundtrack, the impact of this love story will travel with you long after you leave the theatre. 

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Versatility in Vests

Though the days are short, and the ground is laden in snow, winter in Colorado can include some surprisingly warm temperatures.

When you wipe the sleep from your eyes and find that the sun isn't shrouded by gray clouds, you'll have to approach your closet with a different mindset. Sift through your bulky ski coats and thick trenches, and layer your look with a vest on warmer winter days.

I've never been quite capable of convincing myself to purchase a down vest, although Colorado might be the ideal stage to sport the 'sleeveless coat'. Recently, however, I did find a distressed denim jacket in a local thrift store that I fashioned into a vest.

When styling my vest, I've tried so keep with solid sweaters and pull-over hoodies, to ensure that I'll be warm and comfortable wherever I may go during the day. Add this casual piece to your weekend wardrobe and take to the snowy streets in style this winter.

A tip for your fellow do-it-yourself stylists: When cutting the sleeves, leave a half-inch of material and comb out the denim around the cut portion of the vest to create a fringe. This will help your cause in looking more sleek and less crafty.

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Welcoming 2014... and Camouflage

With the change of one season to the next, we trust the fashion gurus to bring us the best trends. While I try to keep an open mind in welcoming change, some of the fashion fads that overcome my favorite stores take me a little longer to try on.

The latest trend that I managed to give the cold shoulder for several months was camouflage patterns. In the summer of 2013, camo prints meagerly appeared on shorts, ties, etc. Fast forward a few months and camo prints have appeared on all of your favorite clothing articles. Not even my rural roots could convince me to don any of this woodsy apparel. That is until I saw the blogpost, "Precious Cargo", on Scout Sixteen. Seeing the pattern outside of the stores and on the streets convinced me that a pattern I long associated with leisurely duck hunting, could emerge from the shadows and stand out as street wear.

New Year's Eve was my foray into camo. As a man with a minimalistic style sense, my philosophy with camo and any other bold pattern, is to complement the loud piece without other patterns or boldness. I want to be well-dressed, not the cause of a traffic accident.

Don't defy trends you're uncertain about. Take note of what you like on the streets, and shop the trend on sale racks before making big buys. Adventure on, and don't blend in.

P.S. Here's a look from I Am Galla, that minimizes camo to the shoe. 

I got this camo print sweater from American Eagle for $24.99. The black winter boots are NIKE, which I bought for $49.99 earlier this winter.

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Auld Lang Syne

Like Michelle Williams from Destiny's Child, New Years Eve is the subject of neglect amongst winter holidays. As I do with most underrated aspects of culture, I've deemed New Year's Eve as my favorite holiday. Other than the renowned New Year's Eve ball dropping in Times Square, there's a lot of creative freedom for you in inventing your own traditions to ring in the New Year.

Although our traditions may vary on this holiday, it seems that there's an overarching clarity on this night for one and all. In the first minutes, days, weeks, of 2014 we're most inspired to make the "could-have's" in years past into "will-be's" for the year ahead.  

While my whereabouts on the last day of December have always changed from year to year, I've always relied on listening to 'Auld Lang Syne' as the year comes to an end. When Lea Michele made her own rendition of the song a couple years back, somehow 'Auld Lang Syne' became even more festive. Have a listen, as you create memories tonight that will pave the way for 2014. 

Continue to find inspiration, and keep your wine glasses full this year. 

Cheers. 

Book Review: Mrs. Kennedy and Me

On the night of Nov. 22, 1963, Jacqueline Kennedy emerged from an Air Force One aircraft in Washington D.C. shedding her position as First Lady of the United States, and adopting widowhood. Following the bronze shroud of her husband, Mrs. Kennedy donned a pink Chanel suit with blood-red indications of where she coddled her husband’s head earlier that day. The 35^th President of the United States had been assassinated and the reverberations would resound throughout the nation for years to come.

Last month marked the 50-year anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. While President and Mrs. Kennedy have garnered regal, celebrity-like statuses in America, their contributions to the nation went far beyond their photogenic qualities.

With a working insight into the life of Jackie Kennedy, Clint Hill, the Secret Service agent assigned to Mrs. Kennedy’s detail for the Kennedy administration, along with journalist Lisa McCubbin, recounts Mrs. Kennedy as a bold leading lady for her family and beyond in the biography, Mrs. Kennedy and Me.

“At the time, I don’t think Mrs. Kennedy realized the tremendous influence she had, but for those of us around her, it was impossible not to recognize. Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy had become a star,” Hill writes in his portrait of Mrs. Kennedy.

From her playful humor, to her well-cultured perception of the world, Hill’s writings enable readers to accompany Jackie Kennedy in satisfying her curious heart. Be it on horseback with her children Caroline and John in Virginia, or as a tourist in France, Italy, Greece, Pakistan, Italy, etc. unaware of the indelible traces of diplomacy she left from place to place, Hill's memoir depicts the actions that Mrs. Kennedy made with genuine intentions, no matter the setting.

Forever more, Mrs. Kennedy will be paired with her timeless elegance as First Lady of the United States. It's a trait of her that continues to gleam from tabloids to television screens, but her fluidity as an intellectual and a leader cannot be silenced. And sentiments from the man sworn to protect her, Special Agent Clint Hill, serve as a reminder of Mrs. Kennedy’s dimensionality as a woman, beyond that tragic day in Texas. 

Order Mrs. Kennedy an Me on Amazon.com here.

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Winter Trail Runs: Pollock's Bench

Feasts of the festive season may be coming to a close, but your lack of motivation for running in the cold is unwavering. With many weeks between New Year's resolutions and the warmth of spring break, there's no sense in waiting for 'ideal conditions' for running.

If there's snow on the ground, taking to the streets for a run during the winter is a daunting task. Instead of hurdling icy patches on neighborhood sidewalks, try out your favorite local trails.

This week, I took to a trail that my soles have long ago memorized - Pollock's Bench. In my hometown of Fruita, Colo., there are a host of trails in the fingers of the Colorado National Monument. Laden with a layer of snow, the trail relieved me from jumping over ice and mud. You might have to work a little harder to trek through the snow, but it's worth it if you think back to that second helping of grandma's dessert last week.

Winter isn't exactly our ally in running endeavors. But with moisture-wicking layers and a handful of regular running regions, you can make your own ideal conditions.

Running Tip: Dress as if it's 10 degrees (F) warmer than it is outside, and you'll be more comfortable during long runs.

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Square One in Style

In many of my favorite films from my teenage years, if there was a young protagonist, I could be sure that they would be rebellious in some form another. Lindsay Lohan in Freaky Friday defied her mother in all of her gothic glory. Even Violet, in The Incredibles was too suave with her jet-black hair to be bothered by her parents for much of the movie.

While I did have a head of frizzy hair that could have easily set a scrawny teen off balance, I didn’t not attempt any acts of rebellion as a kid. Instead, I expressed myself with what I wore. In the rural town of Fruita, Colo., I was at an advantage against my peers who opted for Wrangler denim or Volcom tees. Although, I was an offender of donning four-too-many pairs of skater shoes without any ability to maneuver a skateboard.

Thankfully, my sense in style has progressed. To add to that, I’ve recently found a blog, titled Scout Sixteen, which features current, young fashion. One of the most noteworthy aspects of the blog is that the author of the blog, Justin Livingston, understands the versatility of his readers. Adventuring as a twenty-something can’t always call for a suit and tie, and his blog posts address this fact with looks that include denim, sweaters, and the like.

Drawing inspiration from Justin Livingston, at Scout Sixteen, I’ve added a ‘Style’ dimension to A Furled Brow. And if your own style staples include sweaters from your granddad’s era to layering outrageous graphic tees, I hope you’ll follow along. 

Check out my favorite post from Scout Sixteen here.

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