Thou Shalt Covet: Kangol Hats

If I haven’t affirmed this enough already, let me do so again: I love hats. They are a quintessential summer accessory for guys for their fashion and grab-and-go functionality. For those gentlemen looking for quality headwear with unmatched style and personality, Kangol is the brand to buy.

Kangol hats are cool; I mean really cool. They come in updated styles and colors to fit any aesthetic. The summer line is brimming (pun intended) with hats that are easy to wear and perfect for weekends and work days alike. The pork pie shape of the Wheat Stingy may be classic, but the bold color is anything but. You will be seen in this hat, so be prepared to field compliments from friends and strangers alike. Wheat Stingy Pork Pie $54

I love this hat. Made in the USA, the Swirl Pork Pie features a swirl effect on the felt brim. The green is the perfect hue for summer but also subtle enough to transition into fall. This hat will never go out of style or out of sight. Swirl Pork Pie $120

A special thanks to Erica Bushong of Erica Lee Style for these incredible product shots. Another thanks to Kangol for feeding my fix and delivering these two stellar hats to my door. Check out their entire Summer collection online now.

The Rugged Minion: Carhartt

August may just have started, but rugged and stylish workwear is essential for every season. No company knows this better than Carhartt. The American label has a history rich with craftsmanship and a legacy of dependable clothing as tough as the people who wear it. Comfortable enough to wear now and into the latter days of summer, Carhartt’s current collection features pieces that can easily be layered once temperatures begin to cool down for fall.

With husband in tow, friend and photographer Erica Bushong of Erica Lee Style trekked into the woods with me to shoot some of the best pieces from Carhartt’s summer line.

Made from a polyester and twill blend, these pants resist stains as well as wrinkles. Twill Work Pant $27

Waterproof and breathable, the canvas Astoria jacket is perfect for warm weather rain showers. Astoria Jacket $180

This jacket is just as stylish on the street as it is in the wilderness.  Twill Work Jacket $50Dressed up or down, this shirt gets the job done.  Long-Sleeve Twill Work Shirt $25

A very special thanks to Erica Lee Style for the amazing photography and Carhartt for providing the incredible clothing.

Femme Friday: Crochet Trimmed Shorts DIY

❘ The Modern Minion: DIY fashion is good. DIY fashion for Femme Friday is incredible. Friend and fellow style fan Amber Coghill delivers a clever DIY that’s as easy as it is affordable. Make sure to follow her on Twitter for all her crafty fashion ideas. ❘

The inspiration for this DIY came from these fantastic crochet detailed Guess shorts I came across in Toronto. They were absolutely adorable but I walked away from them because I couldn’t justify paying $99 when I knew I could come up with something just as cute.

As soon as I found them online, I made a trip to Goodwill to buy an old pair of jeans in a light wash that I could cut off and distress. My next stop was the fabric store to buy a couple metres of lace. After better studying the original shorts online, however, I realized that lace wouldn’t provide the same effect. So I headed to my garage to dig through some of my grandma’s things that had been left when she moved out of her apartment. I came across an old tablecloth that I knew had just the right details I needed.

Materials in hand, I began by cutting off the jeans to a length I was comfortable with. Using a pair of scissors, I added some distressing and frayed the the raw edges.

I looked at the tablecloth and cut out some designs that I thought would work well.

I wanted to make sure that the pieces would stay in place so I hand stitched each one onto the shorts. After working at it for a bit, I understood why the Guess pair was $99. Stitching the crochet took longer than I expected, but I just crashed on the couch and caught up on my shows.

Regardless of the time they took to complete, I couldn’t be happier with my shorts. While the original shorts cost $99, mine came in at an incredible $6, the cost of the jeans. If you don’t have a crochet tablecloth, try hitting up garage sales or local thrift stores. Once you start looking, you’ll be surprised how easy they are to find.

I am in love with these shorts! They look great with everything, from a casual tee to a dressier top. For a savings of almost $90, it’s definitely worth it to tackle your own clever, crochet creation.

Happy Femme Friday!

-Amber

The Musical Minion

The song and video are both incredible. Aside from that, the guys of Never Shout Never have great style. I almost detect a hint of Parisian street style, which I wholly support.

Take a listen and savor the fact that your work week is more than half over.

Milan Fashion Week: Burberry Prorsum

Without a doubt, the Burberry show is my absolute favorite thus far from Milan Fashion Week. As if the colors weren’t fantastic on their own, designer Christopher Bailey added layers of seemingly contrasting textures. But they work flawlessly together. The metallic pieces are insanely good. There’s no legitimate reason a man should ever find himself needing a pink trench coat, and yet it works perfectly.

Dear Chris,

Well done, sir. Well done.

Sincerely,

The Mylar Minion

The Modern Minion Rises

A little over a month ago my dad passed away very unexpectedly. For all my skills at syntax and sentence structure, I can’t construct a tactful or clever way to tell this story, maybe because it isn’t meant to be either. Maybe it’s meant to be exactly what I need it to be: honest disclosure.

I struggled with how and when to tell people about my dad’s death. To be honest, most of my friends, including those reading this, don’t know. It took me days to tell even my closest inner circle. I’ve always prided myself on my incredible (and often fictitious) way of handling things on my own. I am my own man and my own island. I’d take the manly route of burying everything deep because I believed that’s what was expected. As I write this, those principles are still at the front of my mind.

I certainly had no intention of sharing this news with my readers. I was so wrapped up in building my brand that I worried how airing something so personal would reflect on The Modern Minion. But The Modern Minion didn’t lose a father. I did. Me. Andrew.

For the past month I’ve been managing the aftermath of my dad’s death. Arrangements were made, lawyers were consulted, and meetings were sat through. For weeks it was a constant storm of bills, insurance forms, death certificates, and paperwork. I was overwhelmed. I was broken. I was exhausted.

Just as things were beginning the settle down, I was offered a new job that I couldn’t decline. I transitioned from the stress of picking up after someone’s life to a long commute, even longer hours, and a seemingly endless list of things that had to get done immediately. But after enduring the fire, the frying pan doesn’t seem so rough.

A very good friend told me I wouldn’t miss my dad until he was missing. He’s right. In all the chaos of the last month, I don’t know that I’ve realized that he’s not coming back. The last time I saw my father is the last time I’ll see my father.

I don’t want this blog to be just a brand; I want it to be an extension of me. These pages need to be personal or my purpose for writing them is lost. They are pieces of me laid out for all to see. Some days they’ll be clever and stylish, other days they’ll be too contrived and fall flat. I think I’m okay with that, though.

The night is darkest just before the dawn. And I promise you, the dawn is coming.

Thou Shalt Covet: TOMS Stars & Stripes

For those of you whose patriotic spirits were ignited by yesterday’s hot grills and even hotter weather, TOMS has the only casual shoe you’ll be needing this summer. Inspired by the greatest nation on Earth, this latest style all but guarantees I’ll be sporting TOMS from now until the salt trucks come out of hibernation.

These stars and stripes are something we should all salute this summer.

TOMS Stars and Stripes Vegan Classics $54

Femme Friday: Scarf Prints

Today’s Femme Friday focuses on one of the most colorful and exotic trends this season: scarf prints. Bright and bold, scarf prints were seen on Spring 2012 runways in dresses, blouses, blazers, and even shoes. No other design house more elegantly captured these prints than D&G.

Retailers worldwide were quick to offer easy options to incorporate scarf prints into any woman’s spring/summer wardrobe. Pairing a printed blouse or skirt with simple neutrals like white highlights this trend without being overwhelming. Accessories like bags or actual scarves are also a great way to dip your toe into the scarf print pool.

Despite today’s hot weather, look cool and stay stylish and have a very Femme Friday.

Row 1: John Zack dress via ASOS $53; Zara blouse $60 Row 2: Zara blazer $129; Lipsy dress via ASOS $96 Row 3: Gypsy 05 Belted Venus maxi via Piperlime $253; Zara shorts $80