Look Sharp, Live Smart: GQ Men

Confident, cool, stylish, sexy - the "GQ Man" has served as a model for American men for decades.

For decades, around the world, it has been said of certain men, "He's so GQ". The magazine has become synonymous with style, but to "be GQ" is so much more than just being outwardly fashionable. It also means to be cultured, to have taste, to have panoramic interests, from political, art, and literature to film, music, travel, and of course fashion. It's about being a part of the cultural moment -actively engaging in the here and now with curiosity and an appetite for what's new.

Minin the magazine's extensive photographic archives, GQ Men captures the essence of what it means to look sharp and think smart - the magazine's mantra - by showcasing the men who embody the GQ spirit: Legends like Paul Newman, Robert Redford and Bob Dylan; legends in the making like George Clooney and Denzel Washington; the new guard of young, handsome hot shoots, like Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum, and Ryan Gosling; musicians from Kanye West to Paul McCartney, leaders like Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, fashion designers from Ralph Lauren to Thom Browne, plus artists (Jeff Koons), athletes (LeBron James), and funny men from Jimmy Fallon and Will Ferell to Zach Galifianakis. GQ Men celebrates all the facets of the modern American man - smart and stylish both inside and out. 

GQ Men, $150

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Introducing Tory Burch Beauty

There’s been a wave of designers starting beauty collections of late, including Marc Jacobs, Jason Wu and Michael Kors. Tory Burch is the latest, with a new fragrance, makeup collection and bath-and-body range. Unlike Jacobs, who released enough products to fill one of his oversize satchels and then some, Burch took a “less is more” approach. “I’m not into a heavy beauty regimen,” she admitted, with a laugh.
In keeping with the vision for her clothing line, for Tory Burch Beauty the designer drew inspiration from her past, specifically her well-known parents, Buddy and Reva Robinson, and the chic world in which they lived. “My dad always wore Green Water, or Vetiver by Guerlain, and so did I, so vetiver was the starting point for my scent,” she said. “I wanted it to be tomboy but feminine, so we combined vetiver with citrus, florals like jasmine and tuberose, and woods.” The bottle’s fretwork cap is a nod to the beloved Chinese Chippendale chairs from her childhood home, while its beveled edge recalls the vintage flacons that decorated her mother’s vanity. “I remember her wearing everything from Chanel No. 5 to Paris,”  Burch noted. Her mother’s judicious approach to primping guided the makeup selection as well, which includes a lip stain that doubles as a cheek tint, a blush and bronzer combined in one and a pinkish nude lipstick.

But the prettiest accouterments? The body moisturizers, shower gel and candle, all of which are wrapped in pale pink tones. “I kept thinking about how they would look in your bathroom, and I liked how the color went with orange,” Burch said of her signature shade. But above all, she wanted everything in the collection (even the makeup) to have a drop of that vetiver-spiked eau de parfum. 

Our Top Picks

Lip Color, Pas Du Tout, $32

Bronzer & Blush, $48

Face Brush, $48

Lip & Cheek Tint, $38

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(via nyt)

What If You Stopped Sleeping?

Is your lack of sleep slowly killing you?

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Peter Pilotto X Target

Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos, the London-based designing duo behind Peter Pilotto, are teaming up with Target for a bold, spring womenswear collection debuting Feb. 9, 2014.

Given the brand's UK roots, Target is making the collection available to international fans through online luxury retailer Net-a-Porter, which will carry a curated assortment of the limited-edition collection. After all, Target has always partnered with the best and brightest - from both near and far - to make a great design accessible.

Expect to see the same distinct and elegance of Peter Pilotto in the Target collection, with kaleidoscopic prints, bold color combinations (picture striking and greens and warm reds and oranges) and sculpted silhouettes.

With celebs following including the likes of Kerry Washington, Kristen Stewart, Miranda Kerr, Kate Bosworth, Sienna Miller and Emma Watson, there's rarely a red carpet without Peter Pilotto sighting.

The designs duo first made fashion headlines when they were awarded the Best Emerging Talent Award and the Women's Swarovski Award for New Potential High-Level Garments at the British Fashion Awards in the late 2009. Additional accolades followed in 2011 when the label received the prestigious Fashion Forward Award by the British Fashion Council.

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(via Target)

Zara Women's September Lookbook

Our Top Picks

Wrap Around Overcoat with Hood, $239

High Collar Studio Top, $99.90

Studio Jacket, $189

Masculine Studio Coat, $269

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Music: Hanni El Khatib "Penny"

Classixx's fantastic remix of fellow L.A based rocker Hanni El Khatib's single "Penny". 

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The Classic Hamilton in Fall Hues

The Key to Style

The classic Hamilton in Fall's best hues

Hamilton Saffiano Tote, Vanilla, $358

Hamilton Saffiano Tote, Dune, $358

Hamilton Crocodile-Embossed Tote, Brown, $398

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KORA Organics by Miranda Kerr

"Creating KORA Organics has given me a platform to share this passion with others."

- MK

Miranda Kerr created KORA because she wanted to develop a range of products that brought together the very best in skincare ingredients designed to nourish, replenish and hydrate skin. "The products represent my healthy/balances lifestyle, my beliefs and love of organics."

KORA Organics products only use the highest quality certified organic and natural ingredients. Their products have been specifically formulated to work synergistically with each other to maximize results. 

Our Favorite KORA Products

Foaming Cleanser, $44.95 AUD

Calming Lavender Mist, $39.95 AUD

Hydrating Day & Night Cream, $59.99 AUD

Clay Purifying Mask, $49.95 AUD

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Coolest Brands: Britain's Taste for Luxury

A list attempting to chose the "coolest" brands in the UK has been dominated by high-value brands - topped off by Apple products.

The annual survey, from Cool Brands, has Aston Martin and Rolex in second and third place.

The poll is assembled by a panel of 37 experts, including the designer Kelly Hoppen and the model Daisy Lowe, with votes from 2,000 consumers.

Other names in the top 20 include Chanel, Prada and Alexander McQueen.

Names that are no longer in the top 20 include Haagen-Dazs, Ben & Jerry's and Vogue.

The brands are a mixture of the internationally dominant such as Nike, Google and YouTube, with other internationally well-known but niche names, such as Glastonbury and the music streaming service Spotify.

Cool in the 1980s but not in 2013 - Design Council chief executive John Mather says cool brands have a "timeless quality"

Cool-hunters

Stephen Cheliotis, chairman of the CoolBrands council, said Apple's days as the leading brand might be numbered: "While Apple remained number one this year, question marks remain as to how long they might hold this position in the face of an increasingly competitive set of rivals.

"Overall the top 20 saw a definite swing back to luxury brands as the affordable everyday brands slipped back.

"Whether it's due to strong heritage, product quality or quite simply a correlation with the reviving British economy, this year's CoolBrands list shows an increasing number of luxury brands are back at the top of the cool list, reversing last years' trend of affordable everyday luxuries dominating."

Some of the names on the list may surprise cool-hunters.

Virgin Money and the savoury spread Marmite are both winners of the coolest brands in their own categories.

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(via bbcuk)

How to Boil an Egg

A collection of simple and nutritious ways to cook and eat eggs from the ever popular Rose Bakery.

How to Boil an Egg Etc, is a collection of simple and unusual recipes for cooking eggs from Rose Bakery. Renowned English chef Rose Carrarini of Rose Bakery has chosen her favorite classic and contemporary ways of using eggs, including all the basics like poached, scrambled and fried eggs, as well as muffins, pancakes, tarts, gratings, cakes and puddings. One of the most complete and nourishing of ingredients, this book shows how tasty and versatile eggs can be.

This book will enable you to master the basics of cooking eggs as well as recreate some of the most popular dishes served in Rose Bakery, from breakfast classic such as pancakes and French toast to afternoon treats such as Welsh Tea Cakes, Walnut Cake and Orange Creme Caramel, as well as soups, quiches and tarts perfect for light-lunch.

Rose Cerrarini and her husband Jean-Charles set  up the original Rose Bakery, a small Anglo-French restaurant, shop and bakery, tucked away in a street near the Gare du Nord in Paris in 2002. Serving simple, fresh and healthy meals, their food blurs the boundaries between home and restaurant cooking.

How to Boil an Egg, $35

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Cotton Or Nothing: Join the Movement

In response to clothing manufacturers replacing cotton with unreliable and uncomfortable fabrics, mannequins ditched their clothes and gathered in New York City during Fashion Week to protest. Their message - Cotton or Nothing. Hundreds of people joined them to create a stop-motion film of the 3-day protest. 

Why you should join:

Manufacturers are replacing the cotton in  your favorite cloths with unreliable and uncomfortable fabrics. 

It's easy to mistake a mystery fabric replacement for cotton. It can look like a cotton and even feel like cotton, but only at first. Here are some of the fabric fails you can expect if you don't check the label:

Pilling - Odor - Itching - Clinging - Loss of Shape

If any of these sound familiar, you may have been fooled by fabric substitution. 

Join the movement!

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Burberry CEO Says Women Can't do It All

Angela Ahrendts, one of Britain's most successful businesswomen, has admitted that women "can't do it all", adding fresh fuel to the debate about whether women can combine harmony in the home with business success.

Mother of three teenagers, Ms Ahrendts is credited with reviving the fortunes of Burberry, the fashion brand where she is chief executive, and establishing herself as one of the most astute in the sparse ranks of female bosses.

Does she achieve a balance that suits the family as well as shareholders? She thinks so but works hard at it.

Her working day starts at 4.35am, but she rations out-of-hours work to one evening a week and insists on arriving home on Friday after travelling.

She has turned down invites to the Oscars because: "It's not more important than my husband. It's not more important than my kids. It's not more important than Burberry".

She said in an interview with The Sunday Times: “I don’t want to be a great executive without being a great mum and a great wife. I don’t want to look back and say I wish I had done things differently. Balance is a really big word for me."

"It's one of the most important parts of my job, showing that you can't do it all."

Ms Ahrendts' comments are the latest in a debate led by Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg. Ms Sandberg has called for working women to "lean in" to their careers and demand husbands bear a greater share of the domestic burden.

While both are American, they appear to have different takes on the issue.

Sandberg believes women are penalised at work because of gender stereotypes, one of the themes in her book ‘Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead.”

She has said: “Give us a world where half our homes are run by men and half our institutions are run by women. I’m pretty sure that would be a better world. Our culture needs to find a robust image of female success that is first, not male and second, not a white woman on the phone, holding a crying baby.”

Ms Ahrendts says it is impossible to have it all. "I’m here to run Burberry and I’m here to be a really great wife to my husband. And we have three amazing teens so that’s three really big jobs,” she said.

She tries to lead by example. “We have a lot of women working here and I always tell them they are mothers first. Those children are their legacy and they have partners and that’s a big obligation.”

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(via telegraph)