A Harold WAIGHT blog
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Quick Tip For The Modern Man
The color blue, its often used as hint for masculinity. After my last post titled "The green machine", I wanted to write about another color on the earthly spectrum. Like the few friends and many associations I have, Blue some how finds itself into our wardrobe through out the course of the year no matter the season, temperature, event or occasion. Blue is not considered a earthly tone but in fact its often used as a cool tone. depending on the aggression of its shade. It can be used to soften, blend or defuse a look. I enjoy working with this color. A week ago my friend Bryan R. (BigB)who is a New York City social butterfly reached out about working on a photo shoot. One that could be used as a quick reference and mile stone representative to our friendship. He asked me to pick a color and as you may have already hinted from this post. I chose blue.
While taking courses in school for marketing and media, I learned that blue is always a go to for interviews. Blue evokes feelings of calmness and spirituality as well as security and trust. Seeing the color blue causes the body to create chemicals that are calming. It is no surprise that it's the most favored of the colors.
So what material would be contributing the texture to this color that we chose? Simple. Denim. Like the Dsquared2 twins; Designers behind one of the major fashions brands in the world that I have had the pleasure of working with. I to was able to relate to the genesis of denim within this brand. To my old bosses and charming associations Dean & Dan, denim was a liberation of sorts. It was something that they were restricted from wearing when they were young. To me, its something that represents a rebellion from my church upbringing where I found myself constantly having to be in formal attire.
Freedom, trust, honesty, calmness...These are all traits I stand by when in comes down to friendship. On this memorial day we decided to anchor our friendship with blue denim as a representation of our brotherly love. It is now been a full year since I've met Big B and I look forward to having many more.
-Haro
May 27, 2020
Fashion Designer: Timothy Nash
November 28th 2019
@tl.nash
Green Machine. Here we take a look at an eclectic touch to modern fashion. When we really study modern fashion we see a trend of futuristic like styling. We now see that men are truly breaking beyond the boundaries of your common a flannel shirt. There is more intricacy and thought behind individual pieces but the over all styling must be effortless and organic. We are living in a combination of what is modernly affected by technology and our organic fashion brought to us by human history. While reading In between the stripes we discover green and past memories Start to flash. Green has always been a color that represents the color of life, renewal, nature, and energy, is associated with meanings of growth, harmony, freshness, safety, fertility, and environment. It also represents financial wealth.
I first met Timothy on set of a photo shoot we worked on. We would be shooting a magazine cover and years later we would have subtle interactions between working for a fashion brand and sharing heart to heart moments on our creative business endeavors. It was only about a matter of time before we decided to meet up to shoot what we love so much. Fashion.
If I had to describe Timothy's collection I would say it’s a plethora of fresh air. He mixes an array of textures through different materials and finds a flow of organic symmetry. In this fresh new collaboration I am wearing a denim piece from designer Micheal Ebwe that can be considered minimal and I maximize it by mixing a Manier De Voir camouflage fur jacket, a club Monaco modern dress pant and a Goorinbros hat. This look is paired up to look effortlessly eccentric. I wanted a look that would compliment Timothy's design.
Here Timothy wears an all green two set. With a form fitting black leather turtle neck. The inspiration behind his is nature... the detailing of Jacket (fur, velvet piping, and appliqués) represent every living organism. A well thought out look with true artistry behind its assembly and execution.
The great thing about the color green is that it makes a easy transition from day time to night time. I always say navy blue and Black compliment each other. They go hand in hand like cousins. With Timothy wearing black detailing and a black turtleneck, I decided to take a dark blue denim approach with the transparent plastic detailing to bounce off of Timothy's pin strip sleeve sleeves.
As you can see we are both big fans of hats and it just so happen we had the same silhouette replica of this Fedora in different colors. The Brown color Timothy wore gave his look that more earthly approach while the teal color in mine set off the balance between the navy blue and greens in my look.
Quick tip for the modern guy whose into a futuristic earthly vibe. Make sure whatever combination you choose to go with. you are balancing your tones either with your accessories or layering pieces. Remember to not go in the direction of a costume but an outfit. Every outfit can be saved with the right kind of layering. Think of it as harmony.
August 1st 2018
Brave How can we live in a world where we aren't always free to live outside of a box? Today wasn't just about mixing prints, it was about being bold enough to be unpredictable. Bold enough to live in truth. Truth is found in a world that no longer exists. It's a world that has no rules expectations guidlines or standards. Its a word that represents everything as it is, the nity gritty and the blitz and glam. Today I chose to live in my truth.
I woke up today and took a hard look in the mirror. I felt indifferent. I walked over to my closet and stared at my clothing. As I stood in front of my mirror I noticed I've become very fond of textures and prints. Specifically prints that display patterns through repetition. The idea of repetition gives me a feeling of safety and comfort because I know what is next.
I then reached out for two of my favorite prints, polkadots and stripes.
I woke up with nothing much on my mind which is such a uncommon scenario in a city as hectic as New York where there is always something around the corner to stress you out! I took this opportunity to create my own mood. Set the tone for my day. Ive never seen anyone combine stripes and polkadots. I questioned if it was a rule. But once I paired both prints together I realized how repetition makes them related. However it is still summer so with such a layered print type look; How could I have made this a little easier on the eyes?
Thats is when I decided to go with casual foot wear and it doesn't get any more casual than a pair of BCBGMAXAZRIA sandals. It was however still missing something. I needed to some how give space for anyones eyes to settle and to be able to process such a intricate combination. That is when I decided to layer the look with a orange/red tone blazer. After all, Fall is only a few weeks away.
In the fashion industry we often label polkadots and stripes as prints but to any human being alive, anything that is repetative is technically a pattern. Its a description of a bunch of nothing because ultimately the difference between a print and pattern is so close it become subjective.
Tip for the modern man: A pattern is something you can feel (the actual fabric) a print is something you cannot (a image or pattern added to the fabric)
Influencer ft: @editorialjames
September 9th 2018
How can we transition from summer to fall?
I find that most of my clients have complications switching seasons. One Huge transition is summer to fall. Although it can be very exciting. It can also be frustrating getting the right color pallet. When we think off fall we think of darker warm colors such as browns, yellows, oranges and reds. We think warm when it comes to fall in order to hold unto the spice and fun of summer.
So how can we effortlessly transition into this color pallet? The answer is simple. Cream colors become our referee in the game of a fashion. In order to switch up the vibe. Think of any white or creme color as if it were to be the space between the lines. Not only does it give us room to breath but it also gives our looks room to change and or in this case, room to transition
I made a friend through the popular social media platform known as instagram. His name is James.
This was my first collaboration with another fashion influencer. I find that there is a huge importance in our society when it comes down to creative minds coming together. Especially creative men. We kicked off our conversation about a look we saw online and both admired. We then realized how our idea of fashion is both refined but at the same time it is our own. We decided to partner up.
James: Being that stripes were on trend the summer of 2018. James decided to go with a light weight long sleeve top that had the stripes print. He then linked it with tuxedo styled trousers to give the more relaxed top a formal bottom. When we think of high and low cost brands we should also think of high and low styled pieces. A casual piece partnered up with a formal piece can minimize effort in a look. This look started with a wool hat with a softer tone. Finally it ended with a pop of summer blue as an end to a season.
Harold: I wanted to play my look off of James but still retain my over all standard image. Mesh was my big go to this summer and has been every summer. It adds volume to my body because it creates an illusion of a more proportioned weight. I went with a off white mesh top then layered with a linen ivory white blazer. I ended with a pop of color on the lower half of my form by utilizing brown as a darker contrast. The synergy between seasons can be showcased as different pieces in a look. In my mind. summer is the beginning (my upper half) and fall leans towards the end of the year (my bottom half). The importance of a effortless look is becoming crucial as I age. It is becoming the definition of maturity in my style.
Quick Tip for the Modern man: stick to browns, mustard yellows and creme colors when styling a quick transitional look from summer to fall.
Influencer ft: @rankinestyles
September 13th 2018
How can we relate in a picture?
Selfless: to be concerned more with the needs and wishes of others rather than with one's own.
It is a gift yet a curse. I found myself often falling victim to myself in this category. Ive always been the type of person to put the needs of others before myself. So much so that I became complacent with being a after thought or always being overseen when in fact my ideas opportunities and talent would be the reason so many of those people would get ahead but not very far. When we allow the world to take, we can't blame the world when we end up with nothing. When we give away something that is ours. We can't expect it to be used for its fullest potential by someone it never belonged to.
Yesterday I had finally had enough: I said no, I don't belong in the shadows of society working for people who aspire to be front and center. I belong on center stage where I can make more of a impact than my own work. No longer being a platform, a mat or a stepping stone for others to only grow so much. Finally I refuse to let anyone make me feel guilty for thinking of me and not them. You have to help yourself first so you can truly understand how to help others. I rather be selfish to the world than to myself. For the longest its been the other way around. I'm a star and my mission is clear. I can only establish platforms for others if I first establish one for myself. There is a love for what I can create but there is a even stronger love for who I am as creator. I'm finally ready to share me with the world and finally ready to belong to no one man.
One thing I'm learning with fashion collaborations is balance. Learning to balance with give and take.
This breaks down colors. When you go take professional images either for your family or with your prom date or even with work. The best group images are those that have a theme that bring the over all composition together. In todays collaboration, we mixed and matched pieces of our separate wardrobes to complete and unify our look into its organic symmetrically balanced self.
Mark has a huge nitch for color. He enjoys to remain in vivid colors all year round. Today we practiced toning down the brightness to fit my aesthetic but holding on to color to stay true to his. There is only one accessory in this entire photograph with black in it and that would be my Dsquared2 shoes.
We wanted to consider the colors of the season. Which are colors with muted dark tones. We then went into prints and textures. Balancing Mark's vest pant suite and separating it unto two different looks really allowed our wardrobing to play off of one another. This allowed us to transition from one person to the next. We then dipped into my wardrobe where Mark wore a woven, gold embellished button down and I wore a denim, paisley print button down. While the button down he wore was imaculate enough not to need a tie, mine wasn't. So I finally layered my look with a blue phokadot tie. These are all combinations that flatter one another but are never really combined.
Todays lesson: we gave and took from one another to create harmony.
Tip for the Modern Man:
A man should never feel obligated to give. It is his gift to do so. Never feel at fault for thinking of yourself first.
Influencer Ft: @rankinestyles
September 16, 2018
How can I look Bussiness casual?
Basic. Most of my clients have never heard of this term. In fact, I don't think most of my clients even know where to find someone who would be considered basic. In this day and age. Basic is a loosely used word. Its become some sort of a deragatory term. Today we explore the minimalistic side of things. But what is minimal for someone who is anything but that? Welcome to my world and my dilemma. Ive always been someone who enjoys to explore combinations and minimizing my look has perhaps been one of my biggest challenges.
I first started of by weeding all unnecessary pieces out of my wardrobe. those pieces that can't be worn with just anything. After keeping everything that was interchangable the challenging part was now over. I no longer had to worry about considering transition in an outfyett it. My wardrobe would now flow. everything paired up would somehow make sense. Its become simple enough to understand. So simple I now find myself just throwing on anything and running into the world. I can try to have fun with a look by playing with textures and colors. Or I can gamble for a combination and now that I will win every time because I've chosen winning cards.
Minimalism is far from basic. Its a intriquit and straegized image. Something that so simple but yet defines quality vs quantity. Minimal. Its something that you can wear several times in several ways. Colors and prints the dont take a major fashion head to combine.
In these two looks we stuck to our nude. For me and mark that would be brown. Just like blush would be a nude for someone of a light complexion. Its important to understand tones for it will make it easier to select true colors to ones individual wardrobe.
I stuck with my favorite print, stripes. Recycling a trouser worn in a previous post. Ive come to discover that this one trouser from a suit has become one of my favorite pieces to mix and match into and look in order to enhance simplicity but still remain minimalism.
The reason being is the print is subtle. Although it is considered to be a printed trouser it ia not a loud print but a common one. stripes.
finally I toned the look down with a caramel brown blazer. this would be my space in between the lines. this would allow not only a vintage feel to come into the quasi but balance. the black and white contrast would no longer be as heavy on the eyes. The caramel brown would dilute the outfit. kind of like adding water to a drink thats been over filled with sugar.
With marks look. I advised a horizontal stripe sweater. this would not only break the image of the overall styling. but it would allow the suit to have a more casual approach.