Art of the Metrosexual

Akshay Kumar is the biggest metrosexual star

2008-10-25T11:41:00.000-07:00

Designer Rocky S has clothed Bollywood star Akshay Kumar for eight long years and says the actor is the most stylish and metro sexual man around.

"I have worked with Akshay for eight years. I really respect him for the way he has groomed himself. He has become one of the biggest metro sexual stars, most stylish fashion icon and he is so successful that I am proud of him. Just look from where he has come and where he has reached," says Rocky

However, he is no longer designing for Akshay.

"I started designing for Akshay in 1992. But I stopped working with him in 2000 because I had to move on. Also, both of us needed to take a break from each other," he added.

Unlike most other Indian designers who started their career by showcasing their collections at fashion shows, Rocky started his stint designing for Bollywood stars.

"I started 16 years back. At that time the only opportunity I got was in Bollywood. I think it was good for me, as it has created awareness about my brand. I have met a lot of actors who want to wear clothes designed by me."

Currently Rocky's clientele includes big names like John Abraham, Katrina Kaif, Bipasha Basu and Shilpa Shetty.

Rocky claimed: "The people I dress up are the best dressed. They are really great with clothes. They have a great body to carry off anything and they have a good style of their own."

Talking about the likings of his female clients, he added: "Shilpa likes deeper and rich Indian colours. She likes to wear emerald, she loves red and it really suits her. Even Bipasha likes red. Katrina likes pastel and lighter shades."

His most recent project was the hit flick Singh Is Kinng. He dressed Katrina in the film and is also working with her in Yuvraj. Apart from that he has designed Bipasha's clothes for Pankh and Kangana Ranaut's for Raaz - The Mystery Continues.

Rocky says designing for the actors is challenging.

"It is fun to work with actors and also challenging to make them look different every time. It is also a challenge for them to get into a character every time with different clothes and looks. A lot of hard work is required in Bollywood."

On an average, Rocky takes up almost four projects in a year.

The Mumbai-based designer entered mainstream fashion around 1997 to cater to the general public. He introduced the collection under his label Rocky S.

"When I started, fashion was not even taking off in a very big manner and I think it was after four to five years that I felt the need to do creative work for myself. That's when I started doing clothes that were more wearable and saleable.

"I came at the right time for mainstream fashion. Luckily, I have kept a very good balance between Bollywood and mainstream fashion till now," he said.

He is gearing up to participate in the upcoming Spring-Summer edition of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) to be held in the capital

The Ultimate Metrosexual Action Hero?

2008-10-24T08:29:00.000-07:00

I recently saw the movie "You Don't Mess With The Zohan"
It's an excellent movie.
What hasn’t been done is making the action hero the ultimate metrosexual. Zohan is equally obsessed with looks and Mariah Carey . . .
Basically Adam Sandler is Zohan, an Israeli counter-terrorist who dreams of working in a hair salon in America. Wjhat he does is he fakes his death early in the movie during a fight with his rival Phantom (John Turturro) so he can move to New York. Of course his past will follow him there, even as he tries to start a relationship with Emmanuelle Chriqui. The film is unlike any other “Sandler” movie with the use of CGI and wire-fu action scenes. Zohan does impossible stunts – even more ridiculous than Will Smith’s Hancock – and while occasionally amusing, it’s been done many times before and better.

For some excellent products for the Metrosexual Man I recomend you visit www.metrosexualman.co.uk

Obama the Metrosexual

2008-10-21T19:16:00.000-07:00

A very interesting article taken from
http://masculineheart.blogspot.com/2008/05/metrosexuals-versus-manly-men-obama-vs.html
An interesting article over the Moderate Voice raises the issue of whether or not Obama is too metrosexual (read: girlie) to be Commander in Chief.

Metrosexuals versus manly men: a reason voters will prefer McCain to Obama?

May 23rd, 2008 by JILL MILLER ZIMON

Types like she laughs: I never thought about it this way before, but John Ettorre just left a very interesting and unique (because I’d yet to see the argument made nor had it ever occurred to me before now) comment on this thread with Ellen Bravo’s ten reasons why women should vote for Obama if he is the candidate.

Writes John:

And reason #11: he’s a metrosexual, with all the effeminate qualities that entails. They’re off-putting to many males (me included), and I predict it will be among the leading reasons for sinking his chances in the general election. [emphasis added]

This kind of idea is very far afield to me because I really don’t view people in those terms, or at least, I don’t think about metrosexuals at all.

I can’t remember seeing a microtargeting category of metrosexuals but here’s what you can find on Google if you put in “metrosexual Obama.” Results in the “news” search are here. I don’t have time to go through many of them, so let me just link to a couple:

This letter to the editor, in Maine, goes right to the military comparison and is not complimentary to Obama.

But this article in U.S. News & World Report takes the position that Obama is more of a woman than Clinton and that that implies that women will not lose if Obama is the nominee (fun note: that article was written on 2/13/08 and says that the race was Obama’s to lose, then).

This just gets too wrapped up in genderizing the qualities that go with being a leader and again, being short on time, I’ll leave the comments as a place for people to explore whether we are evolved enough to realize that we should be selecting our leaders based on those qualities, and not by saying things like “he’s more a woman than Clinton” or “McCain is more of a manly man.” What is that supposed to do for us? Some people identify women’s qualities as not being ones akin to leadership, others go the opposite direction. And manly men in the way people refer to someone like McCain totally turn me off. Feh.

Anyway - manly men or metrosexuals? What do people think?

Let's just assume for the sake of argument that Obama is a metrosexual, meaning ....

a neologism generally applied to heterosexual men with a strong concern for their appearance, or whose lifestyles display attributes stereotypically seen among gay men. The metro- (city) prefix indicates this man's purely urban lifestyle, while the -sexual suffix comes from "heterosexual," meaning that this man, although he is usually straight, embodies the heightened aesthetic sense often associated with certain types of gay men.

Doesn't that describe all politicians to some degree? Isn't that why these men (and women) have stylists, to make them look good?

Putting aside the issue of appearance and grooming, which is only a surface issue anyway, there is something else at work here.

By metrosexual, many people mean effeminate. In Obama's case, there might be some psychological truth to that assertion. He was raised without a strong and present father figure, a situation that often leaves men more "feminine" than those raised with fathers who could guide them into some form of mature masculinity.

This is of special interest to me and I'll be blogging more about it over time. I navigated my teen years without a father, which left me struggling for years to develop a mature masculinity that is both sensitive and strong. I suspect Obama did the same thing.

Is Obama a metrosexual? I don't know. But I do suspect that he is more balanced in his psychology than is McCain (the archetypal masculine image, ala John Wayne). Is it a bad thing that Obama has more access to his feminine subpersonality? I don't think so -- to me it seems a positive trait that can make him a more effective leader (this may account for his skills at coalition building in the Senate).

I'm sure we will be hearing more about this in the coming months. I will also be blogging here more about "father loss" and "absent fathers" and how this impacts masculinity.

15 quick fashion tips for you

2008-08-14T17:02:00.000-07:00

Here are 15 quick fashion tips for you:

1. Never underestimate the power of details – The last thing on is usually the first thing noticed. So mind the details instead of throwing together the main parts of your outfit.

2. Keep it simple – You want a wardrobe that looks great on you but you don’t want to overdo it. If it’s not who you are don’t throw together too many flashy items. For example, a simpler but stylish look would be sporting a black striped dress shirt with a white blazer, coupled with a white belt and dark blue jeans, and dress shoes. You could also add a flashy watch or a simple accessory like an interesting necklace.

3. A garment should never be made of more than 25 percent of an unnatural fiber – You’re skin needs to breathe, don’t kill yourself. Cotton is the best fabric.

4. Experiment with style – The only way you’ll really learn, is if you go out there and try new things. If you make mistakes, life goes on.

5. Never go shopping alone – You can never really trust the sales people because they may just want to sell you something. Someone who really knows you will always give you an objective opinion.

6. Don’t overdo it – When you overdo it, you’ll not only look like a clown, but like you’re crying for attention.

7. Never wear anything sheer – Nobody wants to play peek-a-boo with your nipples.

8. Spend within reason – Shopping is highly encouraged, but if you’re digging yourself into major credit card debt, stop yourself before it becomes a costly addiction.

9. Fashion Tees with logos – When you’re going around with a big logo on your shirt, you risk looking like a walking billboard.

10. Disregard trends – You shouldn’t wear something just because it’s “in” right now. Find what looks good on you, and embrace it. Be yourself, don’t try to look like someone else just because it’s “in.”

11. Don’t be a sucker for brand names - Look at the item itself rather than be swayed by a brand name. Before you decide to purchase an item, ask yourself if you are buying it because it’s “in style” or because it genuinely suits you. Ask yourself if you would buy the garment if it didn’t have a logo on it.

12. Stay away from clogs and Crocs - They look good on nobody. Enough said.

13. An undershirt is an undershirt - An undershirt is meant to be worn underneath your dress shirt or sweater to absorb the sweat, dirt, and body oils that we all inevitable secrete. This way you might be able to get away with not having to launder the shirt every time you were it, and you shirt will be around for even longer. Please do not wear a wife beater, v-neck, or crew-neck undershirt alone with jeans.

14. Getting a manicure or waxing your eyebrows - doing these things does not make you gay. If you are in need of one of these, don’t think twice.

15. How to wear sweaters - Some sweaters are lean and other are big and chunky. The first rule of thumb is that your top and bottom haves need to match. If you’re wearing a big, chunky, rugged fisherman knit sweater, your bottom needs to be rugged, too. Don’t wear a fisherman’s sweater with a beautiful silk-and-wool suit pant, Instead, wear it with something as casual as cargoes or jeans, or dress it up with a Harris tweed blazer.

Develop Excellent Body Language

2008-07-31T10:10:00.000-07:00

Accentuating Attractive Body Language

Good body language will show alpha male traits and attractive traits like dominance, strength, relaxed confidence, and being at secure with oneself and at ease around a woman.

See if you have all these areas covered when around women:

Take up space - taking up space shows that you are dominant and displays confidence through a sense of entitled territory, so instead of folding inwards in a crowded area, spread out a little. A good rule of thumb is sitting or standing comfortably like you would if it was your place
When sitting, spread legs comfortably past shoulder width - you can also slightly lean to one side to look more relaxed instead of being asymmetrical
Be relaxed - check if any part of your body language is displaying that you are tense. Make sure your arms are uncrossed, you are not sitting in a way where you are about to spring into action, and your body is not tense in any area
Smile and laugh - being relaxed doesn’t mean you have to have a boring look like you’re about to fall asleep, it means that you’re enjoying yourself and having fun
Focus your eyes on who are talking - focused eye contact will show that you are present with the girl, and not in your head thinking of your next line, which will send the wrong vibe that you are needy and anxious to please
Lean back - a simple way to show that you are relaxed
Avoid being jumpy - low status guys are always jumpy, ready to hop up and please a woman, to do whatever she wants
Move slow and deliberately - control your movements by moving with purpose instead of in reaction, it’ll display that you are calm and collected in the situation. The dominant alpha male will do what he wants on his own terms, slow and deliberately
When standing, keep chin up and head up with your back and neck straight - avoid being slumped over, a lot of guys don’t keep their necks straight and this can display a lack of strength and poise. A good exercise for this is to stand with your back against a wall and make sure your head is slightly touching the wall as well
Feet and legs should be shoulder with apart when standing - show women that you have a package down there you need to work around and make room for
If you’re holding a drink, hold the drink down by your waist - do not hold your drink in front of your chest, while talking to a woman, it shows defensiveness just like crossing your arms, like you’re guarding yourself

15 Quick Fashion Tips

2008-07-30T16:38:00.000-07:00