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New Years Eve

December 31, 2012

Champagne & Swords: Don’t Try This at Home

Legally, we’re required to advise you against this. Morally, however, we feel obligated to call your attention to the 200-year-old technique of popping bottles with extreme panache known as sabrage (i.e., using a sabre to open a bottle of champagne). Legend has it that Napoleon’s cavalry invented the method to show off, on horseback, after partying with Madame Clicquot—the “Grand Dame of Champagne” who inherited Veuve Clicquot from her late husband in 1805. Here are a few tutorials on how to do it (not that we recommend it, of course)—and how not to. Extra style points if you’re on a horse.


Left: Tips and history from a bonafide sabrage master.
Right: A closer look in slow motion.


Left: How to class-up an otherwise low-brow evening.
Right: Eighteen examples of exactly what NOT to do—even when a sword is
nowhere in sight. (For a refresher on basic bottle-opening, click here.)

 

We’ll leave you with one more piece of wisdom, no matter how your 2012 (and ill-advised sabrage attempts) panned out. Here’s to a stylish and successful 2013:

“Champagne! In victory, one deserves it; in defeat, one needs it.”
—Napoleon Bonaparte
 

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December 28, 2012

Mix(tape) and Mingle: New Year’s Eve Playlist

Not sure what tunes to dance, drink and cavort to while watching the ball drop Monday night? For those of us who haven’t spent enough lunch-breaks cruising Pitchfork.com lately, here’s an audio primer on the achingly hip artists who graced the pages of GQ this month. (See yesterday’s post for highlights.) The good news: Unlike most musicians who pass as quote-unquote cool, the oddball minstrels and R&B visionaries below are an impressive mix of pop-savvy and avant-garde—plus technically gifted at future-legendary levels, which never hurts. Push play, see what speaks to you, invest in a few new mp3′s this weekend, and prepare to impress even your achingly hippest friends at next week’s New Year’s Eve parties—with your style as well as your taste in tunes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9GZAFH_Y8k
Dirty Projectors


Solange


Blood Orange


Grizzly Bear

 

[Dirty Projectors and Blood Orange courtesy of Domino Records, Solange courtesy of Terrible Records, Grizzly Bear courtesy of Warp Records.]

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December 27, 2012

Get the Look: GQ’s New Rules for New Year’s Eve

True to form, our friends at GQ put together a celebratory style guide in their January issue, just in time for New Year’s Eve, that not only showcases the coolest ways to dress for 2013, but also recreates the coolest party you could dream of going to, with some of NYC’s coolest musicians. Check out the pics below (starring Grizzly Bear, Solange Knowles, Blood Orange and Dirty Projectors), read the tips from GQ, and emulate the looks with our own picks from the Men’s Shop. To read the full feature, head over to GQ.com.


1. Vested Interest. “Not a jacket guy? Not a problem. A vest and bow tie will instantly elevate your usual dark denim.” —GQ
(Pictured: Amber Coffman and David Longstreth of Dirty Projectors)


Nordstrom’s Picks to Get the Look:
Naked & Famous Selvedge Jeans | Pendleton Bow Tie | Rag & Bone Vest
 
 


2. Double Down. “Nothing wrong with a single-breasted suit. But step up to a double and it announces that you’ve really come to boogie.” —GQ
(Pictured: Devonté Hynes, aka Blood Orange • Solange Knowles • Ed Droste of Grizzly Bear)



Nordstrom’s Picks to Get the Look:
(Hynes): Gitman Bow Tie | Hugo Boss Suit | Goorin Bros. Fedora
(Droste): Kenzo Shirt | Topman Shirt | Burberry Brit Shirt
 
 


3. Mix It Up. “Common thread on these pages: clothes ripped out of their usual context. Dev’s slick slacks class up his rocker jacket.” —GQ
(Pictured: Devonté Hynes, aka Blood Orange)


Nordstrom’s Picks to Get the Look:
Gucci Combat Boots | Dsquared2 Trousers | Topman Leather Jacket
 
 


4. Defy Convention. “A tux is the ultimate statement of boozy intent. But you don’t need the full penguin suit. Shawl collar over a tee? That’s how to party in 2013.” —GQ
(Pictured, from left: Chris Taylor, Daniel Rossen, Christopher Bear and Ed Droste of Grizzly Bear)


Nordstrom’s Picks to Get the Look:
(Taylor): Hugo Boss Dinner Jacket | Nike High-Tops | T by Alexander Wang T-Shirt


(Rossen): John W. Nordstrom Bow Tie | Hugo Boss Tuxedo | Red Wing Oxfords


(Bear and Droste): Topman Polka-Dot Shirt | Topman Tie | Gant Rugger Plaid Pants
 

For more ideas:
SHOP OUR ‘BLACK-TIE OPTIONAL’ PARTY GUIDE
 
 

[Photos by Sebastian Kim for GQ. Individuals pictured do not endorse Nordstrom.]

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November 5, 2012

Our Top 3 Tuxes, Then and Now

With New Year’s Eve parties approaching, we took a minute to locate some inspiration for perhaps the most quintessentially masculine garment known to man: a Tuxedo. For a garment whose smashing success or massive failure hinges almost entirely on a razor-sharp fit, customized precisely to your body, sack-like rentals are not a realistic option—even if you only need your tux once a year, a modest investment is worth looking like a million bucks once in a while.


1. Peak Lapel. The classic choice. Broader lapels are swinging back into favor, lending modern suits a throwback, menswear-machismo vibe. Combined with the elegantly aggressive peak lapel, this style of tux creates a universally flattering V-shaped torso.


Hickey Freeman Classic-Fit, Peak-Lapel Tuxedo.
Eligible for Free Next-Business-Day Shipping. Shop Now

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2. Shawl Collar. Whereas a peak lapel is boldly assertive, a shawl-collar tux is silky smooth. Put one on, and you’re equally apt to channel a 1962 Sean Connery in the original Bond flick, Dr. No, or a hip vintage revivalist like Albert Hammond Jr., depending on your haircut and facial expression.


BOSS Black Trim-Fit Shawl-Collar Tuxedo.
Eligible for Free Next-Business-Day Shipping. Shop Now

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3. Midnight Blue. Daniel Craig’s Bond is rougher around the edges than his predecessors—and his choices in evening wear are just as unapologetic. Opting for inky blue instead of the classic black is a subtle tweak on the color spectrum, but speaks volumes. Amp it up further with a creative shirt, or keep it classically subversive as Craig does above.


 BOSS Black Trim-Fit Navy Tuxedo. Shop Now

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Whichever style you choose, get thee to a skilled Nordstrom Tailor for a fully personalized fit. Here’s a graphic of Mr. Jake Gyllenhaal, a red-carpet pro, with a comprehensive play-by-play on how a classic tux ought to fit, courtesy of the NY Times. Click to enlarge:


 

Shop: Our Party Essentials Guide | All Tuxedos & Formalwear
 
 

[Images: James Cagney, Paul Newman and John Wayne via The Impossible Cool; Sean Connery via Gentleman's Gazette and The Suits of James Bond; Daniel Craig via Fashionising; Jake Gyllenhaal by Steve Granitz/WireImage, © NY Times. Individuals pictured do not endorse Nordstrom.]

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