If you find yourself always doing things at the last minute (school reports, business proposals, packing, etc) then you are probably running around trying to finish up your Christmas gifts now too.

Lots of people fall into this procrastination category and so, retailers are promoting to you. “Buy by ‘x’ time on ‘x’ day and get your gift in time for Christmas!” “Spend ‘x’ and get free shipping!” “Use this code and bla bla blah!” You get the point. Online or in-the-store, shopping is getting nuts right now.

So, I find it only fitting to do the same. Ha. Really though, you won’t have to comb through websites, remember discount codes or become nauseated with crowds of shoppers. All you have to do is take a look at the gifts below and if you want anything for yourself or someone else, email me and I’ll help you decide and put the order through.

[email protected]

310.880.8343

________________________________________________________________________

For guys:

J.Hilburn

1. A gift card (for a custom fitting & dress shirt) $79-$149

2. Ready-to-wear pieces: cashmere scarves & sweaters, cuff links, belts, pants $79-$285

________________________________________________________________________

For girls:

1. A copy of my ‘soon to be released’ book, My Style, My Way $20

(You will be sent a gift card, informing her that she’s getting one fresh off the press!)

2. Style Sessions (Color & Style Consultation, Closet Detox, Outfit Creation & Personal Shopping) $125

_________________________________________________________________________

For the men’s apparel, here are the current perks:

Holiday Sweater promotion: Dec 1 – Dec 21, 2010

* For every $200 in products in an order (after discounts, and before tax and shipping), the customer is eligible for 1 complimentary Luxury Blend sweater.

Shave promotion: Nov 5 – Dec 31.

* Any order with 3 qualifying units earns a complimentary J Shave and J Finish

Give $20 / Get $20

* New Customer Discount - $20 off a new customer order of $100+

*Referral Credit - $20 referral credit for every referred new customer with an order of $100+

Free shipping on orders of $300+

****** All ready-to-wear items & gift cards will be delivered by Christmas Eve if ordered by Monday 20th before 1 PM (ET).

In reviewing last week’s projects, I noticed that two of my clients had something in common, mixing formal with casual. To avoid looking too snotty or too scruffy, wearing a little bit of both works.

“These are their stories.” dun dun dun

(I’ve been watching too much SVU.)

Story 1:

For a wedding he was attending, we had a three piece suit custom made. It was navy, with a very subtle blue pinstripe—three button vest under a two button jacket. Oh, it was magnificent! Really. The lining was beautiful and the wool, so soft!

Now that you’re picturing this really stellar suit, try to imagine how I reacted when my client says, “Don’t I need cowboy boots too?” Ah, what? (Have you ever been in a situation in which you couldn’t tell if the other person was joking or serious?)

Like so many swanky mountain resorts, the general stereotype for Aspen is that you should run around in fur trimmed everything and Native American inspired garb. This isn’t false, but you don’t need to dress in theme either. He thought it would be funny…

The next thing I know, I’m at a saddlery shop combing through shelves of lizard accented and flame stamped cowboy boots. I chose the least cowboy looking black pair available and now know of a great source if anyone is in need of bedazzled belts, cowboy hats and bolo ties.

For the record, I wouldn’t normally advise combining the two, but this particular guy has the humorous personality to pull it off; in a way, people expect this from him!

Story 2:

He was her plus 1 to a charity event at an art gallery in San Francisco. This is one of the only times that dressing for guys is trickier than for girls. A skirt, dress or pants—all will work for women, but for men, do you wear jeans? A suit? Also, this was during the week, no dinner involved, so it’s expected that people may be coming from work and don’t have all day to dolly themselves up.

What were the options:
jeans vs. dress pants
white vs. eggplant (purple) dress shirt
blazer vs. cardigan

The combo most likely to be seen: jeans, white shirt, blazer.
The most formal: a suit

SF is relaxed, but still polished, especially at these types of events. To avoid looking like you take yourself too seriously, but also not to seem like a slacker, I suggested he mix. Go with the brown dress pants, eggplant shirt and because those colors are dark, throw on the gray cardigan to lighten it up (also, brown shoes and belt). Don’t forget to button a few; it pulls everything in (literally & figuratively).

In searching for a cardigan image, I came across this. (Or maybe I just felt like including it. :))

I read this article in Esquire back in September…and originally intended to wait ‘till just before Thanksgiving to write about it, you know—really make it hit home right before you overload on the stuffing. Ha. But, I decided that would be cruel, so here it is.

Have you ever wondered why you’re a different pant size in certain brands?

This little chart shows you which brands make you feel pretty confident and which ones make you want to hit the bike a little harder.

It’s always a good idea to know all your measurements, mostly for piece-of-mind, but also so you don’t have to keep running from tuxedo rental shop to tailor every time you stand up in a wedding.

I understand that sometimes it’s difficult to picture what the finished product will look like when getting something custom made.

This may help. Here are a few images of a custom shirt from start to finish.

(as a swatch, a finished product and then on a real person)

This fabric is from the J.Hilburn British Invasion Collection (Fall/Winter ’10) and it’s one of my favorites.

It’s so soft and fantastic and there are several colors to choose from; you will find a color that looks good on you!

As a swatch: (some people are more visual than others; to get a better idea of it as a full shirt, place the fabric on your arm, it helps you picture what it will look like on you)

As the finished product: (By the way, this has an English Cutaway collar, very modern, very stand out. :))

(Quick note: Dev Patel is wearing the same shirt—different collar—except his is from Ermeneglido Zegna.)

J.Hilburn - custom $99.

Zegna - off the rack $349

Check out these snapshots of well dressed men roaming about Milan during Fashion Week.

https://www.gq.com/style/street-style/201010/tommy-ton-milan-fashion-street-style-spring-2011#slide=1

A couple points I particularly like and encourage American men to do the same:

While I love a good sloppy yet sophisticated rolled pant leg, a perfectly fitted blazer and the charm of a well dressed older man on a Vespa, it’s the pocket squares that really stuck out amongst these action shots.

I hear from guys all the time asking how to set themselves apart in a sea of dress shirts + jeans + blazers. Sure you can sport a pair of cords, stock up on cardigans or invest in new lace ups, but my go-to answer lately has been: pocket squares.

Let’s get rid of the of the stuffy feeling sometimes associated with this accessory. What if… instead of a tie, you wore a neatly folded pocket square? You’re not pretending to be a big timer, you are one.

Also, it’s a nice way to add some ‘pop’ to your look, especially if you are the kind of guy that likes to play it safe and tends to stick with solid colored shirts. Conversely, if you’re a riskier fella, then tucking one of these into your pocket allows you to experiment with additional patterns and colors.

And don’t stress out about how to fold it. Don’t take yourself too seriously and try to do the peaks or the fluff (that isn’t a technical term :)). Instead, fold it in half and keep folding it into squares, then place in so that the pattern you want showing is visible.

Reversible tie??

The end.