Good to see things are slowly getting back to normal...

The Survey of Affluence and Wealth, conducted by American Express Publishing and Harrison Group, has found that spending on luxuries is set to rise by about eight percent this year, reaching $359 billion in 2011.   The survey did not include travel and vehicles, and polled only the wealthiest ten percent of American families; those who enjoy a discretionary income of six figures or more.  Those ten percent account for about fifty percent of all consumer spending in the country.  

For more details, head over to Pursuitist.

Meet Nick Wooster: The most awesome man in fashion.

Racked has a great interview with Nick Wooster, men's fashion director for Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman, that you can check out after the jump.  Or, if you prefer, you could always go straight to the source...but I have pictures. 

Great article by the Wall Street Journal on the death of "dressing up".

In a recent article, Steve Garbarino over at the Wall Street Journal laments the fact that "the dress codes abided and enforced at those ceremonies of formality and occasion, at everywhere from fine-dining restaurants to evening soirées, have become mostly unspoken, unwritten or loosened like so many Hermès ties."  It's a great piece, and I think a very sad and accurate statement on the little something that is lost when casual Friday creeps into our social lives.  Garbarino ends on a hopeful note, although I do not see the silver lining he does.  There have always been men who dress a little 'better' than those around them; it is the declining quality of those around them (us?) who we need to worry about, and the establishments that are forced, through economic reality, to normalize this decline.  Check it out here.

Arrogant Male Photograph of the Day: April 15, 2011 - Laren Bacall: the shot that changed her life

The cover that got her noticed by the wife of Howard Hawkes, who then cast her in To Have and Have Not, the film that made her famous (and, of course, introduced her to Bogart).

Arrogant Male Quote of the Day - April 15, 2011

"More men are killed by overwork than the importance of the world justifies."

~ Rudyard Kipling

Brioni, Ferragamo, and Zegna ranked as top 3 luxury brands for men.

The 2011 Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI), conducted by the Luxury Institute, surveyed men in the U.S. who earn over $150,000 a year on their opinions regarding dozens of high-end fashion and shoe designers.  The average household net worth of those surveyed was $2.4 million.

The LBSI is the 'only unbiased measure of the reputation of leading brands provided by direct insights from wealthy U.S. consumers.'

"Dolce Vita Style": Photos from the Canali S/S 2011 campaign

 

Shit Worth Checking Out: Kid Cudi doc "The Journey of Mr. Rager".

I'm a big Kid Cudi fan.  While I was slightly disappointed by the album itself, this documentary on the making of Kid Cudi's Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager is well worth twenty minutes of your time, if not for the content, then for the highly stylized direction and editing.

"Such a pleasure to see such a unique beauty": Haunting debut trailer for Sleeping Beauty

Another film set to debut at this year's Cannes Film Festival is Julia Leigh's Sleeping Beauty, starring Emily Browning as a high-end prostitute.  This looks very dark, and very intriguing. The trailer has an almost Kubrick-esque vibe to it.

I've been waiting for this one for awhile, and it doesn't disappoint.  Check it out!

Combining Fashion and Finance: Salvatore Ferragamo planning IPO by end of 2011

Salvatore Ferragamo, the Italian luxury fashion group that is best known for its beautiful shoes and other high-end leather goods, announced yesterday that they are planning an IPO by the end of this year, and possibly as early as July.  The company, based in Florence, has already lined up JP Morgan and Mediobanca as joint lead-managers and global coordinators.  

At least thirty percent of the total offering would be issued in the United States and Japan.  Investors will likely be eager to get their hands on a piece of Ferragamo, which enjoyed a 26% earnings increase last year, giving the company 786 million euros in revenue and 61 million euros in net profit (113 million euros EBITDA).  The value of the company is estimated at between 1 billion and 1.7 billion euros. 

source: Reuters

Arrogant Male Photograph of the Day: April 14, 2011 - Anyone recognize that background?

Leonardo Luffrida

source: The Sartorialist

modified by The Arrogant Male

Arrogant Male Quote of the Day - April 14, 2011

"Trying on pants is one of the most humiliating things a man can suffer 

that doesn't involve a woman."

~ Larry David

Too little, too late? Almost 15 years later, FBI finally releases their files on the murders of Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace.

After releasing the files on the 1997 murder of Christopher Wallace (aka The Notorious BIG) last week, the FBI today followed up with the release of the files on Tupac Shakur's murder a year earlier.  The release "consists of a 1997 investigation into allegations that extortionate death threats had been made against Shakur and another rap artist [apparently Eazy-E] by a domestic terrorist group."  I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't gotten around to reading the files yet, but I've posted the links below.  What do you guys think? Too little, too late?

Christopher Wallace

Tupac Shakur

January Jones on her role in Mad Men: originally, there wasn't going to be a Mrs. Draper.

In her recent interview with W Magazine, January Jones said that, originally, Mad Men wasn't going to show any of Don Draper's home life - the role of Betty Draper was created specifically for her after she auditioned for the role of Peggy:

"There was no Betty in the pilot when I auditioned. Matthew Weiner, the creator of the show, had no intention of showing Don Draper’s home life. I read for Peggy two times—it was between me and Elisabeth Moss, who eventually got the part. At the end of the scene, there was a casual mention that Don was married. Matt went home that night and wrote two scenes that featured Betty. I auditioned a couple of days later, and he made me a verbal promise that the character would grow. I took the part on faith—there was no script or fleshed-out character or Betty plotline."

Meet Donald Glover, "a regular black guy who likes the same stuff white people like—but just happens to be more talented than you."

File this one under "Shit Worth Checking Out" and "Shit You Should Be Aspiring To".  Donald Glover, a.k.a. Childish Gambino, somehow manages to be one of the most hyped and, simultaneously, one of the most slept-on artists today.  He's also one of the hardest working.  And did I mention he parties like an animal, drinks unhealthy quantities of whiskey, and doesn't shy away from objectifying women?  Ya, this post is long overdue.

Arrogant Male Photograph of the Day: April 13, 2011 - "The Very Best"

Arrogant Male Quote of the Day - April 13, 2011

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. 

Then quit. There's no use being a damn fool about it." 

~ W.C. Fields

Shit Worth Checking Out: Sleek new fashion film from Bottega Veneta

Viaggio Notturno, which translates to mean 'Night Journey', is "a meditation on the romance of travel, the anonymity of hotel life and clandestine bedtime rituals".

This is Bottega Veneta's first fashion film, and is directed by Christian Weber.  Tomas Maier, who is the brand's creative director, drew on personal experience while overseeing the film's production.  “I spend ten days a month alone in a hotel, seeing people pass in the hallways, glimpsing them through windows or as they step out of the elevator,” he says. “You see these people, but you have no idea what their stories are, you can only guess. It’s about evoking that surreal state of mind you enter when you’re in an unfamiliar place.”

Arrogant Male Photograph of the Day: April 12, 2011 - Firenze, Duomo

Arrogant Male Quote of the Day - April 12, 2011

"Nothing is more certain than that the improvement in human affairs

is wholly the work of the uncontented characters."

~ J.S. Mill

Bernardo Bertolucci to become only third director to receive honourary Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival

The Cannes Film Festival announced today that they will award director Bernardo Bertolucci with an honourary Palme d'Or at the opening ceremony of this year's festival, to take place on May 11.  The award is typically given each year to the director of the best film at the festival, but twice before has it been given as an honourary award; to Woody Allen in 2002, and to Clint Eastwood in 2009.  Festival coordinators have suggested that, starting with Bertolucci, they plan to award an honourary Palme d'Or each year.

Paul Smith flagship opens in Seoul, Korea.

One brand that I've really been getting into lately is Paul Smith.  A little late to the party, I know, but his stuff was always a little colourful and eccentric for my taste.  Well, either my taste is evolving, or they've reeled it in a bit (my money is on the former), because lately I find myself liking more and more of his offerings.

Today, Paul Smith opened their new 3-floor store in Seoul, Korea.  Who gives a shit, I know; brands open new stores all the time.  But what caught my eye about this was just how well the design of the store matches the personality of the brand itself; a pleasant, effortless and, of course, colourful amalgamation of the classic and the modern.  Either that, or I was just looking for an excuse to share my newfound Paul Smith admiration.

Check out more pics after the jump.

Shit Worth Checking Out: That ain't no ordinary Blackberry...

Research in Motion leaked video of their new Blackberry smartphone over the weekend.  Codenamed the 'Montana', it's basically a touchscreen Bold.  Awesome in every way.

Arrogant Male Photograph of the Day: April 11, 2011

Arrogant Male Quote of the Day - April 11, 2011

"Carelessness in dressing is moral suicide." 

~ Honoré de Balzac

Shit You Should Be Aspiring To: The entrepreneurial success of Tony Hsieh

There was a great article in the New York Times a couple of days back on Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos.com, the online shoe retailer that grew to success under a business model of providing free shipping and free returns to its customers.  Hsieh sold Zappos.com to Amazon in 2009 for $1 billion, a tidy sum that he added to whatever stash he had left over from his first enterprise, LinkExchange, which he sold to Microsoft for $265 million when he was the tender age of 24.  Champ.

Head over to nytimes.com to check out the story; it's definitely worth a read.  Or, if you prefer, you can go right to the source; Hsieh wrote a book called Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion and Purpose that spent almost six months on the NYT bestsellers list last year.  Get it here.

"Sprint to see it": Badass debut trailer for German film The Robber

The official North American trailer for the German film The Robber has debuted, and looks like it's got a lot more going for it than its inspired title.  The film tells the true story of Johann Rettenberger, a marathon runner who used his abilities to rob banks in Austria in the early-80s.  Rettenberger earned himself the moniker "Pumpgun Ronnie" thanks to his Ronald Reagan mask and his weapon-of-choice, both of which you can check out in the trailer.

Arrogant Male Photograph of the Day: Bogey and Audrey Hepburn

Courtesy: http://www.facebook.com/HumphreyBogartEstate

Arrogant Male Quote of the Day - April 10, 2011

"When women want to make mistakes, one should not prevent them."

  ~ Erich Kastler

Shit Worth Checking Out: GQ's Tommy Ton's photo collection from the recent Paris women's shows

Great collection of pictures showing off an eclectic array of male style.  Not everything works, but that's in part what makes checking these out so interesting. These are real people, each with their own diverse personal style.

Check out my favourites after the jump, or, if you don't give a shit about my favourites, you can just head over to the full slideshow here.  Asshole.