Mr Essentialist: Snapped I

Mr Essentialist captured Camille, walking in Palo Alto & having an exceptional hair moment. What do you think of the shade?

Mr Essentialist: Runaway

Mr Essentialist loves Tuesdays, especially when a great track like Runaway by Mr Little Jeans is playing.

Mr Essentialist: Hoppin' Los Angeles

On Haight Street: Camouflage 2.0

I guess the whole let's-walk-around-town-with-a-small-dog thing is a bit passé. But an iguana as a replacement - really?
In short, yes. Really. This is the twenty-first century. No judgement here. I mean one minute you're walking down Haight St. browsing Wasteland (where I scored a vintage Versace blazer, just FYI), the next minute you're practically confronted by a dragon. On the street. On a Saturday. I know it's San Francisco, and everyone is notoriously, ahem, eclectic (to phrase it conservatively) - but this is beyond.

I'm into this 'look' (if we can call it that?), and not just for the whole updated pirate's parrot-on-one-shoulder thing. Or even for my love of exotic skins. No, I love this because it's legitimate camouflage. Living, breathing premium-grade, pure camouflage. Obviously I'm going to be a fan. Besides, the lizard's name was Yoshi - my all-time favorite Nintendo character. Like ever. Phrased simply, it was a fait accompli.

Yoshi the iguana, in a birthday suit like none other, photographed by Alexander Atkins on Haight St. in San Francisco. 

For more snaps, musings and general rarities be sure to check-out @MrEssentialist on Instagram.

        

Hairspiration: The Dip Dye

By now I'd say I've made my views on hairspiration known, and so nothing is more exciting than seeing it become reality.

Hairspiration is a real thing and you, dear reader, are being led to it's very essence. Hairspiration in action! And if that sounds a bit too intense for a Tuesday morning, relax. Just look at the pictures and click the links - you'll get it.

When my friend Camille (who has always had great hair moments - remember?) decided she was going to go all Alison Mosshart-circa-right-now this past weekend, I was beyond excited. I mean who doesn't like The Kills? (Especially now that Jamie Hince is actually Mr. Kate Moss.) That's right, we all love them. 

Some of the best decisions we make are impulsive. Changing-up your look is real when it's impulsive, because your gut knows you want it. Camille settled on her hairspiration twenty minutes before her actual appointment. Judging from these shots I'd say it was a hugely successful source of inspiration. Centrally parted, teased or even tied back in a high-pony, the triple dip-dye job has proven its versatility. And besides all that, aren't we supposed to do this kind of thing in our twenties?

Tuesday just got a little more interesting.

Camille Labat, wearing an Acne leather jacket, photographed by Alexander Atkins in Palo Alto.

*Camille Labat wears blue-tinted Ray-Bans and an Acne leather jacket. Click here to visit her tumblr. 

Famous Faces: The Canine Diaries

It's Monday and you've found yourself staring at some dogs dressed as celebrities. See, Monday's aren't that bad - right?

If anything these incredible images should transport you back to a time when you and your dog (I'm guessing unwillingly - although Giggy Vanderpump might disagree) played dress-up. Because let's be real, we've all done the dog-dress-up thing. I mean our family golden retriever practically lived in a pair of Ray-Ban aviators and loved it (I think).

In the spirit of man's obsession to play doggie-dress-up, the illustrators at Takkoda have developed a series of mostly canine impersonations that bring to life some of our favorite current and historical celebs. The digitally remastered images use real dogs and highlight their real personalities. I mean how impressive is Karl's starched collar, or Albert's iconic hair (which serves as serious hairspiration)? Very.

*Famous Faces (teNeues) is available online. Click here for details.

The Wizard's Impeccable Tailoring

Following the Yellow Brick Road to Emerald City is exciting and all, doing it in this three-piece suit is even better.
Just ask James Franco, star of Sam Raimi's Oz the Great and Powerful (co-starring Mila Kunis and Rachel Weisz). "Knowing that people dressed really well in the old days, I enjoyed wearing that three-piece suit", said Franco of his one-and-only look. 

But really, how couldn't he have? While Franco's character ventures into Oz on a quest to become a great man, judging from his dinner suit alone I'd say he easily accomplishes his goal. And in perfect sartorial form (something very important to me) - I might add. 

The immaculately tailored look is the work of veteran costume designer Gary Jones. For Oz, Jones was inspired by vintage photographs of Alexander Graham Bell and the Wright Brothers. “Those were things that we started with and that’s how we got to Oz’s final wardrobe design—a black cutaway suit from the turn-of-the-century", of which Jones concludes, "I am very proud to have designed”. 

*Click here to watch the trailer for Oz the Great and Powerful (in cinemas March 8th).

Generation Selfie

We've all done it - you know exactly what I mean. We've all tapped that reverse-camera-switch and taken a selfie.
Ain't no shame in your game (or mine for that matter). And while I tend to shy away from the look-at-my-gym-progress selfie, you guessed it - I am going to defend the glorious (and virtual) ode-to-self. 

Basically the selfie is a movement. It's a thing, it's inherently our thing. It belongs to us. Our parents were baby-boomers: they did flower-power and Woodstock. What have we done? I mean there was Clueless, mushroom cuts and tamagotchi (yeah, I'm legit). But more than that there was (and still is) the selfie. It probably started way back in seventh grade when we all got our first camera phones. Mine was a Motorola and the camera clipped-on (it was très cool). Awkward mirror shots, endless bluetooth exchanges, the shy-selfie, the naughty-selfie (you get the idea) - we're all about it. Modern social media is practically defined by it.

So it should come as no surprise that on a recent visit to Assembly New York I took a series of selfies - all showcasing my favorite picks from Illesteva's new collection. Besides catering to my continued obsession with sunglasses, I suppose it can all be interpreted as a form of self-expression (narcissism even). But for me it's also about giving and getting style advice from friends all over the planet. And you know what? - that's pretty sweet.

*You can always expose yourself to more selfies and other random rants by following on Twitter and Instagram.

Mr Essentialist ♥'s Acne

So today is all about love. But love comes in many forms - like my love for Acne x William Wegman's latest collaboration.
Who doesn't love dogs playing designer dress-up! I mean you can't really tell me you never put Ray-Bans on your puppy - just for jokes, you know?

William Wegman is known for hounding the hounds (quite literally), and definitely has a thing for Weimaraners (perhaps because their eyes are so incredibly expressive?). At any rate his collaboration with Acne Studios shows our kanine friends sporting looks from SS/13 - so basically it's beyond fantastic. And the best part? You can totally see yourself in one (or both) of those panama hats - which makes this winter weather seem all a bit less, well, woof.

Happy V day!

*For a complete list of William Wegman's work click here.