Men's Jewelry and Accessories

Just to do a quick post regarding men's jewelry and accessories.

I fell in love with the brand after seeing my very first King Baby piece glisten against the light inside a Neiman Marcus jewelry display case. Needless to say, I handed the sales associate my charge card and 5 years later, I can honestly say that I've worn my lion signet ring almost every day.



* Sterling silver lion's head ring by King Baby

My closest friends even nicknamed the sound my ring makes as I gesture, the "Jay jingle." And if there was ever a conversation starter, this ring would certainly be it. I have received more compliments and praise about this ring than any other single article of clothing or jewelry that I own.

This ring is quite dear to me and has become my signature piece. And as years have passed, I've added a few other pieces to my King Baby collection as well as other accessories from various other lines.



* Sterling silver cuff bracelet by King Baby



* Sterling silver oval link bracelet by King Baby



* Sterling silver rose ring by King Baby



* Black logo charmed bracelet by Dolce & Gabbana

In the end, when selecting a piece of jewelry, it's important that you pick something that you're not going to get sick of and that the piece that you end up buying is something you'll wear for the long run. Individuality and character is what makes men's jewelry so unique and exciting.

And of course for those willing to splurge, there are exceptional artisans out there that are willing to design custom pieces that are a one of a kind.

New York City Trip: Restaurants (Part I)

Finally I've allocated some time to post about the trip to New York City that I took back towards the end of January. Regardless to say, it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life ever.

Every time I go to New York City, I book myself a wonderful little room at the Grand Hyatt on 42nd and Lexington. It's located directly next to the Grand Central Station and is about two blocks away from the wonderful shopping that 5th avenue has to offer. Saint Patrick Cathedral is a short walk away and even Times Square is accessible by foot. Most importantly, you can get from Saks Fifth to your hotel room by walking in probably 12-15 minutes.

The greatest part about this trip was the fact that I went during Restaurant Week which was going on in New York and ended up getting some great deals at some of the most exclusive restaurants that New York has to offer.

So for this post, lets start with an overview of some of the restaurants.

David Chang's Momofuku Ssam Bar:

Dining at the Ssam Bar had been one of my most anticipated events of this New York trip. This restaurant nestled on the corner of 13th and 2nd was perhaps one of the most talked about restaurants led by one of America's hottest chefs of 2009.

Unfortunately the restaurant was actually a huge let down in my eyes. My friends Andrew Kwon and Louise Zhao who accompanied me for this late lunch/early dinner ultimately agreed with my assessment.

Overall, the food was lackluster and it's only saving grace was the fact that the pork buns which we ordered as an appetizer was absolutely delicious and well thought out. The seasonal fried brussel sprouts which we ordered as a side to our appetizer were also good as well but tended to be overwhelmingly oily.

The Bev Eggleston's pork shoulder steak was boring and poorly seasoned, the angus hanger steak with cauliflower and almonds was nothing new or innovative, and the spicy rice cakes with pork sausage and Chinese broccoli should have shamed David Chang's Korean mother. This is your take on Korea's dokboki? Come on David.

David Chang's Momofuku Milk Bar:

After having a completely lackluster experience at the Ssam Bar, I decided that David Chang should be given at least one more chance to redeem himself. So off we went to the Momofuku Milk Bar for dessert, which was thankfully attached directly to the Ssam Bar and easily accessible. Andrew, Louise, and I ended up sharing a slice of the massive chocolate chip cake with passion fruit curd, chocolate crumbs, and coffee butter cream. Again, while the cake was pleasant, it wasn't mind blowing good. The cake seemed a bit dry and ended up becoming sickeningly sweet after the fourth bite. I took the slice back with me to the hotel room and consumed it later with bitter black coffee and Marlborough cigarettes.

Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Mercer Kitchen:

Linda Baek, my sister from another mother, surprised me with reservations to Jean-Georges wonderful restaurant in SoHo called Mercer Kitchen. This Neo-American restaurant with heavy Asian/Mediterranean fusion inspired dishes was the surprise hit of my New York Trip.

Linda ended up picking off the Restaurant Week menu and I picked items off the regular menu and pretty much shared everything together. Linda's spicy tuna pizza appetizer was unique but it could have used a bit more flare. My yellowtail sashimi appetizer with baby cress and cilantro was a well balanced dish that adhered to simplistic but wonderful flavors.

The Niman Ranch pork chop entree I had came with surpisingly amazing parmesan grits and ended up being one of the best pork chops I'd ever had. The pork chop was cooked to tender perfection and was glazed with a subtle hint of spice that came from the chili.

The warm Valrhona chocolate cake with vanilla bean ice cream was a rich and decadent way to end the superb meal, washed down by many Ketel One and Tonics.

Charlie Palmer's Metrazur:

A whole group of us went to Charlie Palmer's Metrazur to have dinner and found the restaurant located inside the historic Grand Central Station to be a mix of good and bad. The service that the staff offered were completely incompetent. The server that started off the dining experience did not understand proper wine service. They served the wine that was supposed to be served with the appetizer after everyone was finished eating and poured the wine that was supposed to be served with the entree in wine glasses still wet and not properly polished.

The server that started off the dinner service left for break or home in the middle of our dinner without introducing us to her replacement or telling us she was leaving and the new server who took over our table service seldom checked on us and took forever to process our check. I ended up handing our payment to the manager directly and even he was rude and unapologetic.

But beside the lack of service, the food was Metrazur's saving grace. Our entire dinner group all had the restaurant week menu which offered three different choices per course. For the appetizer I had a roast butternut squash soup that had a nice spice to it from the added pumpkin seeds and smoked bacon while I ended up selecting the Sichuan spiced pork tenderloin for the entree.

For the dessert I ended up having the bittersweet chocolate torte with candied oranges.

Jason Avery and Sezai Celikbas's Pera Mediterranean Brasserie:

My good friend Yaelim Noh and I ended up having a wonderful dinner at Pera which seemed the most heavily inspired by Turkish and Greek cuisine. The restaurant in Mid-town was filled with warm colors, courteous staff, and food that was sophisticated.

For an appetizer, we shared a plate of hummus with baked lavash chips along with soujouk, beef, lollipops. For the entree I ended up having the mushroom pappardelle while Yaelim had Pera Steak with Greek style frites.

We finished the meal by sharing Baklava and Rice Pudding. The Rice Pudding was quite astonishing and was wonderfully rich and coated your tongue with thick sweetness that couldn't be washed away easily.

Daily Outfits 108

Okay, so I’ve been getting less blogging done because I was out of commission for about half a week due to some horrendous cold. But I did get to go out an catch the opening night of Aria Hotel and Casino inside the new City Center. It was absolutely beautiful and so crowded! I couldn’t find a slot machine to save my life.





* Dress shirt by Theory, boot cut denim jeans by Diesel, charcoal vest by Kenneth Cole, thick wool pea coat by H&M, grey logo embellished scarf by Versace

So this outfit is all about layering and the best way for men to layer is to start with a vest that has a buckle you can tighten or loosen in the back. This buckle should never be left undone and should always be tightened to keep the silhouette as trim and fitted in the midsection as possible. A lot of guys suffer from dress shirts that are super baggy and become un-tucked with frequent sitting and standing. The best cure for this problem would be to find yourself a good tailor, but the second solution would be to find a good vest.

The peat coat is a personal favorite of mine because of the high collar. I think the high collar coats and sweaters are just my current look of the moment, and I think this look really goes superb for this winter.

The entire look is finished with a focal feature which is the scarf. The bold Versace scarf really makes an impression no matter where you go.

Daily Outfits 107

I went to watch “The Blind Side,” featuring Sandra Bullock, with my former roommate tonight. I wasn’t feeling too great and had been lounging around like a bum at home and felt really too lazy to get spruced up. So today you guys get to see me dressed about as casual as I ever get.





*White, v-neck hoodie by Theory, light wash, boot cut jeans by True Religion, and a plaid hat by H&M.

This is quite casual but it still has an interesting design element. I absolutely love this hoodie and it’s really the only true sweat shirt/hoodie I own, and the only reason why I purchased it at Saks Fifth Avenue was because of the fact that it has this v-neck feature.

When you pop up the hoodie and actually put the hood on, the v-neck line extends further on down to reveal the collar bone area whereas if you place the hood down, it looks more like a normal hoodie.

Daily Outfits 106

Okay, so Sunday’s outing was to a local Spanish tappas restaurant called Firefly. A good friend of mine is taking a one month vacation in Japan and so a group of our friends got together to have dinner before she flies out. The entire restaurant is a local hotspot well known for its good food and great sangrias by the pitcher. Firefly is what I would call a trendy local spot where everyone from businessmen to alcoholic college students all congregate to create a very unique vibe and atmosphere.

So this is what I ended up wearing.





*Red, metallic, skinny pants by H&M, black hooded vest by Armani Exchange, and a custom, French cuff, dress shirt by Geoffrey Beene.

The focal point is really the red pants. The unusual color and the brightness of the fabric is really a strong visual so it’s important not to embellish too much on the top. I’m also not a big fan of crazy cuff links, so I kept them simple and classic.

Daily Outfits 105

Tonight, I’m going to a farewell party for one of my friends who is leaving Las Vegas for New York City. The party is going to be at one of the penthouse suites at the Mirage Hotel and Casino and it’ll probably filled to the brim with booze. So while it’s not an evening that requires formal attire, I still wanted to cross something urban and trendy with something that’s a bit more formal.



*Blue and white stripped Dolce & Gabbana dress shirt, white denim jeans by John Galliano, black hooded vest by Armani Exchange, and black bowtie by Molly Rodgers

One of my favorite looks is pairing cotton fabric hooded vests with more ridged suits. I think it urbanizes the whole formality of the suit and really helps it transition into the semi-formal and trendy casual look. I’m also a big collector of bowties and happen to adore Molly Rodgers.





Lastly, I finished the attire with a tweed suit jacket that really harmonized the whole look together.



*Tweed jacket by Buffalo Exchange

Daily Outfits 104

Okay, so not much to discuss today. I had to run to class and take the Nightclub Management final and ended up going over to a friend’s house for dinner. Dressed pretty simple and warm but still kept the pieces interesting.





* Black open collar shirt by John Varvatos, white denim jeans by John Galliano, grey pea coat by A.C.K.

So the military style pea coat with brazen buttons is one of my favorite, slightly casual, winter pieces that I own. Instead of throwing on a hoodie and looking like a bum, a pea coat over a tee takes the outfit for guys up a few notches. Really, if guys and girls in our generation would just step away from the sweat shirts and hoodies for a few days, it’d make the world a far more aesthetically pleasing place to live.

And really what’s the hassle? Shrugging on a coat takes just as little effort as tossing on a hoodie and it keeps you just as warm and comfortable if not more so.

Anyways, the focal point to this outfit with the jacket on is in the black leather detailing and the bronze big brass buttons on the pea coat. When the coat is taken off indoors, the John Varvatos open collar shirt really highlights the entire outfit with such an interesting design around the collar.

The white John Galliano jeans also serve as a color contrast and a focal piece as well, but I’ll talk about those jeans on another day.

A good tip in keeping white jeans clean during the rainy, snowy, muddy season is to tuck them into leather boots or your favorite pair of rain boots. It pulls off a old school aristocrat/equestrian look if done right.

Daily Outfits 103

After having a lazy morning at home I decided to go out to a local outside shopping district in Las Vegas called Town Square around 3PM. Since I’d be doing a lot of walking outside in 40 degree temperatures, I wanted to dress as warmly as I could. However, even though the mall is an open air facility, the many restaurants, shops, and cafes that line the street are incredibly well heated.

It seems many people in Las Vegas and the folks in southern California make the mistake of wearing a thin t-shirt underneath a really thick puffer jacket every time the winter chill rears its head. This fundamental mistake often leaves you too hot with the jacket on but still a bit cold and uncomfortable with the jacket off when indoors underneath a heater. This leads to a lot of article removing and replacing. The best solution to temperatures and situations like these is to layer appropriately.



Grey, wool, long coat by Valentino, black buckle turtleneck by Kenneth Cole, white spring scarf by Emporio Armani, and straight leg boot cut jeans by X2.



The grey Valentino long coat is perhaps the best purchase I’ve made off of 5th Avenue in New York City so far in my entire life. Unlike the majority of the form fitting and tight coats I buy, this Valentino coat is comfortably bigger and has a cozy, slouchy feel to it. However, to keep the coat from losing the shape I want it to give; I employ a simple trick of tying the waist belt behind the jacket to keep it in its proper form.



The black Kenneth Cole turtle is actually a very versatile piece. You can close all the buckles and turn it into a turtle neck, or forgo the buttons and let it droop. I love pieces that have dual functionalities such as this while featuring focal points that keep the overall design interesting and intriguing.



And of course, the white Emporio Armani scarf adds a huge splash of color and contrast to the overall dark and dull color scheme that will wash you out with every other grey and black long coat that stalk the streets during winter.

Daily Outfits 102

Today I had to sneak out for a quick hour just to meet up with a friend of mine who’d driven to Vegas from California with a bunch of his friends from Los Angeles. Since it was a relatively quick outing, I went with something simple that I could throw on fast without worrying about layering. However, even though I wanted it to be simple, I wanted something that was still unique and had a focal point.



* Grey Emporio Armani sweater with black skinny Helmut Lang jeans.

Now the focal point of the entire outfit is in the asymmetrical detailing around the neckline and the white logo armband attached above the elbow. Because the sweater really features two unique and prominent designs, it’s important not to lavish too many accessories on top of the outfit. So I kept it simple by pairing it with the black Helmut Lang skinny jean which helps the overall look by keeping the silhouette modern and trim. Although not pictured, the outfit was finished with a pair of black and grey, lace up, charcoal distressed Converse by John Varvatos.

Daily Outfits 101

So I decided to keep a daily record of the different outfits I wear after having purchased my new Logitech Webcam (which makes the whole process of picture documenting a lot simpler).

And that brings us to our first Daily Outfit post.



* Black sports jacket by Christian Dior, white turtleneck by Versace, and black skinny jeans by Helmut Lang.

Due to the white stripped ruffling of the fabric on the turtleneck, I would never wear the turtleneck by itself. White sweaters are notorious for making a big frame look even bigger, and to add to that, the ruffled fabric stripes add even more volume to the frame. Thus I took the turtleneck and matched it with a very modern and slim Christian Dior sports jacket. The Dior jacket keeps the overall silhouette slim and modern while the vintage Versace turtleneck adds softness and age to the outfit.

Keeping with the modern silhouette to offset the eye catching Versace turtleneck, I wore a pair of black skinny Helmut Lang jeans to finish off the ensemble. Although not pictured, I wore black, flat toe leather dress shoes to complete the attire.



P.S.

The story behind the white Versace turtleneck is quite interesting. About a year ago I was feeling bored and a bit adventurous and decided to travel off the beaten path. By passing Saks which is a Yoon classic, I ventured over into Buffalo Exchange which is a local thrift store that sells and buys used clothes. After hunting around a little bit I found the white vintage Versace turtleneck in the designer trades section. If I recall correctly, I ended up purchasing it for 19 dollars which is quite a steal.

The Art of Eating Meat in Front of a Vegetarian

Recently, as I was reading my University’s student run paper, the Rebel Yell, I found a rather amusing article titled: “From the other side: Veggie delights change social views.” How could anyone avoid reading such a grandiosely titled article? Hopeful to gain an insight as to how vegetables managed to change the perspective of human society and its views, I was left standing aghast by the end of the article. Basically, the author Shane Collins simple trapezes about the article gloriously announcing the delectable tastes of various vegetables and how he was proud that he and his vegetarian brethren are showing compassion and are “reducing [the] suffering,” of animals to quote his words.

Wait, wait, wait a minute. Reduce suffering of animals by becoming vegetarian? This smells like fishy PETA business to me.

I fully understand the concept of vegetarianism for those who follow a faith that calls upon it. I even begrudgingly understand those who are vegetarian for its supposed health benefits. But those who are vegetarian to respect animal rights and end animal suffering? That’s a laughable idea in my book.

Remember that one of the basic lessons in biology taught to us is that we as a human species are supposedly classified as mammals. We are also designed as omnivores. If you look at everything from our digestive organs to the way our teeth are designed, we are clearly built to devour both meat and vegetables.

With this in mind and using this ideology, don’t we as human beings have every right to eat meat from cattle as an endangered cheetah is entitled to hunt antelope? In comparison, the way we slaughter swine for consumption is similar in many respects to wild felines or dogs hunting its prey in the wild.

If the natural cycle that we learned in the movie, the Lion King holds true, why are vegetarians out there propagating this idea that eating meat is a guilty pleasure and that they are above such cruelty to animals. Ask any semi-coherent vegetarian (a possible contradiction), if a lion is able to sustain on a vegetarian diet. That vegetarian should answer you by saying no. You should ask them why not. Its because lions are designed to be carnivores, a beast that only eats other animals.

Then why should humans, a supposed natural creature of this world, be suppressed from living as it’s built to live: as an omnivore? The next time your sitting with a vegetarian friend who’s lecturing you about the barbaric nature of eating meat, remind that person you’re simply doing your part in helping reduce global warming by stopping cattle from releasing methane gas in their flatulence.