Saturday night myself and Mr. Jeremy Roberts took a trip out to Brooklyn to sit in on a Round Table Discussion hosted by The Brooklyn Circus. The meeting was to discuss the current state and the overall fate of mens wear as we have come to know it. The biggest question rasied was, sure we all dress the part of a Gentleman, but are we living it as well? I think that in order to truly call yourself a modern gentleman is is beyond the surface and goes into your everyday actions.

Needless to say new ideas and concepts regarding the life on the modern gentleman are now underway. There is alot to stay tuned for. For more from the evening take a look at the Brooklyn Circus and Swagger 360. Thanks again to the 25 gentleman who I had the pleasure of sharing the conversation with. Photos from Swagger 360.

A brand is only as good as it’s team. Here you see myself on the left, Nick Kemp on the right and John Alburl sitting down. This picture was taken from their last visit to NYC. Nick and John currently reside in Athens, Georgia. As we venture our way into the “Year of the Iron” expect to see a lot more from both Mr. Kemp and Mr. Alburl. They help drive the creative inspiration behind the brand and the upcoming collections. Mr. Alburl described J.Elquist by saying, “It is not about how to make it different, it is about how do we make it better.”

When I first moved to New York I was stopped in Soho and photographed for Stylecaster.com.I wanted to take the time to call attention to the fact that as men all we have is the minor details. First note the pin in the tie holding it in place, a trick learned from Mr. Wholford at Brooks Brothers. Second note the unbuttoned shirt collar. Some say it’s sloppy I say it’s elegant. Finally note the tie knot, it’s commonly known as the double four in hand.But for the well dressed it is the Italian knot or “Le Sartoriale.” For those who doubt all three of these details can be seen from Gianni Agnelli to Luciano Barbera.

A few weeks ago I got shot for the fashion blog, The Mod Revival. Here you see me in a mid winters day attire. Note the mash of pattern and color.Some say it’s to much, I say it’s just right.  To start the herringbone sport coat is a small enough scale to contrast the plaid tie, shirt and scarf. Second the shirt and bow tie are similar scale, however the color story plays off each other. The red tie picks up the red check in the shirt. The blue stripe in the tie plays off the blue shirt. To finish the scarf is a large enough pattern to be the perfect contrast to the rest of the patterns. Bow tie is J.Elquist

I had the honor of having coffee with Mr. Michael Hainey. We discussed what it takes to become successful in New York City. Mr. Hainey’s words of advice, “belief in yourself, stay true to your vision, and have the confidence to pursue.” Mr. Hainey is a writer, artist, and well dressed New Yorker. Growing up in the mid-west and coming from very little Michael knew early on he wanted better for himself. After college he took his chance on New York and made the move of a lifetime. Once in New York he found shelter in a boarding house and a chance with Spy Magazine. At Spy he was under the direction of Graydon Carter and Kurt Andersen. “Graydon was a man of ideas, he really taught me how amazing New York could be.” Michael said. 20 years later after trial and tribulation, Mr. Hainey is the Deputy Editor of GQ Magazine.

2010 is ” The year of the Iron.” It is promised to be a year of excitement. The blog you have all followed for so long is where you will find the biggest changes for the new year. We are bringing a new direction to the blog putting more focus on J.Elquist as a brand and less focus on what exists in the world on the modern gentleman. The new year is going to  be about the growth and story of J.Elquist Clothiers. You will find posts discussing the day to day actions of not only myself but the entire J.Elquist team. It is time to make our mark on menswear. Stay tuned.

We at J.Elquist are hard at work to bring you the new and exciting for 2010. Recently, we teamed up with photographer, Carissa Pelleteri. She is a extremly talented New York based photographer who shot our product line for J.Elquist.com 2.0. We are very excited to be days away from launching our new site.  Stay tuned from more updates as we gear up for the new year. I am also pleased to say, we will also be working with Ms. Pelleteri in the future on the debut J.Elquist clothing collection. J.Elquist x Carissa Pelleteri more to come.

I just have to say how thankful I am. I am so thankful to have such a strong team and support system behind me 100%. I am thankful to have a readership that is rounding 20,000. I am thankful that people continue to show interest in my brand and my blog. With each day that passes I get more excited for the next. 2009 has been an amazing year for J.Elquist. 2010 is going to be the year of the iron. There is alot you can expect from us, look out for the new face of J.Elquist.com as well as the new direction of the brand. For those of you waiting to buy ties, be patient its coming soon. Thank you all for your support. J.Elquist x 2010 its going to be huge.

Not only is Nick Kemp a crucial part of the J.Elquist team he also runs one of the blogs I respect most, The Red Eagle Tribe.  Now this, a few days ago Mr. Kemp got resourceful and creative and developed this double sided scarf, see above. One side is the light blue cotton chambray the other side a navy wool. Together it makes a masterpiece. I am also a huge fan of the way it works with the sport coat seen above, great play on color. Needless to say I am blessed to have a team of so much talent. Well Done Mr. Kemp

There is no denying that the sartorial style is invading hip-hop. From Andre 3000 to Farnsworth Bentley. It’s not uncommon to see Jay- Z in a tux and or Kanye in a knit bow tie. Recently I was interviewed for urban fashion magazine, So Jones. The magazine does a great job at capturing the up and coming and the already rolling music, faces, and fashions of the hip- hop industry.  They asked me my thoughts on the clothing industry and how I am going to change the face of the game. Again I am thrilled to say the least. To read the interview click here.