Uprooted Southern Style

 I've had this obsession lately with Billy Reid.  The fact that he is from Louisiana, spent time at LSU, studied in Dallas, and has had JCPenney, (company I design for), as a client in the past just makes him more interesting to me and adds to his list of credentials in my opinion :). His style is southern with kind of a hipster twist if you will. The cut of his clothing is exquisite...handcut patterns add to the unique decor of his boutiques.  He added womenswear to his repertoire in 2000, but I love his looks more so for the chaps. An important aspect of menswear collections is to have pieces that can be easily styled in different ways and could fit into many different "genres" of taste.  Let's face it...guys don't have near as many silhouettes or options as the ladies, and its the little things built into your overall ensemble that create your own personal style. As you will see in the following images, Reid shows that whether you are a southern gentleman with a  pocket square and bow tie or someone who takes more risk with high waters and black rimmed glasses, you can shop with him and stand out. The following collection of looks are all done up and maybe even a little over-styled, but you can see that each individual piece could be pulled off to achieve whatever type of look you feel comfortable in and can pull off.  I recently went to a party at Northpark mall inside his boutique.  He had a live roots/rock band, outstanding hors d'oeuvres, and a bar made out of antique wooden crates with an older gentlemen wearing a perfectly cut 3 piece suit, pocket square, glasses, and bow tie serving shiner bock, heineken, or crown on the rocks...def. made a statement and fit well with the overall image. This brand pairs well with Black Keys, Ponderosa, and the Raconteurs...more later this week for the boys;{