Eleven Magazine – Men's fashion and lifestyle
Hi everyone.
This week’s addition of the article is going to change slightly. We at Eleven sincerely enjoy us some 1st Amendment. I mean, we eat that shit up. So in order to protect it and still be fair, we’ve decided to change some names and how we present this article to you.
A little late I know but we’re trying, so give us a break.
Continue reading ‘Getting Fired From a 5-Star Resort in Five Days or Less – Part III’
In case you missed the first part of the Babala Chronicles, check it out here.
Back Side, or Backy, is Hungarian but grew up in Serbia. He speaks Hungarian, Serbian, English, and maybe a few other languages that I missed. I was too busy trying to figure out what I was doing my whole life instead of learning to speak foreign tongues. I think I was watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and dreaming of ways I could meet/marry/runaway with Sarah Michelle Gellar. And not necessarily in that order. Backy’s real name is Gabor Bali. The funny thing is, Backy (or Becky as he referred to himself in a message) is a little bit better for him than Gabor. In Serbian, Gabor actually refers to an ugly girl. He explained it to me one day when we were walking that people use Gabor to describe a girl walking by the same way we in the U.S. might describe a butter face. So he even asked that I refer to him as Backy and not “ugly girl” in this article. Well Backy, I got your…back.
Continue reading ‘Getting Fired From a 5-Star Resort in Five Days or Less – Part II’
God Is In The Details
(Certain names and the names of places have been changed. However the events that took place here really happened. Oh yea, they happened.)
As I write this, I’m packed into seat 50k in the back corner of a daunting Lufthansa plane. The person in front of me has their seat as far back as it can go, the person behind me has their knees as far into my seat as they can manage, and the person next to me is taking up 99.98% of the armrest. God that pisses me off but after the past few days, all I can think of is the Serbian phrase, “bochi boya.” This is spelled phonetically since my tiny, travel-sized Serbian-English dictionary doesn’t have such complicated phrases, such as “it will be okay,” amongst its much thumbed through pages. Nothing crazy, just a phrase that has somehow managed to become a personal mantra of mine over the past few days. (I was recently informed by my good friend Back Side that it is actually spelled bice bolje)
Continue reading ‘Getting Fired From a 5-Star Resort in Five Days or Less – Part I’
Andre Simon once wrote, “Wine makes every meal an occasion, every table more elegant, every day more civilized.” This is still true for us today. More and more of us are being converted to wine drinkers, or wine sippers for the not-so-hardcore winos out there. Our generation, the millennial generation, is currently one of the biggest purchasers of wine compared to other age groups. So we like wine, whether we are first time drinkers or have had our fair share of practice (freshman year colony parties wwhhaatt?), but what’s next? I mean wine has made my table elegant; it has caused every day to become civilized…now it’s time to let wine make your meal into an occasion. Continue reading ‘The Ultimate Spice’
Alright Boys and Girls, It’s that time again. This week’s “Perspectives” will be brought to us by Ms. Kelly Brown of Masque Magazine
What beats have gotten the party started most recently? MGMT’s “Electric Feel” gets the party started for me. I could be having the worst day…when that song comes on I can’t help but get lifted. That and Theophilus London’s “This Charming Mixtape”. Dude is the craziest mix of house and Hip-Hop. Oh, and anything pumping from Kelis. It’s a shame how underrated she is…
Who has influenced your style? My grandmother has influenced my style heavily. Back in her hayday she used to be involved with Saks Fifth Avenue and Coach – she was always dressed to the nines. (Grandma’s vintage) x (My funk) = My style.
Is a mustache ever inappropriate? Yenno, not everyone can rock a mustache. But the ‘stache dynamic depends on a number of factors. The thicker the ‘stache, the cooler and wiser you are. The length also rests on this. The funk cannot be faked though – no one likes phony face coiffure.
What is your favorite pair of shoes? My favorite pair of shoes are these really worn pair of Converses that I snagged when I used to go to RIT. I had a lot of memories in those shoes. My mom actually attempted to throw them away once. I found them resting by the garbage and was so mortified and shocked, I quickly snatched them up and threw them in the washing machine…
Alright Kels, do you think fashion is important? Honestly (and I really do believe this), fashion is an extension of who you are. For me, it serves as another form of expressing my mood. From wearing a certain color to having to choose between a sweatshirt or a skirt, it helps me communicate to the world. It also serves as a great medium for creativity…if used correctly.
Are there any rules of fashion that you never break or choose to break? The only rule I follow is to not look like a fool.
What are your feelings on the man-bag? I’m a huge advocate for the Man Bag Coalition. Unless it’s bigger and better than mine…then it’s not so cool.
What is the first thing you notice in another person’s outfit? How they wear it. You can have on the most expensive and “trendiest” outfit, but if you are wearing it incorrectly it looks horrid. Conversely, someone could be wearing something not so new and what people think isn’t so great, but their attitude and confidence can literally carry their outfit. A good fit and personality are what I notice.
If you were running for President, what would your slogan be? A vote for me is a vote for Sexual Chocolate.
Would you rather have a Jerry Curl or a Mullet? Seeing as how I have a ‘fro, I’m going to go with the mullet. I would like to thank Sir Kanye West and Soul Glo for making this possible.
Looks like we’re getting existential up in this b****. Biodynamic wines are becoming increasingly popular in our recession-laden time. The idea of biodynamic wine originated from a series of lectures given by 20th century philosopher Rudolf Steiner and basically means that the winemaker is looking at the land as a living organism.
The winemaker might attune harvesting times to match different phases of the moon or position of the planets. This may be a load of biodynamic fertilizer (think organic) but it does cause the winemaker to pay very close attention to his land and that cannot hurt.
I personally love the idea because it also means that the vineyard and winery are all green, not using pesticides or artificial fertilizers. Some biodynamic wineries don’t even filter out the sediment, which is not a bad thing by any means, and will even request that you buy the wine directly from them so they can explain why there’s a bunch of stuff floating around in your wine.
Even if all the stuff about lunar cycles and planets is just phewie, it at least makes the winemaker pay a critical eye to the welfare of the planet. And that is something we all need to start doing more.
Ryan Evans
Outdoor cooking table
I present to you the Menes Outdoor Cooking Table by Alpina. This cooking table is both sleek and functional and will provide a needed remedy to the summer heat that will attack kitchens as well as one’s desire to cook in them. The table is made for light cooking and easy entertaining. It’s designed to handle fondues, carpaccios, cheese plates, fruit and grilled vegetables. I really like this table and I only wish I could get it imported from Belgium. There is no price listed on the website but I can only assume that for the aesthetic value, let only quality of material and convenience , it’ll cost you a pretty penny. My personal appraisal of the table was found using this simple equation:
Menes Outdoor Cooking Table+ great ingredients+ great wine +great friends = A great Summer night (which is worth more than what you pay for the table)
Now, usually, pieces like this would be in Antonio’s realm but, after having it brought to my attention by my esteemed colleague Eisa-san… I had to give my two cents.
Check it out here
Alvin J.B. Roberts, III
If you were to google Ryan Evans, you would find that I share my namesake with one of the lead characters in High School Musical, whose twin sister is named Sharpay. That being said, I am pursuing a bachelors in Hospitality and Service Management along with a Beverage (wines, beers, and spirits) and Spanish minor. I have worked for two wineries (St. Supery in Napa, CA and Casa Larga in Fairport, NY) and written for two magazines. I am 20 years old. I hate High School Musical.
1. [Favorite Shoe] As you have probably noticed, Mikhail and Osama plug desert boots like nobody’s business. What you don’t know is that before there was a desert boot related mass orgasm on the website, there was one among us. Have to say I fell to temptation and never looked back. Comfortable, affordable, and stylish they say just enough without saying too much.
2. [Favorite Accessory] I have this necklace, a celtic cross, that my mother got for me from Ireland about 4 years ago. It always held a special place with me but it took on superstitious status when the only time I hadn’t worn it in a year I almost died in a really bad car wreck. I had it tattooed on my back a few months later. I haven’t taken it off since and I’m still kicking. Coincidence? Probably.
3. [Go To Coat] I’ve always felt that one must try to look their best whenever they can. It feels good to look good. My go to coat is a 3/4 length black wool coat from H&M. It’s classy but can be worn with a hoodie underneath and maybe some jeans to make it a little less formal. If the need is to dress up, it holds its own just fine with my suits and going out clothes.
4. [Favorite Top or Suit] BDG has some killer sweatshirts and one I consistently come back to is my red and blue argyle zip-up. It’s just really unique, kicks copious amounts of ass, and looks good. Reliability and… styleability? So good it coins terms.
5. [Favorite Bottoms] I’ve never really bought a pair of jeans over $30 before. I actually used to pride myself on that. But I realized that sometimes you just need that one awesome pair of jeans. I found that in Gap’s limited edition Elevated Low-Rise Skinny Rigid Denim Rinse for $88. Pricey yes but these jeans have gotten me so many compliments and fit so well that it’s well worth it. They can practically stand on their own and I must agree with Haigh, there is something about Gap jeans that just works for skinny white boys like myself.
6. Apple Products. I’ve come to terms with the fact that I am an Apple whore. I have a Macbook Pro and an iPod Touch that both can connect via bluetooth, along with my cell phone, to a pair of Oakley sunglasses with built-in microphone and headphones. I can’t imagine not having them now nor would I like to try. It kind of gives me a headache. Plus, the sunglasses make me look like this guy from Star Trek.
7. I love non-traditional things. The Ah So is one such example. The Ah So has no corkscrew, it is simply a handle with two prongs that go between the cork and the inside of the glass bottle. You just rotate and pull and you have a cork with no mess. Sometimes corks break or you might just be using a shitty corkscrew but I hate it when there is cork in my wine. I like to taste notes of woodiness and oakiness, not actually eat tree bark. The Ah So is quick, easy, cheap, and small. I’ve heard it called the Waiter’s Corkscrew or the Waiter’s Friend before because of how awesome it is. Actually, it might be scientifically proven somewhere that the name Ah So is derived from the first person who saw it in action. His reaction was “Ah, so, that’s the coolest thing I’ve seen this decade” and as you can imagine The Coolest Thing I’ve Seen All Decade was too long a name.
8. Dress Socks. There is nothing I hate more than wearing a really nice pair of shoes with low cut ankle socks. I’ve recently stocked up on a lot of argyle socks from the gap during the Christmas sales and I’ve not been disappointed.
9. One thing I could not live without is my corny/cheesy/horribly cliche sense of humor. I’m not sure when it happened but at some point I realized I thought really, over-the-top cheesy jokes were hilarious because they were so bad. I like cheesiness mixed with a certain amount of wit so that you get a little bit of everything. I’ve always thought that you have to be able to make yourself laugh before you can bring humor to anyone else. I know I think I’m hilarious, I guess it’s time for the rest of the world to get on board.
10. My mother. She is the reason I’ve turned out so well (or at least I like to think so). Simply put, there is no encyclopedia, advice column, blog, or newspaper that I have learned as much from or that gives me better advice than her. She is absolutely one of my Eleven Essentials.
11. This should come as no surprise to anyone that knows me. My 11th essential is wine. Each and every type of wine from each and every region in the world. It is historically, culturally, scientifically, and socially fascinating. I’ve not known real passion until I “fell” into the wine world. Now I know a true passion, one that burns inside of you at all times, is a magnificent thing.
Ryan Evans
Eleven Magazine 