Alan and Jimmy Au’s interview with NBC’s Style Goes Strong on The Oscars!

Fashion Police: Men’s Oscar Style – Epic Fail

Tips and tricks to really look good in a tuxedo and bow tie

I thought we were going to be talking about how to dress shorter men, when I began a conversation with Alan Au of the country’s only short men’s designer store, Jimmy Au’s for Men 5’8″ and Under. Being that it’s located in Beverly Hills, you can imagine that they have quite the celebrity clientele.

But also being that we’re still on the tails of the Oscars, that was the topic topmost in mind. Still, I was surprised when Alan Au proclaimed the Oscars a “Stylist Fail” for men’s dressing.

I related a red carpet exchange I watched between Brad Pitt and Tim Gunn, about how much easier it is for men to get dressed – just put on your tuxedo and go. (Although Tim Gunn did admit to Maya Rudolph that he was also wearing shapewear – yes, they have shapewear for men.)

Tuxedo Trappings
But Alan said Brad Pitt got it wrong! What? “He had on a skinny cropped jacket. One type of guy who can’t wear that: someone who’s athletically fit. It just doesn’t work on them.”

P. Diddy aka Sean Combs apparently fell into the same trap. Proportion is key – for balance.”

So I submitted Gary Oldman as most dapper. Virtual hand-slap! Ouch. “His 3-piece? Too busy, especially with that quarter-inch trim…. Maybe if it had been an eighth of an inch.”

Wha…?

Yes, it gets down to that fine a point with men’s fashion. It reminded me of my conversation with Modern Gentlemen expert Jason Tesauro on men’s gloves. He had said men’s fashion was varied, but subtle.

So subtle it can get down to the width of your trim as to whether you’re well dressed or not. I should have paid closer attention.

The knotty issue of bow ties
Almost no one had a good bow tie either, according to Au.

If the bow tie is real, that is, really tied – then it’s OK if it’s slightly off.

But if it is a clip on … it has to be straight. What happens most often, Au says, is that the bow is perfect, but the clasp is off so the bow tie goes askew. Which just screams CLIP-ON.

Also, beware a too-small bow tie – it will make your face look fat, Au says.

A good bow tie should be the width of your face, I’m not 100% sure how that works, but next time I’m near a bunch of men in bow ties, you can bet I’ll have a measuring tape with me.

Emerging Trends
Au said he saw a lot of cummerbunds being worn, something that hasn’t happened in quite a while.

But.

There’s always a but-ton. The men were buttoning their single-breasted jackets. No, no, no. The WHOLE point of a cummerbund is to not button the jacket.

Tuxedo Rules
Clearly there needs to be a rulebook in the inside jacket pocket of every tuxedo. Because Today’s Man doesn’t know the rules.

Jonah Hill broke ’em, according to Au. Well, not broke so much as… you already fixed it, dude. Hill lost a lot of weight recently, Au and several red carpet commentators noted, so he didn’t need to wear the black-on-black look. And, his pants were too big, so it looked like a loaner.

A white shirt with a peak-lapel jacket would have worked better. Definitely not (another) cropped shawl-lapel jacket – these are for skinny guys, tall or short, Au insists. Maybe Hill was just copying his hero and Moneyball co-star, Brad Pitt.

Thumbs up in a tux
OK, so who looked good?

“George Clooney – very classic.” Big surprise.

“Jason Segal, the guy from The Muppets movie.” Really? Well, it was a sartorial extravaganza.

“Christopher Plummer.” Oh good. “The jacket was perhaps a little bigger in the shoulder than he needed. He chose to be a little daring with the velvet.  It was age-appropriate.”

“Thomas Langmann, The Artist producer.” Hmmm. To me he looked like a reincarnated/ modern-day Peter Lorre. But hey, Alan, look at him here, his shirt is untucked. Au says fitted shirts are a waning trend, so get them while you can. They stay tucked in much better and are more slimming.

Finally I ventured Tom Hanks. I loved the grey in his beard. A big thumbs-up from Au! Whew. Not only did he have a great bow tie, he wore a trend Au had been hoping to see a lot of but was sorely disappointed – the double-breasted tux. Tom Hanks already has two Oscars – now he’s won Best Tuxedo.

See original article at http://style.lifegoesstrong.com/article/fashion-police-men-s-oscar-style-epic-fail

Get Fit Like Actor Channing Tatum With Health Tips From His Nutritionist Jackie Keller

STUDIO CITY (CBS) — Celebrity  wellness coach and founder of Nutrifit Jackie Keller stopped by the KCAL9 studios Tuesday to share tips on staying healthy!

Keller recently worked with actor Channing Tatum to stay healthy leading up to shooting his most recent movie, “The Vow.”

She is also the a wellness and nutrition coach to numerous celebrities, including Angelina Jolie, Reese Witherspoon, Uma Thurman, Charlize Theron, Penelope Cruz, Susan Sarandon, Will Ferrell, and Anne Hathaway to name a few.

NutriFit specializes in fresh, gourmet, customized and delivered meal programs that are tailored to accommodate an individual’s health and lifestyle needs. Their goal is to promote long-term health by providing full service nutritional support, including delicious, gourmet meals, wellness coaching, and health-related products.

For more on Keller, visit her online.

NEXT! Free open competition to emerging playwrights

NEXT! Free open competition to emerging playwrights

An educational outreach program to discover new writing voices for the stage.  Diane Namm – Writer/Director and Founder of West of Broadway will mentor three young playwrights from script to stage.  Playwrights will participate in casting, design and production of their One Acts.  NEXT! Opens on April 27^th, 2012 at the Miles Playhouse.  Next! Closes on May 19^th, 2012, a total of four performance weekends.  NO ENTRY FEE REQUIRED.

Submissions Period: February 3rd, 2012 through March 9^th, 2012. All submissions must be postmarked no later than March 9^th, 2012.

Criteria:

1.      Only current full time students from grade 10 to college seniors. Graduate students are not eligible. All enrollment must be verified.

2.     The writers may not have been published professionally in the field of theatrical writing.

3.      The writers may not have a play previously produced at any level.

4.     The play must be in the format of a traditional One Act structure.

5.     The play may not be shorter than 20 pages or longer than 30 pages.

6.     Multiple plays may be submitted by individual playwrights, but as separate submissions.

7.     The plays must either be original works or based on works that are in the public domain. Writers must own the copyright for any and all works that they submit.

The Prize:  West of Broadway will produce the Selected Works in a series of One Acts. WOB will provide professional services for each produced play.

If WOB selects the Project as one of the winners of the Competition, WOB shall have the non-exclusive right, but not the obligation, to produce and perform the Project as a live stage play at one or more theatres in and around the Los Angeles area (the “Performances).  If the Project is produced by WOB, WOB will donate a portion of any net proceeds from such Performances to the drama/fine arts department at the school you currently attend (or, if the drama/fine arts department does not accept donations, then such donation shall go to the school itself).  As used herein, “proceeds” means any ticket sales from the Performances received by WOB less all costs incurred by WOB in producing the Performances. An additional portion of the proceeds will be dedicated to a scholarship fund for the winning playwrights.

FAQS:

Q:  Is there an entry fee?

A:  No.

Q: Do I get to direct and/or act in my play?

A: No.

Q: Can my friends be in the play?

A: They may audition, but there is no guarantee that they will be cast in the play.  The casting of each play is solely at the discretion of WOB and its directors.

Q: Do I get paid?

A: No. See the above “Prize”section for more details.

Q: Will my play be made into a movie?

A: Not by us.

Q: Who are you guys?

A: Please go to http://www.westofbroadway.org for details about our organization and our production staff.

Q: How do I enter?

A: Glad you asked, see below for more information.

HOW TO ENTER:

Go to https://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=batch_download&batch_id=T2djWGJQcGtlcEpqQThUQw

Download, print out, fill in and send a signed release form (https://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=batch_download&batch_id=T2djWGJQcGtlcEpqQThUQw) and a hard copy of your play (printed on three-hole punch paper with two brads) to West of Broadway/Diane Namm, 22631 Pacific Coast Hwy. #912, Malibu, CA 90265. All entries must be accompanied by a fully executed release form and postmarked MARCH 9^th, 2012.  Entries postmarked after that date will be discarded.   No materials will be returned. Please refer to the criteria above.  Submissions that do not abide by criteria will not be considered.  WOB reserves the sole right to select the Participants, and the right to verify that all criteria is met, including, but not limited to, current enrollment in an academic institution.  GOOD LUCK!

New York Magazine Interviews Alan of Jimmy Au’s and gets expert fashion opinion

Which Oscar Men Dressed Best for Their Body Type?

By Charlotte Cowles

It’s a well-known fact that many actors are much shorter in real life than they appear onscreen. Their cover is blown when they show up on a red carpet looking like gnomes next to their high-heeled female counterparts. Luckily, just as lady celebrities have stylists to spiff them up, male celebrities have helpers, too. Enter Alan Au, men’s stylist and co-owner of Jimmy Au’s For Men 5’8” and Under, a Hollywood-based designer menswear store for gentlemen of petite stature. Alan and his father Jimmy have outfitted many big stars (fame-wise, at least) like Nathan Lane, Martin Sheen, and Mark Wahlberg for red carpets in the past. Although this year’s Oscar nominees were an unusually tall bunch, Alan weighed in on the importance of dressing according to one’s body type to look as statuesque as possible. See his commentary in our slideshow.

Tom Cruise

“Tom Cruise looked really sharp. I questioned the size of his peaked lapel a little bit; I might have chosen a skinnier peaked lapel. But being that he’s more of an athletic guy, I think this worked well for him.”

Mario Lopez

“Skinny lapels are a trend right now, but they make you look boxy if you’re broad-shouldered. Mario should have gone for a bigger lapel and a longer jacket. A cropped jacket can make you look like a refrigerator if you have an athletic build.”

Brad Pitt

“The one guy who doesn’t look good in a skinny cropped jacket is the athletic guy. A great example of a well-tailored jacket on the wrong person is what Brad Pitt wore. He wore a cropped jacket that was tailored to perfection, but the look was wrong. When you have that kind of a broad shoulder at his height, the jacket looks way too short. If you look at him you can see it’s very well put together, but it doesn’t look right to me.”

Billy Crystal

“Billy Crystal and Tom Cruise are about the same size, and what worked for both of them was that everything was really well-tailored. I think Crystal’s outfit was made-to-measure. I was concerned about the tails, because tails on a shorter guy can really look bad, but his turned out just right. If they hit at the right point on your legs, they can look great on a shorter guy, but too long is a disaster.”

Zach Galifianakis

“Zach Galifianakis is another short guy who went with tails. I know he was just trying to be funny, but it still looked appropriate. At least it fit well.”

Antonio Banderas

“One of my biggest frustrations when I see guys on red carpets is that they don’t fix their pants. The moment they get out of their limos, they’re in front of cameras: No guy gets the opportunity to fix his pants. You need that ten seconds of time to adjust your pants so that they’re sitting at your waist again, and the bottom of the pants break correctly at your feet. Everybody’s pants looked like they were too long because they’re pushed down from sitting. Every guy should really wear suspenders if they’re not going to take their jackets off.”

See all 12 of Alan’s expert fashion opinion at http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2012/02/which-oscar-men-dressed-for-their-body-type.html

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