This year, Rajesh and I decided to design our own line for REVO, our university’s annual fashion show for charity.  Because it’s already May, we focused our line on spring menswear!  We wanted to show people that what we create is wearable on a daily basis and isn’t restricted to just staying on the runway.  So in addition to styling our models we also created something so hipster and awesome:  our own unique line of neckties.

What makes our neckties unique is that they’re made from thrifted shirts! This means that each shirt is one of a kind!  It also brings texture to the outfit, since we’ve used polo shirts and hawaiian shirts.  We tried to get shirts with patterns on them instead of plain ones because we’re all about pattern mixing here at Street x Sprezza!  Patterned ties are very youthful and show a true mastery of style, if you know how to wear it.  Fortunately, all of our models have great personal style!

As an added signature touch, Rajesh sewed a button on the ends of each tie, so that you could theoretically actually button it to your shirt.  No one in the audience saw it, but it’s a great little secret for the wearer.

Now let’s look at the models!

1.  Jay Kim 

Always on a lamp stand.  Jay was our first model!  Normally, I wouldn’t wear white pants with a white shirt unless I had a great jacket to use as a buffer, and Jay does.  It’s an awesome peaklapel suit jacket that just exudes power.  If you can find a single breasted peak lapel jacket, you must go for it.

He uses his signature pinroll on his white jeans and adds some casual suede shoes to dress down the look.  Going sockless is the key for a spring outfit.

His tie was cut from a gorgeous hawaiian shirt and is probably the most intentional one form the group.  It’s like the shirt was destined to become a tie.

2.  Kayon McCalla

Kayon just might have my favourite look from the entire line just because of his awesome blazer.  His aqua blazer was the reason we gave him the most tropical tie we had.

By the way, check out those damn shoes:  double monkstraps. Kayon knows how to do it.

3.  Ian Walker

Ian is always a welcome guest on the blog.  To set himself apart from the previous models, he wears a denim shirt on top of his super slim cut white jeans.  Like kayone, he wears some slick brown shoes to dress up his look.

Blues of all shades are a great match with white for spring, and Ian adds a deep navy  Corduroy blazer to compliment his denim shirt! As you can see, denim is a great material for a shirt that can be dressed up or down.

Hats are seldom worn by men nowadays because of the “neckbeard” connotation they have, so it takes a lot of guts and confidence to pull one off.  Ian certainly has all that; he looks ready for a fancy beach date with his 1960’s inspired browline shades and his panama hat.  It’s a look that that should definitely be worn again!

4.  Christian Batchelor

Nothing wrong with going conservative for a change! Christian goes with a straight prep school look for his outfit; the dead giveaways are his light blue oxford shirt and khakis.  However instead of a repp or striped tie, Rajesh gave him a gorgeous hawaiian print tie.

Unlike Ian’s or Jay’s tie, Christian’s has a whole bunch of patterns going on, making it look like it was cut from some tribal fabric.  There are so many different blues going on in the tie, so its good he went with a more conservative outfit. If there’s a big pop, it has to stand on its own.

5.  Jordan Blackwelder

Another relatively simple look!  Jordan wears white pants (to no surprise) and wears a light blue button up shirt!  What makes him different is his ribbon belt (a preppy staple) and and epic red hawaiian tie.

Jordan’s look shows us that we don’t always have to wear blue and white in spring; everyone loves a splash of red!

 He looks a lot like Chris Evans, huh?

6.  Matthew Reeves

Matt’s basic layer is essentially the same as Christian’s:  khakis, white shirt, and blue blazer. However, we make Matt get a little sprezzy and he wears his vest over his suit jacket, a trend by Italian menswear influencers.  He’s certainly going to stay warm in this outfit!

His tie is certainly weird, because of how the shirt was designed.  The tie was made from a polo shirt that had pineapples and palm trees all over it, arranged in a mismatch of ways that ensured that the tie would have these patterns in different directions.  It’s not for people who have OCD!

7.  Aldenn Nolasco

Time to get back to our preppy roots and go nautical!  Everything about Aldenn just screams east coast prep.  He’s got boat shoes, chambray shorts, and a blue oxford!  The closer we get to the tie will show us just how nautical he is.

He’s freakin’ fish on his tie. Normally white ties are a no, but this one is wearable because of the patterns! The blue of the fish go perfectly with the color of his shirt and is almost like he’s evoking the sea.   If fish aren’t for you, then check out his tie bar; he’s representing main with a lobster.

8.  Jason Siu

Can’t have a line by Rajesh and me without having someone suit up!  Jason shows us that you can definitely wear an awesome  printed tie with a suit! This look is definitely for you conservative guys who like to look professional with a twist.  A crazy tie like the one Jason has will definitely be a conversation piece.

9.  Sayra Sapien

Women can wear ties too!  Sayra was our surprise to the audience and everyone loved it! She wears the white pants, a staple for our line, but adds a pop with her neon green linen shirt.  The sheer and light fabric make this a great piece for the beach or a hot day!

Thanks to the color of her shirt, the yellow floral tie works perfectly with her ensemble.

Like the other guys in our line, Sayra’s watch game is spectacular!  Look at the details on that thing!

These lace oxfords are great and match well with the shoes of our other models.  She’s even got some ankle bracelet stuff going!  Props to her awesome personal style!

10.  Rajesh Inparaj

I remember when Raj tried this look his freshman year.  The fit was all wrong and it just made him look sloppy.  Now, Raj has matured and evolved into one of the most stylish (and meticulous) guys I have the pleasure of knowing.

There’s no influence for this look; everything is a signature for Raj.  The tie he’s wearing is the first tie he actually made and is his favourite one from the line.

Raj tends to buy something new just for an event, and this particular one is his epic seer sucker shorts.  Hailing from Maryland, he is all about prep and this is as preppy as it gets.  He even wore his golfing bracelet which is supposedly supposed to help with balance.

Sprezzatura means “studied carelessness”.  So if you accidentally tie your tie too long, who cares? Tuck it!  Doing this with confidence is the only way to pull it off.  If you do it with uncertainty, people will know and will assume you’re just being sloppy.

11.  Ethan Wong 

Definitely went for a Gatsby vibe in this outfit.  Spectator (two tone) shoes, white pants, peak lapels, and club collar shirts are all distinctive qualities for the mid-to-late 1920’s.  Even though I love vintage, I put a modern twist on this outfit. I added white buttons to this thrifted jacket, had the pants hemmed to no break, and went sockless!  It’s definitely a “me” look.

This tie is one of my favourites because it reminds me of the floral wallpaper at my grandma’s house.  It’s certainly very hipster and gives me an overall dandy look!

Even though the models were the stars of our line, I just had to go all out with my outfit!  I’ve always got to be dressed to the nines.

It was a blessing to have worked with Raj to create these amazing ties!  But a big thanks goes out to our models. Without you guys, we would just have floating ties walk on a runway.  You all brought your own character and class to our line and truly represented what Street x Sprezza is all about.

So which look did you like the most?  Which tie was the best?  Let us know below!

Always a pleasure,

Ethan W.

Street x Sprezza

Photography by Ethan W and Tim M.  and the amazing Jon Hwang.