Stylish dudes: Ivam Kent

So, here's the deal. I'm launching a new sub-section for Stylish dudes, in which I'll interview some cool guys and share their thoughts here. The first interview was with Mexican blogger, living in the UK, Ivam Kent.

// Estoy creando una nueva subsección de Stylish dudes, en la que entrevistaré a chavitos buena onda y compartiré sus respuestas aquí. La primera entrevista fue con un bloggero mexicano que vive en Inglaterra: Ivam Kent. La entrevista no tiene traducción porque no me gustaría modificar las palabras de los entrevistados, así que saquen el traductor interno que tienen, ja. 

Tell me a little bit about yourself: 

Well my name is Ivam, and I study TEFL and SPANISH, at Coventry University, in England, "TEFL" means Teaching English as Foreign Language.

I've just finished my first year at Uni, and I think it was all right but I guess it could've been better, I live in London and I love fact that everyone is always fashionable, and they wear what they want or like, even if it's something crazy, they don't even care about what people say.

Describe an average day of your life:

An average day of my life, right now on Holidays, will be waking up till late (10:00am), going to the nearest store, buy me some food (always smoked salmon sandwich), walk to the train station, and visit my friends from another cities, and then have fun, sleep over. And after a couple of days, go back home.

What are you really passionate about?

 I really love drawing- I'm drawing most of the time. I draw since I was a little child, I remember really well, once I drew my mom, at the age of 5, and she was really shocked, because it was pretty good. 

How do you feel about blogging (in general) and, blogging about fashion?

I blog when I'm inspired or when I feel like it, I can't do it everyday because I'm busy most of the time, but when I do it, I try to take good quality photos. Blogging I think it's a really good thing to do, because I can share my point of view and style through photos on my blog. 

When did you become invested in fashion, how was that process?

I think there was no process; I mean, I always liked to dress well and, also, when I was really young (around 10 or 11), I already appreciated fashion. I remember the first time I watched a fashion show... I thought it was incredible! Since then I think I got more into it. So, I think some people are just born with it, or maybe parents influence, culture, who knows.

Who would you consider as a stylish dude from this time (say 2005-2012) and why?

Definitely BRANDON FLOWERS. I think his style is just amazing, he loves to wear denim jackets as I do, and his style is just perfect because he always wears something I would definitely wear. Apart from that I think his personality makes it look even better.

You’re a Mexican blogger residing in the UK. How did you end up living in the UK and what do you like most about the two countries?

I ended up living in the UK because I always wanted to live either there or in Brazil. I remember telling my mom at the age of 10 - 11: Mom when I grow up I really want to live in London or Sao Paulo, even if you don't want to help me I will fight for it. At the time she thought I was insane, but that's me I've been always like that, a dreamer who fights for his dreams.

From Mexico I love the people, the food! is just wonderful, like there are no words to describe mexican food (it's just delicious); the culture: "La Catrina", Frida Khalo... There are so many things I like from Mexico I think I could never finish if I keep going. 

Anyway, from the UK, I love the culture, I love the fact that you can make friends from all around the world. Definitely love fashion in England, there are always so different and interesting styles on high-street, and the fact that no one cares about what you do with your life is just amazing.

What can you say to Mexican guys that are being bullied or called names because of the way they dress and style themselves?

All I can say is for them to fight for what they believe, and to never let anyone tell them what to do or how to dress, because even I've been through so many awkward situations in Mexico because of the way I dress. 

I remember once I went back to Mexico (in winter around 2010), and I went to the shopping mall with my friend, I was wearing a jacket, a vest (tank top), jeans, and boots, I took my jacket off because it was too hot for me, and all I hear from the background is a guy screaming: HUH DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE MUSCLES OR WHAT?, PUT THAT JACKET BACK ON. YOU'RE RIDICULOUS, and I looked at him with a killer look and kept walking. So yeah, just ignore people who don't agree with the way you dress.

When you’re feeling pressured or overwhelmed, what activity helps you re-find your center?

Go for a walk, it always helps. Go, sit and watch the people around, while listening to music.

What advice can you give to bloggers who are starting but don’t get much exposure?

I will recommend to post often, that's that key for success. Post as often as you can, quality content, and promote your blog.




You can check out Ivam on his blog, give him a "Like" on Facebook, follow him on Twitter or hype him in Lookbook.nu.

X, Hen. 

Candy cane

I'm wearing:

1. Leather aviator jacket, from Zara KIDS.

2. Striped red t-shirt, from Zara.

3. Black super skinny jeans, from Asos. 

4. Brown oxford shoes, from Pull & Bear. 

5. Owls necklace, from Asos. 

Shopping at Zara KIDS never gets old. The 13-14 size (a.k.a. the fat kid size) is like grown-up WonderLand. It fits almost perfectly and, well, the price is half the price of an adult piece of clothing. It's all about saving money, right?

I really love aviator and leather jackets and this piece of gold fits both molds. The collar is removable and the king-size pockets are amazing. Brown and black together is a tough combo but there are ways to pull it off. I think this is one. The red t-shirt serves as a pop of color and match for the sole of my shoes. Guess I like to match my outfits, I'm not into random colors popping out. 

My friend Marisol and I came with the idea of running down the stairs trying to capture the movement. There were dozens of shots but most of them were really unfortunate and, thank the gods, will never see the light of day. Overall it was a really fun shoot. 

// Comprar en Zara KIDS es lo máximo. La talla 13-14 (también conocida como la talla de niño gordo) es como el País de las Maravillas para gente grande. Me queda casi perfecta y, pues, la ropa cuesta más o menos la mitad que las cosas de adulto. Se trata de ahorrar ¿cierto?

Me encantan las chamarras de aviador y de piel. Esta pieza de oro encaja en los dos perfiles. El cuello es removible y los bolsillos gigantes son súper útiles. La combinación negro con café es difícil pero creo fielmente que hay formas de hacer que funcione. Supongo que lo logré. La playera roja sirve para dar un toque de color y, además, combina con la suela de los zapatos. Creo que me gusta combinar los atuendos siempre, no me encanta la idea de colores al azar sin justificación. 

Mi amiga Marisol y yo tuvimos la idea de correr por las escaleras y tratar de capturar el movimiento. Hubo decenas de fotos pero casi todas eran desafortunadas y, gracias a los dioses, nunca verán la luz del sol. En general, fue una buena sesión de fotos. 

I'm still recovering from my surgery but I'll continue to post regularly. 

Love, Hen.

Photographer (DEBUT!): Marisol

Currently listening: One Direction - Live While We're Young 

I'm not Mary Poppins

I'm wearing:

1. Black funnel mac, from Asos.

2. Tribal print t-shirt, from Zara.

3. Skinny jeans, from Zara.

4. Leather lace-up boots, from Asos.

5. Umbrella.

If it's raining and you have an umbrella, what's the logical, sane, thing to do? Of course, jumping and climbing light posts and staying out getting wet, right? At least for me, that's completely normal. This shoot was particularly challenging because the floors were all slippery and, yes, the rain was quite obnoxious. 

My friend and photographer for the day, Fer, was stuck inside the car and taking the photos from the window (completely dry) while I was out and about jumping like crazy. The thing is, how often can you really do a jumping-in-the-rain shoot? Almost never. It was my golden opportunity. 

Fortunately, my awesome black jacket repels water magically, and the boots didn't let any water on my hobbit feet. I really liked the contrast between the bold tribal print and the simplicity of the other pieces. I must admit, even the umbrella looked good. It was a nice touch. He. 

// Si está lloviendo y tienes una sombrilla, ¿qué es lo lógico, cuerdo, por hacer? Por supuesto, brincar, escalar postes de luz y quedarse en la intemperie para ser mojado por la lluvia. ¿Cierto? Por lo menos para mi, eso es completamente normal. Estas fotos fueron particularmente difíciles porque la acera estaba resbalosa y, sí, la lluvia era molesta. 

Mi amiga y fotógrafa del día, Fer, estuvo feliz y seca dentro del carro tomando las fotos desde la ventana mientras yo estaba afuera saltando como loco. La cosa realmente es, ¿cuántas veces puedes hacer sesiones de fotos en plena lluvia? Casi nunca. Era mi oportunidad de oro. 

Por suerte, mi gran chamarra negra repelió el agua mágicamente y las botas no dejaron que mis horribles pies de hobbit se mojaran. Me gustó mucho el contraste entre la playera con estampado tribal salvaje y la simplicidad del resto de las piezas. Debo admitir, incluso, que la sombrilla se vio bien. Fue un buen toque. Ja. 

I'm recovering from a nose surgery but that doesn't mean I'll not be posting, maybe only less frequently, but I'm still here and, hopefully, will breathe better. 

Estoy recuperándome de una cirugía de nariz pero eso no significa que dejaré de postear, tal vez sólo baje la frecuencia pero aquí sigo y, con suerte, respiraré mejor.

X, Hen. 

Photographer: Fer S.

Currently listening: Selena Gomez & The Scene feat. Pixie Lott - We Own The Night

2012 Fashion's Night Out

Thursday September 6th was Fashion's Night Out (FNO). Although it began on 2009, it's the second year that Mexico takes a part on it. The stores stay open super late, there are freebies everywhere and, for one night, people really embrace fashion together at the same places.

I almost didn't go but I was convinced by my good friend Brenda (the lovely girl with the hearts sweater); I gotta say, it was pretty cool. The original idea of FNO is "shopping for something good" a.k.a. charity. In Mexico, that never happened. It was more of a giant party and a get-all-the-free-stuff-you-can event.

Our ride was a giant bus working especially for the event. We spent most of the night at Pull & Bear because the DJ's there Linx & Linx (pictured above) were amazing. The store had a 20% discount, I only bought socks, hehe.  There were stores cooler than others and, unfortunately, I feel like I didn't make the most out of the night (of course I'm talking about the free stuff). Guess I'll be going next year and compensate or something.

// El jueves 6 de septiembre fue el Fashion's Night Out (FNO). Aunque empezó a celebrarse en 2009, acá en México está en su segundo año. Las tiendas de ropa se quedan abiertas hasta muy tarde, hay muchas cosas gratis y, por una noche, en serio se siente que la gente le echa todas las ganas y comparte la experiencia de la moda y la ropa en un mismo lugar.

Casi no fui, pero gracias a que mi buena amiga Brenda me convenció (la encantadora señorita con el sweater de corazones), me animé; he de admitir, estuvo bastante buena onda. La idea original de FNO es "comprar por una buena razón" a.k.a. caridad; aquí no pasa nada de eso. Es más un "vamos a conseguir todo lo gratis que se pueda y a presumir nuestra ropa" que nada.

Nuestro vehículo de la noche fue un turibús equipado especialmente para el evento, eso estuvo increíble. Estuvimos casi todo el tiempo en Pull & Bear porque las DJ's Linx & Linx (las dos chavitas en la foto de arriba) estaban bien padres. La tienda tenía el 20% de descuento pero sólo compré calcetines.  Había tiendas más padres que otras y, desafortunadamente, siento que no aproveché todo al máximo (hablo de las cosas gratis, por supuesto). Ni hablar, tendré que desquitarme el siguiente año. Ja.

Nightin' in, Hen.