Kyle Style Guide

In about 8th grade, I became a little bit obsessed with a gal that worked at the Gap, which made me extra conscious about fashion and for a while led me to think I wanted to be a fashion designer. In fact, I concepted my own line of clothes that year called… 'Kyle Style' of course. Since then I've always thought a lot about what I choose to wear. 

Recently, we met some friends at a restaurant and my buddy actually asked if I could help him dress better. I was flattered and thought he was joking, and he may have been. But it made me think about what could be some tips I could share with him… hence the Kyle Style Guide.

Get Uncomfortable
First things first gents... style is not about comfort. It's about achieving the optimal look. This means wearing clothes that are more of a tailored, tighter fit (a.k.a. lose the baggy sports jerseys).

Keep It Classic
Stick to tried and true classic threads and avoid crazy cuts. Be sure to have at least one of each of these: red plaid flannel shirt, well-worn chambray shirt, tweed blazer, Levi's denim jacket, zip-hoodie, v-neck sweater, wool sweater, field coat, soft fitted tees and some basic Levi's jeans.

Levi's Lovin'
On that note, when selecting your denim... seriously, stick to Levi's. You could potential spend hundreds on designer jeans and they won't stand the test of time as well as a solid pair of good, old-fashioned red tabs. I recommend sticking to either 508, 511 or 514 cuts. 

Layer Up
Once all your basic pieces of apparel are in place, you can mix and match. But most importantly, start layering. Don't be afraid to go as deep as three to even four visible layers. Trust me on this one.

Accessorize
Add a classic set of accessories into the mix. Acceptable items include: knit beanies, scarfs, baseball caps, driver's cap, simple sunglasses, gloves or ties… but not all at once. don't go more than two deep with these.

Non-fancy Footwear
Stick to the same classic, timeless principles when dealing with your feet. Have a pair of each: leather boots, leather dress shoes, Converse All-Stars, classic running shoes and a pair of rubber 'locals-style' flip-flops. 

Color Scheming
Color can be tricky. Always defer to keeping it simple. I use a lot of greys and browns and default to brown leather accessories like my belt, boots, watchband, and wallet. Typically reserve your color accents for shirts and socks. Unless you're Upto12, then you can go ahead and wear green pants.

Hope this is helpful. Check out some stylish examples of these principles here. And follow Tim Melideo from the Stay Classic blog for other great looks.

Desert Outlaw

Loving yet another Magnus Walker vid by the creators of Urban Outlaw. This teaser is epic, inspiring and awesome. Enjoy.

Sunrise GTI

So I recently woke up in time to snap a pic of my GTI just as the sun popped up over the Wasatch Front. The GTI wasn't particularly clean that day, but hopefully the awesome lens flares I captured make up for it.

Fictional Seinfeld Movie Posters

One of my favorite running gags on Seinfeld has always been the awesome and hysterical fictional movies the gang would go see. Apparently NextMovie and Old Red Jalopy brought a handful of these imaginary masterpieces to life through a series of modern movie posters. Click on any of the sets below to enlarge.

Even More Magnus

So, if you haven't guessed already... I can't seem to get enough of this guy. His vibe, creativity, style and thoughts on cars and driving just get me goin'! 

Watch this and you'll wanna get a Porsche like tomorrow. Oh and wait, there's more...

Sunrise Shot

Been geeking out on this incredible VW + fixie sunrise shot by Mayday Garage. Stay tuned for some VW sunrise shots of my own.

JCVD + Volvo

This is just one of those epic, yet beyond simple TV spots that's just weird enough to work. Enjoy.

I'm Stung

It's rare that some serious 'merican muscle shows up on this blog... but this recent piece from the good old Drive Network is worth a gander. The Sting Ray has always been seeded in the back of my mind as the ultimate Vette. And with a new Sting Ray making appearances across the auto mags and auto blogs of the world... it's important to take a moment and remember the first one.

No Rush to See Rush

Got the chance to see Ron Howard's latest flick Rush, the epic story of Formula 1 rivals James Hunt and Niki Lauda. Don't mistake the title of this post as a negative judgement call on this one... it's a stellar, beautiful movie and you should definitely go see it. I was on the edge of my seat more than a couple of times, but if you thought it was due to intense racing scenes, you'd be wrong.

It's still a powerful story and a very cool film. However, if you're looking for a nail-biting racing-strategy car-flick, Rush may not fit the bill. Here are two Netflix instants that you may wanna check out first.

Senna
This fantastic found-footage doc couldn't have been cast any better if you tried. 

Truth in 24 II: Every Second Counts
A Jason Statham-voiced doc about the massive Audi/Peugeot rivalry at LeMans.

To Dock or Not to Dock

Some folks, like myself, are dockers. We love positioning our little iDevices as yet another screen in our beloved Mac setups. Others just don't get it. They leave their Ive-designed devices packed in their pockets. Well this little number—designed by my buddy Jeremy Saxton—perfectly positions your second screen.

Happy Birthday Porsche Style

No comment on this one folks.

Back to the Knight Rider

When it all boils down to it, this blog is all about intersections. Here's a perfect example of movies, TV and cars colliding. It's a legit redux of Back to the Future meets Knight Rider. Enjoy.

Automotive Zoetrope

Not to be confused with American Zoetrope, the smart marketers at Forza Motorsport create an automotive zoetrope to tout the game's 5th edition. This life-sized, McLaren-powered flipbook animation makes for what is easily one of my fave commercials of the year thus far. Thanks for the heads up JamFactory!

Sinking Into Oblivion

Due to a variety of circumstances, I finally saw Oblivion for the very first time this weekend. For some bizzaro reason, I had no idea that it was a Joseph Kosinski brainchild. It's been a while since I've written a good film review and for me—even though I'm late to the game—Oblivion merits one.

First things first, it's more than obvious when taking both TRON: Legacy and Oblivion into consideration that Kosinski has taste. This guy knows how to inspire with both stunningly cool visuals and straight-up radical soundtracks (Daft Punk + M83 = Awesome). Both of his films feel like their cut from the same cloth in respect to their style… and I'm totally okay with that.

Next, Oblivion does a fun job of helping you feel like you already know this world by drawing on conventions and references from a slew of other flicks. Just off the top of my head, Kosinski references everything from the Stars both Wars and Trek, not to mention Wall-E, Planet of the Apes and even TRON: Legacy. In doing this, you almost instantaneously feel familiar with this film in a good way and Kosinski doesn't have to do a ton of heavily-lifting exposition all by himself.


Now, the area of opportunity that he may have missed. In conjunction with Lucas, Cameron and Roddenberry, I also grew up with with a healthy dose of Kubrick, Asimov and Bradbury… guys who created more 'science fiction' than 'sci-fi'. And their brand of science fiction didn't always end wrapped with a pretty bow. I feel if Kosinski could have introduced a little more of this brand of science fiction into his sci-fi, we'd be set.

That being said… I loved Oblivion. It's the kinda flick that just makes you feel cool while you're watching it. And was it just me or was Andrea Riseborough super crush-worthy?

Finally, between TRON and Oblivion you know that Kosinski has a deep love and respect for graphic/motion design, architecture and art direction. This little clip has some awesome insights into his graphical, storytelling process.
 

And this is an awesome behind the scenes on the creation of "The Bubble Ship"—just ignore Tom's whole, "You know… I'm a pilot." Enjoy!
 

Late-night Ride

Here's yet another downtown LA Porsche run with the brilliant Magnus Walker. Enjoy!

I Drive NY

Digging this love letter to driving in NYC by the spectacular filmmakers at Petrolicious. That is some Porsche perfection by the way.

Full Detail

Loving this smooth auto detail vid of this classic 911 SC. Want.

MINI Countryman ALL4 Camp

Okay, I think I could really see Mrs. Kyailty and I rolling in this step up one day. Imagine an epic roadtrip to as many of the National Parks as we could hit.

Cars And Films

This just in from Upto12. Seville-based graphic design Jesús Prudencio has a great little project he's created. It's a series of posters featuring the combination of two of my favorite things in the world: cars and films. The project is aptly named: Cars And Films. I love the simplicity of these prints.

I also love the way he's cropped his gallery thumbnails. The gallery actually becomes a bit of a quiz. Give it a whirl, I guessed 9 outta 14. What's your score?

And last but definitely not least...

The Unassuming BMW

Loving "The Bavarian Experience" series that Petrolicious is presenting all month long. This vid on the venerable E28 ///M5 is epic. I still shudder from time to time when I realize my dad had one of these.

And the sound of this E30 ///M3 is all you need to hear to know this next vid is flawless as well.

Keep up the amazing work gents!

Trouble Will Find Me

Well, I'm head over heels digging The National's new album, Trouble Will Find Me. And this track and its accompanying video push this album even further up the charts for me. I'm so stoked on this one, that Mrs. Kyality and I are literally passing up Bob Dylan/Wilco/MMJ tix to see them at this year's Twilight Concert Series here in SLC.

Thanks to Upto12 for the heads up on this vid. 

Bagged Bag

A couple of years ago, I spent nearly 18 months in search of my ideal messenger bag. My old mish buddy pinged me looking for bag suggestions not too long ago. He didn't know what he was in for. After a barrage of questioning to determine what his everyday carry (ECD) really looked like, I was able to prioritize a list that really informed what bags would work. 



After no more than about 90 minutes, I found it: the STM Velo. There was absolutely no question. This was the one. My buddy had to agree. Here's some pics of his recent acquisition.

And here's his ECD:
• STM Velo Laptop Bag
• Dell Laptop (company issued)
• Power cord and various adapter cords
• Mail/Bills that need response
• Magazines
• Checkerboad Mighty Wallet
• DVD sets on loan
• Gifts cards I need to use up
• Scout Book with pen and pencils
• Belkin portable mouse
• Opinel Knife – Classic Carbone
• Knockaround Fort Knocks Sunglasses
• Security Badge
• Skullcandy Ear Buds
• Nokia Lumia 920 Windows Phone
• Lint Roller (just got a dog)

A Hundred and Three 'Arrested' Jokes

The doods at Struck have burned the midnight oil to crank out an ode to Arrested just in time for Netflix's Season 4 launch. Love it.

Indian River Road

Although I wouldn't mind seeing this car haulin' a bit faster down these winding roads... I still love this car's aesthetic against a forested backdrop.

Let Fun Reign

Still can't get enough of this spot by my team at Struck for Lagoon. I went to Lagoon on every childhood vacay from my home in NY while visiting fam in SLC and this captures so much of the essence of those summer evening memories.

Color Scheming a Go-Go

A few years ago, I did a sweet little series of blog posts that I affectionately referred to as Color Scheming. I took each of the MINI factory colors and paired well-designed products with them by color. It was a ton of fun.

For a while now, I've been thinking it'd be cool to do this for a client dynamically. Well, leave it to Nike to do it first. Nike PhotoiD is a tight little web app designed to analyze the colors of an Instagram of your choice. It then applies the colors to a sneaker and beautifully overlays the custom kicks on your pic. It then allows you to share the image and even purchase the shoes.

In discussing the notion of color scheming at work, @magicspoon turned me onto a cool experiment called Matchbook. In this somewhat sassy study, book cover designs are paired with, well swimsuits… primarily bikinis. It's honestly pretty inspiring and definitely not hard to look at.

All this color scheming has inspired me to start a new pinboard dedicated to the art of color pairing. I'll be loading it up over next few weeks, so enjoy!

Sleeping Giant

I recently realized that come September, I'll have three of The Kyality Kids in elementary school. I typically haul them to school in the morning. But the MINI only has two buckets in the back and Mrs. Kyality won't let them sit in the front until they're like 18 or something. Upon realizing this, I told my wife that either I needed to get a new car or else she'd need to take the kids to school in the morning. Her response was brief and to the point. She simply said, "Run the numbers."

Photo by Stopped.

After reviewing my always-evolving next car consideration set, there was only one car in the bunch that had the kid-hauling capacity and cool factor I desire. So, for the first time seven years, I've broken with tradition and made the jump from MINI to VW. The GTI is the ultimate hot hatch, possessing along with MINIs an amazing combination of sport, economy, luxury, personality and style. It actually wasn't that tough of a decision and happened relatively quickly partly because the only MINI I'd consider that has five seats is well over $5k more than a GTI and is not nearly as fast. 

I know I've dedicated numerous posts to my love of MINIs and I still love them, but honestly I was a Porsche guy way before I was ever a MINI guy. And let's face it, Porsche guys are VW guys. So I scored a black four door and I seriously dig it. The GTI has a giant-sized power to weight ratio and is incredible in the curves. It's a much more refined ride than the Clubman, for better or worse. And it's a great looking ride, though it's way more under radar than a MINI. I've learned that MINIs are attention grabbers, where as GTIs are sleepers. Only people in the know can spot a GTI in a sea of Golfs. 

I took my son to baseball the other day and when we got out of the car he goes, "It's freakin' cold!" I kinda just said, "Hey, don't say freakin'." He quickly retorted, "Can I say you have a freakin' cool car?" I simply responded, "Yes. Yes you can." 

I know I'll drive a MINI again one day. But for know, I'm totally enjoying being a GTI guy. And yes, an official photo shoot will be coming soon.

Jay + Urban Outlaw

I recently posted a cool video called Urban Outlaw about Porsche designer/remixer Magnus Walker. Here Jay Leno reviews Walker's signature 1972 Porsche 911 72STR. Despite Jay's chin, it's a pretty amazing look into a very cool custom car. Enjoy!

Manual Designs

Graphic design meets automotive design meets fine art. Love it.

Ultimate Paintball Duel

This is just good fun.

Bimmer Meets Beamers

This just in... Edwin Denim posts a righteous branded vid chock full of Bimmer and Beamer goodness. Make sure you watch this thing in full screen, it's seriously beautifully.

2002 Turbo: A Flawless Specimen

SouthernJ turned me onto this eBay find that is quite possibly the most exquisite vehicle on the road today... and that's not an exaggeration in the slightest.

It's days like these that make me hate the fact that I ever sold this little guy.

Beach House - Forever Still

Not sure if this is considered a short film or just a really long music video, but this Beach House vid by Pitchfork features gorgeous footage with amazing ambiance perfect for accompanying an evening of blogging/surfing. Enjoy!

Color Scheming Comes to Life

A couple of years ago, I stumbled onto pics of a bike that  was basically a two-wheeled version of my Clubman. That spawned a little series of experimental posts on this blog that I called Color Scheming.

Since then I've constantly been thinking about a matching car/bike combo and the designers at Hyundai of North America brought my dream to life with this customized Veloster Turbo.

I've always had a thing for the Veloster and this C3 Concept has definitely fanned those flames.

And I totally dig how they've integrated the mount into the rear hatch.

I'd love to see both this car and its matching whip make it to production. Unfortunately, like all concept cars, that's highly unlikely.

Anyone Up For a Drive?

Stumbled on this pic via StancedAutos and man, I can't wait for a spring drive in a clean MINI. Here's a link to the full photoshoot via Southrnfresh. Click the pic to see this shot in all its glory.

One Car to Do It All

Another awesome video by Petrolicious that's slightly reminiscent the Porsche Everyday work we did at Struck for Porsche of North America and man, does this make me want one. (And that garage too, sheesh.) Thanks for the heads up M. Waissmann.

The Ranger

If you did already know this about me, I'm a sucker for branded social content creation. And on that note, I'm totally digging the production value, art direction, music on this piece by State Bicycle. Not to mention, that's a sweet whip.

BMW Alpinas

These are a pair of strikingly rare and beautiful beasts.

The ABC of Architects

Totally digging this beautiful motion graphics piece and its subject matter. It's designed by Federico Gonzalez a Barcelona-based motionographer. I especially dig the animation of the Frank Gehry museum in Bilbao.

Stripped Down 911

Here's another great little vid all about the 911 being a blank canvas for extreme personalization. This one belongs to the head of design at Bugatti, who compares his 911 to a custom fixie. Great little vid.