Author Archives: Andrew Villagomez
My City: Paris Musts From The Founders Of Misterbnb & MyGayTrip
Travel like a local with Vee Travels’ My City features, which highlights the must-dos in a major city or neighborhood from men all over the world. In this edition, we explore the Paris with Matthieu Jost and Marc Dedonder, the founders of Misterbnb (the gay men’s Airbnb-like website) and MyGayTrip (popular gay lifestyle resource in Europe), who share their favorite places to dine, relax, shop and go out.
Misterbnb
France natives currently live in different neighborhoods in Paris, Matthieu and Marc launched Misterbnb earlier this year, now with offerings from London to Tel Aviv and Valencia to New York.
The apartment rental website, for short stays to vacation or long-term, was created to help gay men find stays with other members of the community to make sure they’ll be staying with open minded people and city (plus gay scene) insiders who’ll know where to go. While we shouldn’t live in a bubble where we communicate or socialize with only members of the community, when traveling and opting to stay in a stranger’s apartment (or if you’re the one hosting), knowing that one another is gay can help build some confidence in a way. Also, in case you are wondering who the fellow above is, it’s French model Johan Akan (a Misterbnb brand ambassador).
Paris of course if one of the top cities on Misterbnb. See Matthieu and Marc’s selections to visit below:
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Trending: Camo & Polka Dot Patterned Pieces To Get Now
Butch camouflage and whimsical polka-dot patterns are both big for this fall season (separate of course), popping up on shirts, shoes, sweaters, accessories and more. Camo has been on the style board for some time, ever since designers began tweaking the military pattern with Day-Glo colors. Polka dots have been a style staple at least since the 1960s, but this year the pattern is really making the rounds, from couture to street fashion.
Contributing style for NewNowNext.com, I’ve selected pieces to get this season. See a couple selections for each below:
Camouflage
Volcom’s Sub Zero Boots
Volcom’s new footwear line is on point with these comfortable survival boots offering just a hint of camo. Rock it in the city or in the wilderness. ($160, Volcom)
Joe Fresh Camo Sweater
A solid crew neck sweater is a fall essential, but for a cooler look this Joe Fresh heather-gray sweater sports blue camoflage arms. ($29, Joe Fresh SoHo)
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Expert Vintage Shopping Tips That’ll Make You A Pro
With the recent annual Gentleman’s Vintage Show, I realized that not every man is a vintage shopper and most have no idea where to start. Writing for AskMen.com, I got in contact with David Ornstein, a vintage expert of 40 years and founder of the Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show (whom puts on the men’s show, and whose visitors have included Phillip Lim and Jean Paul Gaultier to name a few), to give us 10 quick tips and points that would help vintage shopping virgins become overnight pros — and maybe give you some new pointers if you think you’re an expert already.
See a couple below, and the full list on AskMen.com (including the latest vintage trends, staple pieces to invest in, and a brief histroy lesson on vintage clothing period and popular items):
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Street Style: The Statement Coat By Bradley Mounce
In this week’s edition of OUT On The Street, I searched the Flatiron district for some winter style and stumbled upon the fiercest coat on emerging designer Bradley Mounce rocking a rather androgynous coat from his sportswear brand, K’toi. The designer styles them with a pair of Prada two-toned boots, black Levi’s, and a vintage newspaper boy hat. See the full look on Out.com, and check out more street style on Vee Travels.
Follow Vee Travels and Andrew Villagomez on Twitter and Instagram: @AndyVeeNYC
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Spring Forward: Simon Miller Spring/Summer 2014
Continuing to put out wonderful denim collections, Simon Miller’s Jake Sargent and Dan Corrigan have taken inspiration from the American Southwest for their upcoming spring and summer collection.
Known for their use of Japanese selvedge denim, the LA-based brand’s new collection covers all the washes (from deep indigo to white), and features sun-staining styles, photo prints and plant based dyes in this collection that feats jeans, jackets, shirting and knitwear—including a fitted striped, denim baseball jersey:
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Gift Guide: Men’s Grooming And Body Care Sets To Love
Photo via Flickr
The holiday shopping season is among us, which means it’s time to start thinking gifts. Continuing Vee Travels’ gift guide series, this week covers the shaving and body care sets that the men in your life (or you) will want to use each day:
The Art Of Shaving – The 4 Elements of the Perfect Shave in Ocean Kelp
Known for its premium quality grooming products, a shave set from The Art Of Shaving is always a classic holiday gift. Its trademark The 4 Elements of The Perfect Shave helps you get a close shave while minimizing or preventing (which depends on your razor and own technique) razor burn, ingrown hair and cuts by following the easy instructions of how to apply and use the shaving experience essentials: pre-shave gel (2 oz), shaving cream (5 oz), after-shave lotion (3.4 oz), and a Pure Badger Black shaving brush. The fresh Ocean Kelp scent comes with light aromatic oils of laminaria allege extract and coconut acid, among others, and leaves your face feeling nourished and energized, in my case. ($115, The Art Of Shaving)
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Outfit: The Business Casual Autumn Traveler Featuring @FrankAndOak
The best thing about business casual attire is the versatility it offers travelers. The look can be worn in transit and at your hosting office—which is perfect if you have a meeting right away when you land.
Wonderful for styling a business casual look, the Montreal-based e-commerce Frank & Oak offers an array of individual pieces that are perfect for fall (and any season really), and they design a new collection each month.
Shooting in the perfect foliage setting of New York’s Central Park, Vee Travels’ newest model, James, sports Frank & Oak’s slim fitting Huntsman’s Wool Blazer in the oak. Paired with a wine purple-colored button down, I topped off the two with a slim flannel plaid tie with the fall color scheme of navy, forest and honey.
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Street Style: The Rugged Huntsman
In this week’s edition of OUT On The Street, I found a traveling Minnesotan named Ricky giving us huntsman realness on Crosby Street. Ricky mixes a vintage camo tee and Italian boots with a jacket from Grenfell, a British brand of luxury outwear. See the details of the look on Out.com, and check out more street style on Vee Travels.
Follow Vee Travels and Andrew Villagomez on Twitter and Instagram: @AndyVeeNYC
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Travel Inspiration: Bogota, Colombia – La Candelaria & Monserrate
Following last week’s Travel Inspiration photo series with Cartagena de Indias, be inspired to hop on the next flight to venture down to Colombia to experience the metropolitan life of Bogota (four hours from LAN Airlines‘ Miami hub). Below, enjoy a set of over 30 images of Bogota’s oldest district, La Candelaria, and the surreal mountain escape of Monserrate (pictured above)—just a cable car away.
Picture yourself in place of my accompanying travel bag on this journey, the Bleecker Legacy Weekend Tote, shown in a couple of the photos below, and make sure to check out my story on luxury travel in Colombia for Latina.com.
Bogota, Colombia:
As the oldest part of Bogota, La Candelaria is full of history and character. The architecture of the old houses, churches and buildings has Spanish Colonial and Baroque styles, and the neighborhood is home to hostels, universities, libraries and museums. Among the museums, I got to visit the Botero Museum (containing the full-figure works by painter/sculptor Fernando Botero, and works by Monet and Picasso from Botero’s private collection) and the Gold Museum (housing 36,000 pieces in gold, wood, shell and stone organized in its three floors).
But before venturing to these and the streets of La Candelaria, the first stop in your journey should be Monserrate, a mountain part of the Andes Mountains at over 10,000 feet above sea level. Monserrate is both a pilgrim destination and tourist attraction where you’ll find a 17th-century church, restaurants and countless souvenir stands with native crafts, herbal remedies, food, drinks and more. You can climb to the mountain top, but a quicker (and more restful) way is by a cable car or cliff railway.
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Gift Guide: Passport Covers & Cases For International Travelers
The holiday shopping season is among us, which means it’s time to start thinking gifts. Each week I’ll be posting a set of gift ideas with the topics of travel, grooming, tech and winter fashion that’ll work for friends, family or even to pickup for yourself (or to add to your wish list). This week is all about international travelers and their passports.
A passport cover adds a stylish personality to the basic passport, while also adding extra sleeves for cash or credit cards. For multi country journeys and big shoppers, a case is the perfect organizer for several tickets, receipts for tax refunds (if the city you’re visiting offers it when you leave) and to hold all your euros, pounds or pesos. See our top five this season below:
Kenneth Cole – Paglietta Leather Travel Case
The textured midnight blue leather travel case from Kenneth Cole can hold 10 cards in their own slots, includes a zipper pocket on its left side and bill compartment on the other, and has a pen loop so the user always have a pen or pencil handy ($90, Kenneth Cole).
Vee Travels 