Alejandro Ingelmo used to specialize in women’s footwear, but has now come out to a new collection for men. Carefully constructed, these are some super-cool designs available this year. Ingelmo’s shoes are built from the finest, softest leathers. Using the same careful construction that made his great grandfather (also a shoemaker) so successful, he has been stepping things up with this contemporary range of funky deep colors and rich glossy finishes….check out this site for more info.

Ingelmo kicks will be available soon from among other Neiman Marcus stores and Bergdorf Goodman in NY. Heads up though–they’re not cheap at around $350-400 bucks!

Some folks feel that spending time and money on style is wasteful and indulgent. I can understand why, as you rush through a busy day juggling jobs, kids and life in general, this may seem to be the case, but I want you to have a rethink about the power of style in a successful life:

1. Get over your fear of fashion, and understand that not only is ’style’ one of the most powerful success tools you have in your armory, but this is the first step to creating your own personal Power Brand.

2. Don’t hide behind your clothes. When people go through make-over’s it often proves to be quite an emotional experience because as the ‘new you’ emerges, you realize that this is in fact the ‘real’ you who’s been submerged for too long, behind low self-esteem or inertia. Clothes are great camoflage. Don’t make the mistake of hiding the real you behind a facade of ‘lazy’ clothes!

3. Like it or not, every day we are out there ’selling’ an impression of ourselves, whether at work, socially or even as we date and try and impress the in-laws. Yes, we all know it’s what’s on the inside that counts, but as any marketer knows the packaging is crucial too. It only takes a nano-second for that first impression to be made. Make sure it’s the right one.

Building your own Power Brand is one of the most effective ways to give yourself a competitive advantage in this dog-eat-dog world! More in future posts.

It’s been unseasonably warm across much of the US this year. With much warmer than average days interspersed with chilly snaps and cool nights. Other parts of the country haven’t been as fortunate with storms and bizzards a-plenty. Urban winters are always tricky to manage, as you move between heated buildings and cars and the great outdoors. A great solution? Dress in layers of clothing that you can add and remove, and still look great. Here are some basic rules:

Rule #1: Layer thinner clothes first, and try and use natural fibers close to your skin (or fibers designed to neutralize perspiration) so that your body can breath. Try a cotton or sikk T-shirt, dress shirt or turtleneck, and then layer them with heavier items such as a cashmere sweater a wool blazer, or a leather jacket.

Rule #2: As a follow on from Rule #1, be aware that no matter how careful you are in fabric choice, layers of clothes can trap sweat—so layer on the deodorant too!

Rule #3: Every layer should be able to stand-alone and look sharp by itself. So wearing your mothers thermallong-johns, or a dingy wife beater underneath a stylish dress shirt does NOT pass the ‘cool’ layering test!

Rule #4: Always feel comfortable. Clothes should be pleasure not penance. If you can’t put your arms all the way down to your sides or comfortably touch your upper back then you are probably way too bulky–and look fifty pounds heavier than usual!

Rule #5: This is one I always preach. Mix in some color! Just because the sky is gray, you don’t need to be. Black, brown, navy, and gray are all great fall/winter classics, but so are lime green, purple and sapphire… Be fearless and don’t hesitate to spice up your look with a little color-pizzazz!