I really love books and magazines. Vogue, GQ, fiction, autobiographies, and even books for dummies. I love them all. I sometimes find myself in Barnes and Noble for hours just browsing through the aisles. I end up sitting at a table with a dozen books and mags to look through but on my most recent visit, I decided to pick some things up. As it stands, I’m an upwardly mobile business man…But I want to be a business…Man! Knowledge is power and I realized there is only but so much knowledge I can gain if I don’t actually leave the store with books to read at my leisure. So I did just that. I picked up 3 books on business and just success in general:

1: The Lords of Strategy: The Secret Intellectual History of the New Corporate World by Walter Kiechel III

2: Money Talks Bullsh*t Walks by Ben Johnson

3: Never Eat Alone and Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time by Keith Ferrazzi with Tahl Raz

As I read these books, I’ll be taking notes and posting useful information from time to time so stay tuned. That is, if you don’t go out n get these books yourself. Oh and I picked up the newest GQ Magazine as well. It features Kobe Bryant, Drake, and even McLovin himself, Christopher Mintz-Plasse. I had to have it… *Kanye Shrug*

Fashion is such an amazing art form. Everyday, people are creating masterpieces, whether they know it or not. Sometimes, I find myself just going to places like Union Square to just take it all in. It’s pretty cold outside these days so I just settle for magazines like Vogue. They recently did an article on a fashion trend that has grown on me over the years and it is becoming more and more common. Men’s clothing fitted to a woman’s silhouette is huge right now, and also very sexy. Vogue Hommes editor in chief, Anastasia Barbieri, has certainly taken notice to this and is using it to her advantage to create her very own style masterpieces. Utilizing everything from men’s suits to watches, Barbieri manages to put together amazing outfits that not only look great, but also very feminine. Men’s clothing are very comfortable ladies, so take notes and view the article here!

It’s been a while since I’ve done a random homage so this is long overdue. Lately, I’ve been seeing a lot of amazing photography projects so it’s only right that I share with you all. It would be selfish, but still very visually stimulating, if I only displayed my own work. ;-)

1: One of my favorite photographers EVER, Annie Leibovitz, recently teamed up with Vogue and their creative director, Grace Coddington to crank out an amazing collaboration. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; conceptual photography is the best. It’s always great to see photographs that tell a story, and this particular story is that of Hansel and Gretel. And what is the story of Hansel and Gretel without a witch? Yes, there is a witch, portrayed by none other than Lady Gaga, today’s queen of extreme fashion. Coddington said Gaga was “up for anything.” See what she meant by that here.

2: The Sartorialist, aka Scott Schuman, is M&N approved to say the least. His work is amazing and he is making great strides in the world of fashion and photography. He recently linked up with the folks at Burberry to do a project on trench coats and the finished product was surely something special. Schuman took pictures of 100 people wearing Burberry trench coats and outerwear to create the photo montage now known as “The Art of the Trench.”

3: The Brooklyn Circus is at it again! They have called upon photographer, John Midgley, for a portrait series on very stylish gentlemen 65 years of age and above. I can’t wait to see the outcome of this because BKc and Midgley always produce great work. Almost makes me want to be 65. Almost. Check out the info here and make sure to tell grandpa!

1: American Icons in Glamour Magazine 70Th Anniversary Issue: If you didn’t pick this up or at least see the pictures on someones blog, you are out of the loop my friends. This has got to be one of the most interesting concepts I’ve ever seen. Some of today’s most iconic females were used as stunt doubles for some past (and some very present) icons. And I say stunt doubles kindly because believe me, they were stuntin’. This segment was graced by the likes of Alicia Keys, Lindsay Lohan, Paula Patton, and the list goes on. Oh by the way, Alicia Keys as Michelle Obama gets my vote as the best one!!!

2: Stylish NYC Women for Elle Magazine Online: As a very fashionable male (Yes. If you don’t know. Now you know), I can appreciate a stylish woman and actually prefer to be around them, as shallow as it sounds. I’m just a big fan of the immediate aesthetic value of people, places, and things. And this video that Elle Magazine made tapped right in to that part of me. They roamed the beautiful streets of New York City and interviewed some of the most stylish women they saw. Enjoy!

3: Amber Rose in Smooth Magazine: Whoa…That’s all I can say about this South Philadelphia native. The only reason I picked this is because she is absolutely perfect physically. She is also said to be Kanye West’s main squeeze. Thou shall not covet thy neighbors wife. But they aren’t married and he’s not my neighbor. Play ball!!.

4: The First Lady Michelle Obama for Vogue Magazine: Behind every great man is a great woman. And vice versa. Sometimes they walk side by side or carry one another. Throughout President Obama’s campaign, I’m pretty sure a few pictures popped up on blogs that epitomize that. Vogue sat down with the most beautiful and most powerful woman in the world. Take a look.

5: Kobe Bryant in Complex Magazine: Two moguls in their own right, Kobe Bryant and Mark Ecko chopped it up in Complex Magazine. Kobe Bryant is arguably the greatest basketball player in the world. So not reading something featuring someone with that much talent is downright sinful. They talk about everything from his new Nike shoe to bootleg movies so read the entire interview people!

6: V Magazine Glowing Issue: V Magazine is probably the biggest magazine ever. Literally. It’s almost poster sized, which I enjoy thoroughly because the photos are so big and crisp. My love for great photos is usually my reason for buying V but not this time. The “V” logo on the cover glows in the dark. I may never even open this magazine. Like my school text books. Pick it up when you see it folks!!