Walking Fashion Statement Day 6

It's heating up in Hollywood, and it seems to be celebrity month this week, plus Manny Pacquiao month, so I guess I have a chance to loosen up my tie. I had one more Crooks & Castles dress shirt to wear so I figure I'd give it a shot with simple jeans and a blazer and some Converse.

Blazer: Alfani cotton-poly blend, cream colored with a light grid pattern ($50 Macy's sale)

Shirt: Crooks & Castles Flannel royal blue and olive green. Interesting color combination.

Belt: Some $10 belt I got at Target

Jeans: Banana Republic same outlet boot cut jeans I picked up. You only really need 2 pairs of dress jeans I think, and plus an extra pair of black jeans.

Shoes: Converse Honestly I don't know what kind of Converse these are. I usually collect chucks and most of the ones I get come from Ross. They seem to be a cross between a Chuck and a One Star. They're canvas and I scored them for like $15 at a Ross years ago.

There's my simple Hollywood reporter look which I think actually went off well, with my new haircut I got yesterday. By the way because of work, I've actually posted a day late last couple of days. Happy Friday it's the weekend but I'm still dressing fly on a dime. No work today, and it's super summer weather. Tomorrow I'll show off the polo sports reporting looks since I have Saturday work...again.

Walking Fashion Statement Day 5

I wokine up thinking I was going to dress casually since I was planning to just go cover some Manny Pacquiao training, but I totally deviated from my preplanned outfit because I had to go to a protest. Since the protest was on a college campus, I figured it's time to comfy as I lug my stuff around on a mid 60 degree and breezie day. My all black fit actually works well. Slacks are surprisingly comfy to walk in, and the pullover, keeps me warm and somewhat professional looking.

Shirt; To the Max Walmart  yes this red, whit and silver striped dress shirt was found at a Walmart for $10


Tie; Pierre Cardin One of my many ties I've picked up at either a Ross or Marshalls for like $8


Pullover; Banana Republic Quarter Zip Pull Up I scored on Black Friday at Banana Republic Outlet in Citadel. It was 40% off that day, and cost less that $25


Watch; Marc Ecko My iced out $40 something dollar watch I picked up at the Time Store in the Citadel Outlets.


Pants; Louis Rafael Tailored Aside from White Shirts, black pants are the next most versatile article of clothing. This was like $16 at a Ross or Marshalls


Shoes; Nike Jordan Team 2.5 Surprisingly this is the most expensive pair of Jordan's I've picked up in the past 4 months. They were $50 at Ross across from the Grove.



I kind of like to think of this as a ninja type move with some highlights of white and red. Almost jumpsuit like, but very sleek, and very comfortable. Tip when you cover Pacquiao, you can't do it in a suit anymore. Especially since I have to dig through the crowds, and hang out at the gym. I wanna look sporty when I do it.

Walking Fashion Statement Day 4

Field trip today to Big Bear to watch Sugar Shane Mosley train for his upcoming fight against Manny Pacquiao. It sounds like another jeans day, so I whipped out the jeans. I heard it was cold at big bear, so I decided to wear  a light coat. When covering sports events, athletic shoes are the best, especially things like big fights, there will be a lot of crowding, and you would like mobility.

Shirt: Calvin Klein Blue and White Pinstripe Dress Shirt ($10 at Ross it pays to have a friend at Ross. They get a 40% off day 4 times a year, luckily I made a friend my first week in Lala Land)

Tie: Tommy Hillfiger Slim Tie, Royal Blue with white dots ($10 Ross)

Jacket: Marc Ecko vinyl with cotton sleeves, zipper/button windbreaker ($40 Marc Ecko Store, Glendale Galleria) The Marc Ecko store sometimes has better stuff than Ross, Marshalls, and Macy's, and everything always seems to be on sale

Jeans: Calvin Klein Straight leg (repeat from yesterday $6 Macy's clearance plus 15% for swiping the plastic)

Shoes: Nike Tri D Running Shoes, blue and yellow (I call it Warriors colors, $40 at Sports Authority Clearance)

This is my simple, sleek, and sporty look. It helps me stay mobile while looking kinda spiffy. Jacket has no noticable logos, which lets me go on cam. Lately I've been digging a lot of Marc Ecko's windbreakers and jackets. They have the sleek metro, yet still hood look. Remember I'm a Metro-Thug

Walking Fashion Statement Day 3

Today I had another behind the scenes shoot of a fashion pictorial at a popular designer's home. Once again it was a relaxing casual work day, though I had to pick up some random man on the street soundbytes. I figured I should wear a tie, because I have been dying to wear my Red and Yellow Nike Kobe's that I copped for $50 at Ross over the weekend. For the second day, I also decided to rock my denim Crooks & Castles cardigan. I love this cardigan, so edgy, but still formal.

Here's today's look from head to toe.

Dress Shirt: White Pierre Cardin Modern Fit Dress Shit
($13 at Marshalls) I have a good stock of white dress shirts, because it's one of the most used items. I like to keep several different textures and designs. It is a versatile tool, and honestly, any brand will do. Just think of it as a blank canvas, when you can't think of anything else.

Tie: Geoffrey Beane Yellow Tie ($8 at Ross) I immediately bought these along with the shoes because the yellow was a dead on match. Geoffrey Beane makes decent solid color silk ties, and that's about it. I like to keep multiple colors of solids, because some patterns just look funky with your wardrobe.

Cardigan: Denim Crooks & Castles (free 99, another hook, up though its somewhere in the $70 range I believe) It's an awesome unique presentation of the cardigan. Perfect for warmer days.

Watch: Square Marc Ecko silvers with copper trim and real cubic zirconiums.  ($42 Time Store at Citadel Outlet) It's my all around go to watch. I admit, it's pretty blinged out.

Jeans: Calvin Klein Straight Fit ($6 Marcy's clearance + 15% for using card) It's the steal of the week, you can't find jeans, let alone CK's for less than $10!

Shoes: Nike Kobe Bryant V ($50 Ross) I've been high up on the Jordan's but when I stumbled across these at Ross I couldn't resist. It's a good Iron Man color, and I love the shine. It sticks out along with the tie.

Food for Thought: Kazuyo

One of my favorite foods ever is sushi. I love it, aside from the wonderful presentation, something about raw fish, and the combination of goodies just gets my tastebuds flowing. Well, I believe I have found the greatest sushi spot ever, and it has a Filipino twist to it. Is you look at my Yelp, you'll notice I'm the duke of this place called Kazuyo on Melrose. Recently I attended a tasting and tweet up with some Filipino foodies and they were totally cool with them, and it was a great dining experience. I'm so late on my blog.

Simply Egplant, Popcorn Lobster, Spicy Tuna Biscuit (Biko), Red Rock Las Vegas Roll, Baked Crab in Soy Paper

What's in a name? 
Kazuyo sounds Japanese enough doesn't it. Well it's a girl's name in Japanese, but in this case, it's a twist on the Filipino word "kasuyo" meaning "together" The togetherness describes Chef Joe and wife Angie (whom I call Kuya and Ate) A very nice loving couple with an interesting backstory.

How'd I find it?
A family friend of mine who is a comedian does shows, he invited me one night to watch him perform at Kazuyo. After eating the preset meal which included chicken terriyaki, a banzai roll, and tuna biscuit, I was hungry later on into the show. I took a swipe at the popcorn lobster, and it was love from there. I eventually found out that it was a Filipino owned restaurant, where the likes of Ryan Seacrest, Dean Devlin, and Katy Perry go to. You wouldn't know by the intamacy and artistic quiet coziness of the place. It's truly a celebrity hide out. I eventually did a story on them, and have been good friends with the award winning sushi family since, ranking them as my favorite restaurant in Hollywood. I myself feel at home, and it's interesting to know the celebrities kind of have their own seating chart. Apparently the real Clark Kent Tom Welling from Smallville also goes there, as well as Sacha Baracohen.

sample size calamaris salad

Firecracker surrounded by Sashimi

 The Food


It's awesome, I would describe it as well evolved Japanese food with at time a Pinoy twist. My suggestion-don't go for the basic rolls. Try some of Kazuyo's signature rolls. Here's a few of my favorites by ranking:


Kazuyo Roll is one of the ultimate sushi's ever. Imagine 7 different yummies, including soft shell crab, and shrimp, wrapped in cucumber with a tangy sauce, built like a castle. It's awesome. 


Popcorn Lobster A bed of deep fried popcorned lobster on a bed of california rolls with Kazuyo's version of eel sauce.

Melrose Roll Crispy onions draped over albacore on top of a delicious roll with tempura string beans and spicy tuna

Red Rock Las Vegas Modeled after Red Rock in Las Vegas where the couple once lives, I believe it's a mix of crab and tempura flakes drizzled with sauce over a california roll and topped off with jalapenos.

Signature Kazuyo Roll

Garlic Albacore Sashimi Albacore tuna with a

garlic soy sauce. Inspired by Filipino Adobo

Japanese Pizza Another biko type dish, this time in pizza form. A circular rice cake topped with spicy tuna.

Volcano salmon sushi buried under a mountain of spicy tuna, scallops, crab and a sweet and spicy sauce. 

Crispy Onion, Garlic Albacore (Adobo Sashimi)
Spinach over Albacore

Firecracker Crabmeat wrapped salmon and tuna 

with a crunchy beat inside that pops everytime 

you take a bite. 

Tuna Steak with Kazuyo Salsa Imagine if we used   tuna instead of tortilla chips in this nacho dish. It's a delicious salsa with avacado over tuna. 

Mozarella Crab Tempura Crab leg tempura with melted cheese. As we all know, anything with melted cheese usually translates into awesomness. 

Tasty Tips

I said to not mess with the regular rolls, you have to go bananas and try one of the cutting edge dishes. Chef Joe is known for his amazing sauces. I've been egging him to bottle it up and sell it. But regular basic maki rolls do have use. When you order something saucy like a volcano roll, you might as well grab a regular roll. Why? Because often, you will find an excess of the sauce. Take a maki roll, and scrape up the extra sauce and enjoy it. The house sake is also very good. I can drink bottles of the warm savory nectar for days. Lunch time offers great bowls and bento boxes. Why blow seven dollars on a fast food meal when you can have good japanese food. Even the terriyaki has a Pinoy twist, thru the garlic. Though they don't advertise it, the restaurant is very organic, and is actually quite health conscious. Though the sauces may contain sodium and sugar, a lot of the food is clean and pure. They stay away from food colorings and preservatives, starting each day with a fresh fish delivery. They're open 7 days a week from 11 to 11 but often stay open later, especially if there is a show. The back room hosts many shows, especially Filipino acts such as Bernardo Bernardo and Miguel Vera. 

Last Burp

Kazuyo is not only an awesome place to get some really awesome sushi. To me it's also a friendly atmosphere. The shop has only been around for 2 years, but when you see the staff they are a family. Kuya Joe and Ate Andy own it, but if you dig deeper, the staff is also family. Assistant chef Byron has been working with Joe for many years. Servers are old classmates, and daughters of friends. It adds to the family friendly atmosphere. But most importantly, whether you're a first timer, a regular, or a celebrity, the staff and owners treat everyone well. That only sweetens my favorite sushi restaurant in the universe. 

So I suggest you head over right now, if you're in the Hollywood, West LA area.

7160 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 939-3816

www.kazuyosushi.com

Walking Fashion Statement Day 2

Work on a Sunday, at least I'm covering a behind the scenes photo shoot in Hollywood. So it's a light fun coverage, and very casual and showbiz like. Plus it's a fairly warm sunny day. I'll disclose this...on my many journeys I do get perks, and samples. Today I'm wearing something I picked up from one of my recent shoots at Crooks & Castles, a Pinoy owned streetwear brand, very popular with hip hop's elite such as Jay Z, Nas, Outkast, and Diddy. So it's an honor to have met the creative team behind this very intriguing clothing company. As a Filipino American, from a similar background, I have mad love and pride for the Crooks. You say; Pinoy and fashion designer, you run into stereotypes. Far from the flamboyant stereotype, these guys are gritty, dark, but yet have a strange hood elegance to it. As far as I know they're the only Pinoy's that prioritize men's clothes on a mainstream level. Of course you get a lot of the small screen print shirt companies that you find at festivals, but these guys do it big. My first idea behind them, because of their rap star popularity, was a new generation of Fubu, Sean John type wear. That's not the whole story. These guys are very stylish. I would describe it as "Metro-thug" it has the soul of the ghettos but the style of Hollywood. It works great, and is a wonderful juxtaposition, as the name would suggest. I noticed there's a twist, lately I've been into Marc Ecko's designs. Ecko has been producing street attire, yet with a very professional look. Well, Crooks has been doing it as well. C & C is not just baggy, gangster rap clothes, they have a great line of clothes with the professional look and thuggish edge. It's a lot more street than Ecko. And the Crooks look totally works for me, since I'm still on the younger side, yet people say I portray both a somewhat professional appeal, with a mystique that I have an edge. Well when I got to know the Crooks, it made sense, founder Dennis Cavalero use to be a lead designer for...drumroll please...Marc Ecko!

Surprisingly, the simpler solid colored designs work well on camera. 

From head to toe

Shirt-Crooks & Castles the side print says Specialized Trouble Maker Locked and Loaded Get Money Player (usually in 50-60 dollar range I believe) 

Undershirt-Fruit of the Loom simple red undershirt to go under, and add a little color to match the kicks ($3 at Walgreens)

Watch-Kenneth Cole Reaction simple rectangle watch with a blue face ($45 Ross) Just know I do wear watches most of the time, and I'll put the description if it's visible. Otherwise, it'll just be a timepiece tucked under a sleeve somewhere. 

Jeans-Banana Republic same $25 bootcut jeans from the Citadel Outlet I wore the day before. Recycling is ok, just make sure you wash every few days.

Shoes-Nike Air Jordan Rare Air- Red, navy, gray, with silver detail, cushioned red insides almost like a thin puff jacket ( Gilroy Nike Outlet find $40!)

This was my jab at simple summer look. This look would cost over $300 with the shoes and watch, but a little hook ups and some great outlet finds put this in the 150 range. The one thing about Crooks & Castles is their merchandise is way too cool to find their way into Ross or Marshalls. It's a good sign for these guys. Macy's does not carry it either, so you'd either have to cop it at one of their two locations in West Hollywood on Sunset, or Hawaii or online. But when I do buy clothes at full price, I'm declaring that I will only buy ful price at Crooks. 

Walking Fashion Statement Day 1

This just happens to be what I'm wearing when I conceived my Walking Fashion statement idea. My coverage this way was a memorial/commemoration of World War Two Veterans, so it was a very casual community event in Filipino Town. I also had a work meeting in Universal Studios. These were some of our international execs from the company in town for a project. Weather was a pleasant mid 60s with a light breeze, so I figured my sweater jacket thingie would be perfect.



From top to bottom
Shirt- Van Huessen White/black broken pinstripe (Van Huessen Outlet Citadel $10)
Tie- DKNY slim tie green (Ross or Marshalls $10 got it a long time ago)
Sweater- INC Zip Up light gray (Macy's Clearance Section $20 )
Jeans- Banana Republic Bootcut (Bana Republic Outlet Citadel about $25 I think, I had an extra 40% coupon that day)
Shoes-Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars Green Lowcut (Converse Outlet Citadel $24 black Friday extra 40% )

So not bad, I came out with this casual, comfortable, but still professional enough ensemble for less than a hundred bucks. Most of the stuff here was purchased within the the past 6 months, most of it coming from multiple trips to the Citadel Outlets in Commerce, just off the 5.

I know a lot of ladies don't like Citadel because it's smaller compared to other outlets, but if you're a dude like me, I'm actually complete there. I have my higher end Banana, CK, as well as my mid range Ecko, lower priced-but-quality Van Huessen, H&M. And I got my shoe fix at Nike and Converse and even Reebok. So my LA friends, Citadel might be a good place to stretch that fashion dollar.

Tomorrow's Preview: Got work, I'm doing a story on a magazine shoot, so it'll be casual, and I'm eyeing some of my goodies from Crooks & Castles.