An Extreme outdoor revival, the essence of everything that is Dsquared² Spring 2010. In the current issue of Hercules magazine, Patrick Kafka and Ryan Koning display the (formerly) innocent nature of male bonding and becoming one with nature, in a series of shots by photographer Bella Howard.

“Twin designers Dean and Dan Caten of Dsquared² camp it up for Spring-Summer 2010, leading us on a colorful trek in the Rocky Mountains. Shirts adorned with boy Scout badges, cropped cargo shorts and leather hiking boots will take you back to your campfire days. Dsquared’s outdoorsy aesthetic also caters for those with fond childhood memories of fishing trips on the lake, with bucket has, fisher-man’s vests and rubber welly boots. And if you can’t stand the realities of the great outdoors, who cares? Simply set up camp at home for a nostalgic summer sleep over“ – Steve Morriss

On a Side Note – The editorial now answers the question as to what set the photo above was taken from, a few months ago back in London, courtesy of fashion director Andrew Davis. Which at this point only leads you to wonder, does Ryan Koning ever manage to keep his clothes ON in eds? But who am I to complain…

Models: Ryan Koning & Patrick Kafka / Major Model Management
Photographer: Bella Howard
Fashion Editor: Andrew Davis

Have you ever fallen in love with something that you’ve seen come down a runway, only to later develop an extreme urge to have it? Well worry no more. Seeing that the virtual shelves of our favorite online stores are constantly being restocked with the latest in all (most) of your runway delights, I’ve decided to keep track.

Show: Ann Demeulemeester Fall 2009
Item: Wide Knitted Belt
Price: $282.64 | £170.00 | €188.87
Features: “Wide black knitted belt. Belt has ribbed edges and a button fastening front.”
Where to Buy: Brownsfashion.com

Excuse me while I lament the passing of my favorite model’s career.

If you’ve hooked on NYmag’s “The Cut” as of late, today you would have heard the news that Gemma Ward is officially done with modeling. Though it might not come as a surprise to hardly anyone seeing the changes that Gemma has experienced over recent years…what is a girl to do when one of the most common related searches associated with your name is, “Gemma Ward Fat”?

R.I.P. Gemma. You will always be my first model crush. Hopefully you will now do down the Lily Cole route to acting.

Update: Word from Ward is that she should be back to biz soon. Now, we can rest easy knowing that the other rumors aren’t 100% true.

Taylor Fuchs. You know, the one with the gap in between his two front teeth that you just can’t ignore. The one with the very gap that he can attribute for most of his success today, along with his looks of course. Well, model turn talk show host Tyra Banks has gotten a hold of him and has 8 questions to ask.

Tyra breaks down Fuchs for you in one short and (umm) interesting read.

What do you think might happen if Tyra did a Top Model for males?
It could be good to alleviate some of the negative stereotypes that are associated with male models. One of the biggest misconceptions about models is that they’re obsessed with their looks and very narcissistic. But in reality, most models treat modeling solely as a source of income. Our other interests, goals and hobbies have nothing to do with our job or physical appearance.

Male models are usually paid less that there female counterparts. Thoughts?
As of right now it makes sense because in the general public there are a lot more females spending money on clothes. But I’ve noticed more men caring about their personal style. Hopefully this trend will continue and slowly lessen the discrepancy between pay checks.

So, to catch your eye, does someone have to be even more attractive than you?
I never make that comparison between myself and anyone else. It simply just comes down to whether I am attracted to her or not.

And just how does one snag a male model?
The same way you would snag anyone else. Be genuine and look for a connection.

If you could be a female supermodel, who would you be?
Doutzen Kroes.

In high school were you: homecoming king; jock; pretty boy, or nerd?
I’d like to think I was a little bit of everything.

Does someone call you beautiful every day?
One thing I’ve learned from this business is to ignore people’s opinions of your physical appearance–good or bad. If you take them personally, you will drive yourself crazy.

What else is interesting about you?
I guess just the randomness of my lifestyle. I am always attempting to try new things in new places.

As anyone will tell you, when working in the industry, building bridges and making connections are one of the most important things to do. As any elite insider would tell you, building bridges with fashion’s biggest names will instantly trump any smaller connections made along the way. Well, things just so happen to work out in your favor when Tom Ford happens to take a liking to you.

Splashed all over Ford’s website and appearing in the designer’s eyewear campaign alongside Anna Jagodzinska, model Jon Kortajarena seems to have learned the advantages of having friends in high paces.

On Tuesday, the Spanish model took to Germany to claim his title as “GQ’s Model of the Year“. Arriving as the epitome of suave and sophistication in a black velvet diamond Jacquard jacket complete with bow-tie, I was sure he was drenched in Dolce & Gabbana. Seeing as the D&G duo have been dabbling in velvet for a while. Though, when looking back at Tom Ford’s Fall 2009 lookbook, it seems that Kortajarena reaped the benefits of working with the former brain behind Gucci.

Now it’s time to out your imagination to work – do you think he bought it, got it as a gift, was given it from the shoot, or stole it? I’m shooting with kept it from the shoot. Seeing as Ford was also in attendance at the awards, I’m pretty sure it’s not stolen goods.

Capturing former Japanese football player Hidetoshi Nakata in seres of black & white shots, photographer Quentin Shih breathes new life into Kris Van Asshe’s Fall 2009 collection for Dior Homme. Officially making Prada’s studs, Gucci’s legging-pant hybrid, and Dior Homme’s high contrast take on an architect’s view of bondage, among the most photographed of the season. Highlighting the current mood of a modern hardcore street edge seen on runways abroad.

Showing Nakata interacting animals and at one point plane, the essence of power and movement are added in the form of computer generated objects. Creating a certain interest factor that is slightly hard to find in the label’s current campaign.

[Images: Quentin Shih]