My task for the week was to find a Personal Style Icon for May. This month I was determined to find a male who fit the bill. A huge task, let me say. Not that we don't have many well-dressed men in this Federation. My problem was finding one who didn't seem to have fallen out of the 'cookie-cutter' styles shared by the majority of the men here. I needed to find a guy who is not only settled into his own identity, but wasn't afraid of spicing up his wardrobe -- someone who could still be considered up-to-date and in style.

Sly Meade is such a man, and his is a wardrobe which reflects his unique personality to perfection. It is a collection full of items selected by his preference to lighter weight fabrics suitable for life in the Caribbean -- this being the main characteristic he looks at when choosing any piece of clothing. Like a true person of style, Sly is not swayed by what popular preference states is current and must be worn. Instead, he looks for, buys and wears clothing that appeals to him, and are the epitome of high quality and extreme comfort.

Truth be told, men's style at times can border on the dull and monotonous, because of shirt and pants limitations. So it becomes vital for men to find ways to break free of the repetitive. A simple and often-used solution is to wear a lot of colour. This, however, is not the answer this month's icon chose. One glance at his wardrobe shows the main colour found throughout is black. His colours do range, but tend to linger around darker hues, khakis, grays and brown, giving it a very mature and slightly military feel. Instead, Sly chooses pair old with new and super-casual with more formal in order to create an outfit out of the norm. So he may wear a faded plain t-shirt with a nice pair of pants and dress shoes. Finishing this off with a nice hat and belt, he has created a slightly elegant outfit which is utterly Sly.

Meade's clothing ranges from casual to formal like most men; the difference is that no matter which side of the spectrum he falls, there is no doubt that what he is wearing is part of his character. There is no strange feeling when you see him in surfer trunks and a plain white t-shirt, and one would never think he seems out of sorts in anything formal. He has an ability to bring a little ruggedness to everything he wears. This quality can only be relatable to Sly's certain brand of confidence. It is this confidence, along with his maturity of dress, that are shining examples of why he is my first male Personal Style Icon. His style of dress is based on the environment that surrounds him. He has learnt to also find a middle ground when it comes to dressing in Nevis. As he puts it, "You never know where you will end up". It this thinking that keeps his image practical and laid back.

Sly has an aversion to too much decoration, graphics, or graffiti on garments. He prefers that the clothing be a base to be embellished with trimmings, which explains his vast collection of unique accessories. He has numerous shades, chains and pendants, masculine necklaces made of natural beads, cuffs, and wide band watches, bracelets with thick links and unique rings and belt buckles, which he mixes and matches for different looks. Most of the metal pieces are steel or silver and all are an eclectic range of design origins and styles. Except for on clothing, in particular, Sly loves crosses and says it's an unconscious thing that he has surrounded himself with them. Born from an upbringing in church, his cross collection ranges from pendants all the way to tattoos. When it comes to jewelry, Sly doesn't like too much "bling" or faux jewels, preferring natural materials or matte finishes. He is also very fond of hats, wearing either a beanie, military-inspired peaked cap, or a fedora. He usually always has one of these on.

As I have said before, the people I choose to highlight here are selected because of their individual style. They are not to be duplicated -- just like a teacher who suggests a good book to read before an essay is assigned to students. The result should not be plagiary. Instead the example should be looked at as someone doing something that is right for them. It is now for you as the individual to find what is right for you. Sly will attest to his closet not being filled with things that no one else has. In fact, he assures me most guys probably have the identical items. The difference is in how he puts them together, accessorizes and styles them, and especially how he carries himself in them.

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