iwanna be: Patrick Bateman

iwanna be Patrick Bateman..
Ever find yourself doing (or wanting to do) a thousand crunches early in the morning, donning a Jean Paul Gautier suit (maybe Brooks Brothers when you first moved to the city, out growing your preppy heritage), power walking through the office to Katrina and the Waves on your walkman, and then eating at Dorisa before snorting coke in the stalls? Does being incredibly fit, good looking, well knowledged in music, food, society, self, and the right things appeal to you? Murders aside, American Psycho's Patrick Bateman is a pretty cool guy. How cool would it be to be like him?

About Patrick Bateman
Patrick Bateman is a character from the novel (and later, film) American Psycho. He is the ultimate of yuppie attitude – rich, shallow, good looking, loves coke and sex.His father practically owns investment firm, Pearce & Pearce, so he’s already made it in the career field. He strives for the best body, face, skin, suit, business card, contacts, hangouts, music, night clubs, places, ultimately it’s about appearances and fitting in.

On the commentary of the Special edition of American Psycho (click me) director Mary Herron said they thought of Bateman like an alien with no references or relations to human behavior, if he wanted to look good in bed he’d watch porn, he enjoys biographies of serial killers to be a good killer, and he enjoys the Patty Winters Show for cultural references. Do you know what Ted Bundy called his dog?

(from wiki) “His top priority is acquiring what he wants, which is simultaneously what 1980s American commercial culture promotes.”


What to Wear
Patrick Bateman on dressing: "Now, John, you've to wear clothes in proportion to your physique. There are definite dos and don'ts, good buddy of wearing a bold striped shirt. A bold stripe shirt calls for solid colored or discreetly patterned suits and ties..."

Think Yuppie, buy good quality shirts with bold colours, ties, suits of course. As for working out, you shouldn't need a t-shirt - you've got nothing to hide! To start your Bateman look, lets start with a basic winner:

Cotton Blue Shirt with White Collar

Silk Red Tie

Black Trousers (Pants) or a designer suit

Black Leather Brogues

Raybans (Wayfarers)

Facemask

Bateman on a Budget:
ebay & target, UK - Marks & Spencers are good. I bought a really nice van heusen Bateman shirt - white collar, blue body (cotton polly blend though)

Accesorising
American Express Card (click Here)
80's Brick Phone (ebay)
80's sony headphones with an iPod or the real thing - an actual walkman (ebay)

Hair
Let your hair grow out and then bring in a photo of Bateman to the stlyist. It's a good haircut, I had it for a year after taking a photo into the Refinery in Mayfair, you can gel it back or wear it floppy

Face
Christian Bale has a gifted face in terms of bone structure. But you can make the best of what you've got and tone the face. Facebuilder for men is a good book (well actually the book is crap, but the 10 pages of exercises for the face are priceless. Once you've toned, droped a few pounds, and then taken care of your skin, you'll be on your way to the Patrick Bateman look.

Patrick Bateman: "In the morning if my face is a little puffy I'll put on an ice pack while doing stomach crunches. I can do 1000 now. After I remove the ice pack I use a deep pore cleanser lotion. In the shower I use a water activated gel cleanser, then a honey almond body scrub, and on the face an exfoliating gel scrub. Then I apply an herb-mint facial mask which I leave on for 10 minutes while I prepare the rest of my routine. I always use an after shave lotion with little or no alcohol, because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older. Then moisturizer, then an anti-aging eye balm followed by a final moisturizing protective lotion. "
Nivea for men does all of that (bar the icepack mask)

Body
Patrick Bateman does crunches, skipping, aerobics, boxing and more to stay fit. Christian Bale worked out over 4 hours a day a year leading up to the movie for his body. As for diet, I hear it was pretty bland - chicken and brown rice. Remember to tan. As aerobics was at the hight of its popularity in the 1980s, and Patrick followed the trends, it's likely he owned Jane Fonda's Workout (http://www.jane-fonda.net/) Does it work? Her early ones do well to compliment a weight training regime. Buy a skipping rope as well.



Bateman Quotes:
Act like you care:
Patrick Bateman: Come on, Bryce. There are a lot more important problems than Sri Lanka to worry about.

Timothy Bryce: Like what?

Patrick Bateman: Well, we have to end apartheid for one. And slow down the nuclear arms race, stop terrorism and world hunger. We have to provide food and shelter for the homeless, and oppose racial discrimination and promote civil rights, while also promoting equal rights for women. We have to encourage a return to traditional moral values. Most importantly, we have to promote general social concern and less materialism in young people.

Show off your music knowlege:
Patrick Bateman: Did you know that Whitney Houston's debut LP, called simply Whitney Houston had 4 number one singles on it? Did you know that, Christie?

Elizabeth: [laughing] You actually listen to Whitney Houston? You own a Whitney Houston CD? More than one?

Patrick Bateman: It's hard to choose a favorite among so many great tracks, but "The Greatest Love of All" is one of the best, most powerful songs ever written about self-preservation, dignity. Its universal message crosses all boundaries and instills one with the hope that it's not too late to better ourselves. Since, Elizabeth, it's impossible in this world we live in to empathize with others, we can always empathize with ourselves. It's an important message, crucial really. And it's beautifully stated on the album.

Also:
Patrick Bateman: I have all the characteristics of a human being: blood, flesh, skin, hair; but not a single, clear, identifiable emotion, except for greed and disgust. Something horrible is happening inside of me and I don't know why. My nightly bloodlust has overflown into my days. I feel lethal, on the verge of frenzy. I think my mask of sanity is about to slip.

Attitude
Think Reagan! You have no time for the homeless, unemployed, losers, people without video tape players

What to read and Watch:
American Pyscho, uncut killer's edition - watch and learn
Profit - The complete first and only series on DVD - an amazing collection, I'm not suprised Fox didn't renew it, too ahead of its time. It's about a manipulative, self obbsessed, social ladder climbing psycho, with a complicated past. Lots of youtube clips out there.

Read GQ, The Yuppie Hand Book - it has a perfect power day schedule for you to copy.

How driven is Pat Bateman? He's driven to look good, and fit in, but is he driven to succeed? I think so. That body didn't happen by accident. Thats why I think if he were around today, he would most deffinately own a copy of the 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene. Get the pocket edition, any aspiring power house should own a copy, that and for the calculating manipulative players who want to go far at other's expense, The Prince by Machiavelli.

Purchasing:
We've assembled the links of everything to get you started!:

American Psycho DVD



Profit DVD



What to Read:

American Psycho Book


Yuppie Hand book


GQ Magazine


Laws of Power


The Prince


What to Wear:
Ray Bans


Blue Shirt


Red Tie


Suit



Body:
Jane Fonda’s Workout


The Abs Diet



This is Patrick Bateman:

Welcome to iWanna be a celebrity!

Tottering out of Jack Wills on Chelsea's Kings Road one warm Saturday afternoon, my girlfriend and I headed towards the Starbucks near Shawfield St. Town was packed that day (as it is every weekend), the typical collection of sexy models (well.. cute girls in uggs) Italian billionaire boys, Arab business tycoons in Barbour jackets, old school age defying Chelsea grandmothers in crisp Jaeger white shirts with high up turned collars... we see it all. Out of Starbucks came a celebrity trying not to be spotted - Large Jackie O sun glasses, messy hair, Brown Von Dutch cap, grey H&M t-shirt, Juicy Couture trackies... acting rather low profile, not wishing to be noticed. Passers by probably asked the same thing, they were certainly looking at her. I asked my gf who she was - anyone I knew?! Turns out she was a nobody (well a nobody with money), but she had successfully mastered the look of a celebrity trying to avoid the paparazzi!

This blog is born out of that moment, we thought, why not? One whiff of money or fame and you get treat 100 times better in shops and night clubs - mastering the art of reinvention is a healthy thing, David Beckham, Madonna, countless designers, some of the coolest people around you, have all managed the art of reinvention to stay fresh. We don't care if people think it's shallow to change, or dress like someone else, it's about the evolution of ones self!

Each week (perhaps more often - anyone wanna do a celeb or character profile?) we'll upload a profile of a celebrity or character from tv or film with a cool guide on how to dress, act and be like them.