Happy (colourful) Feet
Left feeling cold by wise words
Designers talk about the world of tomorrow
My favourite illustrations on show...Browne, Simons and Yamamoto
Here is a summary of what the designers had to say...
Dries Van Noten - "There may, in parallel, even be a subtle slide toward the conceptual."
John Galliano - "Fashion has an insatiable appetite for change, for the new and for the innovative. Anything goes, as long as it's exciting."
Style Salvage's Tony Hart Moment
TheJournalofStyle
Did you pick up a pencil? If you did, please let us know!
Picture postcard: commons gold
Dear Steve
I was making a cursory search of the commons on Flickr and came across this chap. Don't you think he's the most wonderful man you've seen this week? I was initially drawn to this photograph by his mustache (naturally) but then I was gripped by his gaze and his slightly furrowed brow. His hair is fantastic- it almost seems as though he's sporting a quiff... though since this picture was taken c. 1915 that seems unlikely. If that flower in his lapel doesn't persuade you to sport a buttonhole of your own (and not just your poppy) then I don't know what will.
EJ
x
P.S. Blog admin type stuff: follow the blog with bloglovin´, try out the search function on the sidebar and keep up to date with our posts and ponderings on twitter.
Thanks for sharing this chap with us EJ! he is absolutely awesome. Everything about him is perfect and he sets the style benchmark for any middle aged gentlemen, I want to be him when I grow up. His gaze would ordinarily be quite frightening but because he is so well turned out I see it more as a look of contempt. I heart him.
Kawakubo on her collaboration with H&M
"The collection is constructed around Comme des Garçons' style. Rather than aiming to make clothes that no one has ever seen before, it is very much Comme des Garçons goes [back] to its roots." Rei Kawakubo
As the article points out, there is always a danger within any designer-high street collaboration that it might detract from the main event, causing customers to buy into the more reasonably priced line at the expense of the original that inspired it. However, by reverting to classic pieces, Kawakubo has ensured that this will not be the case. In fact, it is more likely that by working with H&M she will bring a whole new customer into her own, more rarefied fold.
Now that you have seen the collection and had a chance to read the thoughts from the designer herself what do you make of it all? For me personally collaborations can only be a good thing. However, I still have my doubts about the quality of the garments but that is become of my deep rooted scepticism of H&M fabric choice and garment construction (buttons should not be missing from shirts which are still on the rack!).
Buck - First Issue News
Chase is the VMAN but Testino Takes Over
Is the thin man redefining fashion for his generation?
Waiting for winter to be born
P.S. - Judging by her latest collection I think we should petition for Sandra Buckland to try her hand and knitting needles at menswear.
Daniel Jenkins on British Mens Fashion
Ms Kennedy is right, there was a good balance – although wool in July is never going to be a winner - but three labels and Topman design does not a fashion week make. The idea of a men’s fashion week in London is something I don’t believe I’ll see in my lifetime. The menswear could presently be fitted into one day. What a fine day it would be, but, it’s not enough! The New Gen programme has worked well for womenswear and poses interesting questions about menswear. Far too many labels are allowed to gather a head of steam then left to crash. I understand the 'why should we help people?’ argument. No-one helps retailers etc but if we aren’t careful we will lose our brightest and best talent. Rachel Sanderson in the International Herald Tribune writes about the shift away from British manufacture, stating that labels have decided that being able to put 'made in Britain' no longer has the cache it used to and that the problems in the global economy force them to construct their garments elsewhere. This is something I often chat with customers about. Most are quite informed about where something comes from and we’ve found as a business that those labels that are made in the UK tend to do quite well for us. Satyenkumar is quite a good example. We’ve had a number of repeat customers who have commented on the fact that everything is British and made in the UK. The use of British fabric again is important.
If you missed the Tailoring show - go watch it on iplayer now!
In France the FFC was set up not only to deal with the organisation for Paris Fashion week but also to protect the interests of French fashion. We have the BFC in this country that aims to do this. It’s created an interesting dialogue with the media regarding the size zero debate. Yet we hear very little from them about British menswear. I’ve certainly never spoken to anyone connected with the organisation. Of course there are organisations such as the CFE (Centre for Fashion Enterprise) which offer government backed help. but this only goes so far.
Jonathan Saunders in an interview with Style.com stated that he and the other stars of his generation quickly realised that you needed to work on collaborations and for other companies in order to further your own business. MAN does a wonderful job of bringing the industry together and celebrating menswear through the show and party, but there is only so much they can do. Once fashion week is over we seem to be left to our own devices. Constantly I hear that British Fashion is a multi billion dollar industry... given that according to Robert Peston of the BBC the world should end sometime next Tuesday shouldn’t we do something to make sure that we safeguard it?
In more trying and testing economic times the maxim was always that people dressed better, stopped buying disposable fashion and moved towards items which would last and wear well. This has always been our maxim. Trying to offer something a little different to the customer. Limiting the chance that they will see 5 men wearing the same outfit while out and about. This is what the British male who is interested in fashion strives for. Limited edition releases and hard to find products will always do well. Sir Paul Smith (my hero) summed it up quite nicely last night when dealt with the topic of other nations being better dressed than us Brits. He said “the Italians are extraordinarily well dressed. Yet there is very little individuality in the way they dress... In Britain we have our own character and we dress to fit our character.” British fashion is incredibly important. We created most of the prevailing trends of the last 200 years. Constantly we are at the forefront pushing new ideas without losing that sense of British identity in our cut and drape. Raf Simons – the nearest we currently have to a genius in men's fashion - is constantly influenced by British fashion and our youth culture. Wouldn’t it be a shame to lose that sense of craft in order to push fast celebrity fashion?
Street Style Surprise
Vans venture in neo plasticism
Vans have released a Modular Authentic series which come in three different colourways (from a nice and simple black, grey and white colorway to a more vibrant red, yellow, blue, black and white colorway).
I have some time on my hands over the next week or so as Susie is away in San Francisco so I will research Mondrian further and will dedicate an outfit to one of the greatest of all modern artists. I will leave you with a quote from his essay on Neo Plasticism which has made me think about the options within my own wardrobe...
'As a pure representation of the human mind, art will express itself in an aesthetically purified, that is to say, abstract form…The new plastic idea cannot therefore, take the form of a natural or concrete representation …this new plastic idea will ignore the particulars of appearance, that is to say, natural form and colour. On the contrary it should find its expression in the abstraction of form and colour, that is to say, in the straight line and the clearly defined primary colour'.
Ponystep interview bstore
Mix and Match this Winter with Ethosens
What I love most about this collection is that each garment’s unique look allows for unlimited mix-matching and outfit pairings. The jacket with the removable bottom section (above right) is on my Christmas list (Santa I know you are reading this because you are such a huge fan of the blog).
Mo' money, mo' research
Not this year however! This year I am doing things properly and I urge you to join me. Sadly I cannot take part myself (damn you woman's body!) but I have persuaded my long suffering boyfriend to do the growing for me. If any of you do decide to take part, please let me know and we can big you up/chart your progress right here. The rules are simple: at the start of Movember guys register with a clean shaven face. The Movember participants known as Mo Bros then have the remainder of the month to grow and groom their moustache and along the way raise as much money and awareness about male health issues as possible. Funds raised by Mo Bros and Sistas in the U.K. will be donated to The Prostate Cancer Charity.
The serious bit: November is an important month for me. The 5th of November is my Grandpa's birthday. The 19th of November was the date he died of Prostate cancer. The more I can do to help raise awareness of the disease and raise money for research to try to cure it, the better, so something like Movember means quite a lot to me. Any of you that will help out by publicising the cause, donating what you can or growing a tash can be certain of my gratitude.
The style bit: So you're growing a tash? Well, for guidance, we wrote a post on the matter here and for inspiration you may wish to consult Hudson's Guide or Mustaches of the 19th century.
This really is a cause we should all get behind. I must admit that I'm not blessed with the best facial hair in the world, it grows randomly and has a ginger tinge to it but I want to take part and hopefully you will as well. TheSundayBest documented the journey he had with his lip companion and it would be great if more of us could do the same and raise both awareness and money at the same time. To inspire one and all, here is an old image from thesartorialist.
Sorry Sunday saved by the Sunday Supplements
The Seventh Seal Editorial - Photography by Christopher Anderson
Interview with Carola Euler
For SS2009 we launched our second line, CAROLA EULER STILLS - a self-contained jersey collection of t-shirts, tanks, sweaters and cardigans. I always wanted to do more jerseys – I love jerseys - but unfortunately there is only so much space for it in a mainline. We finally gave that idea attention and are very pleased with the result and the amazing response we got for it, so consequently this will be a constant collection from now on running alongside the main collection, complementing each season.
This first season we concentrated on offering that 'special t-shirt' that doesn't rely on print as so many t-shirt labels do, but on cut, colour, silhouette and detail without being fuzzy or overly expensive – jerseys that can be dressed up or down.
Thank you very much, I am happy this is palpable without sticking a post-it on it. I also like repetition, mass-produced single use products, ridiculously expensive individualism, the vicious boy-at-heart and deep male voices singing monotonously.
The past few seasons it started to be the idea of a certain man or group of men that don't but could exist. Who they are and what they do varies with each collection but I observed they all tend to be highly self-confident bordering on arrogant with an eye for a kind of luxury that is just as virtual as they are. The setting changes, the sports according to season but they all have a hint of American psycho and could be cast offs of each other - quite homogeneous and interchangeable in an aggressive way. All sexy and rich. Give the impression you can buy them in a pack of 10.
I hope it's making men feel less insecure to be interested in a 'chick' thing like fashion. I think men want to appear style confident without looking they ever spent ages thinking about it. But very few can do that, I can't do that for my part – so it's good they get a little help by the men's fashion magazines they can hide from their girl-friends and mates afterwards.
I admire Helmut Lang and Raf Simons – not so much fellows, rather icons.
The perfect show. I am not stopping before I have done that and if it kills me or any of my assitants. To make it sound more dramatic.
None, but there are some I wished they wouldn't wear, e.g. fully ribbed zip ups in beige, tops with lacing on slit necklines, jeans with crazy washings. Still very popular in some regions.
Picture Postcard: Weekend Inspiration
Dearest EJ
Friday's picture postcard comes to you courtesy of Hel Looks and is of a chap named Artturi. On the outfit he remarks "I was browsing The Sartorialist today and got inspired. All my clothes are second hand except the trousers. I like to wear dress shirts and knits. Gypsy men have a great style. Personality is always stylish, too." Susie is off vintage shopping in West London tomorrow and I am hell bent on purchasing at least one item of good quality second hand clothing. My experiences of vintage stores thus far have been fine but I've only ever walked away with accessories (woolen ties mostly), now I want something more. If Artturi can dress head to toe in second hand fare then surely I can find something more than a woolen tie. I will keep you posted!
Purple haze all in my brain
Purple Haze Style, clockwise from top left: Ann Demeulemeester Purple Jacket, uniqlo purple jeans, Visvim's 08 Winter Hockney Collection and thecablog's hat which I might just steal one day.
Another way to procrastinate...
Scoute talked to the designer in Barcelona about his background and work, you can read the article here.
Tomorrow whilst raiding the archives I will read up on the magazine's guide to shopping in Antwerp...by the weekend I hope to have booked my Eurostar tickets to explore the coolest Flemish city in Belgium. Happy procrastinating to you all!
To tie or not to tie?
I can't really put my finger on why this article riled me so much. I think part of it is that is seems supremely fickle. Yes, fashion IS fickle, but for me, the way men dress- wearing ties or not, wearing jeans or trousers, this colour or that- is not so much about fashion or about fads, it is more about personal style. One of the main reasons that I was drawn enough to men's style to want to write about it was because it seemed that bit less fickle than women's. That is not to say that men are not interested in fads or trends obviously (I'm not blind to the number of stylish men I've noticed turning up their trousers a bit shorter of late... I'm looking at you, Steve) but I've always hoped that men who wore ties (or who didn't wear ties) really wouldn't be bothered by whether or not someone else was or wasn't wearing them (or whether the economic climate demanded it!)
So here's my question to you, dear readers. How much DO you feel you're influenced by such things? Do catwalks, celebrities or magazine articles have much of an affect when you're planning your outfits for the day/month/season? Or is it something else, and if so, what?
ASOS Untitled
Tailoring on the TV
Here is a clip of Michael Caine rambling featuring Roger Moore
Arena Homme makes it to 30
Below are the highlights from the main editorial 'A Young Man of Extraordinary Beauty' where they present fifteen Homme+ boys of past and present.
The final look in the bottom right is my favourite. Lucas wears wool sleeveless jacket and cotton t shirt by Dior Homm (s/s 09), silk lace scarf (worn as vest underneath) by Number Nine (s/s 09), eslastic armour made from customised martin Margiella Bustier, finishedd of with an 18k gold safety pin by Commes des Garcons. I would like Olivier Rizzo to dress me every day.
The desert boot - defying the sands of time
Pierre Hardy available at trebienshop, Clarks Originals available at Clarks, Aquascutum and Common Projects versions both available at farfetch
Men Represent - Sketches
Tracing paper
Pencils (including coloured)
Eraser
Far Fetch(ed) Shopping
v. t.
1. To bring from far; to seek out studiously.
n.
1. Anything brought from far, or brought about with studious care; a deep strategem.
Online shopping on the whole is not exactly exciting... necessary and practical it may be but on many occasions the true thrill of the consumerist chase which culminates in triumphantly carrying the purchase home is lost within the online world and only replaced by a sense of convenience. There are a number of great stores which exist online (our favourites being Daniel Jenkins - we would love to go to the physical store but Monmouth is that little bit too far for us at the moment- oi polloi and luisaviaroma at sale time) but historically we would always choose a trip to the shops over a virtual shopping spree... That said, our perceptions of online retail might soon change and not because of the efforts of sites like oki-ni and asos. As the price of flights rockets Farfetch makes shopping around the globe that whole bit easier by bringing together twenty fashion boutiques from ten different cities.
The offerings are split into three sections:
Steve's favourites/wish list, if money were no object (in the midst of the credit crunch we all need to befriend Birdman) include:
EJ's highlights are:
Steve, I was totally going to pick that purple jacket! It's pricy but I really love it! No fancy dan collage for me today I'm afraid, the PC has been commandeered. The classic list instead...
- Tan leather 'Mario' boot - seriously tasty footwear in a lovely colour
- Crust puffa jacket with stripes - I think I must be channelling the 70s today
- Frankie Morello stripy jumper - because I think we should all be rocking the old-timey footballer look.
- Small black python wallet with gold python inner by Philippe Roucou
The beginnings of colour in Manchester
Saturday was a wet and windy day....as I expected Manchester to be. Here is what I wore to keep me warm and dry, with a hint of colour.
The Outfit - Grey knit with blue trim from Folk, red sweater from b store, apc jeans and blue shoes by swear.
This is only the beginning in my exploration into the wonderful world of colour. I am on the hunt for all kinds of colourful accessories and I will post regular updates.