A seasonal fairytale

Unlike EJ, who only has a few bits to get, I still have a lot of my Christmas shopping to do over the next few days and I'm sure to encounter nightmarish scenes (my fault for not being organised enough!) but when did Christmas become so real, so much responsibility and stress? Christmas should always be a time of wonder not just one of mass consumption (both presents and food). I used to love this time of year, not just because of the unwrapping of presents which were brought to you by family members you only see once a year combined with the constant influx of food coming from the kitchen but because it was the only time of year when we all came together to create something special. It used to be a time like no other in the calender, when whole streets were transformed and excitement filled the air. The decorated tree just although lovely just doesn't fill the same anymore.

I've never been one who enjoy doing anything on a stage but I used to love dressing up as a shepherd for my annual nativity play. Now that I'm older, Christmas just isn't the same because all of the kids in my family have grown up...so it is a time when the grown up family get together not one of wonder and make believe. Don't get me wrong it is still an enjoyable time but it has lost what makes it unique. In the Christmas and New Year Issue of Fashion156, the editorial depicts a winter fairy tale and the picture book scenes just remind me of how I used to see this time of year.

As always with Fashion156 the editorial mixes new designers with some of my favourites. This jumper comes from a newly launched knitwear label called Sibling and is teamed up with YMC black trousers.

The jumper above is by Katie Eary (who is a recent RCA Grad and has been featured as part of DazedDigital's Fashion's New Optimisim) and is paired with nylon trousers by Carola Euler, boots by bstore and the fantastical look is finished with a furry mask by Soren Bach.

For some reason the above look reminds me of the Shepherd I used to play between the ages of five and ten but obviously it is how I'd love to dress the part now as opposed to how I looked back then. The look contains the best pieces from the Raf Simons AW 08 collection (the shirt and coat combo) and is worn with grey trousers by Carola Euler and hi tops by Balenciaga.

This tartan jumper comes from Balenciaga and is my favourite piece (if anyone is wealthy and would like to get me a present...). I expect a few surprises to come out from this Fashion House and look forward to see what Nicolas Ghesquière's team come up with in the New Year.

As you can see, the styling steps away from the season 'must haves' or a guide to the best party outfits which we see in the vast majority of publication and instead concentrates on original pieces that will allow you to stand out from the crowd and celebrate style at it's most fantastical. Who cares if they're not perfectly suitable for everyday wear? Hopefully, these images will at the very least transport you to the Christmas' of old before you have to return to the stress and panic which the festive season now brings.

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Tom Ford's Rule Number Seven

"Just like girls need to learn to be comfortable in heels before they go out in them for the first time, a man should try wearing a suit throughout a normal day. I do most things in a suit - and sometimes even in a tuxedo - and so I'm really comfortable in one."

Tom Ford's 'Rules of Style' were recently featured on Men.Style and have been making the rounds on the blogosphere ever since. From I've read a number of guys are somewhat bemused by some of his rules (as am I) but surely we can all agree on the above rule. When wearing a suit or tuxedo the Texan born designer looks as though he has never worn anything else. He is so at ease in one of his sartorial ensembles that the material becomes a second skin. One of my New Year's Resolutions (I seem to have knocked up quite a few) is to wear more suits and become as comfortable in one as a pair of worn in APC jeans and a white Martin Margiela t shirt. Currently I love wearing suits (I still get that little buzz of 'power' when wearing one) but I do fidget in one whilst out and love nothing more than returning home and becoming a slob-like again.

The timing of Ford's rules coincide with the look book images for his Spring/Summer 09 collection and there are plenty of suits on show which I'd be happy to wear as my second skin. Ordinarily, I might have dismissed this collection as exaggerated Italian Dandy but I have to admit that I have simply fallen in love with the use of colour, the styling, the hair, the everything. For me, this look would be completed by watching the world go by with espresso on a piazza, an Ateliers helmet (I know these are French but they are beautiful) on the table and a Vespa parked close by. I am dreaming up an Italian summer city break already...

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Gareth Pugh To Showcase Menswear in Paris

This afternoon Vogue.co.uk (closely followed by Brandish) posted some news that made me choke on the leftover garlic naan bread I was nibbling on for my lunch (which was probably a good thing because stale naan is never good!). Known for his imaginatively dramatic designs, Gareth Pugh's first menswear collection will be showcased as part of the upcoming Paris menswear shows in January and is scheduled to take place on Sunday 25 at the Palais de Tokyo (which is one of my favourite places in Paris and where the designer presented his Parisian debut collection back in September and can be seen here). On the release of the news Gareth remarked..."It just feels like an organic progression and yes, I am going to be very busy working over Christmas!"

His solid, architectural aesthetic melds progressively with the Gothic, the futuristic, the treacherous, and the peculiar, all of which are things men's fashion has been crying out for! Whatever you think about his designs (I for one dream of wearing the Elizabethan Stormtrooper look he presented in Paris last time round and I was a little surprised to read that Marilyn Manson is also a fan), Pugh never fails to put on a great show whilst creating much discussion and this is just what menswear needs right now because it has to be said that not many menswear designers have managed to charter new territory in recent presentations...in fact I can only think of Thom Browne as the only menswear designer who brings a little theatre to the runway. Following two seasons of mediocre fashion weeks with little to talk about it is about time something came along and mixed things up a little bit. As Gareth Pugh has a busy Christmas (as I will no doubt put on a few pounds eating an excessive amount of roast potatoes...I guess you could call that busy) I just can't wait for Fashion Week...which is something I didn't think that I would type given the yawn inducing previous two seasons.

I will certainly return to this piece of news in a future post but I just have to digest the information and that naan bread a little more, plus I wanted to spread the news. What do you make of the news that the Dark Prince is venturing into menswear?

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Advent - Day 16

As we are in the final stages of twilight in 2008 it makes sense to look forward to the coming year. A recent feature in Wallpaper gives us reason to be hopeful in the form of the wind of change sweeping through a number of fashion houses with the influx of new creative directors who are sure to bring a welcome infusion of energy and invention. My favourite appointment has been Kim Jones who has taken the creative reigns at Dunhill which is why he is under box number sixteen on the Style Salvage Advent Calender.

OK, so Kim Jones has been at the helm of this British luxury goods label since March so is this not old news? No. His first offering was a range of leather accessories for Spring/Summer 09 but we have to wait until January until we see his first full menswear collection. The piece in Wallpaper teases me with a brief interview, my favourite Q&A being...

How difficult is it to balance the rich heritage of the brand with bringing it into the 21st century?
If you really look at the Dunhill heritage you will see that there is nothing ‘old’ about it, in fact it is wonderfully modern. Alfred Dunhill himself was obsessed with innovation and new technology, which means that there are pieces in the archive that are just as relevant today as anything I design.

I'm excited to see where Kim Jones who has such a cult following for his refined, casual clothing will take this luxury goods company.

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Visions of President Obama

Even though US President-elect Barack Obama will be donning a Hart Schaffner Marx single-button, notch-lapel tuxedo for the evening festivities on Inauguration Day, WWD have asked a number of leading menswear designers to create a day and evening look for this historic day and the pick of their designs can be seen here...

Obama has a lean, toned 6 ft 2 inches tall physique and Rag & Bones's vision for Obama is one which extenuates his sleek silhouette with a well cut suit for day and full on tuxedo with tails to wow his admirers in the evening.

My own personal favourite day/evening look for the US President Elect comes from GQ's Designer of the Year Thom Browne. From these wonderful sketches I envision Obama as being as dancing Fred Astaire like all the way through his swearing in ceremony.

After appearing on the covers of GQ, Esquire, Men's Vogue and Men's Health there can be little doubt that Obama will become a style icon for many. Despite his guaranteed style icon status it is extremely unlikely that I'll ever see a President wearing a sequined jacket as per Richard James' vision for Obama...I can't decide whether this is a good or bad thing...

What would you wear as President of this struggling Superpower?

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Advent - Day Fifteen

I'm back in good ol' Blighty after having a lovely (but oh sooo cold) long weekend in Paris and it is nice to be sitting opposite my Christmas Tree once again...if Paris wasn't so expensive (damn the strong Euro!) the tree would be accompanied with a few more presents. Whilst away, EJ sent me a link to a beautiful pair of bauble like Hi-top trainers by Alejandro Ingelmo that would like look great on or under my tree....

Alejandro Ingelmo has very few stockists (which is why I've not come across his work before, even though he has been designing men's accessories since 2006) but fortunately he is stocked at Oki-Ni and these futuristic beauties can be purchased here. If I owned these shoes I would certainly think twice about hurling them towards the deservedly downtrodden soon-to-be ex-President of the United States...they would more than likely shatter into a thousand pieces and they are just too pretty for such a fate.

The early morning Eurostar has made me sleepy so I think I'll switch on the Christmas lights and curl up on the sofa watching trashy TV...normal blogging service will resume shortly.

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Advent - Day Eleven

Along with socks, ties are a regular fixture wrapped up under the tree, they are perceived to be the safe option or at least they used to be...

Who not ruffle some feathers (I am hilarious) with one from Lanvin's AW accessories range? Yes they're over the top (everything at Christmas is), yes they're somewhat ridiculous, and, yes, they are completely impractical (just how would you tie it without destroying those fine feathers?). I'm not sure what my Uncle would say after unwrapping one of these but I would love to find out. Ever since I fell in love with a black feathered belt by Blaak (seen at the Old Curiosity Shop), I just want to experiment by incorporating feathered accessories to add texture and a little extravagance to an outfit.

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Bailey's Lost Matchstick Man?

The title of this post is somewhat optimistic but you have to aim high right? There is no doubt that the Burberry Prorsums AW 08 collection was one of the stand out collections way back at the beginning of the year and as this year draws to a close it is about time that I present to you my own interpretation...using the fruits of my DIY challenge and dlittlegarden's handywork!

To reach my Burberry knock off look, the DIY Cardigan is worn with grey shirt from bstore, vintage bow tie from Marks&Spencer, grey trousers from peoplesmarket, patent shoes by swear and winter warming accessories from dlittlegarden.

This little tribute look was a long time coming but I'm glad that I've finally done it. I can now move on from my little obsession...I wonder what the next one will be...

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DIY - Cardigan Reborn

EJ certainly raised the bar with her wonderfully executed and amusing Tache Gloves (these would make a great, inexpensive Christmas Gift). For my DIY Project I wanted to create a double layered cardigan because I have been crazing one ever since I saw them strut down the LS Lowry inspired Burberry AW 08 runway but could not find a more affordable version anywhere. The colour palette that Bailey used in that show made me want to rush out and play in imaginery piles of crispy red and brown leaves...and I wanted to achieve something similar. Then I remembered about my well worn Reiss cardigan which was lying somewhat unloved at the bottom of one of my drawers. Susie actually featured this cardigan on her blog long before we started going out and it was the first time that I took notice of style and fashion blog...more importantly it was the first real opportunity for me to speak to her at work (for those of who don't know we used to work at the same office) and of course great things have later blossomed. Therefore, this Reiss cardigan deserved a much better life than the one it had found itself in. So under the guise of the Men Represent DIY Challenge, I just had to breathe fresh life into this special piece of knitwear.

What you will need...

- Two cardigans, preferably battered and old. I actually decided to treat myself to an extra fine Merino Wool Cardigan from Uniqlo in a complimentary shade because my deep aubergine Reiss Cardigan deserved a fine companion.
- Needle & thread
- Pins
- A steady hand and patience...neither of which I have!

What I did...

1) It seemed that the bottom drawer had not been too kind on the Reiss Cardigan and a repair job was needed on a few rips, tears and loose buttons, so out came the needle and thread to make some fat fingered amends.


2) Following the repair job, I carefully cut along the seams of the sleeves to create a sweater vest out of the Uniqlo cardigan. To maximise my thrifty-ness I kept hold of the sleeves because these could quickly be turned into arm warmers.

3) I've really never seen the appeal of sweater vests so continued to cut until all I was left with were the two front panels.

4) Now came the fun part. The joining of the two. I overlapped each panel and played around with it until I was happy with the appearance of the overlap (two inches at the bottom, thinning out to the top) and pinned the garments in place. All that was left now was to sew where the two seams met and the cardigans were now entwined.

Apologies for the brightness in this shot. I will post styled pictures of the cardigans later today...

I'm ashamed to say that this was the first time that I've held a needle and thread since Primary School (we took basic textiles classes in Year Four) and my technique certainly improved as the morning developed. Now that I have awoken my crafty side, I have taken the needle and thread to add leather buttons to my Angels find. Over the course of a few hours, I had breathed fresh life into two garments and hopefully this inspires you to at least think about doing the same.

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Advent - Day Seven

The eventful year of 2008 has certainly been a year of the collaboration (the highlights for me being Acne x Lanvin and Raf Simons x Fred Perry) and there is certainly time to squeeze a few more in before the year ends. I stumbled across my first three way on hypebeast yesterday and the below image permeated the thick cobwebs surrounding my brain and gave it a wake up slap.

New York-based contemporary brand Band of Outsiders, United Arrows’ Beauty & Youth and Japanese online magazine honeyee.com have worked together to create a bowtie and necktie. This certainly sounds like a lot of hands to create two relatively simple accessories but the resulting bow tie and in particular, how it has been styled in this shot (it reminds me of Christmas morning for some reason) is worthy of applause and I would be happy to receive this in my stocking!

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Bring Back The Hat

Now that I have a bit more time on my hands I'm able to write a lot more than I used to and I'm really enjoying it! As well as inundating you with posts here I've embarked on writing pieces for Fashion156. I wrote the MAN feature in the latest HATS/HEADPIECES issue and within it discussed the decline of hat wearing amongst men (I must admit that I hardly ever wear a hat myself, but this will change over the coming months). Our very first Style Salvage campaign was to get more men wearing hats but not enough has been done so we had to revisit it. There have been many golden eras where a man would consider an outfit incomplete, consider himself naked even, without a hat but now they are rarely even considered in the construction of the everyday outfit. Despite a wealth of inspiration from a number of recent collections (with James Long depicting the hat as an essential facet of the Winter Warrior look during his AW08 collection and Lanvin celebrating distressed straw hats which were reborn with silk ribbons for SS09) this has not been translated into the 'real world'. As always with Fashion156, there is a beautiful editorial containing carefully selected pieces from upcoming designers and these images have inspired me to experiment with head wear even more. Here are my highlights...

Headpieces all by J Smith Esquire

The J Smith Esquire featured headpieces simply steal the show and it is easy to see why Stephen Jones is so excited by the bespoke milliners creations. Following his MA in Millinery at the Royal College Of Art in 2007, Justin Smith continues to develop and push the boundaries of exciting millinery. Since graduating, he has been awarded the iD styling award, the Maria Louisa award at ITS6 and shown at London Fashion Week as part of On/Off. There is no doubt that he approaches hat design quite theatrically, "You can treat hats like sculptures, using any material that you want. I also love that you never wash a hat. So it has its own history that keeps going" remarked Justin in a piece for Interview.

Hat, shirt, harness and tie by Rui Leonardes, Visor by House of Flora

Rui Lonardes is a designer who is constantly questioning gender stereotypes, blurring the boundaries as he goes (typified by his high heels for men) but he is not a designer that ordinarily leaves me salivating, however his creations here do just that. The visor by House of Flora (a fashion label established by designer Flora McLean, who teaches fashion design and promotion at Middlesex University) makes me think that visors could have a place within men's style outside of the golf course...

In short, there is a great deal of inspirational hat donning out there...the time for a new era of hat wearing is now my friends.

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More than just a collaborator

Mihara Yasuhiro S/S 09

For eight years Japanese designer Mihara Yasuhiro has been collaborating with Puma on a line of wildly inventive sneakers that have certainly not gone unnoticed (with features like patterns, drips, fur, studs, stripes and metallics) and he has certainly helped take trainers to the next level. Dazed Digital caught up with the designer as s/s 09 sees the release of his first apparel line for Puma and this made me realise that he is more than just a trainer collaborator. I must admit that I am more aware of his collaborative work with Puma than his own line so the recent DD interview forced me to look at Yasuhiro's line and I'm glad that I did. It is plain to see that Yasuhiro wants to inject romance and some soul into men's dressing and until now it has not been on my radar.

Mihara Yasuhiro's s/s 09 collection was inspired by the charismatic and controversial artist Joseph Beuys. Paint was dabbed on the jersey pile and canvas lace up shoes made the artist theme explicit. The collection saw fine leathers bonded with jersey which were paired with sun bleached trousers...creating a worn, aged and sell-able collection. Personally, the highlights were the jewellery pieces adorning the models designed by Husam El Odeh, his designs have inspired me to experiment more with men's jewellery (of course I will take note of thesundaybest's warnings against piracy).

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Advent - Day Four

Before we inundate you with gift ideas and musings on the festive season, I wanted to hijack the advent calender a little while longer and just share an amazing magazine cover with you for box number four...

Image courtesy of thenonplace

The latest issue of Dazed&Confused Japan features a simply awesome illustrated cover and story by one of my favourite designers Aitor Throup. Throughout 2008 I have periodically returned to Throup's site to marvel at his comic book style sketches so it is a real treat to know that some unseen ones have been published in Dazed Japan. I just need to seek it out either in the basement of the Japan Centre or alternatively online...

My new years resolution for 2009 is to learn (some) Japanese because as Thom Wong keep commenting; 'they do everything better' and it would be nice to tell them that when I manage to get over there.

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Exciting Designers - Erin Lewis

I love to feature new menswear design talent but blogs like Mensrag do it so much better than I possibly could and always beat me to the post. Fortunately for me Susie is sent a great deal of information regarding new collections from designers across the globe - some of which are menswear...but few are as exciting as Erin Lewis.

The cut of the jackets are some of the most interesting that I've seen in some time and the whole collection is styled to perfection!

According to her biography, like myself Erin was born in one of those seaside towns that they forgot to close but that is where the similarity ends. She initially trained in sculpture but a desire to learn tailoring brought her to the London College of Fashion. Her graduate collection was tailored to Saville Row standards and a collaboration with Dashing Tweeds showed both innovation and tradition - the highlight of which was a Gentleman's Cape in grey lumatwill. The result was a small collection bought by Beams-Japan. Erin sought to make the most of British design sourcing all fabrics and production from the UK.

The true highlights of the collection are the capes. Since missing out on Carolyn Massey's headmasterly cape as part of the recent Topman Lens collection, I have been looking for a cape which would excite and challenge me and Erin Lewis has designed more than one.

Since graduating, Erin has taken a job as head design of the 'Charro' collection at Mexico's leading Eco-fashion brand 'Taller Flora' (founded by Carla Fernandez, the brand focuses on making use of Mexico's skilled artisans, combining traditional textile techniques with contemporary design). Erin Lewis is certainly a name that I will remember and look out for!

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Here comes the man boy

I have been a fan of Omar Kashoura ever since I stumbled across his designs on the racks inside The Shop at Bluebird and walked away with a black cardigan which is always admired and is frequently a conversation starter. Since graduating from the London College of Fashion in 2004 Kashoura has won many more plaudits than just little old me, including the top prize at New York's Gen Art Style International Menswear Award in 2005 and working for Preen and Unconditional. Despite a great deal of attention in his brand, Kashoura decided to go back to school and complete a masters and Spring/Summer 09 sees the release of Omar Kashoura's first collection since graduating from his masters at Central Saint Martins.

This collection, as with each season, evolved from a poem written by Kashoura. The latest collection explores the ideas of the 'ManBoy' and the encapsulating poem can be read below.

CLOTHES………….introduced to conceal modesty.

… Necessary to hide defects and used to reduce everyone to a decent insignificance of physique, to improve the imaginings of the male body.

Dazzled by the confusion of knowing how to look,

Extreme

EXTREME

From the 70/80’s super extreme to the recent heroin chic,

‘ ..Here comes the man boy.. ‘

The new man of narcissism, glowing, sweating and grinning, an exploding signifier of the so called post modern condition

He is a reaction,

a narcissist yet modest, a man, but still a boy.

A body that is perfectly formed, whilst exhibiting manliness in its strongest form.

Modern………yet historical………and futuristic all at the same time.

We are a visual and stylistic culture.

Men are visual commodities

Hair cuts,

The cut of jeans

Ways of walking and being.

Points of comparison between men, not just as aggressive competitors but as stylists in the same club.

Encourage more

Men and others, visually and as objects of consumer desire.

The body in the gaze becomes an public object, it is a surface, a shape, a volume. With the ever powering campaigns and advertising the moving body must be on display and available for inspection. Whether in visual representation or personal form.

…..He is educated

aware of his identity and thus able to move beyond the sphere of unreflecting immediacy,

to raise the question of the purpose and function he serves in human existence as a whole.

Truest manliness will be achieved by freedom rather than a slavish subservience to convention.

A raw material sculpted through clothes.

3D

Designs used to heighten anatomical maleness + Experience pleasures around the body .

...A reassertion of masculinity over femininity

Within this collection structured tailoring sits alongside figure hugging jersey and bias cut silhouettes producing a collection strong in shape, pattern, fit whilst being soft of fabric. The intricate detailed finishes and fastening put the typical Kashoura seal of approval and design into each garment, including lopped shirt collars and petersham back buttons through to some of my favourite shirt bib accessories. For me this is a collection which demonstrates that the boy Omar Kashoura is becoming a Man.

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Designer of the Year - Honey I shrunk the suit

Unsurprisingly GQ have name Thom Browne 'Designer of the Year' in their December issue and there cannot be too many complaints out there...are there? I'm hard pushed to come up with a single other menswear designer who has created such a stir after his shows, not to mention the fact that his indicative style has been replicated throughout the world. Never before have I seen men sporting cuffed trousers complimented by no socks on the scale I have seen on the streets of London this year and this is down to the influence of one man.

Men's style is such an interesting and constantly evolving entity. Who would've thought just a few years ago that someone who advocated high trousers and the shrunken suit would become the toast of the sartorial town? Browne started selling the suits we have grown to love in 2001 and his collections have always been focused around the suit, building on its links to menswear from the past and how the oddity of its proportions threw its reference points into postmodern relief. Since 2001 Browne has of course received many plaudits but he has also received a great deal of negative reviews - there is a constant criticism that the designer is making clothes that look weird on anyone who isn't Thom Browne...I have however seen many Thom Browne's walking the streets this year. His designs have slowly eroded many of our beliefs on what a good suit should be, he has made us question many things about something so simple (or so we thought) as the practical, 'safe' option, the suit. He has done this to such an extent that the same people who initially laughed at the proportions of his creations are now desperate for his next line, whilst feeling self conscious if their ankles are covered. In my opinion he deserves the designer of the year accolade for this alone. Are you happy with GQ's choice?

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Dress as a thinker regardless of the merit of your ideas

Although University seems like a lifetime ago (and from what I remember of it, not a great deal of time was spent attending lectures or seminars) there are a few nuggets of information and strains of thought that I keep with me. The class which is most vivid in my mind today formed part of my Sociology teachings in my third year (I studied Law and Sociology art Warwick) and was titled Sociology of Knowledge, Science and Intellectuals. The role of the intellectual in the English speaking world is something of a chequered category (as opposed to continental Europe where the intellectual is treated with a great deal more respect) where there has always been a suggestion or implication than the intellectual is an ambient troublemaker and should mind his own business. Despite all this, an intellectual is surely something to aspire to and in the twenty first century it is something of an endangered species. As the ideas of intellectuals and academics might be few and far between in the modern age (are we really in a state of dumbing down?) we can atleast express a particular form of thought expression by dressing the part of someone who is a thinker. I recently wrote a letter to Hiroki of Visvim expressing my admiration for the craft of his brand and that I wanted to become a consumer. Another fantastic piece out of the Visvim Fall/Winter 2008 collection has been released for us all to salivate over.

The Academia Jacket 2L comes with a John Hanley tweed upper and a 2L Gore-Tex lining. Classic looks with up to date functionality - perfect.

The moral of my babbling above is that we can all dress as intellectuals and academics regardless of the the merit of thought and the extent of our knowlegde, all we need is the brain functioning enough to choose Visvim.

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Damir Doma

While Steve is off gallivanting in Hong Kong with his lovely lady friend, I've been left behind replying to emails and watching the darts. Thankfully for me both the darts and the emails have been surprisingly interesting. When the lovely Charlotte at oki-ni dropped us an email to let us know that the Damir Doma archive had gone live, it rang some bells.

Wait- Damir Doma, the guy that did those amazing all red outfits?

Yep.

Wait- Damir Doma, the guy who really knows a thing or two about shape?

Yep. (Man alive, that's a good outfit)

Wait, the man with those AMAZING boots with the zipper down the front?

Oh hells yes!

Wow, I love that guy. Why did I forget to post about him when I first saw his stuff? Anyway, a great choice for their archive series. Steve couldn't help but comment:

"I really like the idea of oki-ni's archive because it encourages people to think beyond the seasons and to pick key pieces from each collection. It goes against the throwaway culture of fashion. If you love a piece why not take good care of it and wear it for years to come? For a young designer like Doma it must mean a lot to be supported in such a way, with an archive that showcases his considerable design talent."

Hey Steve, quit muscling in on my posts! He's right though, it's great that they're showcasing someone so young and talented. Doma's designs are just that little bit left field- nicely androgynous with a bold use of colour and draping- while somehow still managing to be timeless (I know, I hate that word too). I am massively coveting his wide-legged trousers at the moment... and just look at these sandals!

Here's what Oki Ni's creative director, John Skelton, has to say about the man:

"Damir’s taste levels and attention to detail mixed with perfect execution and ability to create such a warm and powerful environment in which to show his work has captured the hearts and the minds of product enthusiasts all over the world."

And now if you don't mind, I'm going to finish watching the darts.

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Style Salvage Speaks to... YMC

As you all know we have joined up with my-wardrobe to offer one lucky reader five hundred pounds to spend on a new winter wardrobe from YMC. This British born brand were one of the very first brands we featured here on the blog. Formed in 1996, YMC have played a key role in the resurgence of workwear and have seen so much so we jumped at the chance to speak to them about their experiences in the industry, their own personal style and how they see the brand devoloping over the next few years.


SS: How did it all start for you? What were your inspirations, your dreams and the driving catalyst behind YMC?
Fraser: I have always been more interested than personal style over fashion and this was the driving force behind starting up YMC. At the time (1995) everything was brand led or American 'skate' inspired so we felt there was a real gap in the market for the kind of clothes we were looking for.

SS: Describe what YMC means to you...
Fraser: Hopefully a brand with integrity

SS: Having launched as a menswear brand in 1995 you’ve certainly been around for a lot longer than most people realise. How has the industry evolved over this time?
Fraser: Today the fashion industry is far more professional, corporate and less naive than when we started which I think makes thing much harder for labels and designers starting up now.


SS: Over the last few seasons we've seen a real rise in the interest surrounding workwear style. Having offered classic designs showcasing quality fabrics and an attention detail for some time now, what is your take on the rise in interest?
Fraser: Inevitable as everything tends to go in cycles and the last time this was popular was the early 90s but to be honest it has always been an influence to us and this would have been more noticable from our Winter 2004 collection onwards.

SS: In a recent interview with The Independent you confess that early on you ‘knew nothing about production and made some very bad decisions’ and after initial success you were forced to close your shop on Conduit Street and abandoned your womenswear line. Thankfully, today, you have a busy flagship store in Soho and your relaunched womenswear line is in its third season. You must be feeling pretty good about it all. Do you think that this has made success all the sweeter now?
Jimmy: No not really . If anything it’s been a constant reminder of how tough this business is , its been a valuable lesson . We still have plenty of room to improve...

SS: With regard to production, how have you changed things from the set up in the late 90s?
Jimmy: The company that backs us helps on the production , they have offices worldwide who look after our needs . Our quantities are small
But with their assistance the collection gets produced.

SS: What were the first and last items you remember designing?
Fraser: First: Our first collection which was Winter 95 and it was a jacket and dress inspired by my wife Jody's military jumpsuit
Last: Autumn Winter 2010 Footwear collection.

SS: How do you see the YMC brand developing over the next few years?
Jimmy: We would hope to develop the business by opening in store concessions / further YMC stand alone stores. Also for SS.10 we have launched a new range on Men’s called ‘ basic ’ which has great potential.

SS: Which fellow designers/brands do you admire? Other than YMC, which brands do you wear?
Fraser: I don't really follow fashion and prefer not to look at other labels. I only wear a mixture of vintage and YMC.

SS: What item of clothing (if any) do you wish that more men wore?
Fraser: It's not so much the items but the way they are worn. I'd like to see men being a bit more confident with their own personal style.

SS: How would you describe your personal style? The brand ethos is You Must Create your own style but do you have any style icons?
Fraser: Detail is paramount but I couldn't really say what my 'personal style' is as it's something that I naturally do!

SS: The current collection is inspired by Depression era workwear. If you could go back in time and experience any moment/era of style, what would it be?
Fraser: I'd need a Tardis as there are so many periods I love and whatever I am inspired by when designing at the time tends to be my favourite.

The shopfront in Soho.

SS: What are you favourite pieces currently available from YMC?
Fraser: The waxed cotton hunting and fishing jacket and a shawl collared Chore jacket in cotton/wool and of course a pair of our jeans which I think are a really good men's cut and in particular for anyone looking for an alternative to a skinny jean.

SS: Finally, would you be able to share a few address book recommendations with our readers (hairdressers, tailors, cafes...anything you like really) which we will duly add to our map.
Gary at Sean Paul Barbers in Brighton. He's around my age and like me was part of most youth cultures from punk onwards so this gives him the edge over a lot of younger hairdressers. Lewes for all things old. It has a great array of really interesting antique shops full of curios.

A reminder of how we would spend the money...

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The Comme des Garcons x H&M Drop Crotch Trouser Challenge

So I didn't quite make it to launch day of the Comme des Garcons x H&M collaboration but by a number accounts it was not as crazy as we all thought that it might be (in the UK anyway - I'm not aware of any polka dot scarf fights) - some of you have even told us that in places the launch was extremely low key. If you have been (un)lucky (delete as appropriate) enough to snap up any of the collection, please let us know what you think of it? One of the reasons that I stayed away was my fear for the quality of the pieces and this fear seems to have been confirmed to me by comments of a number of blogs - wool on jackets wearing thin just after a day of use, buttons falling off etc. Are the accusations of poor quality grossly exaggerated? Aside from the quality issue, the other reason that I didn't venture down was sheer laziness, Susie left me at ridiculously early o'clock to cover the launch (footage of which can be seen here). Susie did pick up a pair of extreme drop crotch wool trousers for the very reasonable price of £35 (I was impressed by the quality of the finish). On her post about her new purchase Susie challenged her male readers to send in pics of themselves wearing the same trousers after seeing a number of guys snatching them off the rails. Therefore, when she wasn't looking I tried the exact same pair on...squeezing myself into them with a degree of difficulty....

The outift - Cardigan by Carola Euler (Stills Collection), white t shirt by Martin Margiela, Comme des Garcons x H&M drop crotch trousers, shiny black boots by Lanvin.

The trousers gave me an opportunity to try out one of my recent purchases...the Carola Euler cardigan and it works perfectly here. As you can see I decided to style the trousers by turning myself into the offspring of a Samurai and Obi-Wan Kenobi...I just wish I had a lightsabre. I'm not sure that I would actually wear these out...they are a little tight in the calf for my liking (I need a 12 - curse my muscular calves) but I enjoyed wearing them for this post regardless.

Were you one of those guys pilfering the womenswear rails? Please let us know if you were and send us your pics!

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