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 Thirteen

'ello Guvnor! Today is Dick Van Dyke day. Today is also the day when Style Salvage's partners share a birthday with this loveable but ultimately terrible cockney...Happy Birthday to Rob, Susie and Dick, we love you all!

Here is the man of the moment (back in 1965) on the cover of Showtime after they made him their man of the month following his awesome leading man performance in Mary Poppins.

You beat me to it! Very happy birthday wishes to one and all... and also to Steve Buscemi and Malta. What an auspicious day!

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Happy Birthday Fine and Dandy!

We might have differing opinions when it comes to men's style at times but both of us here at Style Salvage are united in our love and admiration for an eye catching dandy- a point hammered home when we spent about 20 minutes not-very-subtly staring at one such chap in the pub on sunday. It was inevitable then that we would fall for the accessory charms of online store Fine and Dandy. Back in June we caught up with proprietor, Matt Fox, for a transatlantic natter. Like us, Matt has an appreciation for the well dressed gentlemen of yesteryear and is inspired by their unabashed use of accessories, so this is what he stocks in his marvelous online store. Fine and Dandy is a shop which provides all the finishing details to truly be fine and dandy. One year on since launching the online store, Matt Fox and his dapper team decided to mark their anniversary by releasing a look book showcasing their 2009 offering. After congratulating the fine and dandy chaps we just had to share it with you...

Black Derby Hat, Burgundy Striped Houndstooth Bow Tie, Silver And Paisley Pocket Square

We are fortunate enough to receive quite a few look books in our inbox each week but very few leave us in a state of mirrored head nodding. This one left us marveling over the dapper accessories and the humorous photography shot by Patrick Roxas. Yesterday, Valet declared that the 'preppy-but-playful images pair nicely with the shop's new pieces' and we couldn't agree more. Dressing each morning should be fun and accessories like these provide the required pomp and colour.

Grey Diamond Hat, Purple Melange Silk Tie, Purple Handkerchief (part of set), Silver Fleur-De-Lis Cufflinks, Brushed Stainless Steel Pocket Watch

We love the fact that head wear is involved in every single look. As EJ mentioned in her campaign for hats, 'just look at the street scenes in almost any film made the 50s or earlier to see how commonly the hat used to be worn and how much better it makes almost everyone look.' Where would a dandy be without his felt ivy cap, black derby hat or grey diamond hat? The styling showcased here is inspirational for anyone looking to add a few new touches to their wardrobe this season. From the grey Herringbone Newsboy cap to a small gold key tie bar (our favourite) to an array of handkerchiefs the look book displays an array of finishing touches for the dapper amongst us.

Grey Herringbone Newsboy Cap, Grey With Red And Silver Bow Tie, Beige Handkerchief (part of set), Wood Pen, Leather Portfolio

"It’s actually really fun to spend a little bit of time every morning putting your clothes on, picking a tie, picking a handkerchief, choosing a shirt from your wardrobe, picking a jacket and a pair of trousers and putting it all together and feeling great in your wardrobe. It’s really a lovely thing to do each day." Ever the dandy, Patrick Grant, from a recent interview with SwipeLife.

Looking at the men walking the streets outside it seems a large number have men lost sight of how much fun it is to be well dressed. This look book clearly prescribes to the belief that dressing each morning should be anything but a chore or a bore. It is time to have a little fun each morning and this look book provides the required facets. This past year the chaps at Fine and Dandy have shown the way.

Brown Flecked Newsboy Cap, Grey Melange Silk Tie,Dress Stewart Wool Scarf, Gold Key Tie Bar

As we are separated by an ocean we weren't able to present the FineandDandy team with a cake complete with a single lit candle. So, we caught up with Matt Fox for another transatlantic chat and to wish the store a very happy birthday....

SS: The look book celebrates one year of Fine and Dandy. Congratulations on reaching this landmark. How has the last year been?
Matt Fox: Amazing. The response has been wonderful and we feel confident that we've set a great foundation for our brand.

SS: What has been your most fine and dandy moment?
Matt Fox: Shooting the look book was a major fine and dandy highlight. We really felt that everything we've been working on came together in that shoot and we're so pleased with how our new photos represent the Fine And Dandy look.

SS: Talk us through some of your inspirations for the look book..
Matt Fox: We wanted to have a diverse mix of formal and less formal looks. And we wanted to show how a little dandy style can be infused in most any outfit.

SS: What are your favourite pieces for AW09?
Matt Fox: Some favorites: our Brown Fleck Newsboy Cap, our Buffalo Nickel Cufflinks, and our new collection of handkerchiefs.

SS: What can we expect from you in the coming year and beyond?
Matt Fox: The big news for our European fans is that we've begun making plans to ship to Europe in the new year.

Black Crushable Felt Ivy Cap, Purple Paisley Bow Tie, Blue Multi-colored Pocket Square

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Tell us more!

Hello all!

Just to let you know that we've put up a little poll on the sidebar. We're curious to know a bit more about our readers, so starting with the basics- are you manly men or foxy ladies? We've been surprised by the number of women reading the blog (you're all welcome, of course!) and wanted to find out exactly what the ratio of men to women is. If you could take a second to let us know, we'll be very grateful. The poll's going to be open for 2 weeks.

Many thanks

Steve and EJ

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Happy Halloween!

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Kawakubo on her collaboration with H&M

Now we’ve all seen the full Comme des Garçons for H&M collection a number of times across the online world but put aside your personal opinion of the collection and read the reasons behind the collaboration. The Independent has an interesting article chronicling the collection which includes a number of quotes from Rei Kawakubo herself.

Image courtesy of mensrag via Selectism.

"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

When asked why she’d do this collaboration she answered, “I was interested in selling Comme des Garçons in a new place where it has never been sold before and to people who may never have heard of it. Usually, Comme des Garçons only sells in places where people who understand it go.” There we have the reason behind most designer collaborations: to extend the audience and potential customer base for the label. "The first objective of high-street fashion is that it sells. Designer fashion is more about new creation. In some respects, the high street represents the bad side of democracy, the lowest common denominator, but it certainly appeals to me that many people may be able to discover Comme des Garçons through H&M."

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!).

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Buck - First Issue News

We featured the launch of the online side of the magazine earlier in the month, we are now mere days away from the global launch of the actual magazine and I've been invited to the launch! From the 30th October the magazine will be available nationwide throughout the UK as it is will be stocked in the usual places including Borders and WHSmith and even Tesco, Marks & Spencer and ASDA! OK, so I know most of you live outside of the UK but don't worry it will be available internationally! It will be on sale in 35 Barnes & Noble stores in the US, and independent retailers in New York, San Francisco, Tokyo, Paris, and Milan from issue!

BUCK is apparently the first monthly men’s magazine in the UK to feature global street style in every issue and the first to combine fashion and design articles with significant food coverage (it caters for all my favourite needs (excuse the pun)). Most admiringly and interestingly, the magazine will be a showcase for new creative talent and will feature up and coming artists, bands and actors talking about their own style and tastes. Hopefully BUCK will become a must read for me...I'm eager to get my hands on it and judge it for myself and of course I'll share it with you. My magazine addiction will no doubt continue to bankrupt me...

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Chase is the VMAN but Testino Takes Over

The latest cover VMAN features Gossip Girl star Chace Crawford, shot by Mario Testino

The latest issue of VMAN (which is the first ever winter issue!) is now available. As yet I've not managed to pick it up myself but I just had to remark on the cover. The cover boy is Chace Crawford, who if you don't know stars in one of my (many) guilty pleasures TV shows (I really should get out more and more importantly not admit to these things), Gossip Girl wearing D&G plaid. I have to admit though that when I first saw the cover I asked myself 'Why is Zac Efron' on the cover of VMAN...'Is VMAN turning into TeenVogue' (another guilty pleasure). I'm not 100% sold on the styling but I've certainly had enough of Efron for one lifetime.

For the magazine's first Winter Issue Mario Testino is guest editor. Within the issue he explores the extremes of masculinity. Testino explains “masculinity has come to be determined less by a man’s exterior than by his kindness, his fairness, his taste, his behavior. Now, you can look like one thing and be completely the opposite. I’m quite fascinated by this, so I decided to do a study of the extremes of masculine identity today.” Testino photographed thirteen extreme male archetypes, including Extreme Sun (the beach bum), Extreme ink (tattooed men), and Extreme Macho (bearded men), the other ten are a mystery until I get my hands on the issue. Have anyone read it? Should I hit the streets in search of it?

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Goggle Jacket: Past and Future

Back in May we featured the most exciting collaboration of the year. Style Salvage favourite Aitor Throup was asked to design the anniversary edition of C.P. Company's most iconic jackets, the 1000m Goggle Jacket. Last night, I was able to examine it up close and I've still got a smile on my face today. Ever since I encountered his mind blowingly good graduate collection back in 2006 my heart races every time I see or hear his name mentioned. Since graduating, Aitor continues to push the boundaries of technically advanced clothing and utilitarian menswear in to fresh and exciting directions. Back in April, the exciting design talent curated an exhibition to showcase the Goggle Jacket's past and present at the International Furniture Fair in Milan way back in April. Of course I was able to see much of the exhibition virtually, thanks to the wonders of the Internet , but I longed to see the showcase of design innovation up close. Thankfully an even stronger and more impressive exhibition has opened up at the RCA and I was fortunate enough to see it last night. The exhibition is now open to the public for a limited period of two days (today and Saturday, 10am until 4pm both days) so you'll have to be quick!

Exhibition folk enjoying two of the twenty iconic designs on show...

The Mille Miglia Car race, was a one thousand miles open-road endurance race that started in 1927. From 1977 until nowadays, the name was revised in 'Mille Miglia Storica', with all competing cars being pre-1957. In 1988 C.P. Company sponsored the race and for this special occasion Massimo Osti exclusively designed and produced, as a promotional piece for the Mille Miglia competitors, the very first Goggle Jacket. The Past and Future exhibition features twenty archive designs including this very first jacket. A way to celebrate C.P. Company's route through the different steps of this iconic item which, season after season, has been subject to continuous experimentation and evolution. This marvellous exhibition is a story of materials, special treatments and shape research.

One of the exhibition highlights, the evolution of Aitor's designs...

As mentioned every time I jot down the designer's name, I was fortunate enough to listen in to his conversation with Sarah Mower at the V&A last Summer and during this chat Throup's face lit up and his passion took over as soon as he started talking about this iconic jacket. Growing up in Burnley in the 90s, Aitor first became aware of the jacket adorning the backs of the football casuals. Anything connected to Massimo Osti had the most aspirational value for the terraces. As a long term fan and collaborator with C.P Company, Aitor was the natural choice for the brand to approach to redesign the anniversary edition of their cult jacket. For his own innovative design, Throup has analysed all of the original elements of the first Goggle Jacket and has looked deep into the aspects of postural anatomy. He has gone deeper than the aesthetics and functional approaches of previous designs and has created a garment even more focused on the concept of driving. Aitor Throup had this to say on the 1000m Goggle Jacket: "I have taken a literal approach to driving ergonomics and functionality, with the aim of creating a piece which is even further informed by its driving concept than the original." The most distinguishing features are goggles, watch viewer window and detachable driving pouch. Aitor truly has pushed function and ergonomics and this is evident as much in the design process as it is in the finished design. I'm certainly not aware of any other driving jacket whose shape shifts in to a driving position when required!

The look of the past and the future. Two looks used in the recent issue of i-D.

For Aitor Throup the brand has not had the respect and attention that it's iconic designs deserve. This exhibition will surely change a few people's perceptions and understanding of C.P. Company. If you are unable to make it down to the RCA in the next couple of days, hopefully my excited ramblings combined with the below video help. Thanks to James Yeomans, Aitor Throup and the whole crew at C.P. Company, Being Hunted were able to provide us with this great time-lapse video that will show you how the installation was set-up...

C.P. Company Past and Future. from James Yeomans on Vimeo.

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Hear the RA all the way from Antwerp

Peeking behind the reclaimed foam curtain of RA's changing rooms.

Susie might have beaten me to the punch on this and pick pocketed my memory card for a couple of shots to rub salt in to my wounded features but this concept store is too good not to mention here. RA13 will officially open next week but we were given a sneak preview of the huge space (800 sq metres) which is already crammed full of wonder and intrigue even thought most of it was still packed in boxes. When we arrived at the store we were greeted with a dust and sawdust plume as the builders were still frantically working (even on a Sunday) on creating a truly magical space complete with a thatched cottage buying area, reclaimed cinema seating for a music area and an outdoor forest to name but a few features.

It is when we entered the fashion space that we quickly realised how exciting this store was. Not just for the city of Antwerp but for anyone close enough to hop on to a Eurostar to make the trip. Dan The Scout walked us through the huge space and talked us through the array of design talent which left both of us motionless, tongues out, salivating like two hungry stray dogs who had just wandered in to the finest butchers in town. The full lineup is mind blowing and in truth I am too lazy to type them up so I will just give you a few of the names which are currently creating quite the stir my loins; Gareth Pugh, Damir Doma, Juun J, Frank Leder, Ute Ploier, Material Boy, Makin Jan Ma, Peter Jensen and Katie Eary. I was able to nose through the well stocked Frank Leder rail and it was the first time that I had seen his designs up close and I was particularly taken with the outerwear and accessories.

The designs reminded me of the designer. In all honesty, he is a deisnger I'm not too familiar with as I've never been able to buy his design. For this season, Frank Leder continues to weave the story of the ordinary man into the fabric of his own label and this time focusses on the Bavarian poacher. The collection incorporates authentic elements from the inspiration and Dan pointed each feature out to me as we . For example, the designer crafted horn closures from deer antlers (which I'm assured are naturally shed each winter) and shirts were made from antique sheets from the 1960’s. It was great to be able to feel (and possibly buy) designs which previously I had only ever seen online.

In addition to the bounty of design talent hanging on the rails throughout the three hundred square metre fashion space, the store is going to be home to a music area, a bookstore, exhibition area, food area as well as a designer vintage section. Ra promises to be a melting pot for fashion, art, design, music, books and even fine fine food. A quick shopping visit here will no doubt turn in to a long stay as each one of my senses is treated. The experience will start in the Kloosterstraat 13 in the heart of Antwerp giving one persuasive reason for my swift return but then the team wish to extend the experience throughout the virtual world of soon to be relaunched http://www.ra13.be/. I have previously mentioned that my ultimate dream is to one day open my own menswear store and I even have blueprints bouncing around in my brain. Well, it seems that two recent Royal Academy of Antwerp graduates, Romain Brau and Anna Kushnerova, who came together at a party and dreamed up this project have infiltrated my inner thoughts and are about to unleash a store which is a doppelganger to that of dreams (albeit on a much larger scale). I just cannot wait to shop here...

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Weekend escape to Antwerp

Image from Scoute

During the height of the recent fashion week craziness we received an email informing us that we had been invited to be part of an exciting weekend trip to Antwerp. We were told that the weekend would consist of a Fashion Treasure Hunt themed event around the beautiful and historic city of Antwerp. Intrigued, the carrot of a weekend escape from London was most welcome and much needed and it saw me through that busy time. The only downside was that only one of us could go. Were we to fight over it to the death? The very idea of this made me more than a little nervous because EJ is a lot stronger and scarier than I am...Thankfully, it wasn't quite as brutal or as bloody as it might have been. As Eliza had already planned her trip to Barcelona (which she arrived back from yesterday evening) she stepped aside and let me take the trip. I'm bummed that she can't come but have promised to take lots of photos and will constantly update her on my progress.

Ever since the Antwerp Six became a sensation in the eighties, the city has produced design talent from its Royal Academy of Arts year after year. This designer conveyor belt provides unique shopping opportunities and a plentiful stock of cutting edge fashion design which I intend to take full advantage of. Some of you might remember that I visited the city back in April but the sole purpose of the visit then was to take advantage of the infamous designer stock sales. It will be nice to revisit Antwerp and really explore what the city has to offer.

So, this weekend I will take my place alongside eight other bloggers from the UK, France and the Netherlands to discover fashionable Antwerp. The other bloggers invited include, Be Frassy, the Cherry Blossom Girl, Fad Tony, Le Mechante, Miss Glitzy, Renee Sturme, This Chick's Got Style and Susie! I only found out Susie had been invited as well after I had agreed to go because over the last few weeks I have barely seen her! If you aren't familiar with the other bloggers the recently launched Shopping in Antwerp site has a little bio on each of us, just click on The Hunt to view them. If you are in Antwerp, you might bump into us running around like crazy people. If not, you can follow our adventures online, if you have any recommendations please drop me a comment below and I will investigate them.

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Buck to the Future

My magazine addiction has long been documented. I've always been a consumer of those glossy and not so glossy (depending on my mood and what I can get my hands on) pages. Despite there being a number of personal favourites (talking of which I'm still in the hunt for the latest issue of Fantastic Man), the men's style magazine market is somewhat undernourished...there are some undeniably great bi annuals and quarterlies published but my stomach is more often than not left rumbling on a month by month basis...The lads mags I grew up with are still on the shelf but they haven't been added to or pushed forward, even though the interest in menswear has and for this reason alone I'm sure that there is an untapped market out there. A young pretender is about to enter the fray - BUCK. BUCK is a new monthly men's style magazine that will be on sale from late October (in the meantime go and have a look at the site) and will feature the three f's - fashion, furniture and food. The focus will be on promoting new talent with up and coming bands, artists and designers featured every month talking about their own style and tastes. I hope it is a success. Surely there are people outside the confines of the M25 who are interested in the Topman Lens collection (has any noticed the new look Topman site?), upcoming designers like Charlie Ross and the bstore pop up store? If it is a roaring success, who knows maybe I'll publish a magazine with EJ, it would have to be a secret love child of a publication....with the not so proud parents being the Face and Fantastic Man.

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Hans Madsen in New York

As mentioned earlier in the week, one of the real highlights of LFW was the launch of NEWGEN MEN. The exciting initiative rightfully places menswear right at the fore front of fashion and provides a platform for the very best menswear talent. James Long and Carolyn Massey were of course the inaugral recipients of the the award but what of the designers who graduated from the MAN platform before this new initiative came in to place. Fashion156 posted a nice little 'Where are they now' feature back in March where they rightly praised the Topman/Fashion East MAN showcase and updated their readers on the progress of their graduates. At that time, there had been a total of fourteen designers who had taken part in the MAN showcase. Names like Aitor Throup and Kim Jones were still familiar and prominent but there were a number of talented designers who had fallen off my radar somewhat. The best example is Hans Madsen.

Danish native Hans Madsen graduated with an MA in Knitwear from the Royal College of Art in 2007, recognized for his well-crafted, conceptual and approachable pieces. Since graduating Hans went on to show his debut AW08 collection as part of MAN and returned the following season with his SS09 collection. Since moving on from showing as part of the MAN lineup, he has continued to hone in on his raw edged and ever so slightly romantic take on street-influenced menswear. Despite his designs being available here in London at b Store, I have to confess that he had fallen off my fashion radar. So I was extremely pleased when I heard the news (thanks to Dazed Digital) that FAE (First Among Equals) an independent purveyor of obscure labels will give Madsen his first American debut with his AW09 collection. This piece of news reminded me how much I love his nordic influenced designs. Here's hoping that he returns to London Fashion Week as part of an even larger Menswear lineup next season.

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Pattern Cutting as Art: A study on Anansi

To coincide with the Frieze art fair Paul Smith will be exhibiting the latest body of work from Hormazd Narielwalla entitled ‘A Study on Anansi’ from 10th to 21st October at his Furnishing Gallery. The exhibition will consist of a set of ten artworks drawing inspiration from two sources, Savile Row tailoring patterns and traditional African Anansi tales to create a new body of work.

A Study on Anansi is a celebration of the popular character from West African and Caribbean folklore brought to life using the discarded patterns. "Anansi", the trickster, is the wise and clever Earth God but I have to confess to turning to my trusty friend google, for answers. Despite my ignorance, many aspects of these stories have trickled through to Western society and into children’s stories, super-hero characters and fictional literature. In some versions of the stories Anansi created the sun, moon and all the stars. This attribute of the stories makes it through into Narielwalla’s work where Anansi dances, teases and entertains himself with his most prized creation, the sun.

I first came across Hormazd Narielwalla's work at EXIT Gallery's "A Fairytale About Fashion" exhibition. Narielwalla's Dead Man’s Patterns was a design story, beneath the trappings of menswear into the book, the man, the pattern, and his images really captured my imagination. and I just had to post about it. The artists work originates from sets of bespoke patterns, which of course belonged to former customers, now deceased, from a by-gone era. These patterns have recorded a history of intimate dialogues of customer measurements and fittings over a lifetime but no longer have any practical use to the cutter and are often discarded. The talented Hormazd takes these fragile pieces of parchment out of their original context and breathes fresh life in to the creases and careful folds, along finely traced pencil marks and measurements. Opportunities are created by giving these pieces of discarded paper a chance to breathe, simply in the act of extracting, giving them a new lease of life as art objects.

For this work, Narielwalla's uses scans, photography, his own sketches and digital composition to create a set of playful artworks that have a traditional look and appeal. Creating bespoke clothes for the rich and powerful has made Savile Row iconic but in this evocative work Narielwalla is showing us tailoring patterns, as they have never been seen. The patterns are reinterpreted and resurrected; the lives of people measured through tailoring are brought back to life as works of art through even older tales from another world.

For the past year and a half Hormazd has had the opportunity to work closely with Dege & Skinner's cutters and tailors. It is in this private tailoring environment that he truly began to consider tailoring as Art. Hormazd has recently been awarded an international scholarship to read a Doctorate in Philosophy at London College of Fashion and his main focus will be on pattern cutting as Art. The artist is currently working on the memoirs of Master Tailor and Chairman of the firm, Michael Skinner. Skinner's story will be narrated through his own pattern cutting journals whilst studying at the prestigious Tailor & Cutter Academy. I can't wait to find out more information on this project and as soon as I do, I'll share it with you. In the meantime, enjoy the selection of artwork above.

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Lodger's Reverse Auction at Midday

Lodger have recently launched their twitter page and will be sharing a few updates on what they’re working on that won’t be mentioned anywhere else whilst causing a little stir every Friday. We spoke to Nathan during our interviews earlier last month (here and here) and the main idea is to use Twitter to add a little excitement to all of our Fridays.

Every Friday they will host a reverse auction for a pair of Lodger shoes. The pair will start out at the retail price and drop £2 every minute. For the first auction they’re going to put a custom-made pair of their September Shoe of the Month, the breathtaking Kudu Brogued Boot, on the block. What a way to pass the time on a Friday afternoon! When Steve declared that he had succumbed to their flirtatious glances and ordered a pair a number of your eyes turned green, well here's your chance to own your own pair. The winning bidder will get to select his favourite colour (Steve prefers the grey whilst EJ favours the tan) and a pair will be made with his name hand written inside. The first bidder to get in touch via, email, phone, or venturing in to the shop itself gets the shoes at the price of the moment. How long can you hold your nerve? Happy bidding! Let us know how you get on.

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John Smedley's Tailoring

Towards the end of last week I visited John Smedley's newly designed flagship store on Brook Street and I'm so pleased that I did because I found out some pleasing news. The still family owned brand have added another dimension to the labels fine knitwear offering by launching their first tailored menswear collection. I was able to inspect each piece and the collection has a luxurious, yet robust texture making it perfect for the dark, cold months ahead. Having just returned from the Kent coast, I think those days will come around sooner rather later because that cold North wind left my teeth chattering! Ever since I visited their base deep in the Derbyshire Dales I've not looked at their knitwear in the same way. This brand may have been churning out quality knitwear for two hundred and twenty five years, but it has lost none of its passion, sense of craft and desire to innovate.

The tailored capsule collection features shirting, waistcoats and trousers all designed to enhance the colours and textures of their much loved knitwear pieces. Traditional work-a-day trousers and fitted waistcoats made from fine English cloths are as hard wearing as they are stylish and give this collection its foundation. Manufactured in the West Midlands, and produced by tailors known for their bespoke pieces, the new tailored collection of classic trouser, brace trouser and a style with Long John features are as expected with this brand, of course individually hand finished. The shirts benefit from a four piece yoke used to provide a superior fit and updated with rounded cleric collars designed to sit perfectly with John Smedley knitwear. Every detail of this capsule line is extremely well thought out and sits seamlessly together. I have an eye on both the fittedwaistcost and brace trousers as I look to integrate some workwear inspired pieces in to my every day style without appearing as if I'm in costume, I might just have to take another look at the Long John inspired trousers as well because the idea of them is very intriguing.

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Lens hits the Topman website

So as well as launching their US site, Topman have also put their latest Lens collection up here. No sign of the plaid jacket, but the Carolyn Massey which divided opinions is available for £100 here . Sadly Steve couldn't make it to the launch so we've yet to get an eyeful of this stuff close up- have any of our readers checked this stuff out in store yet?

In case you missed it, we wrote about this collection back in July.

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Picture Postcard: Weekend break

This pic was taken of me last time I was at home, on the beach of Margate...all I'm missing is the ultimate tasty accessory, a 99 with a flake.

Dear EJ

As the collective fashion gaze turns towards London, I for some reason am leaving the big smoke for the weekend and returning from whence I came...the seaside. I will be sure to spread the ideas of Men Represent but I'm not too sure how receptive the boys and men of 'Planet Thanet' will be to it all.

Keep an eye on the Topman website, the autumn/winter Topman Design is now available (click here to have a look) but the Lens Collection (which we've both been looking forward to) will be available real soon - you might just get your hands on the Massey cape you've been dreaming of..

Much Love and have a great weekend

Steve

PS - Thanks for adding the Feeling Lucky feature on the right hand side, an inspired idea! Readers, you can now read a post at random to entertain yourselves.

Hey Steve!

Hope you have fun times in deepest darkest Kent. I will be keeping a close watch on the Topman website (is it me or was the US site launch kept rather quiet? It's probably just me), if just to see how quickly the Topman Design stuff sells out. Alas I cannot afford to buy myself the cape or that plaid jacket as I had hoped as I near bankrupted myself last weekend doing girl shopping (dresses!)

I'll try to keep the blog covered while your away. That is if I don't get distracted reading the archives.

EJ
x

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Fashion's big night out: Dover Street Market

I'm sure that I wasn't the only one who has enjoyed a little late night shopping tonight. I say shopping but it was more of a casual perusal than an evening of consumerism for me. More than two hundred central London stores came together in a heady mix of special offers, one-off designs, in-store activities and extended opening hours. There was just so much to choose from and there was a definite buzz and ringing of tills throughout town. I chose to spend my evening at Dover Street Market because it was celebrating its fifth anniversary and had lots of in store goodies.

The main attraction for me was to toast the launch of Casely-Hayford's Special Tailoring service.
I was fortunate enough to meet Joe for the first time and to chat with Charlie about the new service and what the pair have coming up. Of course I gushed once again about how much I love their AW09 collection but I managed to compose myself partly enough to take in the ins and outs of the latest offering. Having evolved a signature slim-fit British Silhouette, Casely-Hayford plan to apply the highest Savile Row methods through their Special Tailoring Service for their made-to-measure suits and jackets. For the newly launched Special Tailoring Service the sartorial proposal ranges from half hand-made to fully hand-made suits and includes signature house details such as the half-penny curved cuffs, shaped military sleeve with prominent sleevehead, moulded one-piece collar, high underarm point, shaped out breast welt pocket and a fully canvassed front.

The whole experience sounds like the perfect way to spend an afternoon. The customer will be presented with a sample set of gauge jackets and trousers. From these signature blocks he will be able to select a jacket or suit, finished to his preferred specifications from the options offered within the range of cloths, linings, features, and trim details. Orders will then be crafted through their specialist tailoring work rooms in Japan. I want to experience the Special Tailoring Service!

A recent shot of the Stingrays by a pond. Worn with grey socks and purple jeans, both by Uniqlo.

While chatting to the Casely-Hayford's I bumped in to Mr. Hare. It was a chance for my Stingray Orwells to meet their maker once again. I looked down hoping to see him wearing the Stingrays as well but instead he was sporting the Millers whilst looking very dapper indeed. It gave me the opportunity to recount my day of shoe love at the office today which I mentioned on twitter. I was stopped three times throughout the course of my day by people who wanted to stroke them. Of course I let them, I'm not used to being asked such a thing but I felt like a walking Aquarium afterwards... a little dirty even but in a good way. How did you all fare during fashion's big night?

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Dusting off Men Represent - Change you can believe in

We have had a number of comments in recent weeks asking us about the status of Men Represent. It got off to a solid start with the w_r posting which EJ recently highlighted and we managed to reach out and create a dialogue with a number of new bloggers. Since then however, Men Represent has lost its way somewhat and we would like to get back on track with it all as we have not fulfilled our promise. As I sat at my desk at work today (while I should have been working) I had grand notions of writing a speech inspired by Obama but then decided against it. I will however remind you of the aims of the movement; it was one of change, of creating a better world. In short, with Men Represent we aim for unity, innovation and awareness. After the first few weeks, it has been clear that there has been interest. The issue has been galvanising this interest into something tangible, something productive. We have grand notions as to where Men Represent can go but ultimately we want to instill a greater sense of community amongst menswear bloggers. With this in mind we would like to introduce the blogs who have already expressed an interest in taking part.

The Sunday Best - Thom is an interesting chap with a lot of things to say on the world of fashion, a lot of it amusing. His interests include fashion, writing, photography, sketches of hats, food, bourbon, stories, films involving dance routines...With him on side we are confident of success and so should you. We are currently loving his One leg a time comic and cursing the fact that we didn't do something similar first.

The Journal Of Style - Written by Jonas Fred. Jonas started the blog to spread his knowledge of fashion and help increase his own knowledge on the subject. The Journal Of Style is aimed at more casual styles than formal (although there is a bit on formal dressing). It's a new blog - less than 2 months old.

Buckets and Spades - Written by Matt Ahoy who lives by the seaside and who studies Fashion Promotion at UCLan, drinks cocktails and eats cakes.

The Staple - Written by a consummate consumer blessed with an aesthetic eye yet no tangible artistic talent - reporting from the urban metropolis with the latest in ephemeral goodies. This was one of the first blogs that Steve read online and it's a constant read...he just wishes XS updated it more.

The life and times of a problem child - Gian documents the days and loves of a jeune homme who calls himself a fashion voyeur and a cinephile at the same time.

Kyle Feel Good - Follow the life of a 20-year-old pretentious fool (his words!) whose fluctuating interests jump from fashion to biking to travels. Throw into the mix some rambling about university life and the occasional drunken night in beautiful Vancouver, Canada.

Iluwfashion - This blog needs no introduction as I'm sure you're all regular readers... a Swedish gent in London who has a taste for luxury goods.

Style Flavors - This is a guide to fashion, accessories, living, travel and things others might associate with superficiality.

Daniel Jenkins - A shop owner rather than a blogger but we all know that he has a lot of interesting things to say on menswear so let's listen up!

We are in conversation with Gert Jonkers, Jop Van Bennekom, Tyler Brule, Charlie Porter and the usual crowd but to be honest we would rather keep it between the key bloggers. You have to concede that we have a strong lineup of bloggers on board already, why not join the party and comment or drop us an email. In terms of the subject matter we would like the cause to explore, the options are endless and we would like your involvement as much as possible. We want Men Represent to become a forum of ideas, something which can allow us to evolve men's style blogging and create something interesting. We are far from aimless however and have a number of ideas which we would like to explore under the guise of Men Represent, these include; modification projects (you just don't see enough of this within men's style blogs), a shop guide (beginning with a write up of your favourite shop we will map out the stores of choice and creating a valuable resource), interpreting/applying fashion week to your wardrobe - from runway to your bedroom, to name just a few ideas.

Where would you like Men Represent to go? As a nice re-introduction to the campaign and to introduce us all to one another it would be great if everyone interested in taking part emailed their own 5 Essentials (idea stolen from men.style). I will leave the concluding sentence to Obama..."Fellow men's style bloggers, we are better than these last few years. We are better bloggers than this."

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