11/03/2013
As an a new ongoing series, I thought I’d like to do a few posts of items in my “collection” that I have a special fondness for. First out, my Oslo pants by Engineered Garments. Now everyone with a little interest in the better quality of clothing has come across Engineered Garments. Started in 199 by designer Daiki Suzuki, a…
10/03/2013
With issue 13 of Proper now available and dropping into mailboxes all over, I thought it might be a fine time to give the magazine a mention here on the blog. Proper is the love-child of it’s two editors, Neil and Mark, and very much the product of their shared experiences and interests. Definitely a work in progress, each issue…
09/03/2013
Update: The Mallory jacket by Nigel Cabourn is now also reviewed in my new Outerwear review! In the third instalment of my series about Icons of menswear I’m revisiting Nigel Cabourn’s work again. The first post dealt with the Cameraman. This time I’ll be looking at the jacket we now know as the Mallory, and we’ll do a some historical…
08/03/2013
The Vintage Showroom is both a collection and a shop in London. This book is written by Josh Sims (who we already know though “Icons of Men’s Style”) and the proprietors of The Vintage Showroom, Douglas Gunn and Roy Luckett, and what a book it is! As with “Icons of men’s style” it perfectly illustrates that almost everything being done…
07/03/2013
Iceland, that mysterious, faraway home of top kookster Bjork, erupting geysirs and corruptors of finance. Anything more? Yes, surprise home of the trendy capitol of Reykjavik, where amongst many things of the hip variety we find the unpronounceable menswear label Kormákur & Skjöldur. Like the country, the garments they produce are rugged and rough, with surprising twists and surprises. They…
06/03/2013
To kick of the long anticipated stroll through my collection of fetish-clothing waistcoats, I’ve selected an oddball starter. I know a few of you were expecting me to go for a number in Harris Tweed, but they will keep for now. Today’s waistcoat is by the Australian company Whillas & Gunn, an interesting company that has been operating since 1972,…
06/03/2013
On my recent visit to London, one of the around half a dozen destinations on my list was the Universal Works shop. While a few places now stock Universal Works garments (such as Urban Outfitters, various left field and trendy menswear shops, and even a few of the online-only clothes shops), there is only the one dedicated Universal Works shop.…
05/03/2013
In this episode of “Labels to watch”, we’re looking at another of the tiny UK-based, 2-person companies doing interesting things whilst being under the radar of most folks. ARN Mercantile is the label of Neil and Akimi, the name being made up of their initials combined with that of their son, Robin. The Mercantile comes from the period when Neil…
05/03/2013
My interest in clothes has evolved over time. From finding items I kind of liked in highstreet shops, to actively seeking out the really special items. A lot of my old favorites have been moved progressively further into the darker realms of my closets, as they have been replaced by truly great items. I’m not saying the things I like…
03/03/2013
One of the places I was most keen to visit in London was the SEH Kelly workshop on saturday morning, as they’re usually only open at weekends. I’d never been to the Shoreditch area before (or so I thought, as it turned out I’d actually been quite close the year before, when I visited the interesting Boxpark trading area), and…