07/12/2015
This time of year I find myself constantly harassed, or occasionally asked, if there is anything I’d like for Xmas. “Peace and quiet, well-behaved children, and a pint of G&T” is rarely accepted as a response, as the asker was invariably after either something that could be purchased, or something that could be crafted on the basis of an empty…
06/12/2015
I’m always looking for things that have that added ingredient of different, be it a vintage car, a strange back-street caffe, or another jacket for the collection. Realm & Empire have been mentioned here a few times before, as one of a handful of British companies worth keeping an eye on. By some incredibly fortuitous dealings, R&E have managed to…
04/12/2015
Delving again into my stack of menswear books, today we have “100 years of menswear” by Cally Blackman. Cally is no novice when it comes to fashion, or writing about it, with at least 4 previous titles and a position as lecturer at institutions such as Central Saint Martins College. This professionalism is obvious when you take a look through…
03/12/2015
I like a nice pair of boots. Not because I have any particular need for the ruggedness, but because I like their look, their no messing sturdiness, and well, just because. I do have a strong opinion when it comes to boots though and that is that if you’re going to wear boots, you should wear boots. Not play-boots. And…
02/12/2015
Yes, I seem to be spending a lot of time in the woods of late. It’s a great place to be this time of year, even though it’s a bit nippy and most of the trees are stripped for winter. Suddenly you can see what’s around you, instead of being in a sea of green. View this post on…
01/12/2015
When it comes to duffle coats Gloverall is where it to most intents and purposes started. No, Gloverall didn’t invent them, far from it, but when the British armed forces decided they had more than they could possibly use, what with it being peacetime and all, it was Gloverall that brought them to the public. And when the surplus duffles ran…
26/11/2015
A big day on the blog today! For a while now I’ve been wanting to do something about the blog’s logo, as I felt it wasn’t really all that appropriate any longer. Hardly a major issue when compared to the general turmoil and issues the world faces at the moment, but in the little corner of the web where I’m…
15/11/2015
Today’s book is a heavy one, and full of knowledge and facts. It’s clocks in at some 300 odd pages, profusely illustrated and lots of text. Published in 2002, this is a timeless tome indeed. And properly hefty, in it’s hardbound format. This is not a book to be taken lightly! The full title of the book is “Dressing the…
14/11/2015
There are a few British company names that strike me as being incredibly evocative. Barbour is one, Gloverall is another. The story behind Gloverall is so quintessentially quirky and British that I shake my head in wonder every time I think of it. Way back after WW2 the company was called Gloves & Overalls Ltd. in 1951 though bought a…
13/11/2015
I’m not quite sure why, but lately I appear to have been veering off the straight and narrow menswear track and more into the undergrowth of vintage and army gear. Thinking back it might have been finding the vintage Harris tweed jacket in Liverpool (the one that became the acclaimed first tweed project), or maybe it was falling for the…