28/03/2013
While staying in my parents house, I’ve often studied the old photo shown below. It’s a photo of Joseph Chetwynd, my great-great grandfather after her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen had conferred upon him the decoration of “The Albert medal of the Second Class”. This was received for gallantry in saving lives at the Baddesley Collierey Explosion in May 1882,…
27/03/2013
Whilst visiting my parents in Bergen this Easter, I dropped in at one of the two shops worth visiting in town. Ok, so there may be a couple more, but only really two of international merit, as I see it. My number one stop was to see if Michael T. Nartey, or T-Michael as he is increasingly known internationally, was…
15/03/2013
Latest news from the Nigel Cabourn camp is that they are now not only selling via select retailers, but also selling directly through their own website at www.cabourn.com. This is a trend in the industry now, with traditional retail outlets under great pressure from the large online fashion retailers. With Nigel Cabourn clothing being stocked and dropped by a number…
14/03/2013
In a bit of a departure from writing about clothes and makers thereof, today I want to talk a bit about an underlying part of looking good in your fancy clothes, i.e. the body within them. Anyone who has ever had doubts about their body will have bought clothes with the idea that they will stealthily hide what lies within.…
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…
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.…