Pure Aesthetic

2010-05-02T12:55:00.002+01:00

End of term exams have now become my life. Time seems to seep away either by procrastinating or working, or pretending to work whilst procrastinating. The load is light but the years been lighter and its all getting a little to much.

The solution? An incentive, so if the work goes well then i intend to buy myself one special item as a well done, if it doesn't go well then most likely the same expense will go on drowning my woes in numerous south coast bars.

But what is the one stand out menswear piece for s/s2010 that should be my goal?

answers on a postcard.

2010-03-17T16:47:00.002Z

In response to a renewed love of bands like Sonic Youth, the pastels, beat happening etc. and a relative lack of money i have decided to opt for a fairly Lo-Fi American surf/skate/60's look this summer.

This in short means a couple of old pairs of jeans cut off into shorts or the standard skinny jeans for the colder summer day or evening. T-shirts, which i may need to pop down to the local vintage shop to bulk up on, and shirts which i have in abundant supply.

However there are two things i am need off to complete this look. Firstly a new jacket, thinking perhaps some sort of heavy-ish plaid variety, much like the one ive been stealing off my house amte for a good time now, which can be picked up in most vintage shops at the moment. The second, and more exciting issue for me, is the need for a good pair of classic vans skate shoes for those lazy summer days. This type of shoe has been reissued fairly consistently and as such there is a fairly good selection of different models out there. 3 different styles have grabed my attention mainly because they are in the sales and are on the to possibly buy list at the moment.

The two pairs are from oki-ni, the half cab in the maroon colour way...

or the sk8 mid blue...

The other pair probably top the list for me and are from office. They are the mid skool 77 and again i prefer the blue colour way...

Part of me is thinking it might be easier to go for a plain white pair but where is the fun in being plain with shoes. Maroon is a new colour to me and it feels slightly intimidating whereas i've been looking for a blue pair of shoes, all be it in a darker shade than these, for quite a while now.

Any suggestions?

2010-03-12T00:04:00.002Z

My posting is sporadic at best at the moment. Work,work,work is the problem and it shows no sign of letting up. For now just a few comments and no pictures for time constraints.

I've fallen in love with the Levi cord chukka boots by opening ceremony, stunning boots but only available in NY and LA i think ,so wont be getting my hands on a pair. Oh well worse things have happened.

After a few mildly warm mornings in the garden this week i've started to worry about spring/summer proper. I need to go shopping but with a limited amount of money, lets say £300 or so to my name there will be some carefully planned purchases coming up soon but i'm not sure what. A t-shirt or two is needed and some chino's, but apart from that my mind is fairly blank on purchases. Shorts from last year and cuts off jeans may just about do for the beach and a cheapish pair of plimsolls for my feet. I hate budgets. i sometimes dream of a day i'll live without one but to be honest i think it makes the buying experience so much more enjoyable when you really have to take care with your choices, it makes me really consider the quality and longevity of style of the items i buy instead of jus throwing my money at everything that takes my fancy.

Any suggestions on summer clothing would be very very welcome.

I'll be back with more time soon.

LFW Mensday

2010-03-04T10:00:00.003Z

I'm a little late with this but thought i'd quickly say something about LFW this year. Went along to two shows on mensday firstly Tim Soar and then Omar Kashoura.

Tim Soar had a very good collection, i wasnt 100% sure about the styling employed, some strange layering and hair colour but the tailoring in general was outstanding. All the shirts and trousers were impeccably well cut and simple and were emphasized beautifully by some really stand out pieces on the upper body. I loved this tan long sleeved top thing (can't really say what it is?).

I also loved this jacket with the small layer over the thin lapeled ,longer cut under jacket. I guess some of the love i feel with these two is the camel suedes and leathers used and that colour matched with simple blacks whites and blues was one of my favourite colour combinations last year.

Omar Kashoura really blowed me away. Not only was the catwalk set in a lovely bar just down the road from the main area which was drowned in free cocktails and champagne as well as the obligatory vitamin water, Omar also gave one of the most incredible collections i've viewed. I won't swamp you with photos as im sure everyone has already seen them but this was my favourite piece. I loved the brilliant suiting and the heavy weight collars on some of the shirts are amazing, too often we see light weight shirts that billow and wave which is all fine, but sometimes we all just need a heavier weight shirt that holds itself especially in the blowier winter months. I also love the pairing of this stunning tailoring with the more casual nylon outerwear. This short metallic nylon cagoule is incredible and i cant wait to give this look a go maybe over summer.

Despite these two that i saw on catwalks my favourite collections was the Lou Dalton instalation snapped up by fashion east. Why Dalton didn't get a space on the catwalks i have no idea but the collection was stunning. Really fun and casual winter wear which was a breath of fresh air after the structured rigidity of Soar and Kashoura two collections. Go to StyleSalvage to see some of the superb zip detailing on the bottoms of the trousers and the jackets.

Apart from those there were fantastic collections displayed by H by Harris, Mr Hare and Martine Rose which im sure you can find information on in other places so that is all for today.

Battle winter blues with a look at Spring

2009-12-18T11:46:00.003Z

Opening Ceremony has just released some photo's of its spring 2010 collection and it looks, well just take a look.

Not all the looks have these trousers but i'm quite fond of them and the whole thing is so simple. Well fitted slim trousers, beautiful sandals and a light and stunning t-shirt. Does it get any better?

We yes it gets better, i dont know if it is only me but i love jackets with slim sleeves and this one pushes that to the extreme. Slim arms and beautiful length i've kind of fell in love with this already and i dont think i'm going to get it out of my head until i can wear it in a few long cold months time.

Candle Light

2009-12-13T14:33:00.003Z

Becasue of a strange arrangement in my room i cant charge my phone and laptop and use the lights. Seeing as i need to read i am having to light my room with a large pile of vinilla scented tea-lights a bought a couple of weeks back ( with the added advantages of alittle extra warmth and getting rid of some of the stale smoke smell which lingers in here).

Those two beautiful Carolyn Massey shirts are hung from my picture rail at the moment and they look even better by candle light, on close inspection and seeing as im looking for any distraction from work nearly all my clothes look better in candle light than under horrible bulb light which i've had a distaste of for quite a while.

This got me thinking about Against Nature by Huysmans, in this rather slow moving novel the main (only) character Des Esseintes studies a multitude of swatches to discover what colours would work best under lamp light before he paints his room. So why dont designers take more consideration about how night-life light effects colour when a lot of the times we wear out best clothes at night and for example greys which look almost silver in day light can turn in to murky brownish tones under yellow light sources.

2009-12-13T12:33:00.002Z

Yesterday was the final day of the Carolyn Massey sample sale and the first day i could get along. After getting lost in hackney for 45 minutes and freezing myself to the core i got to flick through the few pieces left and made a couple of purchases.

I bought this greyish blue shirt with collar bar for £89 which was far over my intended budget on its own but i've been debating the collar bar for quite some time and it really is a beautiful shirt. Haven't worked out how to wear it yet to be honest. It doesn't really fit into my normal skinny jeans desert boot and shirt/t-shirt look and i need to decide how to make it look casual enough that i don't feel like a bit of a posh twat in it.

Apart from that i also picked up a white shirt which buttons down the right hand side seeam and then over the shoulder. It only cost me £15 which is a bit of a bargain if you ask me and it really is very, very nice. I think i might even like it more than the above mentioned one, the fit may not be as perfect and the material as nice but none the less it just works for me. It is simple and uncomplicated but really quite unusual and I feel awfully comfortable wearing it just like one of my other shirts.

If any of you missed it you really did miss out on a lot , sorry, but its true.

2009-12-08T22:03:00.002Z

Oh and follow up to the parka issue i bought this one from topman

http://us.topman.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=0&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=32052&storeId=13051&categoryId=137955&parent_category_rn=137945&productId=1385434&langId=-1

Cant get the image so the link will have to do.

I dont like the photo with the sleeves rolled up but i was very impressed with it, nice and autumnal a little to late i fear but it may do me another jacket through the bitter winter in london.

2009-12-08T21:51:00.003Z

ive been off here for so very long now. Had great plans to force myself to blog at least once a day but i can't seem to get around to tweet once a day let alone write anything of any substance.

Anywho, was at the UCL Christmas carol concert tonight and through all the festivities couldn't help but notice two things;

1 how inappropriately dressed i was, their was nothing festive about me

2 how damn cold i was.

And so to kill two birds with one stone i must go buy myself a Christmas jumper soon very soon.

On other news im slightly infatuated with this photo at the moment

Im not sure why but the proportions just seem right, the long crotch and those three buttons on the trousers the high boots just do it for me. A cheaper and botched together copy may be coming my way very soon. Maybe paired with that newly purchased festive jumper. Well we'll wait and see.

Satyenkumar

2009-10-25T01:51:00.002+01:00

Satyenkumar has been one of my favourite designers for a long time now ever since some of the spectacular aw08 collection which had some beautiful pieces such as an amaizing panel sweat which was just sublime. I dont know how i've missed his aw09 collection until now but i absolutely love the whole look of the collection. There are clear trends running through it, the relatively high waisted trousers which i believe need to make a come back big time soon. The clear matching colours with not too much contrast goes with a lot of the monochrome stuff i'm wearing at the moment. I gave up trying to be bold with colour and am now trying to be bold with texture, it is very interesting the subtleties you can create with similar shades and unusual materials, maybe even some subtle patterns.

Anyway Daniel Jenkins has some stand out pieces from this latest collections plus a few bits and pieces from older collections i believe so go check them out.

The Mountan Parka

2009-10-23T12:08:00.005+01:00

After finding this sketch of a mountain parka in my internet trawling the urge to buy became ever so strong. I love parka's in general but i always think that a full length one squashes my already short legs down into odd little stumpy things that are completely unflattering. However this mountain cropped style is, for a man with shorter than desired legs a preferable option. I love the four large external pockets and the rugged military feel to the whole thing, and as i said earlier i want to make my wardrobe more masculine so why not veer away for harington jackets and towards a more outdoorsey look.

As of purchasing i got stuck between two different pieces.

http://www.fusshop.co.uk/garbstore_mountain_providence_parka_used_black.html

This one is from Garbstore and despite it not having the two large chest pockets that i loved in the first picture I am quite partial to little bits of leather detailing. The toggles and the strip in the middle are simply sublime and I love that dark olive colour with the orange lining so very much.

The other is this Woolrich Woolen Mills Parka which i have pretty much fallen head over heals in love with.

http://www.thebureaubelfast.com/shop/product/402/woolrich-woolen-mills-olive-mountain-parka/

The detailing on this is indescribable. As with all Woolrich Woolen Mills products it it assured to be made to the very highest quality with a 100% cotton outer and 100% wool lining. With 3 large bellow pockets and one vertical zip pocket it almost ticks all boxes there and again it has some of those little details that really make it. The leather toggles , the raglan sleeve and the rear poachers pocket add those little bits that push this jacket into the lead.

Sewing machines ready?

2009-10-18T13:08:00.002+01:00

I stumbled upon this http://sidewalkchalks.blogspot.com/ today. Which is a blog of a design student at LCF. I love finding these sort of guys out, young and ambitious designers who could quite easily populate and create the next generation of menswear.

I was particularly keen on this shear jumper and the side fastening shirt. The shirt is still so simple, so clean and basic, but by pulling the buttons round to the side the slight twist and change of proportions is really quite attractive. That teamed with the jumper which adds so much depth to the white increasing the contrast in it and giving it so much more than what the plain white shirt without it could give.

Its worth looking out for these kind of guys , you never know what you might discover?

Opening Ceremony

2009-10-16T11:49:00.004+01:00

When i spoke earlier about wanting to push myself colour wise i think i may have found a piece that will do just that this summer.

I've already been looking for a Breton top for a while now, all be it a slightly more traditionally styled one but its still in basic a breton at heart. The dropped shoulders and wide neck still being there but the red and white are a more suitable colour for me right now. As i said, i have far too much navy blue and blues n general clogging up my rails and even though in the middle of summer i can kind of get away with it i fear that during the up coming grey months the blues will be turned to a murky stodge by the muffled light.

So i need something to brighten up my winter, something which will still sit alongside most of my other clothes but stand out for the solidness of colour. This Opening Ceremony Breton is so perfect, i love the bright red stripes which sit so well on the creamy backing. The elbow patches bring another layer of colour whilst hopefully matching up with all of that blue i already have. i've also wanted an excuse to by some sky blue loafers in the last couple of days and this might just be the item that allows me to do that. I'm also head over heals about that little tan button which looks so precariously hung on the chest pocket and the white stitching that fringes the elbows.I know its not that out there or crazy but i really struggle with colour, its something i need to ,lets say, work on.

I've also taken quite a fancy to this Carolyn Massey

cape. I found something similar in a vintage shop about a month ago but didn't have the funds to buy it at the time and have been meaning to make a trip but east to have a look if it is still there but i severely doubt it will be and i don't think i can afford the real thing.

Oh well i'll keep my eyes open and maybe something will fall into my arms.

2009-10-15T10:25:00.000+01:00

whys this fucking thing cutting off the right half of the pictures. fuck it i'll deal with it later.

2009-10-15T10:21:00.000+01:00

To keep it short and sweet for your sake and my educations sake , All my old bags are dying.

These seem like a playful new choice for a new purchase, something slightly more practical than the totes and man bags i've been struggling with for the last year as well.

2009-10-15T10:16:00.000+01:00

I bought a b-store black shawl jacket just the other week and am now regretting the choice. Not only with 15 minutes before i have to leave for university can i not find it but i'm finding this slightly harsher biker style jacket more appealing right now. I feel like i need something to masculine up my wardrobe at the moment, i tried to grow a 'tache the other week but blonde-brown doesn't really work as a lip accessory. Maybe some boots or studs might give that slightly tougher factor I'm missing at the moment. Or maybe i need a good pair of gloves? hmmm i'm fairly sure all good men have good gloves.

2009-10-14T16:38:00.000+01:00

Love this jumper, don't know when or where its from exactly but any help finding one/something similar would be LAVELY.

blow Up

2009-10-14T16:14:00.001+01:00

Does anyone else love David Hemmings in those slim white jeans and blue shirt in Blow Up. Its a look I'd love to give more of ago, He so subtly and easily wears his clothes which are perfectly simple but lifted by the thin rectangular faced watch and wide belt.

And it being possibly one of my favourite films ever helps just a little.

Colour Monotony

2009-10-14T15:55:00.000+01:00

Since that picture of Hamish Bowles on the Sartorialist and that article on colour in the newest editin of FantasticMan I cannot stop thinking about colour. It's something that up until now i've probably only subconciously considered and after only small amounts of pondering It's led me to want to completely recreate my wardrobe.

When I open the doors to my small and over stuffed wardrobe what always hits me is navy blue. Navy blue or red and thats it, the odd smattering of black and white from jeans and t-shirts , one long sleeved green shirt recently bought from topman but the rest is a mixture or navy and sky blues.

So where do you start on colour, do you buy everything in similar colours so as each item will work with most if not all others? or do I create individual outfits and then swap items at a latter point? Its all very confusing so I think I'll most likely stick to what I do now, buy what I want when I see it and not really bother thinking about anything in the long run.

Phillip Lim

2009-10-13T22:04:00.000+01:00

Starting this blog has given me good excuse to spend hours tralling through a congested bookmark folder of designers. I redily religate nearly every designer i stumble upon to this dusty archive of my intrests and about 6 links up from the bottom i stumbled upon Phillip Lim who i'd only put there three days ago but already forgotten about.

This may seem awful but it was actually kind of nice to get excited about a designer for a second time in a week. His use of jersey bottoms which look so very very comfortable and those stunning cropped double breasted blazers with the contrasting lapels is so exciting, not to mention those studded slip ons and almost minimalist high tops. In my opinion fashion too often gets caught up with smacking you in the face but it is so much more exciting to see something which almost rolls off the tongue and into your wardrobe smoothly. The monochrome outfits are so outstanding I may even push the boat out and spend some of the already dwindling student loan on a purchase or two. hmmm.

Poaching Season

2009-10-13T21:19:00.000+01:00

Through my daily trawl of blogs and the like i by chance stumbled upon a very interesting collection by Frank Leder on StyleSalvage .Despite knowing much about this Saint Martins trained German designer his use of a history and traditional German themes is exciting. These garments are rooted firmly in history having a unmistakable air of nostalgia but are sped up to the 21st century with clever use of modern tailoring and traditional techniques.

Suprisingly the collection looks far from new. Each item looks aged and slightly distressed, I can only assume slipping into one of those jackets would feel like slipping into a already aged and loved item.His use of rough and harsh appearing materials combined with loose work wear tailoring is a perfect combination for those autumn city strolls or a country romp. Mixed with the white totes and leather detailings on the pockets (which i'm particularly fond of) what more can one ask for.