Men.style.com has compiled their top 25 stylish moments of 2008, sadly it doesn’t include me, grey acid washed, one shoe, a bottle or rum and a whole load of vomit- a classic look to span decades. What is even more upsetting is that rapping retard Kanye West features in this list and as 2008 draws to a close is still alive, so my prayers have gone unanswered.
When someone mentions Timberland to me I think of Will Smith, but perhaps with the American Workman having his time in the sun this season I am selling the brand a little short. If you ignore the Big Willy Styles boot that was so prolific at the start of the century then Timberland has some really nice classic boots that would look lumberjack-tastic with a pair of haggard denims and a brushed cotton shirt.
Jump through for my picks of the fall collection and for more info check out timberlandbootcompany.com.
As every self respecting middle class white boy of a certain age knows; the Wu Tang are awesome. With the exception of The W, an album that the world has collectively swept under the carpet, everything the Wu touches turns to gold so now is time for the acid test- do their children have the Midas touch? In this latest commercial from Fila the sons of Masta Killa, Power and GZA feature rockin’ the recent collab between the Wu and Fila: The Weathertech boot. The Weathertech, which is more 90′s than scratch and sniff is available now from Finishline stores in the States, so kinda inaccessible for us in the United of Kingdom but still it’s nice to know about these things.
If like me you’re bored, bored, bored of winter and want Spring right NOW then a bit of fashion forward investigation might just perk you up.
I mentioned soft tailoring and pleated shorts in my piece on the Acne/Lanvin collaboration the other day but what else does S/S 09 hold in store for us?
Right so hopefully by now you have your look squared off to a tee, but as I may have mentioned before style does not begin or end with your clothes so now it’s time to adorn your bed with some uber cool bedding. From the mad caps at Bless comes this bed spread with a life size sleeping couple printed onto the set, I love it- even if it is a little bit creepy.
The set is available from Azita along with other Bless items.
The Nike Mad Jibe is the Frankenstein’s monster of the Nike collection, part boat shoe and part Dunk- oddly it works. Soon to be available in the best Nike colourway, grey and neon yellow, though if neon is a bit garish for you then it’s easy enough to replace the laces and *bam* you’ve got a deck shoe with the comfort of a Dunk.
January looms and you’re trying very hard to wear proper clothes again, but really there couldn’t be a better time to invest in some lovely pyjamas.
Isabelle’s post on finding inspiration in classic movies like It Happened One Night, left me thinking just how fantastic Mr Gable looked in his pyjamas. Meanwhile The Sartorialist posted recently on how he’d decided to take sartorialism into the bedroom by investing in some stylish PJs.
If you need more convincing, nightwear as daywear will be a feature of S/S 09, (at least as interpreted by Dolce & Gabbana) and we’ll be all vertical stripes and drawstring pants by then so why not get some practice in? No doubt anti-fashion writer Alexis Petridis (The Guardian magazine) will be deriding the PJ trend soon but don’t let the sight of him in nightwear put you off.
Brands? Derek Rose (from Selfridges and online) is the prince of PJs or try M&S .. your mother would be so proud.
As we endure the last week of 2008 and look back upon a year of fashion extremes, we still have the sartorial challenge of New Year’s Eve (NYE) ahead of us. While many opt for a loud, proud and (often) garish get-up, I am aiming to attempt a subtle luxury with the help of muted colours but opulent fabrics (velvet, silk, corduroy etc.)
The black cords above are a great base and, with a white shirt and the dove grey waistcoat pictured, they are easy to pull-off. The bow tie and vintage cuff-links are fun and appropriately over-the-top while the royal blue loafers are expensive but a great talking point.
Have fun, look great and, if you wake up the next morning to find your D&G loafers drowning in the contents of a red wine bottle, at least you know that you’re part of the ‘Walk of Shame Chic’ trend de jour!
Like most things in fashion the popularity of glasses waxes and wains, right now it’s waxing- which is lucky for me, a closet speccy four eyes- thick rims and in particular Ray Bans are hot shit right now so much so that people with perfect 20 – 20 vision are donning pairs with clear glass lenses in. Now is the perfect time to announce some exclusive and pretty unaccessible frames for you to drool over, to the left is the Moscot Lemtosh frames in a whole new colourway, these frames have outlasted entire generations spanning pop culture from Buddy Holly to Johnny Depp and to the right is the latest collab between Stussy and Kotake Cyobei Saku, more contemporary than the Moscot this pair of the already proven Naomi frames takes a subtle edge with an all black rim.
Both these glasses are slated for release only in the east; the Moscot from Visual Culture in Hong Kong and the Stussy from their Harajuku store and their Japanese website from the 2nd and 3rd of January respectively, so if your heading that way in the new year then lucky you.
Instead of watching the same old repeats and lame programmes cosy up to an old classic, it’s a great way to avoid the usual Christmas dirge and can be a useful sartorial lesson.
I’ve just finished watching ‘It Happened One Night‘ a wonderful classic featuring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. Clark looks his usual dashing self in the film, wearing a casual tweed suit with pockets and a gathered back. The real clothing controversy comes in the scene where he undresses, unable to take both a shirt and undershirt off quickly enough for the scene he abandoned the vest creating a nationwide drop in demand for the garment which is surely a greater lesson learnt than anything you could garner watching My Family repeats, or god forbid, Little Britain USA.
If you’ve opened your presents, had a sip of Buck’s Fizz and eaten your way through a tin of Roses’ Chocs and are still bored then enter our Great Christmas Giveaway! All you have to do is go to our Facebook Blog Networks page and tell us what you enjoyed on Brandish in 2008, what you didn’t like and what you’d like to see more of in 2009 and you could win a fantastic goodie bag filled with all sorts of wonderment. Good luck!
Isabelle’s post about the lovely blue cardigan made me look out for other items to fulfill menswear’s current blue moment. Other options to bring out the peacock in you include Acne Jeans’ (yes, them again!) rather stunning blue cords, these snazzy blue-soled shoes by Folk, high-gloss patent Commom Projects hi-tops from Poste and this super-cosy down-filled sweater by Patagonia also from Folk. At this point in the year it might be worth waiting for the sales to kick in (and given the C***** C*****) these could be some sales.
I love it when a good fashion mystery gets solved, and last week Style Salvage unearthed the names of the two siblings we featured recently on Love the Look.
They’re called Dee and Ricky and they make the cute Lego heart badges snapped by the Sartorialist and sported by Kanye West. They come in classic red, multi or for the dead inside, black. It’s too late for Christmas but they would make a perfectly non-soppy Valentine’s gift, or even better a post-Christmas treat for yourself should Santa’s haul prove to be disappointing.
Whether you’re still shopping for gifts or have given up on largesse and want something to peruse on these (still many more) cold winter nights, Taschen’s book of William Claxton‘s classic photos of Steve McQueen, republished in October this year, is a beautiful, inspiring thing. Each classic image shows you what and how to wear; from shawl collar cardigans to a stunning ensemble of Barracuta jacket, cashmere sweater and cords all in the softest pastels, Mr McQueen was a very stylish man.
Buy this and you need never look further for style inspiration. Attention to detail minus self consciousness seems an attitude very of the moment given the ongoing trend for classics remade with modern luxury. The book has been flying off the (virtual) shelves but at the time of writing copies are available from SameDay Books or the inevitable Amazon.
I mentioned Vampire Weekend by way of passing in my New York shopping post last week. Ezra Koenig and his fellow Brooklyn sartorialists definitely made their mark in 2008: corduroy, fishermen caps, IheartNY tees, deck shoes, bow ties, preppy colours… Dammit, even his name is cool.
Long a source of fashion inspiration, rock bands and fashion have always been like that. As we reach the year-end which other musicians have left their styleprint on the rock ‘n roll catwalk? Cut Copy did skinny to perfection and wore vintage just right. DJ Tiga (still) has the best haircut but my personal commendation for the year goes to Kim Ann Foxman of Hercules & Love Affair. Kim Ann is not only in one of the year’s coolest acts but pulls off retro-80s-earlyhousemusic-NewYorkness in a way which is very admirable. Great hair, great silhouettes, she even designs her own jewelry line. Why follow the rules of male fashionistes when there’s a sexy, amazing, boyish lesbian to aspire to?
From:What David Gandy Can Do For Your Style