Style Safari – Retro Sunglasses guide
Eurovision Psych Contest – vote for the continent’s best space rockers
Why Blur’s Modern Life Is Rubbish is one of the most special albums ever
10 reasons why you should stop being so cynical about U2
God damn, that’s one cosy-looking hooded top, perfect for keeping you warm now that it’s properly chilly. It’s made from 100% cotton in a sunbleached vintage stylee. And you can put all sorts of stuff in the large front pocket. It’s available in a range of colours and can be purchased from all branches of Cult and via their online shop.
Oliver Spencer was something of a prodigy, a self-taught tailor with his own bespoke label at 22, then the Oliver Spencer label, selling equally stylish clobber to the off-the-peg market.
This rather smart Belted DB Coat should give you an idea of what the man is about. A wool double breasted overcoat with belt, aling with two large bellows buttton fastening pockets, adjustable cuffs and a diamond quilted liner with internal pockets. Not to mention loads of style.
Yours for around £300.
The big problem with picking up an old suit is that smell of mothballs (not to mention the worry of someone having died in it). So how about a new suit that has the cut and features of a classic – like the Brooks Brothers JFK suit.
It’s full title is the Brooks Brothers Fitzgerald Solid Two-Button 1818 suit, but as the design is based on suits made for John F, Kennedy in the early 60s, it’s got the JFK tag. Slim fitting, just two buttons, narrow lapels, flat-fronted trousers and a centre vent at the rear, not to mention all manner of detailing you’ll only expect to find in a tailor’s handbook.
If you’re after a rat pack look, you can pick the suit up for £599.
Via Retro To Go
Think cycling gear and you probably think revealing shirts, bright top and peak cap. And you’ll not be far wrong – unless you’re aware of Rapha.
Yes, they do some of the obvious kit, but with a bit more style than the competition. And they also do a very smart vintage range, based on the clothing of the 1950s, like this Merino shirt. Made (as you’d guess) from Merino wool, with two-button front, front pockets and contrast detailing on the arm.
You can pick one up for £90.
What do you do when the majority of your buyers are middle-aged golfers and your public face is Ronnie Corbett? In the case of Lyle & Scott, you go back to that point in time when you were fashionable and trot out the old designs under the Vintage Range banner.
Paying homage to the label’s 80s heyday, the range includes knitwear, jackets and polo shirts – some that can still cut in 20 years later, others that wouldn’t look out of place in the back of our dad’s wardrobe. You can’t go far wrong with the polo shirts (like the one pictured) – short cropped in a selection of plain colours and with eagle logo for just under £40. And indeed, the cardigans, which are up there with anything else this season for around £100. Just stay away from the diamond sweaters!
Lyle & Scott website
Carhartt’s ‘Graduate’ jacket is available in five different colours – tobacco (pictured), grey, navy blue, olive and, of course, black. It’s reassuringly old-school, in a cardigan-stylee, but still looks modern enough that you don’t need to smoke a pipe to get away with wearing it. And because it’s made from 100% wool, it’s warmer than several rounds of hot buttered toast.
For stockist info, visit the Carhartt website
It’s a small step between slightly quirky and being the office clown. These five sets of cufflinks should get you some attention – but without being labelled the local joker.
1. Lego cufflinks
Show you’re in touch with your inner child with these Lego cufflinks. Actually, they’re called Forever Young cufflinks and are designed by Jacqueline Sanchez.
Handmade, they have a sterling silver base and retail for around £80.
Find out more
2. Dunhill vintage car headlight cufflinks
Inspired by car headlights from the 20s and 30s, these sterling silver cufflinks have the pattern engraved underneath the transparent lacquer for "depth and perspective".
With a hand-polished finish, they retail for a hefty £185.
We’re all going to Hell in a handcart. Not content with breeding dogs that can sit in an A-lister’s handbag, humanity has now gone even further. Meet the Pucci Hoodies. That’s right, hoodies for the kind of small yappy dogs that even David Cameron would shy away from hugging. They’re fleece-lined tops, which come with a drawstring hood (presumably for when your dog doesn’t want to be identified on CCTV footage of him weeing up the postman’s leg).
And okay, they’re not just for small yappy dogs. They come in eight sizes, from Small (Paris Hilton pets only) through XL+ (cocker spaniels) right up to 4L (Great Danes). Although if you fancy squeezing a Great Dane into a hoodie, you’re a braver man than Brandish. They come in blue, pink and khaki colours (this is the hoodies, not Great Danes), and cost £24.95 or £39.95 from Firebox. BUY IT
Looking for a rock star look? Forget the catwalks, this YMC Printed Windjammer jacket comes with the approval of Noel Gallagher!
Yes, Oasis man has one of these. And if you don’t believe me, check out the cover of the latest edition of Uncut magazine, as he’s wearing it there. Available in charcoal and black dog tooth print, this nylon windjammer has a zip away hood, a zip fastening front and two front pockets.
Ideal for showery autumnal weather, you can pick it up for around £100.
We’re going a bit upmarket for our final winter coat of the week – but if you can hold out a bit, you might get this Dior Homme wool military coat at a more affordable price in the new year sales,
Very much in the style of an old military overcoat of the 19th century (think Napoleon, but sized up), it’s navy blue and features a hook and eye fastening on the neck, double-breasted front, two vertical pockets above two more flap pockets on either side of the waist and a length that goes to around your mid thigh. There’s also epaulettes on the shoulder and two pockets inside.
Made of 90% wool and 10% cashmere, it retails for a rather hefty £810.
More from the Browns website
Via Retro to Go
I can’t say I’m a Jaeger regular, but a new range under the name Jaeger London label could change all of that.
The label is aimed at a slightly younger crowd (which shouldn’t be hard), but using the cut and the style of the sixties to hit this new target market. The quality is a step up too – think camel trench coats, polo necks and mohair suits.
Obviously all of this comes at a price. The picture featured here includes a camel hair car coat (£599), suit (£499), Jaquard shirt (£70) and a silk dogtooth tie (£50). Still worth a look though if you’re in the area – and might offer some rich pickings at sale time.
Jaeger London online
A winter coat in every sense – this Woolrich Arctic Parka was originally developed in 1972 for the Alaskan pipeline workers, who had to work in temperatures as low as 40 below.
This is an exact replica of that original parka, with 100% goose down, polycotton shell, two handwarmer pockets, two button fastening outer pockets, one internal pocket and drawcord waist. There’s also an adjustable fur-trimmed hood with velcro throat tab. And it’s available in navy (pictured) or khaki.
All that detail does come at a price – expect to pay around £380. But that money does guarantee you warmth whatever this winter may bring.
Find out more
Via Retro To Go
French Connection (or FCUK as they prefer to be known) has been on a steady decline to a lowest common denominator for a few years now, hitting rock bottom with those appalling FCUK you t-shirts. Do you own one? Hang your head in shame.
There’s only one way to go now – and they’re climbing back up slowly but surely with some smart winter wear, including this Andrews overcoat. It’s a herringbone wool mix, fully lined, ‘tailored’ (that probably means a slim fit) and with a concealed button placket, front and inner pockets and back vent. It’s made of 80% wool and 20% polyamide and reasonably priced at £160. Here’s hoping for more of the same in future.
Find out more at the FCUK website
Via Retro To Go
Following on from yesterday’s pea coat, here’s another timeless classic worthy of consideration – the Gloverall Classic 511 duffle coat.
Gloverall has been making duffle coats since 1959 – and the Classic 511 is their top-end model. Made of 100% wool, it’s slightly longer than the traditional duffle (just below the knee), has a detachable throat tab, a fixed shoulder cape for extra strength and warmth, cuff tabs with horn toggle, large pockets with flaps and front horn toggles with leather loop fastening.
As an investment that’s never going to go out of style, it’s worth the £219 price tag. But if that’s a bit rich for you, other Gloverall duffles start from £120.
Find out more at the Gloverall website
Via Retro To Go
Looking for a new suit? There’s plenty out there, with prices for every budget. But have you ever though about going to a tailor? In my book, there are many reasons to choose a tailor above your local department store – but here’s my top five.
1. A tailor can be cheaper
Forget Savile Row, out in the real world, there’s a tailor or two in every town or city – and with prices that aren’t aimed at affluent executives. A tailored suit, including the cost of material, can cost as little as £300. Compare that to the designer range on your high street.
2. It’s been made by a craftsman
A tailor does one thing – tailoring. Many have been at it for years, giving everything they make their total attention – after all, if you’re not happy, you’re unlikely to go back. If you see a loose thread or an uneven cuff, you can get it sorted out free of charge. Don’t expect the same level of quality or service on the high street.
From:Here we go - Stevan Jovetic to Arsenal deal imminent says Metro