1. 20 May


    DELUXE X VANS ERA 10TH ANNIVERSARY SHOE

    DELUXE X VANS ERA 10TH ANNIVERSARY SHOE

     

  2. 20 May


    Some nice pieces from the Bill Wall Leather SS13 collection. It’s honestly worth visiting the website just for a chuckle. The whole thing is so dated but in an inexplicably cool way. There’s even a gun sound followed by a bullet hole appearing below some text once you get past the landing page to the site.   But in all seriousness this company is 25+ years old. That’s almost as old as Thomas Sabo. They make some serious silver and leather products. Check them out. 

    Some nice pieces from the Bill Wall Leather SS13 collection.

    It’s honestly worth visiting the website just for a chuckle. The whole thing is so dated but in an inexplicably cool way. There’s even a gun sound followed by a bullet hole appearing below some text once you get past the landing page to the site. 

     But in all seriousness this company is 25+ years old. That’s almost as old as Thomas Sabo. They make some serious silver and leather products. Check them out. 

     

  3. 20 May


    TOPO DESIGNS MOUNTAIN BRIEFCASE  You’d be forgiven for thinking this is just another garish looking satchel. It’s what I thought when I scrolled past it on my screen, shunning any further information for a new trailer for pacific rim. Then, as inevitably happens when I’ve exhausted the good shit, I go back to what I previously ignored.   As it turns out this bag is rad. If you’ve read this far, well done. Either you like ‘dat camo’ or you trusted me enough to show another colour-way.   Topo Designs make really good bags, it’s true. Whilst every shit-head, low budget menswear brand may have adopted a pointless sewn on ‘diamond thingy’ (for the life of me I can’t remember what they are called, their practical purpose has been buried beneath an avalanche of stylised misuse) Topo have been doing it for a while and doing it properly. You can probably hang stuff from them. Like carabinas, rope or the smoked haunch of your most recent kill. Unfortunately they sort of make bags look cheap nowadays. I’m sure it won’t be long before you can buy a pocket t-shirt with one instead of a pocket. It will be so retarded.   So anyway this bag is basically a messenger bag, a ‘briefcase’ (in the losest sense of the word) and most importantly, a rucksack.  Look, there’s a dude demonstrating the rucksack feature, refusing for some inexplicable reason to ‘two strap’ it as he wheels his bike home from school in 2005.  So yeah it’s actually super functional. I know it looks a bit like Poler made it but I promise you it’s much better quality. I don’t have anything against that brand but they’re like Herschel, you shouldn’t actually use them to carry anything. The Mountain Briefcase from Topo can totally support all that important literature from Urban Outfitters you bought. I personally guarantee that this bag could carry a whole bunch of Lonely Planet guides and novelty moustache picture books. 

    TOPO DESIGNS MOUNTAIN BRIEFCASE 

    You’d be forgiven for thinking this is just another garish looking satchel. It’s what I thought when I scrolled past it on my screen, shunning any further information for a new trailer for pacific rim. Then, as inevitably happens when I’ve exhausted the good shit, I go back to what I previously ignored. 

     As it turns out this bag is rad. If you’ve read this far, well done. Either you like ‘dat camo’ or you trusted me enough to show another colour-way. 

     Topo Designs make really good bags, it’s true. Whilst every shit-head, low budget menswear brand may have adopted a pointless sewn on ‘diamond thingy’ (for the life of me I can’t remember what they are called, their practical purpose has been buried beneath an avalanche of stylised misuse) Topo have been doing it for a while and doing it properly. You can probably hang stuff from them. Like carabinas, rope or the smoked haunch of your most recent kill. Unfortunately they sort of make bags look cheap nowadays. I’m sure it won’t be long before you can buy a pocket t-shirt with one instead of a pocket. It will be so retarded. 

     So anyway this bag is basically a messenger bag, a ‘briefcase’ (in the losest sense of the word) and most importantly, a rucksack.

     Look, there’s a dude demonstrating the rucksack feature, refusing for some inexplicable reason to ‘two strap’ it as he wheels his bike home from school in 2005.

     So yeah it’s actually super functional. I know it looks a bit like Poler made it but I promise you it’s much better quality. I don’t have anything against that brand but they’re like Herschel, you shouldn’t actually use them to carry anything. The Mountain Briefcase from Topo can totally support all that important literature from Urban Outfitters you bought. I personally guarantee that this bag could carry a whole bunch of Lonely Planet guides and novelty moustache picture books. 

     

  4. 4 May


    Blog posts to a minimum this month as I’m on a ton of shoots. Trying to keep up when I can. Check the new Raised by Wolves 2013 Lookbook. This Canadian brand have been going from strength to strength.

    Blog posts to a minimum this month as I’m on a ton of shoots. Trying to keep up when I can. Check the new Raised by Wolves 2013 Lookbook. This Canadian brand have been going from strength to strength.

     

  5. 25 Apr


    NEIGHBORHOOD BOOZE CROW INCENSE CHAMBER  If you’ve been looking for a £250 ceramic bird then look no further. This one even has holes in the eyes and beak so when you burn incense inside it, the scent wafts out in a homely sort of fashion. After your house-guests drive through your enormous wrought iron gates, up your stone steps flanked by ominous looking gargoyles and solve the riddle given to them by the talking door knocker, you can take things down a notch as they enter the twisting corridors of your creepy ass house by racking up a few of these on marble pedestals on the way to the library.  Available from Goodhood

    NEIGHBORHOOD BOOZE CROW INCENSE CHAMBER 

    If you’ve been looking for a £250 ceramic bird then look no further. This one even has holes in the eyes and beak so when you burn incense inside it, the scent wafts out in a homely sort of fashion. After your house-guests drive through your enormous wrought iron gates, up your stone steps flanked by ominous looking gargoyles and solve the riddle given to them by the talking door knocker, you can take things down a notch as they enter the twisting corridors of your creepy ass house by racking up a few of these on marble pedestals on the way to the library. 

    Available from Goodhood

     

  6. 24 Apr


    Inside an Amazon distribution center. Photography by Ben Roberts Via Highsnobiety

    Inside an Amazon distribution center.

    Photography by Ben Roberts

    Via Highsnobiety

     

  7. 22 Apr



    The best white t-shirt I have ever owned.

     My quest for the perfect white t-shirt has taken me far and wide over the last few months. I’m a great believer in simplicity when it comes to menswear. Rare situations call for a garish piece of hype (I do not endorse these) but there is no situation in which a white tee is not king. 

    We’re talking about something premium here btw. If you want something throw-away for the gym or to wear underneath a shirt for shape or colour, then you may as well go to H&M or American Apparel. Both shall deliver. Although H&M are notably cheaper, you’ll get a little extra thickness from AA. 

     With premium in mind, look no further than the NORSE PROJECTS NIELS BASIC SS TEE.

    image

     Priced at £35.00 and available from The Goodhood Store, this is delicious piece of 100% cotton is the best white t-shirt I have ever owned. The material is thick, the cut exceptional and the branding unobtrusive but classy enough that you still feel like you’ve made a good investment. This is how tees are supposed to feel, quietly luxurious. Also it’s not even that expensive, I mean, admit it, you were expecting more. I have no intention of suggesting you go and buy this ludicrous offering from A.P.C. It even looks like crap in their online store, all thin and emasculating and it costs €80. That shit is for models, french models in fact. 

     If you’re curious about the fit, these are narrower than they look online and on the hanger. I bought a large because I’m quite wide across the shoulders and I like space to move around in summer. Don’t buy a tight white tee, this isn’t a D&G advert. Being obviously muscular is better left to the gay community, those dudes do it better than you. 

     Also never buy a v-neck, ever. 

     

  8. 21 Apr



    Because I know the people of Tumblr like to reblog individual images so every blog looks nice and similar, here’s a bunch I found which I like. Do what you will with them. Presenting… 

    Good photography in menswear this week 

    #1 KONZEP SS13 LOOKBOOK 

    Photographer : Shen Wong

    Because : The model. the styling, that green.

    #2 COMEFORBREAKFAST AW13 COLLECTION

    Photographer : Unknown 

    Because : The wood intersecting the dudes body and the pastel tones.

    #3 LES (ART)ISTS 2013 T SHIRTS

    Photographer : Keith Au

    Because : Everyone will hate these T shirts and the idea is absolutely retarded.

    #4 KELLY THOMPSON X ROOK 2013 SS13 ILLUSTRATED COLLECTION

    Because : It isn’t a photograph.

    #5 HEDI SLIMANE “AMERICAN COWBOYS” EDITORIAL FOR HERO MAGAZINE

    Photographer : Hedi Slimane 

    Because : It’s Hedi, Hero and some real ass cowboys.

     

  9. 16 Apr


    ACTUAL PAIN - GENTLEMAN’S KNIFE

    ACTUAL PAIN - GENTLEMAN’S KNIFE

     

  10. 14 Apr


    or… grab yourself a cheaper option from Komono 

    or… grab yourself a cheaper option from Komono 

     

  11. 13 Apr


    I LOVE UGLY WATCHES  A brand that blew up faster than a nitrous oxide balloon.

    I LOVE UGLY WATCHES 

    A brand that blew up faster than a nitrous oxide balloon.

     

  12. 12 Apr


    The Oddbergur Parka by Norse Projects & Oi Polloi

    Norse Projects have teamed up with menswear mad Mancunians Oi Polloi to create this rather rugged offering made from non-waxed, sun wash British Millerain Cotton. It comes in hickory green or hickory brown and is finished with a removable velcro Norse X Oi Polloi badge. 

     Funnily enough it’s the badge which is the one thing that lets this coat down for me. I don’t like it, it’s too gimmicky. Just look at that picture and tell me that dirty little circle doesn’t ruin the symmetry of the piece. I know there will be people delighted with it but for me the interior label is enough. I know the badge is removable but then you’ve got an annoying black circle of velcro on your arm. 

     If you can ignore the badge then of course it’s a bloody lovely coat. Wonderful colours and marble effect, no doubt exception quality all round and you can’t go wrong with 100% good old British Millerain. It retails at €425 which isn’t exactly Cabourn level prices but it’s certainly one of the more expensive pieces from Norse. Collaborations are always a little more costly. That’s how they get ya. 

     

  13. 11 Apr


    Backyard Bill - not a porn site Backyard Bill has to be one of the coolest blogs I’ve come across of late. The idea behind it is not an original one, but few are nowadays. The blog’s charm lies in it’s execution and content.   Bill photographs interesting people in their homes. You’ll have seen it before. If you’re a photographer you probably came up with it at some point and thought it was an awfully clever idea. It is sometimes a nice way to grab some interesting portraits, but what makes it successful is the people you photograph and also not being shit at cameras.     The first feature I clicked on was one about Adam Holden and his daughter Lily. Adam is an excellent model, I first saw him a while back on the All Saints website. (Remember when All Saints might have been cool and then JLS’s stylist killed it for everyone? Not to be a dog with a bone but slouchy, untied, grey leather boots and a pair of drop crotch tapered jeans takes you halfway to looking like an absolute bellend. Tack on a low cut, faded graphic t shirt and a beanie with enough excess fabric to resemble a scrotum and congratulations, you’ve made it!) Anyway, Adam, the stylish fellow has a really decent sense of style. He’s the kind of dude that kids see on their tumblr dashboards and reblog with the words ‘this is how I will look when I’m older.’ I can’t find out much about Adam, but he looks a bit like Solid Snake and If I had to guess what he used to do I would say it involved wearing a white vest and keeping a shotgun behind the bar.   I don’t really recognise many of the people on Backyard Bill, but it’s a great archive of inspirational interior and portrait photography with some short, snappy interviews. If you like this, you’ll also definitely enjoy Frende Von Freunden which is arguably better and full of more well known people and places. But everyone knows about it and this blog is supposed to be cool, ya dig?

    Backyard Bill - not a porn site

    Backyard Bill has to be one of the coolest blogs I’ve come across of late. The idea behind it is not an original one, but few are nowadays. The blog’s charm lies in it’s execution and content. 

     Bill photographs interesting people in their homes. You’ll have seen it before. If you’re a photographer you probably came up with it at some point and thought it was an awfully clever idea. It is sometimes a nice way to grab some interesting portraits, but what makes it successful is the people you photograph and also not being shit at cameras. 

       The first feature I clicked on was one about Adam Holden and his daughter Lily. Adam is an excellent model, I first saw him a while back on the All Saints website.

    (Remember when All Saints might have been cool and then JLS’s stylist killed it for everyone? Not to be a dog with a bone but slouchy, untied, grey leather boots and a pair of drop crotch tapered jeans takes you halfway to looking like an absolute bellend. Tack on a low cut, faded graphic t shirt and a beanie with enough excess fabric to resemble a scrotum and congratulations, you’ve made it!)

    Anyway, Adam, the stylish fellow has a really decent sense of style. He’s the kind of dude that kids see on their tumblr dashboards and reblog with the words ‘this is how I will look when I’m older.’ I can’t find out much about Adam, but he looks a bit like Solid Snake and If I had to guess what he used to do I would say it involved wearing a white vest and keeping a shotgun behind the bar. 

     I don’t really recognise many of the people on Backyard Bill, but it’s a great archive of inspirational interior and portrait photography with some short, snappy interviews. If you like this, you’ll also definitely enjoy Frende Von Freunden which is arguably better and full of more well known people and places. But everyone knows about it and this blog is supposed to be cool, ya dig?

     

  14. 7 Apr


     I haven’t posted anything substantial in a while, I’ve been in the south of Spain half relaxing and half working on some new projects. It is still intermittently snowing in the UK, which isn’t so much life inconveniencing as it is cold and mildly unpleasant. A Spanish climate was a welcome change. 

     I had limited internet access whilst abroad, mainly by choice but I kept up with all the new drops and selected some I’d like to talk about. What I think I really needed to get back into the swing of things was something aspirational to remind me why menswear is worth dedicating time to. When you’re stood on a mountain top in old shorts and a cheap pac-a-mac, it’s easy to say ‘menswear be dammed! This is what life is about.’ But civilisation is cruel, and the closer I got to home in ever-so-trendy East London, the more I started to think about clothes again; starting with the Givenchy window display at Malaga airport, and ending with a tall guy in handsome black derbys striding along infront of me in the final few steps to the front door of my building.

     Which brings me to this video. It’s from back in February, which upon the landscape of menswear feels like it may as well be from sometime back in ‘95. Sorry I’m late Miss but let me redeem myself by pointing out that ‘The Sartorialist - Lunch for 25’ is a classic, timeless affair. Put twenty five of whom are considered the best dressed men in the world in a room together in Florence (it had to be somewhere like Florence) and film them looking effortlessly suave and you have a rough synopsis. Spot Nick Wooster, Sam Lambert and Carlos Castillo to name a few, then cut to a table where Kanye West is chatting casually with Scott Schuman, founder of ‘The Sartorialist’ and the man responsible for this video. 

    The biggest fish in the room - a happy accident that I should reference that infamous South Park episode - Mr West doesn’t stick out for me, but is rather a reminder that in such an environment, all men are created equal, or rathe equally stylish. As seems to be the case on a great deal of menswear blogs at the moment, your eye is drawn to Sam Lambert, with his striking features and clever use of classic and contemporary pieces. Nonetheless it’s interesting to see Kanye in the company of those he must look upon as mere mortals. I don’t fan girl over the guy but he’s reached a biblical level of fame. 

     The video itself isn’t particularly engaging. This lunch is about 25 men and their clothes. But there’s an intoxicating aroma of success and luxury which kept me glued to the screen. 

     It is a very niche demographic of men who can afford to look this way on a daily basis. It is important to remember that when you’re put in the spotlight because of your image, the desire to remain there dictates that you maintain that image meticulously. 

     On the plane back from Malaga I wore a pair of well worn rainbow selvage ED 55’s, white air Max’s, an off-white Oxford Shirt from H&M and a Supreme Crocodile Script 5 panel. I was dressed for comfort but also comfortable with how I looked. I woke up this morning, saw this video and thought, ‘what an adolescent boob I must have looked yesterday!’ Now I’m thinking I must go out and buy a new suit. Heck really I should buy five, one for every working day of the week.

     

  15. 7 Apr


    5 choice caps for Summer.

    I’ve aways preferred the slightly more mature cap offerings in menswear. I don’t like the camp cap style popularised by Supreme and now sold by just about everyone trying to make a quick buck in the hat game (if you do like them see Norse Projects, I Love Ugly, Publish, Quiet Life etc). I think they make adult males look like they’re selling knock off DVD players out of a van. So I try to seek alternatives. Bare in mind I didn’t really consider summer materials when I picked these, I just like them. If your head gets too hot just take the dam thing off or suffer for your sartor. 

    1.Supreme Enamel S 5 panel

    2.Norse Projects Wool No Logo

    3.Wood Wood Logo Wool Cap

    4.Etudes People Laranja 

    5.Maiden Noir Leaf Camo 5 Panel