Absolute beauty of a cap from Deluxe made from speckled navy tweed. Speckled/flecked/blanket fabric is this years rising star it seems, with everyone from Norse down to freakin Primark using it, although I haven’t got a clue how the Primark stuff is made. When my Dad saw me wearing some blanket denim Edwins he said it looked like I’d left a bunch of tissue in the pockets and washed them. Surely a fabric worth forking out for. 

Will set you back around £55 which in the headwear market of today seems quite reasonable. 

Decipher some Japanese and figure out how to buy it here.

My pal Greg who knows way more about menswear than me does a blog which is way smarter than mine. Here’s an extract from a good post he did recently called ‘Heritage in the Absence of History.’ Far too many brands are guilty of this, and many of us are probably guilty of buying into it. 

“Remember when you used to go for a pub lunch with your family at Christmas or something? You’d go to a quiet village outside of town, sit down at the old, varnished oak tables and peruse the beer-stained piece of yellowish paper, normally headed with some kind of etching-style picture of the pub in question, before quickly making a choice between Hunter’s Chicken, Burger & Chips or Lasagne. It really was that simple. Or at least, that’s what I thought.

Thanks to the wonders of marketing, I’m reminded by the gastro-pubs of today that we really went there for ‘Proper Pub Food’, which in turn means ‘a bunch of shit that you never cared about before’. It can’t just be a burger now. It’s 100% British Beef quarter-pounder – spelt out, because numbers are too common – seasoned with mixed herbs, topped with salad and extra-mature cheddar, served lovingly in a crisp ciabatta bun with ‘hand-cut potato chips’, all with a side of ‘traditional burger relish’ – another way of saying ketchup, but with some little black speckles mixed in. At times, sitting staring at the pretentious beef before me, I wondered if these guys were ever even there the first time around at all.

I can’t even count the number of conversations that I’ve had with individuals about the heritage / work-wear revival. It’s been refreshing to some extent. I have a lot of time for brands such as Norse Projects and Carhartt WIP, who are working to provide the menswear world with environment-ready clothes that will also look good and last.

I do worry, however, that work-wear is taking the ‘work’ out of menswear. One friend joked at a recent tradeshow, ‘Why are you going to look around? Let me help you; lots of browns and khakis; heritage silhouettes; tedious nostalgia.’ Is this really what we want? Isn’t there more that could be done to innovate, as well as satisfy current demand?”

See the full article on FUCKIN’YEH

ZOZOTOWN x A Bathing Ape Spring/Summer ‘Indigo’ Lookbook

Here’s what I think is a perfect example of how a solid lookbook will sell clothes better than almost anything else. Perhaps the only other obvious selling point is someone famous wearing your shit. I feel it’s important to ponder out loud however, whether your typical guy is as susceptible to celebrity endorsement as your typical girl. I don’t want to make assumptions. I just don’t care about which famous individuals are wearing what. What sells me is any average dude, whether he be online or on the street, looking on point and effortless. Whereas when Rihana walks out on stage wearing some hideous excuse for a T Shirt from Boy London, suddenly girls I’ve always respected and thought were quite stylish are queuing up to buy something that looks like it should be sold out of a beach kiosk. 

 But I digress, this lookbook being the main point - perhaps no longer? - of this post. I noted several things when I came across this set of pictures.

- This man looks effortless. I love menswear to do that as I previously mentioned. There ain’t nothin worse than a dude who looks like he’s tryin too hard. Perhaps with the exception of Kanye. The guy in this lookbook is just relaxing, reading a magazine, fixing a car, fishing… I’m not an idiot, I’m a photographer and I know how these things work. This guy is being directed to some extent. The scenes may even be utterly staged and outside the models normal routine. But it doesn’t look that way. It also might not be that at all. More and more I’m seeing lookbooks that simply document someone’s life in different clothing.

- He looks like an average Joe, but he still looks cool. Good beard (key), relaxed demeanour. There’s no big stand out reason why he looks good though. You just think, ‘huh, chill looking guy, we could drink coffe and fix cars together.’ It’s coming back to being casual again.

- This is selling me a lifestyle. The Japanse do this so dam well. In this case, for me, it’s the right lifestyle. I like the classic car, I grew up fishing with my dad, I want to don well-cut workwear in the day and then smarten up in the evening for drinks. This lookbook is a lazy Sunday with style. 

 The kind of visuals that work on me, are those that make me believe that they could exist naturally. Sure I like a bit of showmanship sometimes, I really appreciate a great photograph, but what makes me buy are those subtle observations and details that have me put myself in that environment, wearing that jacket. I don’t like studio lookbooks. With guys stood deadpan to camera with hands by their sides. Save it for your online store. No one stands like that, you’re not selling me anything. I’m not saying they don’t have their uses but they should only be an accompaniment.

 There are pieces that can sell themselves in any environment, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try and create that tugging sense of aspiration that sends people out to their favourite stores because they know that some new threads will change their life for the better. 

 You can buy it online here. Or at BAPEXCLUSIVE in Kyoto. Wait you don’t frequent Japan…?

Louis Vuitton SS13

Landmark : The Fields Of Photography 

 I’ve been a little light on the landscapes on this blog recently. It’s hardly living up to its name. With that in mind here are a selection of images from a new exhibition that just opened at Somerset House. I was lucky enough to attend the private view this evening to see some of the incredible photographers on show talking about their work.

 The space is enormous and there are over 130 original works on display. It really is quite overwhelming. I would recommend a second visit and I’m sure I will have to go again just to take everything in.  This is a show for anyone and everyone, not just photographers and art lovers.

“Landscape has been and remains one of the most powerful forms of photography, and is even more so in a world which is changing so fast we can hardly keep up. Rising seas, melting glaciers, the ozone hole, desertification, coastal cities under threat - we add to the list everyday.  And photographers everywhere are grappling with these problems, creating brilliant pictures which put a vivid face on otherwise abstract issues. These images range from the sublime to the ridiculous; photographers are on the front lines - our eyes and ears.  But they also remind us to slow down and appreciate the beauty of the world – often where we least expect it”. William. A. Ewing - Curator 

From top to bottom :

Robert Davies

Mitch Epstein

Michael Light

Xiao Fang Liu

Simon Norfolk

Simon Roberts

Nadav Kander

Dodo Jin Ming

Amy Stein

‘Landmark: The Fields Of Photography’ is open to the public from the 14th March to the 28th April at Somerset House in London. For more information click here.

Smith Journal 05

Where to start with this magazine, where to start… I feel like I should write some kind of ode to it. It’s the second copy I’ve bought so I’m by no means a veteran, but I just love it. I know it’s one of my favourite magazines, that much is clear, but is it my favourite magazine? I don’t really know, it depends on my mood. 

 It comes from Australia. I was born in Australia in 1989 and came to the UK before I’d even really opened my eyes properly. I watched a lot of ‘neighbours’ as a younger gentleman, the soap I mean. See how I try to align myself with Australian culture, as if doing so would somehow allow me to take some minuscule amount of credit for this lovely publication.  

 My favourite piece in this issue is quite near the beginning. It’s called ‘fixed address’ and it’s about people who have lived where they live for a long time and seen a lot of things change. The first interview is with Joseph Markovitch who lives in Hoxton. I enjoyed it because I live near there and can visualise some of the places he mentions. I put a picture from the article above, it’s the black and white picture of the Olympic Stadium in Stratford. You can make out Joseph’s tiny but stoic form in the bottom just to the left of the gutter. His interview is really heart warming and witty.

 There’s another great article on Hunting Dogs with some lovely illustrations made by someone called Sara Hingle. I don’t know who Sara is but I think she must be very good at drawing after seeing these excellent pictures of dogs. 

 Further on is an article about this guy in Italy who was basically a bit of a hoarder and collected about 60,000 items. But they weren’t junk, there are a lot of hammers. There’s actually a lot more to the article than what I’m going on about. I also liked this really cool piece about Volkscafes which are small bars in Belgium, kind of like social clubs. The photography is really good. Someone called Jimmy Kets made the pictures. They’re very intimate and even though there’s some quite harsh flash the pictures still feel very quiet. 

 There’s a whole bunch of great stuff is what I’m getting at. I’ve barely scratched the surface. You should go out and buy a copy with your own money. It costs £8.50. I know you could get probably about eight books in a charity shop for that but they’d be old books and maybe some of the pages would be sticky. 

Smith 06 is out now so this is a bit out of date. It’s still good though. Also it doesn’t come out in UK stockists until April so there’s plenty of time to catch up. 

Some abstract highlights from the new Goodhood Life Store which opened last week in Shoreditch. 

DeutscheCraft concrete business Card holder

Monocle Classic Notebook

Snow Peak Hozuki LED Candle Lantern

Mutto E27 Hanging Bulb

Toast MU Water Cups

A.Four AW13

Some more sartorially savvy friends of mine put me on to A.Four very recently. I dig the prints and the lookbook has been executed with simple finesse. 

STUSSY LIVIN’ GENERAL STORE MARCH 2013 RELEASES 

H&M X BRICK LANE BIKES CAPSULE COLLECTION

“H&M’s capsule men’s collection for Brick Lane Bikes is full of the spirit of modern urban cycling. Designed by H&M and tested by Brick Lane Bikes, each piece has all the technical details needed for better cycling, with the versatile city cyclist style that can be worn all day long. From water repellent rider jackets and articulated blazers to vintage-inspired bike jerseys and caps, the 11-piece collection combines fashion with functionality. Made entirely from more sustainable materials as part of H&M’s Conscious work, the collection will be available in around 180 stores and on-line from 7th March, 2013.”

 I’ve always had a soft spot for H&M. It was the first place in my hometown where you could get decent skinny jeans. You had to buy girls ones back in the day. They had the tiniest crotch zippers and if you weren’t careful you could walk out of there without noticing some wack embroidered heart on the back pocket. It really wasn’t that long ago that walking down the high street in a pair of tight jeans would get you repeatedly jeered at, threatened and occasionally punched. I’m not saying there aren’t places where this remains the case. 

 Back to the subject at hand, I’m excited about this collection. There really isn’t a lot of budget cycling clothing around. I know this isn’t performance gear. I have a feeling it’s essentially going to be slightly thicker H&M basics pieces designed with most of the population of Shoreditch in mind. Despite what my Strava profile would have you believe, I ride my bike pretty much every day, and It would be nice to be able to pick up some super cheap garms for those smaller rides that don’t require lycra (I’m not going to pretend I can afford any of that stuff, I ride in baggy tees and vans whether it’s 10k or 100k but I’m sure I could look a bit sharper out on the roads).

 I really don’t like the attitudes of people who believe a store like H&M is below them. There are of course plenty of high flyers with the bank balance to buy everything down to the most basic pair of boxer briefs from Mr Porter, but the majority of people who love menswear are broke ass bloggers carefully selecting from the same five outfits to wear to different social events because they don’t have a hope in hell of keeping up with the true cost of a #menswear lifestyle.

 Do you rock a WTAPS tee at the gym? A Cabourn blazer when you’re taking out the trash? Who the hell are you?! Give some money to charity already. There’s no shame in picking up your essentials from H&M. Sometimes you need an outfit you can actually live in without worrying about getting dirt on your rainbow selvedge outseams.  

 Just don’t buy stuff from Primark, never Primark. 

(Note that there’s a demographic of kids that falls outside of the normal parameters. They don’t pay rent and have matured sartorially far earlier than we ever did. Their parent’s pockets are deep and their appetite for status relentless. Don’t let it get you down, they can’t grow beards yet.)

Rapha SS13 Lookbook

Great new collection and well executed lookbook from Rapha. It’s difficult to make cycling gear look cool but these guys do it successfully by sticking to classic colours and patterns. There’s a strong retro vibe that conjures up old, sunburnt dudes on steel racers tanking up mountain passes. 

 This is how you want cycling to look and feel.