Mountains And Menswear

Blog posts to a minimum this month as I’m on a ton of...

Sat, 04 May 2013 23:13:00 +0100

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.

NEIGHBORHOOD BOOZE CROW INCENSE CHAMBER If you’ve been...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:02:00 +0100

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

Inside an Amazon distribution center. Photography by Ben...

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:13:00 +0100

Inside an Amazon distribution center.

Photography by Ben Roberts

Via Highsnobiety

The best white t-shirt I have ever owned.

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:58:00 +0100

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.

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.

Because I know the people of Tumblr like to reblog individual...

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 00:43:17 +0100

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.

ACTUAL PAIN - GENTLEMAN’S KNIFE

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 21:58:53 +0100

ACTUAL PAIN - GENTLEMAN’S KNIFE

or… grab yourself a cheaper option from Komono

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 01:37:57 +0100

or… grab yourself a cheaper option from Komono

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

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 11:45:10 +0100

I LOVE UGLY WATCHES

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

The Oddbergur Parka by Norse Projects & Oi Polloi Norse...

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 12:42:16 +0100

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.

Backyard Bill - not a porn site Backyard Bill has to be one of...

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 10:03:00 +0100

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?

I haven’t posted anything substantial in a while,...

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 22:49:31 +0100

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.

5 choice caps for Summer. I’ve aways preferred the...

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 12:49:57 +0100

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

Absolute beauty of a cap from Deluxe made from speckled navy...

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 14:37:00 +0100

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...

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 22:40:35 +0000

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

Maharishi AW 13 Behind The Scenes Photographer : Neil...

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 21:31:00 +0000

Maharishi AW 13 Behind The Scenes

Photographer : Neil Bedford

I’m posting this mainly because Neil Bedford is somewhat of a diamond when it comes to doing pictures of blokes in good clothes, but partially because I once did two days for Wallpaper mag at the same studio this is shot at. Oh maybe I’m just a romantic but there’s a touching sense of familiarity. Plus it’s nice when you know fancy shit got made on ropey old Kingsland Road.

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

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 21:02:19 +0000

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…?

Line Of Sight. Well worth an hour of your time. For cyclists...

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 18:12:51 +0000

Line Of Sight.

Well worth an hour of your time.

For cyclists and cinematographers alike.

Louis Vuitton SS13

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 21:14:33 +0000

Louis Vuitton SS13

Landmark : The Fields Of Photography I’ve been a...

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 23:00:00 +0000

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.

Nigel Cabourn talks about collaborating with Redwing.

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 22:08:41 +0000

Nigel Cabourn talks about collaborating with Redwing.