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Jimmy Choo // Store Opening // Dover Street
Swiftly off the heels of announcing they would be moving next seasons showcase from Milan to London Collections: Men, Jimmy Choo have opened a brand new store purely for us gents on Dover St. It’s no longer just the famous market that is drawing people down the far end of Piccadilly, more boutiques and luxury brands are opening all the time down this way.
Welcomed in out of the damp spring evening with a glass of champers the shop quickly filled with the regular faces of London’s menswear scene. Spread over two floors the it’s the first time Jimmy Choo have been able to show the entire men’s collection in one store in London. It doesn’t look fussed or over crowded and the grey/silver walls provide an easy backdrop to the often wild shoes and accessories. Downstairs our thirst was further soothed with Sipsmith Pink Gins, or Vodka Martinis. The way to mans heart may be through his stomach but I find a quicker route to his wallet is a cocktail. That sounds more salacious than I mean, actually it sounds pretty much perfect.
When it comes to shoes, my taste as with most things is traditional with a twist. Often I’m not entirely Jimmy Choos target market, I am no Kanye to say the least. But I am becoming more adventurous, and the porno camo is scarf and bag are still very high up on wishlist. Tasseled loafers and slippers remind all too often of the wrong side of the 80s and my parents friends, but not in a good way. So I was fantastically taken aback when I saw these beauties below. Tasseled to the max and yet quite simple.
As you can see the store was full to bursting but actually it wasn’t oppressive and overly rammed, the DJ played some great tracks and frankly if the party had gone on much longer there would have been some definite shame faced dancing.
Having perused the shoes and loved more than I thought I would, a surprise I always welcome but rarely receive regardless of brand. Myself, Neil and Jonathon could resist a quick photo as we hadn’t caught up in ages. Apparently our selfie love did not go unnoticed.
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Still loving this Jimmy Choo porno camo bag!
Wooyoungmi // Summer Tailoring // PRINTS!
Summer tailoring is the way forward. I’m determined to braver with prints this season. I’m still loving my Nick Wooster x Orlebar Brown camo shorts from last summer. They were barely worn having only been purchased towards the end of the summer. Rest assured this is being rectified as quickly as the weather allows.
So having just posted about some sleeker city shorts, I was very gladly surprised when these beauties from Wooyoungmi dropped into my inbox. Definitely not office appropriate, well not mine anyway, they are a fantastic way to usher in a warmer clime.
Available at Mr Porter, I’m loving the bold collection. It’ll take a brave* man to wear the full suit in one go, but done with some elan and an air of nonchalance they’ll actually be easier to pull off than you first think. Just be prepared for the occasional sideways glance from passersby. Sure some will think you’re bonkers. But just glance at their oversized boardshorts with yet another hibiscus flower, or hilarious No Fear Tshirt and move on by. You’ve evolved like a summer Pokemon, you’re skills are beyond mere boardshorts and heaven forbid Reef sandals.
Many people lament summer fashion, it is unforgiving, it is lazy, it is uninspiring. There are no layers to hide under, few structures to bolster our ever paunchier frames, nothing that allows to shroud ourselves head to toe. Let’s be honest a vast chunk of this is down to investment. Winter wardrobes by their nature are more expensive and on this blustery isle dominate about 80% of wear. Even in high summer office life for the vast majority of us (myself included) means suits, not shorts. As such squeezed into the briefest of weekends, bank holidays and trips abroad the summer wardrobe is given short thrift. Last years shorts will do wont they? Thing is are they last years or the year before or the year before that ad infitum. It’s fine so long as they fit still? Besides who will notice?
A lack of practice in dressing for heat also means we often aren’t as adventurous in our choices. Or perhaps too adventurous, a Paul Smith surfer shirt that lived at the back of my cupboard til the husband ‘accidentally’ lost it a house move or two ago is my personal proof of this. God that was hideous! Anyway I digress, the summation is that a lack of opportunity leaves our summer wardrobe malnourished. Ignore the real weather we all live with central heating anyway. It’s time to feed summer, and these prints will do as the amuse bouches of the season.
*brave = fashion euphemism meaning any of the following: wrong; very wrong; unflattering; vile; something I would never wear; hideous; surprisingly brilliant;
Dear Boss,
When I asked if I could wear shorts to the office, this is the look I was thinking of. You see I was right it would have been totally appropriate and stylish. You sure you won’t reconsider? I promise to get some sunbed action beforehand to blind and dazzle my coworkers with the opalescent nature of my legs.
Kind regards
Bainser
Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf’s // Fashion Film // Must See
I saw the trailer to this at SXSW, at the Fashion’s Collective pool party It was amazing.
If you loved The September Issue you will love this!
Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf’s is going to blow your mind. Bergdorf Goodman launched Michael Kors, and is where everyone wants to be stocked. Find a way to see this film, then sob a little you aren’t in New York with a vast budget.
Bergdorf Goodman’s Get Scattered: Before the camera rolls
Met Gala // Punk’d // Boyz
So The Met Gala happened this week. The glittering jewel in the crown of New York’s fashion calendar, and this season the theme was Punk. It’s a costume ball so everyone should be making an effort to really pull out all the stops. Despite a few wins, Anne Hathaway being one (yeah! I know right Anne Hathaway being punk! I thought the world was imploding) the general mood was about as punk as the front row of a Jonas Brothers concert. If this had been a fetish night in Vauxhall, the door bitch would have sent most of the starlets home with their tails between their legs for totally missing the point. Katie Holmes - a Grecian gown that’s a bit ‘torn’ at the hem is not punk! Fanning sister - tie dye is not punk! and frankly the less said about Kim Karcrashian the better.
But here’s a place for the boys, the men, and so let’s have a word shall we. I’m caught between a rock and a hard place here. I’m a stickler for dress code, and it is after all a black tie event. But then it’s also themed, and quite distinctly too. Now sadly I didn’t receive an invite, I’m not sure why Anna left me off the list yet again but I’ll get over it, so I can’t say for certain if the gentlemen invited were told in no uncertain terms to make absolutely no effort in joining in on the theme. If that’s the case then bravo boys you did it.
I’ve checked as many photos as possible, barely any tartan, not a single kilt, no slashing, no rips, no safety pins, nothing. C’mon! These are some of the wealthiest and most fashion forward celebs with access to the worlds best stylists and wardrobes and this was the best they could come up with?! Tom Brady your blue dinner jacket was all shades of wrong, Tyson Beckford pink camo looks good on precisely no one, not even a teenage lesbian at her first Pride event. I could go on but let’s be constructive……
Lee McQueen and David Bowie’s collaborations may not be traditionally punk but would be a good place to start
Taking something exquisite and trashing it, or at least faking it would have been punk.
The kilt is synonymous with punk, and is now a formal piece of clothing. A savage kilt on the right man would have catapulted him to the top of the best dressed list. I’m thinking Tom Ford, or Eddie Redmayne. Queen Viv was in the house and being the mother of punk she does it like no other.
Personally, I would have grabbed my stylist, a great suit, split the centre back and slammed the chunkiest zip I could find through it. Or covered my lapels in as many safety pins that it weighed as much as family car so it looked like solid metal. Replaced the satin stripe on my dress trousers with blunt (for safety) razor blades. Maybe had a jacket made with a tartan under cloth and slashed through the black serge to reveal it.
This was a theme where the men could have shined as strongly as women. Taking quirks of the style and integrated them into a tight, edgy Chaos to Couture look. Maybe the life of the glitterati was too far removed from the hard knock punks of the real world for it to translate properly. Maybe the fear of being judged to harshly by the media held people back.
Who can say? But despite some killer looks, I really feel this was an opportunity missed.
This will never cease to make me smile.
Nope it’s not menswear, but c’mon it’s genius!
(via westcharming)
(via helloyoucreatives)
New Brand // L’Estrange London // The Hood
I know as some kind of formalwear fashionisto I really shouldn’t be wearing hoodies. But these new hoodies by L’Estrange London prove that to each rule there is a loophole. It’s all about finding loopholes. Besides having shamefully instagrammed my self in sweat pants I’m in no place to diss casualwear. That is unless it is the wearing of onesies, crocs or uggs in public. All of which must stop now. If not sooner.
But back on to L’Estrange, I love the styling and the subtle paisley print on the lining and hood. They also look lightweight which means they’ll fit brilliantly under biker jacket. This is my new essential for a hoodie. Not to mention the great collab with Liberty. I’m biased though as 99% of Liberty collabs are in my mind brilliant. All in a great way to launch a capsule colelction taking care fo the basics and something a little more directional.
As yet they are without a stockist doing the sensible thing of building the brand up by selling on line before launching themselves head long into a retail space. I’d say watch this space but actually do more than that. Buy this/their space. Oh you know what I mean, head over to L’Estrange London, have a nose around and treat yourself to a great new hoodie.
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Friday Handsomeness
Duchamp // Interview // Bainser
I love me a good interview, especially when it’s about me. Between selfies and this I’m really beginning to think Narcissus had a bad wrap in the whole Greek mythology.
Thankfully my own Greek tragedy of a morn which included locking myself out of the house, and subsequently emailing the entire company an appointment, then discovering my dumbass Gmail had sent it out on NY time not London time means I am well and truly grounded.
However if you’d like to whistle through some voxpop style questions I’ve done with Duchamp then click through the image above (taken by the very talented Jonathan Daniel Pryce of 100 beards fame!) (Or if you’re on the tumblr dashboard click here for some reason it’s not letting the image be clickable)
Finding Vivian Meier
(via cdxblog)
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Silver & Gold can easily go together!
Work meant looking after the very talented Peony Lim shooting in the hotel today. There were shiny things in front of me. They may officially been womenswear but I couldn’t resist checking out how they fitted round my wrists. Gorge! Obvs! I was good though and unclipped the bracelet from my hairy wrists so Peony could get on and use it in the next shot.
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Sunshine outfit post. Morning after the night before complete with very necessary Bloody Mary!
Sunnies: Hardy Amies
Shirt: Classic Oxford by Ralph Lauren
Shorts: Nick Wooster x Orlebar Brown
Bracelets: Miansai
Bloody Mary: Smirnoff
Flip flops (out of shot): Havaianas
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Sun, springtime, actual warmth!! Thought I’d never see the like again!
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