So was out down Bermondsey way yesterday visiting the Rake crew (click). They’ve got a show next week on mens day LFW, last slot. Despite all hands being on the catwalk as it were, they managed to fit me in for a suit fitting. Almost as excited about the show as am about the suit. Extremely that is. While in that manor ran into the girl who looks after Huntsman. For the press that is. We went to Pizarro (click) and got a trifle-side tracked. She filled me on in the collaboration with Alexander McQueen. Here are two of the images. Press release doesnt like my machine, so can’t read any of it yet, but thought would run the looks past you. Pleasantly impudent peak lapel and equally attitude entrenched rope shoulder in a Glen-check. Not a bad show.
Its alot of wedge mind, £5, 000-ish for bespoke, but it is handsome looking stuff, no? It’d need to be. Need to find out some more before impart any particular opinion, but will. Lee McQueen used to work for Huntsman, years ago as a coat maker. I thought he worked and Anderson&Sheppard too. Will check and report back.
Generous bow tie, contrast grey satin lapels, black velvet smoking jacket, dress pants and a narrow silhouette, like it. Might have dropped at the Baftas. Just goes to show, sewing slogans and abuse into the linings of other people coats simultaneously gets you everywhere and nowhere. Fashion plus DIY, doesn’t mix. Or does it? Keep it locked and find out in next post here on Style&Error.
Was in town yesterday, Spencer Hart HQ, and while picking up the pertest of chocolate brown chinos (they’re too good for the chino moniker frankly, more of them later) ended up thumbing through a book on Dave, one of many in the shop. I bought it as there were a number of early shots that had never seen, others simply couldn’t resist.
Top l-r: Jay Z’s Dad, Lord Lucan, Dave, Bob Mortimer, Angie, Malcome McLaren
Then ran into Carlo Brandelli, style thinker/merchant extraordinaire, and talked for in George with The Baroness about the key menswear references that everyone should know but they don’t. Dave, Bryan in Roxy, some other guys (more of them later).
Below is a late reference, 1985, but is a candidate for something wanna do with suiting. DB, shorter jacket, wider pants, lighter crisp colour. It’s gotta function, right? Shall get in contact with Anthony Price who made this suit. And say, er Tony, will you do me a suit please, like Dave’s?
Might not be ideal for all projects, but fuck it, am getting bored. Like today for example. Might be just the ticket for Clapton in the spring. Enough of the great creator, question of what to wear for Wembley in the sun is next pressing issue, (poignantly the last plug hole of creativity that our culture is disappearing down). OK, here’s a recipe for over styling: New Dave book, running fast, in the sun and too too much coffee… Fawn Billionaire Couture bespoke silk/cotton/wool mix suit, Edward Sexton pin collar shirt, Fratelli Rossetti canvas tassel loafers.
A look that says ‘I’m focused on work (someone else’s), I like a bit of a cavort, but am as ready as gonna be for a day at the studio’. Right? Yeah right. Well, gotta do something to pass the time. JW was passing with The Stripper, hence the impromptu shoot. Come to think of it, we should have shot her instead.
Alright you style zealots, let’s get this LFW Mens thing finished off, as it was after all three weeks ago, and the reverberations are almost fading. Rake menswear, who we like, had a little soiree bash in the Hawtrey suite at Claridges. They were debuting Rake Lounge in the UK. (Mentioned this gear when doing Paris shows). They’ve upped the cut, finish and fabrication for this line, and it works. It’s chic evening Rake, that’s what it is. Try the stuff on and you find it to be convincing/fanciable sharp-lux tailoring with a knowing edge. Pert little cocktail affairs, particularly good in DB, and piped jackets with peak lapels are favourites. Perfect for the new ‘Fractured-Evening’ stance am gonna be banging on about, (not wearing the full evening look that is). Fabrics are dead good, will find out exactly what they’re called. Rake had put together an amusing little vista of blokes affecting louche, playing backgammon and pretending to know each other. It was all red in the room and there was smoke (well, dry ice) wafting about.
Him off the telly was a guest at the Hardy Amies show round the corner since they’d become such good pals (via me) . Thought it’d be good to get Dermot in to see Baroness Mingay and the boys from Rake as they do some of his tailoring. I took the liberty of diverting his chauffeured car sent by Amies via Claridges using the number that I got off the PR. I’d not factored in him being madly gregarious with all manner people, plus jokers (from Radio One and the like) engaging in endless banter. Could barely extract him, as the scheduled time for Hardy’s show loomed and passed. The venue was in North Audley Street and was a converted Church. Prayer turned out to be in the equation.
When I did prise him out we jumped into the car only for it to embed itself in Mayfair evening gridlock. Twenty minutes to crawl round the block. We could easily have bowled it. It was no longer a bowling matter as we aborted the car plan and bailed on the wrong side of Grovesnor Square. We now broke into a light run in our best suits in the dark, twenty five minutes late for the big show. It was about 1/2k away. I’d sabotaged my own plan. “If we miss this, I’m blaming you” explained O’Leary, “and do you know why?” do go on, “because it’s your fault”. This was most uncomfortable, and definitely bad, bad style-butlering.
We made the entrance scrum in only the lightest of sweats, and after a Don Rouse (Amies’ PR) man-squeeze (the tightest hug in fashion, bar none) were ushered into the FRow. The show promptly started. Never in any doubt, really. Nice church. Amen.
Now before anyone starts saying look, they’ve all got shorts on, imagine they don’t have. It’s a show thing, roll with it. Obviously almost no one would wear with shorts. Would they? Anyway, its all about the double breasted jackets, the cut, the fabrics, the colours and the styling. Right? Oh, and metallic shoes by Edward Green.
The jackets are just gorgeous. Big generous sweeping lapels, and strong shoulders, but somehow all fitted and wrap around. Fastening low, double suave. This was the best men’s show at LFW. This’d be the thing to put up as best of international British men’s fashion, fact.
Observe the dusty lilac/pewter jacquard fabric teamed with gold tassel loafers. Hardy would have been well proud, am certain. Amies raised it’s own bar here. Smashing work Claire, keep it up. Everyones’s watching. Hope to be wearing.
Derm’ liked the blazers and the bags mainly, but we’ll get him in those shorts if it kills us, right Don? Judges Houses next year I reckon. He’s right, the light tailoring thing is gonna kick off, and it’s all about a subtle hue and a texture. Mark our words. Think Italian furnishing fabrics from the Eighties and you’re almost there.
Waiting for some post/pre show images, also some more of the Rake stuff, but only just asked for to be fair. That’s pretty much it for LFW. Note I didnt put up all the shows that I thought were shite or pointless, so there is quite a lot you didn’t see on S&E. That’s sort of what am up to here you know. Trying to edit.
There’s gonna be more suggestions, but they’re gonna be subtle. I’ve got more news for you: Good men’s style is subtle. A tweak here, a nuance there, and a tiny pair of shorts for the weekend is sometimes as mad as it gets.
Spencer Hart’s flagship shop opened on the corner of Davies and Brooke Street Tuesday night, and with it the brand elevated itself to a new level. Baroness Mingay, first lady of propaganda, had Davies Street shut for the limos to park nicely in. The shop, opposite Claridges, is open, mod-luxe and mannish. It’s double nice to hang about in and consider clothes. No accident. Nick Hart created the space along with Shed interior designers.
All manner of the Hart extended family of cool were in attendance. Those young tikes from the Shadow Puppets, Kaine and Turner, Brett matey boy from Suede, 3-D and Daddy G from Massive attack and my boy The David Gray.
Yeah, I know that’s a water mark across the picture, but its bleeding Sunday innit, so can’t request without. Hope to rectify. Smashing and clean inside, no? Hart’s holy grail of sharp, controlled suiting this side of the Palm Springs wall (see right of picture).
Below, my language/journalistic advisor Mr. Holden lurks next to Mr. Gray like someone out of the first bits of Performance, but on their night off. I’m not making actual allegations. The other side of the ground floor houses the new Spencer Hart Palm Springs collection. Casual pieces such as chinos, polos, shawl collar cardies and neat jackets are given the strict colour, cut and fabric select Hart treatment. Prices step away from previous rosters, in an egalitarian manner.
Downstairs in the vault things go the other way however. The Black Seersucker collection lives here, and it’s seriously indulgent. The darker, intimate, and super suave decor provides the backdrop to a new realm of bespoke luxury. Aside from eyewear and top-end vintage watches, one can order what one desires, from super-chic loungewear to cashmere lined, leather trimmed Macs. Consider an of black/midnght blue seersucker suit perhaps? I know Nick is. The mirrored fitting area is pretty spesh. Am gonna see how can wangle a couple of meetings down there. Must think of a reason. Not even got pictures of that bit yet.
Gonna insert detail and more opinion after have run 12k and had lunch at A Little of What You Fancy with Lyall. However, will say for now, Hart’s thinking on menswear is potent and resonant. The shop is special and the new product is strong. The Hart ethic remains the same, but applied to more areas. The collaborations with Edward Green, Floris, Sunspel and Swaine Adeney & thingy are really good. Taste-making and evocative literature and style cultural books punctate the clobber. Going for run, more later..
Right then, it’s Domenica, so let’s have something from the Church that is tailoring. E.Tautz (pilgrims to click) is the British heritage sporting outfitters resurrected by The Bishop of Righteous Correct Dressing, The Right Reverend Patrick Grant. He won designer of the year from the British Fashion council this year. He is also the bearded Director of Norton&Sons on The Row, which sort of gives him cart blanche to do soft, sporty shoulders and cuts, or rigid structured gear, as his houses straddle both realms.
The man is making serious forays into menswear by taking ‘correctness’ and teaming it with knowing fabric selects and silhouettes. Tautz shows at LFW, and is a pillar of strength in our bourgeoning men’s day. Skilful design is at work within this classic outfitters format. Not so good on a seating plan though. I refused to sit in second row, so stood at the back, like a guilty school boy- (click).
One of Grant’s fundamental beliefs is in entirely U.K. sourced materials. Visit site for details on this (clickage). Through these nurtured liaisons with frequently very small suppliers, E.Tautz has embraced all manner of exciting fabrications. Challenging and engaging fabric ideas are a pivotal area in structured menswear for the near future I believe.
Generous lapels on double breasted jacket, pronounced, wider shoulder line, rope, Donegal. Nice way forward.
More DB, more interesting fabric, this time the soft, almost pagoda-like pronunciation on shoulder line. It’s getting too hot to tweed, better tie this up..
Putty colour peacoat, teamed with maroon, on a ginger. Brave and shocking stuff.
Mustard covert style coat, again on a fully blown ginger. NB. Tautz knitted hats are simultaneously excellent and trendy-hipster. Cool?
Narrow pants and the Donegal SB deliver stylish contemporary take on classic separate dressing.
Colour balance is excellent at from E.Tautz. Another key aspect to Autumn structured menswear if you wanna look lively. The Tautz shoulder line features in my FT HTSI piece on tailoring due out in October. Please see if you can hold yourselves together till then.
