Personal uniform

Found here

Both of us here at Style Salvage have been enjoying Valet in recent weeks, but one article in particular caught my eye.

The idea of a personal uniform is something that I've been mulling over since before we even started the blog. I know without a doubt that, without really thinking about it, I've developed my own personal uniform which consists of jeans, t shirt and cardigan. I own a slightly silly number of dresses and some very nice skirts, but day after day the ease and comfort of jeans appeals to my lazy, comfort-obsessed side. When I write this down, this makes me sound very conservative and boring (and I'd be inclined to agree), but I think it also highlights the importance of smaller details. Colour is very important to me- I'm not a head to toe black person- so lately I've been trying out almost all purple outfits or different combinations of colours. The relative safety of the uniform outfit gives me the confidence to try out more outlandish accessories or outwear- a new cape, a large, flashy brooch or the like.

I think the important thing to bear in mind if you do embrace this idea is to keep assessing and reassessing what you're wearing and how you're wearing it. What properly represented you, or made you look good, two years ago may not be so fitting (in both senses of the word) now that you've lost three stone or got that high-powered job. Just because you've got the formula right, doesn't mean it's always going to be right.

This article just makes me think of non-uniform day at school. Once the excitement of being allowed to wear whatever we wanted died down., it soon became clear that we had all opted for the same thing. T-shirts, blue jeans and white trainers had replaced shirt and tie, black trousers and shoes. What a difference!


After just a few months in to my last job I realised that a definite uniform had been born. A safe, somewhat unadventurous style (similarly to yours) consisting of polo shirt, colorful merino wool sweater, jeans and either my suede bstore lace ups (if I was feeling fancy) or trainers. There was very little deviation from this. The informal work environment had a strange effect... maybe there was just too much choice for me. Of course, a significant chunk of my wardrobe would have raised eyebrows on many of my colleagues faces but that didn't really effect my outfit decisions... it had much more to do with comfort. Another reason is that when I buy something new, I just love wearing it and thus the wear and then wash cycle begins. With regard to shopping, Richard Haines's mentality of having less, but owning quality is one that should certainly be adopted...although at times I feel that there is just so much quality on offer... can't I have both quantity and quality?

However, writing this blog and attempting to keep track of my outfits on wardrobe remix (as well as dating Susie) has pushed me to be more adventurous and change things. I definitely recommend keeping some form of style diary because it makes you really think about what you are wearing and how it evolves (however large or small) over time. The key to dressing well is to find what best suits you and to have fun at the same time. In a recent feature on WWD Thom Browne stated...“It’s the beauty in the uniformity that I find refreshing. Not having so much choice is what I find refreshing,” Indeed, Browne is well known for his regimented daily habits, which extend to the shrunken grey suits and white button-down oxford shirts he dons every morning. Having rewritten the rules of suiting up, Mr Browne certainly doesn’t deviate from them. I'm just not sure that this is for me... at the moment at least.

Once you've found that secret formula (if it even exists) of a great outfit the key is to tweak as you go, accessories and colour can certainly be experimented with. Have you embraced a uniform?

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Biking on Brick Lane

Another day, another bicycle... on a very cold Sunday on Brick Lane.

Back(pack) to school

Whenever we are in a mile radius of Berwick Street, Susie cannot resist visiting her favourite treasure trove of handpicked women's (and men's) vintage, secondhand designer and high street clothing which is Bang Bang. As Susie rummages through the racks, I leave her to it and venture downstairs into the menswear department but as she constantly finds bargains, I have always left empty handed. The stock is frequently updated so it is all down to luck and timing but of course an eye for a bargain helps and I've never quite been able to find something which ticks all my boxes. Raf Simon coats and Savile Row suits are most common...it is all down to finding your size though which I struggle on.

When I ventured into the store this weekend I was greeted with a few sample pieces by the Australian designer, Material Boy. Mic Eaton, an ex-pro surfer, launched the label in 2003 in Perth but now divides his time between Melbourne and Indonesia. Topman Lens recently featured their designs and it is clear that this is a label which pushes menswear out of its comfort zone and it is hard not to admire the label’s originality. Ordinarily, I appreciate the designs but they aren't really to my taste...but that soon changed when I stumbled across a sample, black leather Rucksack...my Bang Bang cheery just had to be popped.

My childhood revisited - Vintage grey wool jacket, polka dot shirt by bstore, polka dot hankerchief, wrap trousers by Unconditional, white chukkas by Vans.

I've not used a backpack/rucksack in about ten years, during my last years of school and University I plumped for satchels and messenger bags instead. However, in recent months I have been on the look out for a desirable rucksack just because they are so darn useful! After seeing some of the pieces from the Raf Simons x Eastpak collaboration, I have been severely tempted on a number of occasions but I could never fully justify paying that sort of money for something which is fundamentally an Eastpak backpack...something we all had growing up. I needed something special and up stepped the offering from Material Boy.

(Feel free to click on the images to take a closer a look)

As I put the leather straps over my shoulders, a strange feeling came over me...I felt like a young boy again...was shopping or school my destination?...even Susie noticed a change. It was most strange and it soon passed as I became acquainted with my new favourite bag.

Bike and Gherkin...

His sheepskin coat was his dad's and is over 25 years old...

Tailoring as an art form

It was bitterly cold in London yesterday and the (sorry excuse) for snow began to fall we decided to seek comfort in Claire de Rouen Books and I'm glad we did! As well as being able to flick through all the fashion and photography books that I wish I could have on my coffee table (if I even had a coffee table that is) I came across the artwork of Hormazd Narielwalla within EXIT Gallery's "A Fairytale About Fashion" exhibition. Narielwalla's Dead Man’s Patterns is a design story, beneath the trappings of menswear into the book, the man, the pattern. It quite beautifully exposes the secret every tailor has with his clients, the pattern and the journey to the finished suit. I've always seen tailoring as an art form but the below illustrations take this a step further.

The world of tailoring has always been somewhat secretive. Measurements are kept close and patterns preserved long after a client’s death. In Dead Man’s Patterns Narielwalla unwraps some of the mysteries of the trade. Hidden beneath bespoke menswear, there is a secret… Everyone sees the suit, yet few are privy to that private dialogue which assesses, measures, and catalogues the subtle details which make up one single man.

These wonderful images and reading the inspiration behind them only intensify my own desire to enter the wonderful world of bespoke...to begin my own secret...

Your lapel has options

As soon as I clicked on Valet (for my daily dose) yesterday I was treated to another look at Antonio Azzuolo ss09 collection. I have to admit that I gave most of the Spring/Summer 09 shows little more than an unimpressed, fleeting glance...more fool me. A couple of month on and now I am finding myself noticing more and more from these collections. Antonio Azzuolo collections are always styled well and this time round the flowers in the lapels were replaced with pinned plumage (designed by Brooklyn Artist Christian Fastrup) which dandified the collection. The feathers were the highlight for me and now need to beg/borrow/steal or indeed make something similar.

As I debated with myself as to which feathers would look best in each of my jackets, I noticed the below text...

"You likely haven't tacked anything onto your jacket's lapel since senior prom, but these jaunty feather boutonnieres have a lot more style than that little flower."

Valet Mag - A feather in your jacket.

This is sadly true for a lot of us...I guess when we are feeling crazy we might pin a flower (or at the very least a poppy on Remembrance Sunday) but on the whole, our lapel is often naked. In recent weeks I've noticed that there are a wealth of options to dress up an old/new jacket. Below are my two current favourites and ones I'm eager to try...

Feathers

According to Valet and Antonio Azzuollo, 'Real Men wear feathers.' I'm not sure that I consider myself a real man...I would still class myself as something much more like boy like...but I aspire to wear feathers, peacock and pheasant feathers in particular. As soon as I get the chance I will take a trip in to central to marvel at the plumage on offer at MacCulloch&Wallis (the best haberdashery around). The Valet feature showcases handmade feather pins by a German company which has been producing them in a small factory on the outskirts of the Black Forest since 1924, and they a bargain at $40 from the Cooper-Hewitt museum shop.

Lego

This is probably the lapel choice of the moment. Will it last? Who cares, I just like Lego so why not have a little fun with it! As soon as the Lego brooch appeared on the lapel of Kanye's well cut suit during the promotion of 808s and Heartbreak, it was destined to be talked about and desired by many. We featured the designer twins (Dee & Ricky) who were responsible for the brooch but this would make for a relatively easy DIY project. I really wish I hadn't had to throw all of my bricks away...Brandish recently suggested Hamba beads as a cheap alternative.

These are just two of my current favourite ways to breathe fresh life (and colour) into a suit jacket. The options really are endless. I plan on experimenting with as many as I can this Spring, including the floral pins by Kate Cusack I mentioned yesterday (thanks again to Blindman's Circus for bringing these to my attention)....Of course once Spring actually comes, there will be a plethora of real flowers to pick from...then again as EJ posted last Valentines Day there are always flowers out there which can be clipped and pinned on to brighten any winter coat all you have to do is look for them.

Which lapel accessory is to your personal taste?

Will 2009 see the return of flower power?

Flower Print - Two looks from the Obedient Son SS 09 runway, Silk Libery Pockerchiefs and shirt by Shipley & Halmos.

The chaps over at men.style have looked into their crystal balls and seen a few key items which make up their spring fashion forecast for 2009. The twelve item list is a relatively small one, but the trends it mentions are well worth considering...I am sure that there are a few that you'll adapt to your own wardrobe in the coming months if you've not done so already.

The most interesting of the bunch was without a doubt libery prints. For this they say "Thanks to the green thumbs of labels like Shipley & Halmos, Obedient Sons, and Liberty of London (which lent its trademark blooms to Steven Alan for shirts, ties, and boxers), look for flowers to have more power than ever in '09."

Mix of floral print as captured by the Sartorialist back in May.

Upon reading this my mind began racing, trying to think of successful examples of where flower prints have been used to make an outfit (aside from the ones mentioned in the feature). I have to admit that I couldn't think of too many recent examples...the aw 08 lookbook of Jaiden rVa James featured were by far the best I could think of...when I was close to a headache, the above image popped into my head. I saw this chap during my time at the Hyeres Festival and like most people just couldn't stop staring at his mix of floral prints (I mentioned him in a post way back in May). He approached the prints without fear and although it probably shouldn't have worked, it most certainly did.

For me, floral prints are a little tricky to wear well but rather than be put off by them we should see them as a challenge. If you are feeling far from brave why not try sporting this silk Liberty print pockerchief? Blindman's Circus recently featured Floral Pins by Kate Cusack which would surely finish off almost any outfit...This Spring we should all take the time to pick some flowers.

Baths and secret shopping: An evening in with Monocle Weekly

I had the flat to myself last night and chose to spend the last part of my free time in the best place possible...A hot bath accompanied by Issey Miyake frangrance infused bubbles (a Christmas present) and keeping me company was the second edition of the Monocle Weekly and a cup of tea. Ever since I played in the bath with my Donatello action figure (One of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, this model was extra special as it had an effective swimming action), I have enjoyed spending at least half an hour so at a time immersed in bubbles and steam - there is a stigma of sorts attached to using this bathing method but I don't care who knows!

The first edition of Monocle Weekly for 2009 is just over twenty eight minutes long which is a pretty perfect amount of time to play around in a bath...any longer and there is a danger of emerging prune like out of the water. It discusses the run up to the inauguration of 'that one' and some tales of Iceland but more interestingly for us, discusses the status of the premium menswear market in light of the near apocalyptic financial conditions. The show is far from perfectly executed but it is refreshing to see this type of thing offered and I recommend listening to it...in a bath of course.

On being introduced the correspondent, Sagra Maceira de Rosen, shares a little joke about the pecking order of shopping in the average household..."first the kids, second the wife, third the pets and fourth the men" which highlights the traditional difficulties effecting the menswear market. It is pretty obvious to me that this hierarchy has been challenged and altered in recent years but it does demonstrate that the menswear market has always been up against it. She then goes on to say that we are facing a very conservative environment which will see a return to brands offering basics. Unfortunately, she makes the obvious point that in a recession, tailoring is one of the things which suffers most (a sad truth). However, one of the positive things which might come out of all of this, is consumers will focus more on value. Value doesn't equate to cheap. Cost per wear is just one equation which is important and should be applied to all purchases. In terms of my own shopping style, over the last couple of months I have really concentrated on buying items which firstly, I need and secondly, that will last. Lasting basics have always important to the menswear market and will be even more so today but I also look to buy more extravagant pieces which could be worn in many years to come. Pieces which will hang in my wardrobe and always offer a good option, like an interestingly cut suit.

The show then discussed something which made me chuckle into my cup of tea. A great deal of attention has focused on the impact of the crisis on retailers, during the final few hectic days before Christmas, reports on the number of shoppers, what they bought etc filled news reports, but none made me laugh like this one. Apparently, in New York within the luxury stores (Hermes is quoted) when people were buying this they were asking for their purchases to be placed in plain, white bags as opposed to branded bags (in truth I've never been too keen on heavily branded bags but then again I don't like anything which is heavily branded). The people who are shopping are somewhat embarrassed by their purchases...if they feel this way, as in if they have something to hide...maybe they should not be buying it in the first place. This scenario made me laugh because it reminds me of people drinking alcohol in the streets but of course using brown paper bags to ingeniously hide the fact that they are drinking. It creates a strange shopping landscape where people can still shop but no one has to know about it.

Have your spending habits changed? If you are shopping, are you doing it behind veils of secrecy?

London Calling Fresh Design Talent

We thought we'd let you know about an exciting competition for all our budding designer readers (as we know you're out there). We'd love to see you enter and make us proud! Here are the details:

Fashion156 and Start London are offering the chance to win a unique opportunity to showcase your design talent (if you have any)! Fashion156 consistently unearth and then shine the spotlight on up and coming designers. Now they have joined forces with Start London to widen the search for the design stars of tomorrow, so if you have got what it takes... it could be you! This competition will offer two individuals with raw design talent the chance to see their creations brought to life on the pages of fashion156.com and sold in Start boutiques. What a way to start 2009!

Shorts and Twin Set Sheer Top and Cardigan by James Long as featured in the latest issue of Fashion156...your design could feature in future issues...

The competition is open to students, graduates and anyone with a brand-new label that is not already established. Designers (both menswear and womenswear) are invited to submit their ideas; this should be in the form of a series of detailed sketches or photographs which must be original, directional designs for Spring/Summer 2009.

The closing date for initial entries is 31st January 2009 so you'd better start sketching! The ten designers which the judges feel have best conceptualised their ideas will be invited to produce an actual garment and the winning designs will be selected from this shortlist. All ten finalists will be featured on the fashion156 and Start London websites with readers invited to judge and vote for their favourite design. The winning designs will be sold in store and online in March.

For further information drop an email to info@fashion156.com