Street Style Induced Salivation

In the spirit of Goldilocks Tommy described the above look to be 'just rrright' and declared his intent to invest in a low cut pair of monochrome dr. martens. I've not owned a pair of DMs for about fifteen years now but I have enjoyed the brands (relatively) recent resurgence and have appreciated their collaborative work over the last few years. On this old school favourite, today's Guardian magazine stated that 'even Raf Simons can't persuade us on this 80s come back trend. Shoes for sixth form sulking and nowt else' - the magazine is a joy to read but I frequently disagree with their style content and I shake my head at their words once again.

The above shot demonstrates that the somewhat clumpy shoes can look good, albeit helped by the cuffed jean styling and a truly beautiful, slightly distressed bag. I want, nay need, that bag. Once again a street style blog has offered me more inspiration and reason to salivate over my keyboard...I think I will have to make the 'Street Style Induced Salivation' a regular feature because it is happening to me all too often lately.

The (Forgotten) Art of Wardrobe Building

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Each day during this cold, mostly grey month of January, Valet have brought us a new tip, trick or tool to ensure that 2009 is the year we up your game on the looking-good and living-well front...as well as providing inspiration for the odd post or two (my favourite being our personal uniform post). On day twenty eight the chaps at Valet have reminded me of the need to both purge and organise my wardrobe. Susie is constantly picking my clothes off the back of chairs and rehanging them within the wrinkle free safe haven which she goes on to inform me is called 'the wardrobe' before muttering more words under her breath. I am guilty of preferring to have my clothes close to hand rather than hanging in a wardrobe. My method of getting dressed in the morning doesn't even require the opening of a door or drawer because I have what I need on the back of my trusty chair...Of course, I do have a wardrobe and it is full of clothes but I just prefer to have my favourite pieces out on show...much to the bemusement and annoyance of Susie...Through a combination of this nagging and the looming threat coming from EJ (who takes a great amount of glee from informing me that she is going to rummage through my wardrobe in a mere two weeks time) it is about time that I spent an afternoon folding, ironing, arranging and charity shop bagging. Upon looking through our archive it came to my attention that it was about this time last year that we dedicated a post to salvaging wardrobes...a lot has changed over the course of the last year and it is certainly time to attack that wardrobe of mine all over again.

The Valet advice is threefold:

1) Take a visual survey and pull out the pieces you haven't worn in the past year. If it doesn't fit or you don't plan on wearing in the next couple of months, toss it.
I certainly need to do this and think a small bag at the very least will be dropped off at a nearby Charity Shop next week..

2) Look at your shoes. Dump the beat up sneakers you don't even wear to the gym, and take worn-out wing tips to be resoled. Now might be a good time to replace affordable standbys. I have at least pair of shoes which needs to be resoled, new year, new sole.

3) If there are seasonal items you'd like to keep, but are done wearing, take them to the cleaner and have them boxed for storage.
Is anyone this organised? This might be a step too far for me...

Methinks it is time to grow up and after purging my wardrobe, I will continue the pursuit of building the perfect wardrobe. I have been inspired by reading the E. Tautz website (after being pointed in it's direction by A Continuous Lean). This of course will not entail me taking hold of a hammer and a bag of nails but instead will require the thoughtful and measured collection of sartorial pieces...given the current world situation, I think it is the perfect time to advocate astute shopping. It is time to treat the wardrobe as more than a mere piece of furniture which I barely use. I will leave you with inspiring words from E. Tautz and I will purge the wardrobe...mañana.

The art of wardrobe building is not fast or haphazard; instead it is developed and nurtured over time. A mans wardrobe may rather eloquently tell the story of his life less ordinary.

Style Salvage Speaks to... Charlie Porter

Charlie Porter is a man that we both greatly admire here at Style Salvage. As our obsession with men's style has evolved over the years Charlie Porter's insight has been our constant companion; his scribblings for GQ, the Guardian and, more recently, i-D and Fantastic Man have always been a pleasure to read. He is one of the few fashion journalists that discusses men's style with a heady mix of intelligence, knowledge, understanding and humour. We wish there were more commentators on men's style and fashion in his mould.

We could gush all day and night about him (especially Steve) but we (more like Steve) would only end up embarrassing ourselves (himself). That said, we have no problem admitting that we squealed like school girls when we realised that he was following us via Twitter... in fact we have Twitter to thank for securing us the opportunity to interview him. A quick google search doesn't bring up any other interviews with him, so this could be some kind of first and exclusive for us. Hurrah! We are excited so we hope you enjoy...

Style Salvage: How did you get into the men's fashion business? What excites you about men's fashion?
Charlie Porter: I began concentrating on menswear because I was offered a job. I had been deputy fashion editor at The Guardian, but newspapers are mainly focused on womenswear. Nick Sullivan was leaving British GQ for US Esquire, had met me at the men’s shows the season before, and so recommended me to Dylan Jones. And so I switched over. I quit GQ in June last year for Fantastic Man, which is an utter joy for me. I’ve never worked on an independent title before, and presumed I never would because they are mostly for the young. But I now work on a magazine made for men, and done with an independent spirit and drive, and it’s an honour to be a part of it.

SS: What do you really think about the aw 09 shows so far? What were your favourite moments and did you have any moments that you'd like to erase from your memory?
CP: There was so much fashion around, which I found so exciting – often menswear is just pieces or small steps, but so many shows had big bold moves. Yves Saint Laurent was a total standout for me, and was what I’ve been hoping Stefano Pilati would do for ages: clothing that was uncompromised and advanced in its thinking, made with the same spirit in which he does his womens shows. Raf Simons was amazing – I kind of embarrassed myself afterwards by going up to him and, rather than asking an intelligent question, I just said “I love a bolero”. I love the way that Comme des Garcons is almost being cheeky now with its obsession with skirts – Rei Kawakubo is getting some oomph with the challenge she’s making with them. And the studded coat at Prada was totally superb.Favourite moments tend to be the ones you don’t expect: we had a lovely few minutes reading our horoscopes on Sunday; there was one particularly enjoyable sing-a-long to Listen by Beyonce when I got a lift in the Love car; I was trying to make my friend laugh when she was right in the line of the catwalk photographers – it’s that sort of stuff that keeps you going.

SS: How do these shows compare to previous seasons? In your experience has there ever been such a resounding influence on the collections as the r...the rec...(oh you know what we mean - we just can't bare saying it anymore) has had on this season so far?
CP: I was getting quotes for a piece from David Walker Smith, the head of menswear buying at Selfridges, and he was saying how a few years ago we’d have been complaining about the shows being so boring, where as this time round they’ve been really exciting. So I think fashion design follows an opposite path to economic boom and bust –i actually think it’s boring when there’s too much money sloshing around. I think you should say the R word loud and proud – I think it’s the most exciting thing to happen in fashion for ages. It’s simple: the dull world of luxury has blunted the excitement of fashion this past decade because it’s more about logo and profit growth rather than fashion for the sake of it. Luxury has suddenly lost its confidence and is shying into the background, meaning that actual fashion designers – people who make clothes with a purpose rather than just to revive a brand – now have the floor clear. I think it’s something we’ve seen in menswear at these shows just gone and will hopefully happen in womenswear too. Obviously complaining about the recession is the most boring thing in the world, but look at its actual effects and it’s actually a cause for optimism (as long as I don’t lose my flat/job/life etc).

SS: Which shows are you most excited about seeing in London?
CP: Really really really hopeful that the new menswear day will work. It’s AMAZING that the men's shows have been given more of a shot, but it’s a shame that the day comes after the official shows are over – some womenswear editors will have left for Milan already. I personally think it’s an outrage that newspaper editors completely ignore men’s shows. They should do both. Fashion is fashion.

SS: You must have seen so much over the course of your career, what is your favourite fashion moment?

CP: The spring/summer 2002 shows were particularly tough, because they happened in September 2001. We were in New York on September 11th, so after London I skipped Milan to get over it all. I joined the shows back in Paris, where one of the first I saw there was Junya Watanabe, who’s one of my favourites anyway. The show started, and it was beautiful – that denim collection with skirts made of patchwork panels that curved as they went down. And the music was “If You Leave Me Now” by Chicago, and and as it got to the bit where it goes “ooh-oooh-oooooh-oooh-oooh baby please don’t go”, all the catwalk photographers started singing, and it was just lovely. I went to do a re-see of the collection a few days later, and they’d redubbed the video – don’t think singing photographers would help sell clothes.

SS: If you could go back in time and experience any fashion moment, what would it be?
CP: I’d have loved to have seen relatively recent stuff, like Comme des Garcons first collections, early Vivienne Westwood, and also Bodymap stuff that I’d have read about when I was a kid but not seen. Even only going back a few seasons from when I started to see Alexander McQueen’s first couple of shows would be enough for me.

SS: Have you got any recommendation that you'd like to share with our readers? (shops, hairdressers, designers, websites, bars)
CP: Shops: Fabulous Fanny’s on E9th Street in NYC between 1st and 2nd – the most extraordinary spectacles shop in the world – it’s where I got my specs from, remakes of an old pair.
Hairdresser: The Turkish barbers on Broadway Market, London E8
Designers: Old Town! The most amazing versions of British workwear clothing that you can only get by mail-order or by visiting their store in Norfolk
Bars: well I’m totally in love with the Joiners Arms on the Hackney Road, where I co-host a weekly party on Thursdays called MACHO CITY, we also do a weekly mailout called the WEEK IN MACHO on Wednesday, which you can get by mailing machocity@googlemail.com

SS: Aside from the ones you contribute to, what are you your favourite magazines?
CP: World of Interiors, The Garden (which you get when you are a member of the Royal Horticultural Society), American Vogue, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker

SS: We have been writing about men's style on the blog for eighteen months or so now and in that time we have seen a number of other men's style blogs come and go...do you read blogs and if so, which are on your blogroll?
CP: I think the exciting thing about the way blogs are expanding is that they can become more and more personal and involved. I think so many made the mistake of thinking they can just replicate a magazine online, or that it would be interesting just to reprint whats in press releases. The thing that The Sartorialist does so well is completely link to fashion without ever referring to the fashion industry itself. It’s very clever, and it’s the sort of natural link to something that makes sense which every blog has got to find for themselves.

SS: What is inspiring your own personal style at the moment? Do you have any style icons (long or short term)?

CP: I’ve just gone freelance, so I’m interested in how my clothing is changed from being at home and not going into the city so much – there’s been a definite weeding out of looks, and everything I’m wearing is definitely much more “me” – it’s a really good process. I’ve never had a style icon in my life, I just like wearing clothes that amuse me or that are enjoyable to wear.

SS: Is there anything that you'd never wear?
CP: Anything too revealing – I’m a total prude – very English.

SS: What item of clothing (if any) do you wish men wore more?
CP: I just wish men thought more about what it is they’re actually wearing than conforming to what they think they should wear. So many men are scared of rules that don’t exist, or think they should have a certain look or convey a preconceived message. I just think of clothing in terms of what it feels like to wear, both in terms of the fabric and cut, and then what it looks like to wear, and then go on from there. I think it’s a much more satisfying way of dressing than being linear about it.

SS: What piece of style advice would you pass on to your (theoretical) sons?

CP: I couldn’t imagine anything worse than telling (theoretical) offspring how to dress! It would cause immediate hatred in (theoretical) offspring!

SS: And finally, our quick google search didn't uncover any other interviews with you online... this is your chance to ask yourself and answer the one question you wish you had been asked but have never had the opportunity to do so.
CP: Yes I do think it’s a crying shame that Hedi Slimane, Helmut Lang and Jil Sander aren’t designing right now.

Designs Of Mehendi for Girls

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Excited by...Beige???

The goings on in Milan and Paris have had a strange effect on me. As designer after designer has presented collections dominated by black, I have looked for something more and just might be getting exctited by things that oridnairly would be far from exciting. The world is seemingly in an advanced stage of collective mourning in response to the terrible situation (we are frequently told we are in) and it seems we are supposed to dress the part in the coming seasons. Such a sorrowful colour palette has forced me to cling to any colour that I can and I have found myself being somewhat excited by glimpses of the neutral colour palette which we have been treated to from time to time. Who knew that it would be possible to be excited by beige?

Despite seeing black almost everywhere, the runways of Paris did offer some light tones. I was not 100% convinced that the Lanvin collection preached 'change' but I was convinced by the soft touches on show and was a fan of the cinched at the waist trench coats with contrasting lapels. McQueen's dark and aggressive Victorian vision shown by his 'McQueensbury Rules' collection contained some beautiful coats and some neutral tone styling which made the whole thing less menacing...However, the highlights were really off the runway and were captured by Mr Schuman in Sweden and by Tommy in Paris. The final look above (in particular) really caught my imagination. I'm not completely sold on short sleeve jackets but it works here because it shows off the lovely knitted texture of the jumper.

These recent demonstrations of how a neutral colour palette can be quite striking got me thinking about the coming season and the many examples I have seen since the last round of shows. The Cablog is a constant source of inspiration and he certainly knows how to use colour and textures to make some truly wonderful outfits. Upon the purchase of a delicate umbrella he used neutral neutral tones to create a soft and delicate look, all he needs is a promenade to stroll down. Martyn Bal's SS 09 lookbook was one of my favourites because it contained a number of light as-a-feather layered looks...perfect Spring dressing in my opinion. Likewise, Burberry's 'Crumpled Classics' collection beautifully demonstrated how men should layer throughout the seasons. Jumpers over printed shirts, with scarves and light macs in a number of soft, light and thin fabrics were so inspiring.

As the world is increasingly dark and sombre, it it that much of a surprise that I can be excited by beige? Am I an isolated case or are other people experiencing this strange phenomena?

More shiny leggings

More of shiny leggings, fur coats and hats... Brick Lane in Winter.

Picture Postcard: I want my own entourage

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Dearest Eliza

When can I have my own entourage like Mr West? I came across this image on the simply wonderful every day is fashion week blog that is Jak & Jill. I doubt that my entourage would look quite like this but nevertheless I want one. As my birthday is coming up, maybe you could rustle me up a dandy butch of gents to follow me around and do my bidding however I see fit...

Speaking of Kanye, after my headache (induced by catching up on all of the shows that I missed) subsided I ventured on to Kanye's blog and was confronted with this strange video of the newly titled Martin Louis The King Jnr talking from his hotel room in Paris....strange viewing indeed.

I wait for the assembly of my entourage...

Thanks

Steve

Hey Steve!

And here was me thinking that you were scared of clowns... Ok, so that's a little mean. I have been bemoaning the lack of colour on the catwalks so this is definitely a breath of fresh air... but ever so slightly overwhelming when all viewed together.

Taken individually, I generally like what each of them is wearing (with the exception of the chap in the green jacket... does... not... compute...) and it is fantastic to see men having such fun with their clothing and not being afraid to wear bright primary colours. I'm seriously considering yellow trainers now, not that I need an excuse to buy more trainers.

Not sure why they're carrying round their luggage though. I would've thought that they'd have valets to do that sort of thing for them...

EJ

P.S. I'll begin assembling your entourage when I'm down in London in a couple of weeks. Applications to the usual email address please...

In need of pain relief

The New Tylenol? Looks from the Lanvin AW09 show.

Always read the label. Do not operate heavy machinery.

From bad planning on my part and an eagerness on the behalf of my Grandparents I ended up packing a small case full of jumpers and took the train for a weekend break on the South East coast. All of this meant that I was sans Internet for two days (aside from my phone) and I duly missed much of the activity in Paris...although, did I really miss that much (answers on a postcard, or alternatively the comment box)? I have to admit that I've not caught up on all of the shows as yet because quite honestly the sheer number of looks (mostly mediocre) on offer have given me a headache and I needed a break from it all.

The collection which I took the greatest time over (as it relieved the symptoms of my headache) was unsurprisingly Lanvin. After salivating over the catwalking images, I progressed to the WWD show report and chuckled over the following Elbaz remark:

“In difficult times the public needs something uplifting. You can either take a Tylenol or wear a Lanvin suit.”

Unfortunately, Lanvin suits aren't quite as easy to get hold off as a paracetamol but nevertheless I agree with the sentiment...so many of the shows in Milan and Paris have focused on the negativity of the current economic situation or at best, played it safe, whereas we all want and deserve more! For me fashion should offer some form of an escape and as most of us are forced to reach for the Tylenol (or in my case the English equivalent, paracetamol) and financial markets crumble around us, we can at least aspire/dream and attempt to emulate the look on the runway - and I certainly feel that way about some of the looks created within this show. I just wish more designers shared this mentality, we certainly do need uplifting...and until that happens I guess the message is to hit the painkillers...


Despite my headache I did manage to gaze over the Sartorialist's shots over on men.style and I have to take the trophy out of the hands of Zegna and provisionally award best dressed crowd to Anne Demeulemeester but there is still all to play for...

Fashion Fiesta--Ladies Top by a French Designer

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Rockabilly on Brick Lane

Rockabilly punk on Brick Lane...