Summer Solution

The summer solution found by Armando Cabral

Each and every Summer I encounter the same problem, what do I wear on my feet? When the sunshine is squinting-ly glorious and the capital becomes all too sweaty, most footwear options fill me will trepidation. All because I just don't like naked feet. Exposed toes irk me at the best of times but in most instances the sight is downright intolerable. Most people's feet are hideous. Mine are. Where appropriate they should be covered at all times, not revealed in all of their beastly glory the moment the mercury exceeds twenty degrees. In recent seasons I have found solace in the espadrille but I am always on the look out for a new option. This season, Armando Cabral has provided the perfect Summer solution with the gift of his huarache sandal. Thank you Armado!

The huarache sandals in all their glory.

Back in September, Cabral's debut offering brought some much needed summer sunshine to a typical grey Sunday.  The range includes modern takes on classic shapes, all the while showcasing attention to detail and a vibrant colour palette. I was an instant fan. The SS11 collection offers a full range of season classics including desert boots, boating moccasin and woven sandals, all with an individual design signature. The huarache sandal typifies the success of the collection. This Mexican classic has been updated with the addition of a vulcanized rubber sole, to combine the sophistication of the traditional upper with the flexibility of modern technology.

The huarache sandals worn with tailored trousers by Reiss, gingham Basil shirt by b Store, neckerchief from Labour and Wait and Alisdair rucksack from Ally Capellino. 

Given the spate of beautiful weather, the most recent addition to my footwear arsenal were given their first run out much earlier than expected. As people waved their flags and raised a glass for the royal wedding, I road tested my summer solution. Cool but covered toes make me happy, the perfect combination. They passed with flying colours.

A closer look at Armandal Cabral's huarache sandal.

Weekend Inspiration: A Passionate Collaboration

Bank Holiday weekends should be long and lazy. Mine has been filled with various pursuits of everyday procrastination but none have been more fruitful than a flick through a recent second hand book store find. Margrethe Mather & Edward Weston: A Passionate Collaboration explores the relationship between two of my favourite photographers and provides inspiration at every turn of page. Whilst offering a glimpse of California Bohemia, A Passionate Collaboration features work by both artists, chronicles their twelve-year association and sheds much needed light on Mather, whose artistry, sexual identity, and mysterious past were overshadowed by the massive reputation of Edward Weston.

Mather was, without doubt, an extraordinary photographer on her own merit. She was a pacesetter and innovator. With her unerring eye for spare, elegant design, her unflinching capacity for editing an image to its very essence and her obsession with technical perfection, Margrethe Mather was an artist of real substance and significance. As much as I enjoyed reading about their complex relationship it was the selection of plates that really left me inspired. I just had to scan a few of them to share with you.

Margrethe Mather - "Wild Joe" O'Carrol (1919)

Margrethe Mather - Frayne Williams (1920)

Margrethe Mather and Edward Weston - Max Eastman at Water's Edge (1921)

Margrethe Mather -Johan Hagemeyer (1921)

Edward Weston - Roi Patridge (1922)

Margrethe Mather - The Abandoned Car (1925)

Margrethe Mather - Japanese Combs (1931)

Leitmotiv AW11: Light Motiv

Over the last twelve months or so, I have gradually found myself drawn to the previously unsettling world of prints. The mere thought of paisley, camouflage, gingham, polka dot, leopard print or digital creation used to cause sweaty palms. Something changed. One of the factors in my new found confidence was the discovery of Italian label Leitmotiv during the SS11 season of Pitti Uomo. The one thousand, four hundred and seven exhibitors who decided to preview their new collections and projects at this Disneyland of menswear tradeshows caused great excitement during my first visit but it was Leitmotiv who really left the greatest impression. I was slapped silly by the hands of the design duo behind the label and their penchant for clashing and layering of the whimsical. I've kept an excited eye on the pair ever since. 

I'm pleased to declare that Leitmotiv's AW11 collection is as playful as ever. Once more, the talented design duo, Sasso and Carro, have created a dazzling print rich collection that manages to be both familiar and new. Entitled Light Motiv, the collection is a video game that captivates our attention and shifts before our very eyes. For the new season, landmarks, characters and animals merge, mingle and dance around one another in an ever changing configuration of print possibilities. Digital camouflage pixelate and transforms in to urban compositions. The familiar animals emerge from clouds, ornamental mazes or gallop out of nowhere. The more you look, the more you see.

With each passing season, the design duo behind Leitmotiv narrate stories that fascinated us all throughout childhood. Today we relive them through their dazzling prints. The seemingly simple canvas of menswear becomes the canvas that unfolds a tale of dreams and the poetic whims of the pair.

Back from the beach and back to work...

At the beach back soon...

Because of the Royal wedding, in the UK most people seemed to have wangled up to 11 days off, with the frivolities continuing till next Tuesday but we'll try to get out before then....Best Robert, Luisa & The Tucs

Meanwhile I love Persol and below a great pair of Persol from Seth Bradley collection at  zone7style

Thought to be from the early days of the company c.1920's and I love the nautical references

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EMPORIO ARMANI SHOES SPRING/SUMMER 2011

A happy ending

Baartmans and Siegel x Grenson Brogue

On the 28th January 2010, during an evening packed with emerging design talent at the LCF MA showing in the ornate surroundings Raphael Hall at the V&A, I caught sight of a very special brogue indeed. Wouter Baartmans' Great Depression era inspired heady mix of tailoring, sportswear and fur was one of the real highlights from the class of 2010 and it introduced me to my dream footwear. The combination of leather and suede that strode past left me reaching, longingly from my seat. But they passed me by. A few months later and I encountered them for the second time during Amber Siegel's Oil Slick Birds inspired exploration of tailoring and texture in the LCF BA show. I fell for their charms all over again. Like all crushes, I needed to know more about them.

These beautiful brogues were indeed a collaboration between the two talented LCF graduates and  long standing British shoe maker, Grenson. A wonderful combination of craft, tradition and  innovation. With a history spanning more than one hundred and forty years you would forgive Grenson for resting on its Goodyear Welted soles. However, when compared to other classic English shoe makers, they been making the most positive and interesting moves in recent years. These brogues are certainly one of the finest examples. 

During a Baartmans&Siegel studio visit, I slipped my eager feet in to the suede tipped brogues. Words are not able to describe how good they felt and looked at this time. Reluctantly, I returned my treated feet to their now insignificant, hollow leather home. And that was that for a number of months. On occasion, I thought I had seen them from across the street, attached to a passing stranger or behind the window front of a store where my eyes would light up shortly before the realisation of my mistake would surface. All other similar shoes paled in comparison. Oh the heartache.

Fast forward to this weekend and I received a very special treat from the design duo. My very own pair. Wow. As Gabrielle once sang, "Dreeeams can come true." Well, it didn't take me too long before my excited feet forced themselves in to their new favourite home. 

For those of you who, like me, fell head over goodyear welted heels for the fruits of this Baartmans&Siegel collaboration, you'll be pleased to hear that a range will be released for SS12.

MARK BOUWER INTERVIEW

MARK BOUWER FASHION DESIGNERS

DALLAS, Aug 15, 2008 / FW/ — Originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, Marc Bouwer immigrated to the U.S. armed with a portfolio that won him South Africa Vogue Young Designer Award. It seemed that S.A. Vogue and fashion legend Halston had the same opinion about Marc.

Shortly after arriving in New York, Marc Bouwer met Halston and as if he was making a prediction, the legendary designer said, “I think you got something, kid!”

Working under Halston, Marc refined his skills – from tailoring to cutting and draping. Eventually becoming a master draper, Marc’s draping technique would eventually make him the darling of the fashion set and give rise to one of his signature looks, ‘athletic glamour.’

Launching his own line during the 1990s, Marc Bouwer’s star continue to rise as his creations graced the cover of Harper’s Bazaar, Oprah, Cosmopolitan, Instyle, Vanity Fair, Glamour and Vibe Magazine among others.

Bouwer was also one of the first adopters of ‘animal free’ collection. In 2002, made fashion history when he presented a collection made completely free of animal products. PETA sponsored the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week show. A PETA Humanitarian Award soon followed.

AQUILANO RIMONDI SPRING 2011

"Deep and long cracks exalt the body of the interpreter." That terrifying-sounding process, described in the arcane notes that accompanied Aquilano.Rimondi's Spring collection, was fortunately nowhere in evidence on the duo's catwalk. There were, however, deep and long slits that opened up dresses with the seventies-doing-forties line we've seen already this season. Bearing in mind that the seventies were a good decade for Italian fashion and that Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi have sometimes cast themselves as standard-bearers of Italian culture, it made perfect sense that here they enthusiastically dived into the colors, prints, and proportions of that era. The result: an immediate reprieve from the rather less-distinctive collection they had shown for the house of Ferré earlier in the week.