Latest movie…

What Turns You On? from The Style Scout on Vimeo.

Susie Bubble, Facehunter, Le Femme and many more appear in a 2 min film we entered into the recent Virgin Media’s shorts contest…

Below another movie I made in the depths of winter on a Saturday night when we stayed in blogging, and the movie traces my travels through the blogosphere that night with some of the the accompanying music I recall hearing through last.fm on that occasion…

Saturday Night In... from The Style Scout on Vimeo.

A Collage Too Far...

A Collage Too Far from The Style Scout on Vimeo.

JLo Mash (half-finished)

JLo Mash from The Style Scout on Vimeo.

Growing in to a personal uniform

Inspiration from Oily Boy

Following an interesting article over on Valet, EJ posted a thought provoking look at the idea of having a personal unform which left such an impression on me that I'm still pondering it. I like the idea of owning and becoming one or two outfits. The clothes would come together to form a signature of sorts, a recognisable trademark. Once you've found that secret formula (if it even exists) of a great outfit the key should be to tweak as you go, accessories and colour can certainly be experimented with to breathe fresh life in to any outfit. In a relatively 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 but could this be for me?

Earlier this week Susie declared to me that when she hits a certain age she will embrace the dark colour palette and relaxed fit world of Yohji Yamamoto for her personal uniform which made me question who I would turn to as I matured. During an afternoon of procrastination I found myself discussing this very subject with John. He declared he would 'love to be a Yohji and Issey man with a sprinkling of Comme' for good measure and this certainly struck a chord with my me. John also recalled his pleasant surprise at viewing images of CdG x H&M collaboration launch and noticing a significant number of middle aged plus enthusiasts thumbing the rails. We both found this loyalty to certain brands admirable. It soon became apparent that the names we were discussing were extremely Japanese focused, including Visvim, Porter Yoshida as well as those already mentioned above). For us Japanese old man style is hard to beat and this is just one of the reasons we love Oily Boy so much. The gentlemen contained in the pages are of a certain generation who have learned how to wear their clothes not let their clothes wear them.

My personal uniform could quite easily come from Casely-Hayford's aw09 collection.

I decided to sleep on the question of who I would turn to to create my personal uniform today. My answer constantly evolves because I'm still in a stage of experimentation...I've not quite reached that age yet where I can say..I want to wear this, this is me and then stick to it. However, my current pick of designers to supply such a uniform would be Casely-Hayford. Along with Fashion156 we were offered a sneak peak at their AW09 collection long before anyone else had and I instantly fell for the mix of tailoring and sportswear. A number of labels attempt to combine a street and sport aesthetic with formal tailoring but very few truly pull it off and the father and son design duo undeniably do so. The tailoring fits perfectly with my current sartorial aesthetic as it is full of interesting features such as a dropped hem on a single breasted jacket and the ribbed cuffed trousers in tweed jersey. This is tailoring for the 21st gentleman and I would love to be that gentleman. Which designer(s) would you turn to in order to create your personal uniform?

The blue trench

McQueen Rethinks Runway

McQueensbury Rules was the perfect balance of theatre on the one side and desirable yet wearable clothes on the other. The show of the season for me by far.

WWD broke the news today that after wow-ing us all with his theatrical yet highly wearable AW09 collection, Alexander McQueen will be moving on from the standard runway format. He certainly has provided us with some of the best, most memorable shows over the years, but this summer, the designer will present his collection in some other format. The designer and his team were one of the few designers who were able to create something special on the catwalk but McQueen is a true showman so I am sure that he will blow us away. His publicists say they are working on “something very special,” which will definitely not be a sit-down runway show and although Milan will certainly miss him, he will still give us something awesome. McQueen constantly surprises me. In a recent interview with Numéro Homme magazine, he extolled the virtues of choosing soaps over fashion and made me laugh to myself (whilst getting the odd strange look from other folk in Borders...oh the shame!).

"You know it’s hard enough doing this job, I don’t have to live it as well. I’d rather sit at home watching ‘Coronation Street.’“

As long as McQueen manages to peel himself off the sofa from season to season, he will continue to push fashion forward in whatever way he chooses. How would you like to see McQueen show his next collection? I have visions of McQueen directing an episode of the nation's favourite soaps..just imagine Jack Duckworth in McQueen tailoring...or maybe not!

Paper Cut Tailoring

Our recent trip to Antwerp saw us take in some culture as well as just the over eating and stock sale hunting. One of the highlights for me, was the trip to the MOMU to marvel at the Paper Fashion exhibition. The exhibition brings together the most remarkable collection of paper fashion creations. In addition to the historic objects from Ancient China and Japan, the exhibition includes designs by Hussein Chalayan, A.F. Vandevorst, John Galliano, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dirk Van Saene, Issey Miyake to name just a few. Although there has been no real question of paper fashion as such since 1968 (previously anything was possible with paper fashion from pop art to political campaign slogans), countless important fashion houses and designers have experimented with paper or with materials that resemble paper.

Of course the exhibition had a heavy womenswear slant but their were still the odd nugget of menswear to savour. Namely James Rosenquist's famous paper suit for Hugo Boss that he wore to Pop art openings and parties in the 1960s. Rosenquist in his paper suit transcended mere fashion and became the perfect embodiment of the era.

Recently remade of Tyvek(r) (a nonwoven fabric made from spun-bonded olefin) brings Rosenquist's paper suit into the new millenium. This extraordinary garment represents the increasingly explicit link between art and fashion and marries the most enduring form of menswear with the "throwaway" nature of paper.

The fragility of paper stimulated the textiles industry to seek out alternative materials that looked like paper, but which offered more possibilities. Ultimately, Tyvek proved to be the only one of these materials that would continue to be used in the textiles industry to the present day. When I posted about Saskia Diez's use of the fabric I was most intrigued by it and meant to explore its use further (Miuccia used it expertly to provide monochromatic colour blocks for MiuMiu SS07 collection - it became the outerwear of choice from the bomber jackets to the boxy plebian coats with micro collars) and was even pointed in the direction of Cloth House where the fabric is available. Following a great deal of papier inspiration at the exhibition I will make that trip to Berwick Street this weekend for a closer look.

The stripey skirt

Finding Bruno in Antwerp

As you all know I was fortunate enough to spend a long weekend in the quiet city of Antwerp and whilst admiring the architecture, exploring the home of Rubens, and eating far too much food we had more than enough time to hunt and gather some stock sale bargains. After the initial sale and resulting disappointment of the offerings at Ann Demeulemeester (the prices were somewhat off putting but the quality and stock in my size was also surprisingly lacklustre) and Dries Van Noten (which was huge and impressive but alas only large sizes were available for all of the good stuff...torture) we swung by Bruno Pieter's sale and my mood became a whole lot cheerier. The post therefore title does not refer to me watching an advanced screening of the latest guise of Sascha Baron Cohen causing laughter and embarrassment with his flamboyant Austrian fashionista's antics but rather nabbing a couple of gems from Bruno Pieter's menswear line.

The art of layering and clashing pattern. A favourite look from Pieter's AW08 collection...I was very tempted by the jacket but alas my size wasn't available!

In his role as Creative Director at Hugo by Hugo Boss (surely it should read by Bruno Pieters?) Pieters kicked off AW09 proceedings in Paris with a dizzying array of patterns and razor sharp tailoring which made me sit up and take notice. When I saw that the Belgium born and Royal Academy of Fine Arts graduate's name was included in the comprehensive list of stock sales in Antwerp I was eager to see what was on offer from his own, lesser known line. Where Hugo is in question he maintains a more geometric, German-style register whilst his own line is marked by romanticism and wonderful detailing. With only two shown collections I was worried that the amount of menswear on offer would be limited but I was more than pleasantly surprised by the rail after rail of pieces for me to try on. There was so much to tempt me but I carefully selected what I knew would fit in my wardrobe whilst adding something to it.

Here I am proudly modeling my favourite purchase. After a quick bit of research on men.style I am almost certain that this shirt comes from his AW07 collection. The detailing of the double collar is particularly interesting and at 90 Euros I jumped at the chance at owning my first piece of Bruno Pieter's.

After living with Susie this past year she has brain washed me and converted me in to a disciple of grey jersey and I could not resist this super soft long sleeve t shirt complete with subtle elbow pad detailing. This is officially my new favourite t shirt and I will no doubt wear it to death.

Elsewhere, there were a number of interesting pieces at the Tim van Steenbergen sale but I was pleased with my purchases and showed a surprising amount of self control. He is a designer I will be investigating further given he is quite established in Belgium. I will certainly plan in a return trip next time for the next round of stock sales, hopefully next year the pound will be a little stronger...

A fitting setting for your life story

Earlier this month I mentioned that your wardrobe really is much more than a piece of furniture. My chat with Patrick Grant over his E. Tautz label first made me see that a wardrobe is a story telling medium, with your life's style being playing the starring role. The contents should therefore deserve to be housed in something special. It is difficult to see your wardrobe as anything more than a cheap piece of furniture if like mine at home, it is tiny and poorly made. During my weekend trip to Antwerp I was fortunate enough to find, use and fall in love with my dream wardrobe. Ordinarily during a short city break I live out of my suitcase, hanging up the odd shirt which screams to be cared for a little more carefully and leaving the rest (somewhat erratically) folded up or tossed together in my bulging case. The B&B we stayed in this long weekend was wonderfully decorated and furnished (we spent the first hour or two taking all of the antiques and knick-knacks in) and our his&her double wardrobes were really something special. So special in fact that before exploring the city and nabbing the odd stock sale bargain we took great pleasure in hanging up and neatly folding each item. The Valet wardrobe was an impressive size complete with separate compartments which were beautifully labelled. My favourite features were the trouser rack (so much better than hanging four pairs of trousers on one hanger) and the compartments reserved for items less favoured today including collars and studs. Everything had its place and it all made sense. It really was a wardrobe fit to tell the life story of any man. Returning home, my packed wardrobe looked even more inadequate. For my next wardrobe I think I'll have to venture further a field than the Ikea on the outskirts of Wembley.

On lunch break

Hyères we go with menswear talent

Hyères for menswear. Bandit Couture by Thomas Trautwein.

Last year I was fortunate to visit the Hyères festival for the first time and was blown away by the location, atmosphere and talent on show. Unfortunately this year I'm unable to be a part of it but will follow the goings on via A Shaded View and festival's very own blog. In my place (haha) are Jefferson Hack, Kris Van Assche, Fantastic Man editor Gert Jonkers to name but a few, who will be hard at work in the sun-drenched South of France judging the competition. The history of winners that have made it big is certainly impressive; Henrik Vibskov, Ute Ploier and Romain Kremer. Despite this impressive list, no menswear designer has ever won the Grand Prize but this could change in this 24th edition of the competition as four of the ten final selections are menswear collections. Susie posted a selection of images from each of the finalists on DD and I just had to share my personal favourites...

Alice Knackfuss' Heimwärts

If anyone is going to break the menswear, my money is split between Germany’s Alice Knackfuss and Paris based Thomas Trautwein. Kanckfuss' romantic tailoring takes its poetic inspiration further than most to with Rilke quotes sewn into armbands. Trautwein's collection titled “Bandit Couture” is my particular favourite because I just love his dark, detailed tailoring (for more information on the designer and the collection visit ASVOF) but this is based upon first impressions and all could change as the competition unravels. I am green with envy at all those lucky folk fortunate enough to play their part in the South of France...especially as rain is forecast in London tomorrow but I am so pleased that there is so much menswear on offer!

Stylish Shoes

Fab colours

Retro modern

Picture Postcard: The readers

Image courtesy of Cout Que Coute

Numéro Homme is one of those magazine I sneakily flick through whilst sipping an Americano at Borders (cheeky I know, but I spend enough money on magazines as it is!) but the above image made me ponder the pages longer than usual. The latest issue (Issue 17, SS09) features an amazing black and white editorial shot by none other than Karl Lagerfeld. The above image taken from the Dynasty editorial depicts a scene very similar to how I like to think you guys read the blog. Ha! The sharp tailoring combined with the slight awkwardness and fogginess leave me with a quintessentially English feeling which I just had to share with you.

Tarun Tahiliani showcases his Denim Jeans collection at Lakme Fashion Week

Ace designer Tarun Tahiliani set the ramp on fire with modern styling for the conventional denim jeans at Lakme fashion week (LFW) in Mumbai.



Speaking about his denim collection Tahiliani said that he has given some interesting denim wear options for the stylish women of today.
“Indian women to start with all over the world love to wear colour and jewels while going out for night out, club or dinner. You can have all these options not just another boring pair of jeans. We have created different kinds of versions to go with our skin and added to serious glamour. That was the whole collection about,” said Tahiliani.







There is no denying that the brand ambassador of Levis and the sexiest Indian male star Akshay Kumar stole the show by his attitude, controversies set in when he asked his wife, Twinkle Khanna, to unbutton his jeans.






Top line models like Sheetal Mallar, Diandra Soares, Nina Manuel and Shonali Rosario set the ramp on fire.






Denim hot pants with gold coins, pencil skirts with apsara chains, wrinkled skinny apsarette jeans, a denim jacket lavished with thousands of jet Swarovski stones, a coated overlap denim jacket, a denim blue mini shirt dress - were all great formal wear denim ideas all this made the show talk of the town.






LFW, which will be held till October 24, will involve events like media seminars, business-to-business meetings and a buyers forum, apart from the regular fashion shows.
The event will also provide a platform for fresh designers who possess the talent through the Gen Next and Emerging Designer Category shows.












Apart from this there would be ”Group Accessory Designer show” where an array of accessories like headgears, handbags and shoes would be an interpretation of fashion by 20 renowned artists through their artworks.






Around 75 designers would showcase their collections in this season of the fashion week.

Musician by Truman Brewery

The Archive Unveiled

A selection from the Raf Archive over on oki-ni.

Back on April 1st we gave you the exclusive news that oki-ni were preparing to launch their Archive feature and we have now been told (along with the fashionisto it seems) that it will be live this Thursday. We do however have a preview link and the archive is better than we imagined it would be!

Exquisite tailoring up close from Autumn/Winter 05/06

Raf Simons provides the first archive installment with pieces spanning from his initial mid 90s collections to the present day. Simons is undeniably one of the great innovators of contemporary men's fashion so what a great place to start! His clothes, typically characterised by a sharp and linear silhouette, have combined traditional tailoring with rebel youth outfits from all ages and have ultimately redefined menswear along the way. The archive showcases key pieces throughout and provides a real insight into what the online store feels were his most important collections. These garments are from a personal collection (could we be more jealous?), as time goes on the product matures in style and tastes and preference change all of which is shown in this feature.

A close up of the Alien Hood from Autumn/Winter 06/07

In launching this feature on oki-ni wanted to offer customers a chance to explore labels and genres a little further than just their current collections whilst giving an opportunity to find out more about the designer’s history in product. After spending much of the afternoon salivating over the wonderful back catalogue of Simons' designs we certainly think the online store has succeeded.

One of my favourite pieces is this navy bungee chord jacket from Spring/Summer 08

If you are wondering why the eyes of the model are covered it is because oki-ni wanted this section to focus entirely on the product and not an identity. There are sixty plus pieces featured but they will expand on this - as there is plenty more from where this came from. Just imagine owning such a collection? We can but dream.

In Deep Water with Makin Jan Ma

We spoke to Makin Jan Ma earlier this year to discuss his unique approach to menswear and looked at his SS09 collection 'You are my milky way'. For his sixth season the Central Saint Martins graduate returns from outer space and this time takes us on a journey to the deep sea. Makin finds inspiration in creating films, photography, fashion, illustration and poetic words and everything comes together quite beautifully for this collection and I believe this to be his strongest offering yet!

When I first came across these images over on The Fashionisto the set design made me instantly think of Gondry's marvellous The Science of Sleep and creating a desire to play around with clear plastic wrappers so I can travel off on my own imaginary journey.

His Aw09 collection titled 'Give Me Some Deep Water' provides some much needed style to a castaway as sharply cut suits are offered as well as over sized, draped and knotted fabrics. This collection’s script undoubtedly inspires an interesting combination of shapes and patterns.

Oversize outerwear with something of a nomadic feel is combined wonderful with fabrics that drape in all the right places. Makin is known for his prints and this collection features an ocean print sea map print filled with Makin's own imaginary islands. After testing the water with these images I'm certainly game to dive right in but before I do I might reach for a Gondry dvd, how about you?

Purple cardi

Resistance is futile to the wonders of Japan

Resistance's Short coat with tartan button detailing

We frequently mention how we peer through the glass and look on in amazement and wonder at the goings on in Japan and we certainly aren't alone in our voyeurism. I am yet to explore the country (but plan on doing so sometime this year) so to get my fix of Japanese pop culture I often spend an afternoon and a fair bit of money at the Japan Centre flicking through the magazines and stocking up on a number of snack offerings. Ramdane Touhani was fortunate enough to work in Japan and was inspired by working cloth, casual cloth, bosozuko dress codes and military uniforms. A few years later, his label Resistance was born. The label uses unconventional proportions, sizes and fabrics; crossed by political words and revolutionary symbols whilst interpreting menswear staples pieces.

Animal Print Spring Courts and Half contrast shirt

The label has been added to the ever growing list of brands over on oki-ni and the highlight of the offering is this short coat with tartan button detailing. The navy double breasted jacket's construction is really simple and sharp; a military collar, back vent and soft shoulder but the tartan buttons really make me drool. The jacket has inspired me to take a trip to MacCulloch & Wallis and see if I can find something similar to breathe new life in to an old jacket or two. The half contrast shirt and the animal Print Spring Courts provide further illustrations on how this brand adds a few design features to wardrobe staples.

A surprising supplement to a Sunday morning

My idea of a perfect Sunday morning would always include a strong pot of coffee, a few slices of farmhouse loaf, a jar of marmalade and a selection of broadsheets. During the rest of the week the Internet satisfies any desire I have to catch up with what's what across the globe but Sunday requires a more traditional fix. This week, I may not have had any fresh bread in the flat, nor coffee but I was able to digest the Observer and the men's fashion supplement by Tank more than made up for anything else which was lacking. I was planning on giving the papers a miss today because of a football result I'd rather not remind myself off but thanks to Daniel Jenkins for dropping me a text to let me know that there was a damn good reason to pick up a copy.

The eighty page supplemented is a men's fashion special and features an interview with Dries Van Noten a piece on how the recession is forcing a return to masculinity (more on this in a later post) a selection of buyer's choices for the season and so much more. This really is one of the strongest supplements that I can remember picking up and it certainly caused Susie to turn a shade of green as she looked on enviously at the coverage afforded to men's fashion.

A life in the wardrobe of...Chris Moore

The feature that I just had to mention was 'A life in the wardrobe of...Chris Moore' because it is the type of thing I lap up but unfortunately it is hard to come by. The final page of the supplement is dedicated to a look inside the wardrobe of Chris Moore, a man widely known as 'the King of the Catwalk.' Moore has been photographing fashion shows for over forty years and runs his own agency, catwalking.com (providing much of the blogging fraternity with a look at the action before anyone else) but what does he choose to wear? The feature sees the renowned photographer pick out five of his favourite pieces including, an Aran jumper, a Comme des Garcons jacket, a Christian Dior suit (Hedi era), a Margaret Howell jacket and jeans by Helmut Lang. Moore introduces each item and provides a little background on how he came across each item as well as a little insight in to how the piece fits in to his everyday style. He was fortunate enough to blag himself the Margaret Howell jacket whilst shooting the collection and after they gave it to him he has rarely taken it off. "And they gave it to me. That was a year ago and I've worn it almost every day. It's terribly important that I try not to be overdressed or flamboyant because I feel that a photographer in my type of work should be invisible." As you can tell from our very own 'Style Stalking' feature we love to hear about an individuals everyday style but the 'A life in the wardrobe of...' piece provides a level of personal analysis and insight that I'd love to replicate on the blog...so this feature might well be repackaged in the coming weeks. The art of wardrobe building is an evolving process and it would be great to sneak a peek at a number of individuals' sartorial journey.

Shades of grey...

A lovely Eley Kishimoto dress.


I love all the layers in this outfit.