The scramble for Polaroid film brings a new shop to my attention

I heard rumours that Polaroid would stop producing instant film for some time but now it seems it is true! I currently have three Polaroid cameras sitting on my mantlepiece at home, all loaded with film and ready to go. I adore the medium, I feel that it takes the most beautiful images without too much graft. I was fortunate enough to purchase quite a few packets of film whilst I was in New York (where it seemed readily avaliable and of course much cheaper), ordinarliy though I visit Unsaleable. I could and indeed have spent so much money on this site because the cameras are so beautiful and the film so varied and wonderful! I did however notice a subsidary site, soup and fish. soup & fish is a start-up internet platform and online shop for contemporary Austrian and international fashion. They show interesting developments and trends in avantgarde fashion design. Their work has two goals: To make well chosen pieces out of past collections of international designers available to and affordable for a new audience; and to introduce young Austrian fashion designers to the international public - showing their individual unique pieces and small or limited collections. In my opinion the shop has more to offer in womenswear at the moment but I will keep on coming back to see how the menswear developes.

Sand-coloured hunting waistcoat by Martin Margiella

Grey/beige plaid/herringbone wool coat by Victor&Rolf

Now i'm off to stock up on film...

Picture Postcard: Buttonholed

Dear Steve,

Here is my quiet suggestion for this weekend; an affectation I feel I should encourage.

Go to that enormous bunch of flowers you no doubt bought your girlfriend for Valentine's Day. Clip off one rose (I'm sure she won't miss one from a bunch that big). Pin to the lapel of your jacket or coat. And voila! Easy accessorising! It looked brilliant at the Lanvin show and is surely something that must be tried? I think it is especially fetching during the winter months when everyone is swathed in similar looking big black coats (and when it's cool enough that the flower won't wilt and die within half an hour!).

Bisous old man,

EJ
x

You should know me better than that EJ! I don't buy flowers for anyone other than my Nan. The gf doesn't even have a vase of any description, so first I would have to go vase shopping and well, this doesn't sound much fun at all (I haven't reached that age yet, I may be old in your eyes but things like vases seem a silly extravagence). However, I adore the idea of accessorising with a little help from mother nature. The unexpected sunshine combined with the cold air of February is perfect for sporting a little flower. I'm not a fan of roses as flowers but as pinholes they are pretty perfect. The deep red rose pictured here at the Lanvin show sits perfectly against the dark navy shades. I personally have only worn only one flower in my lapel and this was at my Final Fling (end of Uni ball), I picked a beautiful pale coloured rose which looked amazing for approximately one hour but the June heat soon wiltered my freshly picked companion. So, I will take head of your advice and experiment with some subtle flower adornment in the coming months. I'm sure there must be a good way to increase the lifespan of flowers...maybe I will try freezing them. I'm tired and still a little hungover from my birthday exploits. Off to bed with me.

Homme Deux in the big smoke

I admit that I was slow off the mark but thanks to expressive frontier and all IC my shopping senses were alerted. Anyway, If you've not heard....Dover Street Market debuts (for the first time outside Japan) Rei Kawakubo's Comme Des Garcon's 'Homme Deux ' line this month. Homme Deux is designed by Kawakubo herself with an emphasis on hand finishing and quality fabrics. I am so tempted to vist DSM at the weekend (even though I am pretty much without a single penny to my name) and pretend that I could actually afford them and try on these quality suits. I'm just about to start a new job and even though the dress code is relaxed (the vague code being 'wear what is appropriate' which is obviously much better than the annoying smart casual - which we all know means in the vast majority of offices that 'you don't have to wear a tie but otherwise dress smart') I would love to power dress and walk in with an immeasurable amount of confidence wearing one of these suits!

The early birds might have tipped me off (with that I applaud them) but they failed to show the window display which is pretty cool, using Gilbert and George and complimenting Kawakubo's suits. The matching business suits which Gilbert and Geroge wore for their early performances became a sort of uniform for them, and they rarely appear in public unless wearing them. I didn't actually go to see the massive exhibition at the Tate Modern last year but I seem to recall EJ going and giving it a very positive review. I will have to make do with the window display.

For 40 years Gilbert and George have maintained their seamless double-act, walking in step and talking in antiphon, all clothes, habits and opinions synchronised, all sentences prefixed by a regal "we". For many this could be a little a tiresome but I think I would follow suit (excuse the pun) with one of Kawakubo's hand crafted creations if only my bank manager (do people actually have bank managers anymore?) was a little more giving!

A slight break from the normal...

Dear Steve

How long ago does it seem since we first met? Both of us so much blonder back then, and both slightly more obsessed with David Beckham. As the years have passed your clothes may have changed, remaining (more or less) stylish at all times, yet from the day we met we’ve been best friends. I wouldn’t change it for anything.

I wish you all of the happiness in the world today, and here’s to as many more birthdays as you could wish for.

Happy Birthday!

Lots of love,

EJ

Oh EJ you are so emotional. Happy valentines day to you (even though you don't believe in it)Thanks for choosing these pictures (there are far worse photos out there). I have had a very nice, quiet birthday in preparation for all of the weekend hijinks. I can't believe how long I've known you for. It's not my age that makes me feel old (24 is a fine age!) but the fact I've known you so well for so long. May we best friends for another 5 years atleast and let there be plenty of style changes along the way!

Much love

xxxx

The search for the perfect day bag

Over the last few weeks my consumerist attentions have gone off a number of different directions but the one constant longing has been that of a day bag. I have a number of different bags in my possession but the bulk of them fall in the weekend bag category and are deemed too large for everyday use. I am on the lookout for the perfect, universal everyday bag. Something that allows me enough storage space for my Poloaroid camera, a magazine (I have to carry a magazine at all times), a good book (I really have to get back into the habit of reading literature), my notebook, pen and possibly essential toiletries. I have fallen in love with the below bag from Topman Design but I fear it might fall into weekend bag territory.

I might need some help on this one...If I had the money I would invest it wisely in a bag by Jas M.B. like this one but unfortunately New York has robbed me. A little shopping trip lies in store for me this weekend, I have to put an end to this quest and hopefully a store like Hurwendeki can help.

The only sunglasses to wear inside a club

Am I mad to want a pair of these sunglasses?

My love for Daft Punk has been documented at great length on this blog and although the purists out there didn't like Kanye West reworking the song, I loved it and can't get enough of Kanye right now. Seriously, he was featured in this months Vogue where he gave his pick of the shows and he had some insightful and interesting points. Anyway, enjoy the performance!

Oh my god, I just fangirled so much I almost passed out. The.. the.. the EVERYTHING! I'm off to Cyberdog now to get me some of these. But first I might just have to watch that again...

EDIT: Pants, all the versions of this have been taken down on YouTube... anyone know where we can find a copy? I'm desperate to watch this again!

Blues on purpose

I've been more than a little neglectful of this here blog the past week or so, and while I could blame this on starting my new job, my visit to London or my side projects (ahem) including helping out at Independent Fashion Bloggers, really it's just been a mild case of the blues. I got blase and suit blind. Lovely as the offerings from the various fashion weeks have been, I got a bit... bored. I know, I know, there was a huge range of stuff out there, but some weeks it's just hard for me to find. I busied myself reading my latest blog crush, finishing my long neglected Christmas book and avoiding the last of the unpacking.

Thankfully, I wasn't sick of music... and Outkast were there to restore my interest in men's clothes. While So Fresh, So Clean has been a bit of anthem for me when it comes to getting dressed, it's the video the Whole World that reminds me that there's more to stylish men than suits...



... there's multi-coloured capes, top hats and skeleton make up as well! Every single time I watch this video I just want to dig through my wardrobe and play dress up in the classiest ways possible. Plus, who can possibly be sad when dancing to Outkast?

Is the Vanishing Point going unnoticed?

Just as I was leaving New York I had a few moments to kill as the gf was packing up (frantically cramming things into her suitcase and, when that was full, mine) and I read an article in the New York Times. The point of the article was that over the last few years the body shape of the male model has changed, the preferred frame aesthetic is now much leaner than before and whilst everyone worries about thin female models, the skinny man goes unnoticed.

The article refers to Slimanization - the dominance of the scrawny kid at castings.

It is certainly true that the sleekness of Dior Homme suits made other designs appear boxy and old. I actually took a class at Uni for my Law and Sociology degree titled Masculinities which explored, amongst other things, the Male Body and back then in 2003 a musucular and athletic form was preferred. It was interesting reading the view point of American who are used to seeing muscular male models championed by the likes of athletic menswear brands such as Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren. John Bartlett is interviewed and says "The eye has changed. Clothes are now tighter and tighter. Guys are younger and younger. Everyone is influenced by what Europe shows." It is true that designers like Raf Simons, Prada and Slimane champion the scrawny and younger guy so this leaves the big, powerful models of old even unable to squeeze themselves in sample sizes. Demian Tkack an Argentine model has the last words within the article "I understand the designers are not looking for a male image anymore. They're looking for some kind of androgyne."

The image used in the article, models Sascha Kooeinga (left) and Artem Emelianov (right).

Should we be ranting and raving about the state of male models in the way in which has recently taken place for Womenswear or is this the scrawny kid getting their own back on all those guys who used to kick sand in their face on the beach? Personally I feel that trends go round and around, this has just been the time where the thin guy takes the limelight as androgyne prevails. As tastes and fashions evolve,masculinity should not be measured by the size of a man's bicep but by a myriad of complimentary and contradictory facets. If people believe that the scrawny ideal is an unhealthy ideal as they champion the more butch body, then they forget how unhealthy the road can be to reach this ideals. A fact that has stayed with me ever since those uni lectures is that if the Wolverine (a member of the X Men) action figure was lifesize his biceps would measure 48 inches. Is a waist of twenty eight inches more or less unhealthy than a body (Wolverine's) of such celebrated (allbeit caricature like) of masculinity? In conclusion, as long as the man is 'healthy' there is no need for debate. Let the clothes speak for themselves.

I think this is a very complex issue that I find difficult to discuss briefly here. I will, however, say that while I agree that as long as the man is healthy, then it shouldn't be a big deal, when people are shown only one body type (whether pumped up or super-skinny) it can lead to feelings of inadequacy that can have very negative and strong impacts on men's lives. Whether this is fashion's responsibility or not is very much up for debate.

Mighty Oaks from little acorns grow

I had a day of sightseeing today but was fortunate enough to visit the new Oak store which has only just opened its doors. I can't (or maybe more truthfully the gf can't) go a day without a little window shopping and sandwiched between visits to Ground Zero (where we took advantage of Century 21 - I bought a bargain of a Martin Margiela white t shirt), the Statue of Liberty and China Town was the trip to NoLita. Only five years after opening their flagship Williamsburg boutique (which I visited early on in the trip) Oak co-owners Louis Terline and Jeff Madalena have made the famed East River crossing with great success. The store looks great and is home to some great pieces. The store introduced to new brands to me, Handmade in USA and A-Z (I've looked for links but as yet have been unable to find any) I went away empty handied but this was achieved only through a demonstration of terrific restraint from me. If you are ever in New York you have to visit both of the Oak stores (as they seem to have slightly different stock offerings)

Oak, 28 Bond Street, (between Bowery and Lafayette streets); no phone yet. For more information, go to oaknyc.com.

Observing New York

I must say that I have been surprised by the dominance of one brand since I've been in New York. I had epected to see alot of locals wearing the likes of Nike, Abercrombie & Fitch, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren and of course American Apparel, but these have been insignificant compared to North Face. Be it on the Subway or walking the streets I am confronted by men, women and children sporting jackets and bags from this brand! I am a little scared...