Casual chic

Looking forward to Spring thanks to Lemaire

Christophe Lemaire SS10

Oh my, it is damn cold today. I ventured outside for the briefest of strolls and my face almost froze giving me a permanent grimace which would scare off even the bravest of children. Given that it is so grim outside, I am daydreaming of warmer days and right on time, I bumped in to Christophe Lemaire's SS10 look book over on The Fashionisto. Back in August I declared that Lemaire's AW09 collection was one of my favourites. The relaxed volume and rich natural textures demonstrated a wonderful blend of western and eastern references and thankfully this theme has continued through in to his minimalist vision for next season. With each season, Lemaire creates a contemporary and essential wardrobe by putting together the clean and calm lines of western wardrobe and traditional eastern garments.

I loved how his Aw09 collection appeared extremely comfortable and fluid. How could you not want to wrap up in cotton fleece, judo fabrics, silk, linen and woolen tweed? Now, his interest for functional clothes, workwear and uniforms inspires an altogether lighter offering but equally as lust worthy. I love how the collection interchanges fitted and relaxed tailoring using a somewhat serene colour palette, with soft blues mixed with delicate beiges and whites. The images make me think of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead, I'm not certain why but this could be explained by the sleekly minimal yet practical workwear.

Next time I'm in Paris (sometime soon) I definitely plan on stopping by his boutique on Rue de Poitou. In the meantime, I am just going to have to experiment with this colour palette using COS' SS10 line...

The London Cut

An informative look at Savile Row Bespoke Tailoring. James Sherwood's The London Cut.

From this blogs very inception I have professed my admiration for bespoke tailoring and my musings often lead me to one street, Savile Row. It is a unique street, located in the heart of Mayfair just yards from the luxury retail of Bond Street and hidden from the consuming madness of Oxford Street. I currently have a seemingly unquenchable thirst to add to my knowledge of the intriguing art of tailoring and thanks to one of my Christmas stocking fillers from Susie, I can become fully rehearsed in the happenings on Savile Row after reading The London Cut. Inside these two hundred and fifty pages James Sherwood reflects on the dissolute and distinguished customers who have walked through Savile Row bespoke tailors' doors over the past two centuries whilst considering the past, present and future for Savile Row.

Cary Grant wearing a Prince of Wales checked jacket - tailor Kilgour, French and Stansbury. Charles Dickens - tailor Henry Poole & Co.

Is there another street where the history and mystery of men's style meet as grand as London's Savile Row? James Sherwood who penned this fully illustrated book asks this very question and the answer is a resounding no. If any of you doubt this point I implore to read this book and allow the knowledgeable Sherwood guide you through this famous street, its skilled inhabitants and a look at its clientele. The book is the first portrait of modern Savile Row written in English and contains detailed information on London's premier tailors whilst including marvellous images of Savile Row past and present. The master tailors of Savile Row have dressed the famous and infamous from all over the world, quietly and assuredly satisfying demand for the Row's touch of elegance and English eccentricity.

Madonna wearing a tweed three piece - tailor Henry Rose. Winston Churchill in that iconographic propaganda pose - tailor Henry Poole & Co.

The street has been the spiritual home of bespoke tailoring for two centuries measuring up practically everyone who is anyone in world history, politicians, film stars, heads of state or fashion icons. One of my favourite facets of the book are its images which document the notorious and celebrated men who were regular customers of the Row. Admiral Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington, Rudolf Valentino, Pablo Picasso, Marlene Dietrich, Winston Churchill, Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra, Sir Laurence Olivier, Alfred Hitchock, Cary Grant, John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Madonna, Jude Law and Daniel Craig to name just very few.

Gary Cooper - tailor Anderson & Sheppard. Fred Astaire in Top Hat - tailor Kilgour. Tom Ford - tailor Anderson & Sheppard.

As much as I enjoy looking back at these images, it has to be pointed out that Savile Row is certainly more than a piece of history, more than just a name. It is a community and a world respected standard, the gold standard of handcrafted tailoring. Long may it thrive and be celebrated.

Sartorial with a twist

Style Stalking... The Dandy Project

Now that the festive break is well and truly behind us, it is time for us to put down those Turkey sandwiches and lurk in the shadows once more and enjoy one of our favourite past times, style stalking. It has been some time since we enjoyed a bit of style stalking and we have a real treat for you, Izzy from The Dandy Project. Our blog roll is constantly evolving as we stumble across new favourite reads and bid a fond farewell to the ones which are sadly no longer with us but The Dandy Project is one which has been an ever present fixture. Izzy's knowledge, enthusiasm and willingness to experiment with the odd DIY is a daily inspiration and if you've not checked out his blog, you surely must. Below is an introduction from the man himself followed by his seven day style diary...

I did this from Christmas day to New Year's Eve and I was inspired by the fact that while I'm home in Manila for the holidays, I can step out of the house without having to put on layers upon layers of clothing. I kept everything cool and breezy for the most part and I threw in a few recommendations here and there.

Day One: I spent Christmas morning at the supermarket, shopping for things to cook on Christmas day dinner.

Outfit: Super sunglasses, top from Urban Outfitters, J Crew khakis, Opening Ceremony desert boots

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Day Two: Running errands. I was feeling a little (too) folksy

Outfit: Zara cardigan, vintage t-shirt from San Francisco, Topman necklace and belt, round glasses from The Garment District (one of my most favorite vintage/costume stores in the Boston area.) shorts from Urban Outfitters, Casio watch, Zara shoes

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Day Three: Fooling around on the balcony of my parents' new flat...

Outfit rundown: Ray-Ban wayfarers, Dean and Trent v-neck (one of my favorite Filipino bands for basics), J Crew anchor belt, H&M green pants, Timberland lug-soled boat shoes

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Day Four: Grabbing coffee with a friend

Outfit: Super sunglasses, DIY whistle necklace, Urban Outfitters t-shirt, J Crew khakis, Casio watch, Vans shoes

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Day Five: At a homecoming party I threw for my friends. The theme was "raunchy", and I decided to go the subversive, subtle route...

Outfit: DIY Zara shirt (inspired my Mcqueen 2010), Topman necklace, Casio watch, Margiela nail ring, H&M jeans, Philippine-made boots from Cubao X (my favorite place to go for locally made leather goods and young designer clothing).

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Day Six: Dinner and drinks out

Outfit: Boater hat from The Garment District, XXL button-down shirt from H&M, tailor-made black skinnies, Bottega Veneta penny loafers

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Day Seven: New Year's Eve dinner at Le Souffle which offers great and reasonably-priced French fare in the Philippines.

Outfit: Tailor-made canvas blazer, Zara shirt, Husam El Odeh for Topman pin, Comme des Garcons belt, H&M pants, B. Store blue suede boots

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Long lashes

New Year, New Wardrobe?

Could the rational wardrobe of the fascist era work for you in 2010?

Whilst enjoying a spot of procrastination during my first day back in the office, I spotted the above striking image over on Fantastic Man. Our favourite online gentleman's style journal dished up a piece on the rational wardrobe of Fascist Italy after being inspired by the recently published hardback Fashion at the Time of Fascism. The rational fascist wardrobe includes only one sweater, no sportswear to speak of, and twenty two handkerchiefs. I find these options to be a little bleak for my tastes but I concede that too much choice might not be a good thing. Just imagine how simple the process of getting dressed each morning would be with such few choices to make. My preferred method of getting dressed does not 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 and no doubt Mussolini. Rationalising is the solution. Part detox, part re-start, the rational wardrobe – not the ideal, but one that functions – is efficient, modular and mistake-free. Choices should be tightly edited and renewed seasonally to keep it fresh. What would your contemporary version consist of?

The daily recommendation could not have come at a more pertinent time what with all this talk of resolutions for the New Year and the fact that I was reminded of my ever expanding wardrobe by a reader just yesterday. An anonymous commenter remarked "all this talk of clothes does make me wonder how much storage space you actually have?". Both of us at Style Salvage approve of a regular clear, every season or two and have in fact posted on a couple of our experiences (here and here). Ever since I first stumbled across the term via E. Tautz website I have been fascinated with the art of wardrobe building. 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. So the fascist ideal might not necessarily be for me but it has certainly provoked thought and I will return to this idea when the moment comes to purge my own wardrobe.

Green

Carola Euler AW09: An astronaut's day off

Back in March I revealed that I had given in to the temptations of a private buying event for Omar Kashoura and Carola Euler. Now the final few pieces have been delivered and I could not be happier with my buys. As the evening of the event fell on payday (and I had enjoyed the odd glass of wine with the designers) I chose to give my debit card something of a battering. Despite the consumer bravado afforded by the drink I did buy wisely and I was so pleased that my Carola Euler purchases arrived just in time for the New Year...

Two of my favourite looks from Carola Euler's AW09 Look Book

Since graduating from CSM in 2005, Euler has been justifiably talked up as one of the bright talents of menswear design and I have to confess to being a little perplexed as to why she is not a more dominant force in the industry. However, in an article for Ponystep, Dean Mayo Davies remarks that "Carola Euler is the softly-spoken menswear designer that operates on her own plain" who follows "her own path unflinchingly to make pieces with humour and integrity." Followers of Carola Euler like myself, would not have it any other way.

An astronaut's day off...Carola Euler's AW09 Look Book.

For AW09 the Berlin based designer returned with more of her sculptural minimalism. Her starting point for the collection was a response to the question, 'What would an astronaut wear on his day off in a spaceship." As a wee nipper it was never my dream to float around space, I preferred to imagine myself scoring the winning goal for Arsenal in the FA Cup final against Manchester United at the Wembley Staduim of my youth (oh it will never come to pass now...it just wouldn't be the same at the new stadium) but having mostly grown up, the idea of an off duty astronaut appeals. Regardless of its thought provoking inspiration, the real beauty of the collection in the details. As always with Euler, not all is apparent at first sight. It looks simple but you look again and you discover the details. Sharp pleats, panelled trousers, armour shoulder detailing, her signature cut away bib, biker sleeves, oversized shirts and jerseys with pyjama tails to name just a few.

Grey trench and white shirt by Carola Euler worn with drop crotch trousers bought in Hong Kong and Stingray Orwell's by Mr. Hare.

I have been on the hunt for a grey trench coat for the the best part of a year now but as soon as I encountered this one, the search was called off. Ever since it was developed as an alternative to the heavy serge greatcoats worn by soldiers in the First World War, the trench coat has been a popular wardrobe staple. Regardless of who invented it (Burberry and Aquascutum both claim to have done just that) the trench coat has fascinated designers ever since and there are so many versions to salivate over. Euler described this trench as the 'bridal piece' of her collection and it undoubtedly has a certain 'wow factor' to it...made all the more special because it is the only one made.

A close up on the shirt in front a bright January afternoon in London.

If the trench coat is a popular wardrobe staple, the white shirt is something of a classic. Here, Euler has masterfully updated this seemingly simple piece with sculptural, armour like details. I have amassed a collection of white shirts in recent years because I always find that when I put on a bright white, crisp cotton shirt I feel infinitely better. This is now my new favourite shirt.

White shirt by Carola Euler, worn with drop crotch trousers bought in Hong Kong and Stingray Orwell's by Mr. Hare.

Now, given that the pieces were ordered at the end of March, there was a moment when I thought that my order would never arrive. However, in spite of production issues (oh the difficult unknown life of a designer), the lovely Euler gave me a late Christmas present to savour and included a little something extra for the late delivery...a super soft luxurious jersey which I've found difficult to take off all weekend.

Super soft jersey by Carola Euler, black leather gloves from M&S, trousers by Unconditional and patent boots by Lanvin.

Out and about on a very cold afternoon