Men's Flair

Let’s Hear It For Baron Of Piccadilly

Winston Chesterfield — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:53:29 +0000

If I am ever seen in bookshops, I am often seen flicking through intriguing nostalgia-picturebooks with titles like ‘Old London’ or, less prosaically, ‘Fallen Grandeur.’ I have an extraordinary appetite for discovering the forgotten and long-since demolished; I experience a bizarre thrill, and often a seething rage, when I look over drawings and turn-of-the-century photographs [...]

How To Wear A Trilby

Simon Crompton — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:49:48 +0000

It’s not easy wearing a hat. You stand out more in a crowd than a man wearing polka-dot knickerbockers or a cape. The hat radically changes a man’s silhouette, probably more than any other item of clothing. People look at you if you wear a hat. Anyone that is passionate about classic men’s style is probably [...]

Yard-O-Led

Andrew Williams — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:23:04 +0000

The selection of a fine pen is a personal thing. It’s all about balance, feel, taste and your writing style. But having waxed lyrical about the subject it would be shameful not to let you know my choice. So perhaps I could have entitled this article practising what I preach. There are numerous makers around with [...]

Final Boots From Cliff Roberts

Simon Crompton — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:09:26 +0000

I have written previously about the boots being made for me by Cliff Roberts, an old hand of Northampton shoemaking who started making his own shoes from his conservatory recently. Well, I finally took delivery of them this past weekend. Cliff was kind enough to bring them down to London personally, partly to compensate for an [...]

The Last Word In Accessorising Goes To The Pen

Andrew Williams — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:41:40 +0000

The strictures on what constitutes being ‘well dressed’ allow men a few items of apparel. These are: -A watch; -Cuff links; -A tie clip –although that depends on who you talk to; -Belts and braces; and -A wallet I would add a pen to this list. The advent of chip and pin, e-mail and auto-signing documents have all but removed the requirement [...]

A Sorry Experience At H&M

Winston Chesterfield — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:26:00 +0000

As a blogger, I have developed something of a reputation as a high-street champion. It is not an unfortunate or accidental reputation; I make no disguise of the fact that I look for style pieces in a number of places that would make the hardcore tailoring fraternity blink. While many save and splurge on grand items [...]

Brand New Dune

Winston Chesterfield — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:36:51 +0000

In relation to footwear, dear reader, I have a particular problem. I, in a truly Marcosian manner, have lost all concept of the ‘basic’ shoe and my concept of ‘need’ is as skewed as that of William Randolph Hearst. The issue is this; my shoes are well kept and they last a considerable amount of [...]

Patrick Grant On Dressing Well

Simon Crompton — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:43:12 +0000

The proprietor of Norton & Sons gives his thoughts on dressing up and dressing well. What’s the key to a great men’s outfit? The great thing about the way men dress is we have so many bits and pieces we can put together. And if you’ve got an eye for it, a little bit of flair, you [...]

Grenson’s Artful Archie

Andrew Williams — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:23:09 +0000

I’m on something of a shoe riff at the moment. This is partly because I’m trying to get back to my fighting weight, and shoes are the only things I’m allowing myself to buy until then. Suffice to say, every year I draw up a list of items I wish to add to my wardrobe. At [...]

Second British Bespoke, Part 1

Simon Crompton — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:34:43 +0000

I mentioned a while back that I had commissioned a second suit from Graham Browne in London. And after rather too much travelling lately (Milan, Madrid, Dubai in a month; and Hong Kong next week) I’ve finally got around to watching the first step of it being made. It’s unlikely I will post quite so many [...]