Men's Flair

Sartorial Love/Hate: Fedora

Winston Chesterfield — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:16:23 +0000

I adore hats. I have quite a few of them but nowhere near the number I should like to own. For my next purchase, I am rather taken with the idea of a Homburg. I haven’t always liked headgear. It is only due to recent maturation that I have taken to hat-aspiration. It was very hard [...]

How My Ties Were Made

Simon Crompton — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:11:08 +0000

The men and women at Vanners were kind enough to send me pictures recently of how my bespoke ties were made down in Suffolk. So here they are, with explanatory captions. The three-piece pattern for the tie is laid out on the woven silk, at exactly 45 degrees, having been made to my specifications in length [...]

The Ranchers Glove

Andrew Williams — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:00:22 +0000

Sunday was bitterly cold in London, which prompted me to think about winter time accessories. It is often the case that you fail to appreciate those things which are common place to you. Therefore, I suspect that those readers from the US of A (which is the majority of you good folk) may not fully appreciate [...]

The Wonders Of Bicester Village

Simon Crompton — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:36:53 +0000

I am a sucker for a good deal. Indeed, if one were being unkind it could be said that sometimes being a bargain gets in the way of my actually wanting something. Anywhere north of 80% off and I start to feel giddy. For a long time I’ve been a fan of the Designer Outlet just [...]

Bring on the Camel

Andrew Williams — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:08:16 +0000

This time of year is perfect for textured jacketing like cord, providing elements of warmth and ideal for layering. Dark browns, black and blue are perhaps the safe options this time of year. However, I think Camel works well as an alternative, particularly when combined with white jeans and pale grey knits. It’s not a combination [...]

Turn It Up

Winston Chesterfield — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:12:43 +0000

I think there is another reason why women are referred to as the ‘fairer’ sex; their sense of justice. If I want to share imbalanced, humorous, taboo conversations I choose the company of my male friends; in a bar, restaurant or at the club, we guffaw and gibe with typical masculine vigour. We act as [...]

Short And Tight. But What’s Next?

Winston Chesterfield — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:55:39 +0000

One of the most interesting aspects of men’s clothing is that our tolerance for trends is actually greater than we’d like to admit. Although the writing here at Mensflair is largely a sober contrast to the histrionic gushing on fashion-following forums, a rejection of faddism and label-worship, there are essential, and unavoidable, elements of trend [...]

Inspiration Above Propriety

Simon Crompton — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:41:32 +0000

At the press launch of Sharp Suits by Eric Musgrave a few week ago (pictures and report here) there was quite a variety of menswear on display. Eric himself was wearing a splendid windowpane-check grey suit and gold tie; host Richard James wore a characteristic strong blue suit, white shirt and knitted black tie; and yours [...]

Lessons from Niv

Andrew Williams — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:08:40 +0000

Richard Torregrossa’s book on Cary Grant carries the following quote from the great man; “One pretends to do something, or copy someone or some teacher, until it can be done confidently and easily in what becomes one’s own manner.” The look above adopted by David Niven is one of my favourites, and frequently appears in his [...]

How A Three Rolls To Two

Simon Crompton — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:31:27 +0000

Fans of traditional clothing are fairly united in their dislike of ‘true’ three-button suits – where the jacket is designed to button all the way up and leaves an awkward angle in the cloth if it is not. This fastening design is a hangover from the sleek Italian style of the late fifties and early [...]