Blaise refers to the process as a ‘Made to measure Scent’, however it is not just the scent that bespoke, but the bottle adornments, and the various methods of scent diffusion. Choose from pillow mist, room spray, capillas diffusers, bespoke candles and even bespoke scarves to mist with a scent of your design and fragrance your bag or suitcase.

In case those options weren’t quite enough, you can also have a necklace, with your choice of precious stones, to adorn the fragrance bottle; this also doubles up as a ‘clasp’ of sorts to be worn with your bespoke scarf, hence saving you spraying scent directly onto your clothes.

 ‘Made to Measure Scent’.

For more information and to envelop yourself in more of his works visit his new website:
www.blaisemautin.com

To read our exclusive interview with Blaise Mautin click here

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Soft in nature the unstructured blazer eradicates all sharp lines seen in it’s smarter counterpart. Features most commonly appear in form of button up collars and slanted pockets-formality’s need not appear here. This is where the casual reigns supreme.

Navy three button blazer, £290 by OLIVER SPENCER; oliverspencer.co.uk

Oatmeal deconstructed jacket, £400 by HENTSCH MAN; hentschman.com

Linen Blazer, £1,130 by ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA; zegna.com

About Three of the Best
With the advancement of high street brands and of fast fashion, key styles and staple wardrobe pieces are available at prices that are affordable to most. ‘Three of the Best’ represents Ape to Gentleman’s selection of the outstanding elite in a specified category, not biased to price, to help you decipher from the masses, those garments which truly are the best.

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With all the Autumn Winter 12/13 collections being unveiled, it’s natural to forget the current season, the here and now; to do so would be a travesty. From Italian brand Coast Weber & Ahaus (CWA) comes a collection that has remarkably – although rather reassuringly – managed to keep out of the media spotlight.

The collection hints at a military influence with their colour ways, forgoing the recently overplayed military epaulette in favour of other intricate detailing. The cable knits, garment textures, and accessories such at the Forces hat allude to the collection’s military theme.

“The men’s collection shows a special focus on garments such as trousers, knits and shirts, which have always been the collection’s leading edge in terms of both fabrics and detailing.” – Moncler Group

Pay close attention to the footwear design, which emphasises CWA’s inspiration drawn from vintage culture style. The aged two-tone brogues with tasselled leather shoelaces, and the monk strap tasselled shoe being our particular highlights.

Coast Weber & Ahaus have kept an intentionally low profile, but one thing for certain is the Moncler owned brand is set to follow in its footsteps – definitely one to watch.

www.coastweberahaus.it

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The undone-yet-done look can be translated into that messy or choppy style that continues to be favoured amongst gentleman. Possibly described as the anti-Don Draper smart look but nonetheless a style which almost never goes out of fashion. Naturally, with the Bumble and bumble heritage I looked to them for products to achieve such a style. You may have come across their Surf Spray, a popular product aimed at achieving that undone-yet-done look:

Sexy, salty, sun-dried, windswept styles – whenever, wherever.

There is plenty of choice when it comes to men’s styling products but the Bb.Texture hair(un)dressing creme is one of the best I’ve found. It’s described by Bumble and bumble as a gel-creme, I agree. It provides excellent volume (ideal for thinning gents), hold and moldability. Importantly hair can be restyled at pretty much any point in the day, it will leave a matte finish and is easily washed off your hands and out of your hair – a nice change from products which seemingly contain superglue or similar.

It’s important to apply it to damp hair, to leave it for a minute and then style or ruffle. You can achieve pretty much any style you wish for and especially that undone-yet-done look.

This product is now a staple in my bathroom. At £21.00 for 150ml/ $22.00 for 5oz. it’s a more than reasonable price point for the length of time it lasts and the amount your require per application.

Imperfect…perfect, as Bumble and bumble might say.

www.bumbleandbumble.com

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The new men’s fragrance from fashion duo Viktor & Rolf, dubbed Spicebomb, mixes opposing blends of Chilli and Saffron with Leather and Tobacco to create a vibrant new scent that looks set to be the first ‘must have’ for the bathroom cabinet in 2012.

Blended by the expert hands of Olivier Polge, the man responsible for the modern classic that is Dior Homme, the fragrance also features fresh notes of Bergamot, Grapefruit, Elemi and Pink Pepper, giving the scent an appealing everyday wearability. At the recent launch for Spicebomb, guests were treated to exclusive footage of the ad campaign featuring the face of the fragrance, American model Sean O’Pry.

The space resonated with the explosion of a large pyrotechnic that released a flurry of confetti and fragrance into the air, signaling the first encounter with the scent.

After the videos had finished the space resonated with the explosion of a large pyrotechnic that released a flurry of confetti and fragrance into the air, signalling the first encounter with the scent.  The explosive theme features heavily in the scents bottle design also. Housed in a glass grenade complete with pull-able pin, the bottle makes a strong visual impact that perfectly matches the explosive arrival of your first spray; although you may find it hard to suppress the urge to throw it ‘Commando’ style across the room each time you want to apply the fragrance.

Spicebomb is currently available exclusively at Harrods priced £45 for 50ml and £60 for 90ml. The fragrance will launch nationally on March 7^th 2012 and will also be available as a Deodorant Spray, Aftershave Balm and Shower Gel.

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Born out of the desire to reinvent traditional footwear, T and F Slack Shoemakers have managed to take old styles and transform them. The curators of this ethos are husband and wife duo, Tim and Fiona Slack. Even though their influences are from Bauhaus origin, their style remains ‘British with an attitude’. The final produce resembles that of modern architecture in a somewhat traditional form – a theory they experimented with in the seventies. Under previous brand ‘Walkers’, the pair adapted the five eyelet derby to resemble something a bit more up to date; this evidently lead to the revival of the British classic and the start of a new way of thinking.

The shoe itself still remains a vocal point of all collections, under the brands new identity, and is produced in their factory located in the heart of Notting Hill. The exclusive hub of West London has been the home of the shoe’s artisans since its launch in March 2009. The 500 square foot house churns out around 150 pairs per month; some of which adhere to their semi-bespoke service. This resource allows you to create your own custom shoe by combining over 40 upper and welt combinations. Each of which can laid over a personal choice of leather or hard wearing TPU sole (available in 12 colour strips). The process is simple and takes around four weeks.

The demand of their made to order craft has led to the need for T and F to nurture the next generation of talented young people. A skill they feel is necessary if the art of London shoemaking is to be preserved. In order to do so they have tracked down craftsmen in the east end, these now mentour the up and comers in the ways of those before them. Surely help the (still young) company preserve its unique vision of archetypal footwear.

www.tandfslackshoemakers.com

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This weeks issue of The Rail* demonstrates the ability of creating an outfit using only two colour palettes. Blue’s contrast with tan’s to show a uniform made up of wardrobe essentials: a shirt; pair of trousers; sturdy shoes and a bag. Each work hand in hand to create a look that is not only simple but also easy on the eye.

Flannel shirt, £95 by HENTSCH MAN; hentschman.com

Tan leather tote bag, £435 by GLOBE-TROTTER; globe-trotter.com

Navy slim fit trousers, £320 by YVES SAINT LAURENT at MR PORTER; mrporter.com

Two tone brogue, £175 by GRENSON; grenson.co.uk

*About The Rail.
The modern Gent’s time is besieged from all angles, therefore it should go without saying, preparation is key. Be it with your grooming routine or with your wardrobe, a Gentleman needs to plan ahead to ensure that he is not caught unawares, or dare we say it ‘off-peak’. The Rail is Ape to Gentleman’s take on the sartorial preparation required, featuring various fashion compositions reflecting our mood, the climate, the times and most importantly, the look of the genteel man.

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‘Fake’ was the word that inspired Acne’s latest showing in Paris. The Swedish powerhouse used the idea of imitation to inspire a collection that played with the idea of not actually using real materials. This process was one of an obscure nature, but what designer Jonny Johansson displayed was a range of garments that played with the art of texture, just as much as it did colour.

 ”Love is a difficult animal for men – women are so much more comfortable with that emotion, whereas guys carry it around as a physical piece of uncertainty.” – Jonny Johansson, Acne

The intro was dark and eery, with black being the base for most looks; traditional overcoats were thrown over (fake) fur collared leather shirts. Bomber jackets also followed the same attention to detail, this time placed over basic sweatshirts – layering was something Acne excelled at.

Among these muted shades, lay tones of optimistic reds, turquoise and canary yellows, which were scattered over trousers, cardigans and gloves. This vision of colour was feeling that continued onto the variety of heart shaped prints. Johansson cited the emotion of love as his inspiration for using this powerful symbol; a feeling that captivated the Parisian audience as a mixture of blazers and shirts paraded across the runway – a bright end to what was a veritable masterclass in casual elegance.

www.acnestudios.com

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Inspired by Paris in the late 20′s, Byredo’s Bal D’Afrique is a scent based on the infatuation with African culture, art, music and dance. Originally created in 2009, Bal D’Afrique has had a rebirth in a travel friendly format. Byredo have released three pocket sized refillable bottles accompanied by a leather case with magnetic cap.

“A mix of the Parisian avantgardism and African culture shaped a unique and vibrant expression”

The almost bullet like vials conjure up classic image of a Hunter on Safari, highlighting Byredo’s unerring focus on creating the complete picture, despite it being a fragrance.

The Scent

Top Notes: African marigold Bergamot, Bucchu, Lemon, Neroli.

Heart Notes: Cyclamen, Jasmin petals, Violet.

Base Notes: Black Amber, Moroccan cedarwood, Musk, Vetiver.

www.byredo.com

Photo: Honeyee

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Designed by Parisian studio Ciguë, the space occupies an impressive position on the corner of Beak Street and Lexington Street, where double aspect windows display the brands wares on custom-made enamel shelving. Entering the store, clients are invited to enjoy a cup of Aesop’s herbal tea whilst trained consultants offer advice on the most effective treatments for each individual.

If you’ve yet to experience any of Aesop’s expertly formulated products, where high quality botanicals merge with stringently researched science, then we suggest you plan a visit to their new space soon, followed by an inquisitive ramble through Soho’s diverse streets.

www.aesop.com

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