A fashion bias.

So, in my daily ponderings it occurred to me that there is a (somewhat inevitable) bias towards women's fashion in popular culture. Rarely, for example, does one find any serious articles on say, The Daily Telegraph's website, devoted to men's fashion. Nor, as far as I have observed, is there a section devoted solely/entirely/partly to men's fashion on said website, nor, furthermore, does there seem to be a realisation of what potential this market holds. Perhaps even more importantly, what the potential it ought to hold is not being explored thoroughly enough for my liking. As my Mother remarked whilst driving out of Sainsbury's carpark yesterday 'the English really are a badly dressed people' (perhaps this is something of an explanation of where my obsession has come from...) and I quite agree!

On a night out in Tunbridge Wells, Royal Tunbridge Wells no less (apologies, it's merely for dramatic effect), admittedly in Pitcher & Piano, I was somewhat disgusted to see that a. the vast majority of men there seemed to think that either a t-shirt or at best a plaid shirt were acceptable to wear on a night out and b. smart leather shoes were not required. Now, by all means, call me old fashioned and fuddy duddy, but this is a point of some concern for me. We seem to have lost the interest in dressing ourselves with self-respect and a little concern for both the impression we make upon other people and the standards we used to hold ourselves to. Gone are the days of white tie being standard evening wear (frankly, I would be surprised if most men knew white tie was), which I concede is perhaps a logical step in an age when a starched collar is an alien concept and the t-shirt rules supreme, but really chaps, pull your socks up, tuck that shirt in (another cardinal sin in my book) and for goodness' sake, polish those shoes!

Anyway, rant over. I'm afraid it's probably not the last time it'll happen though, I warn you. What brings me to this point is a film I watched not 48 hours ago, namely The Brothers Bloom. While not an outstanding film, it has it's moments - a splendid steamer boat voyage takes up a not insignificant part of the film (a set that has been sorely missed since Murder on the Nile!), but what really makes it worth seeing is the costumes and I'm not talking about Rachel Weisz's wardrobe! Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo are rarely seen outside of the finest cut, three piece suits, one of the few exceptions I can think of is this fantastic combination Mark Ruffalo sports while playing some sort of curling/drafts hybrid on the aforementioned steamer:

Or the white trouser, white shirt, off white belt, jacket and shoes with a cream foulard that Adrien Brody sports in some of the culminating scenes, that I will have to try at some point. It is the imagination with which the clothes are worn, the derring-do they are carried off with and the outright style that is imbued to the characters by them that makes the film a real visual treat not only directorially, but sartorially.

 There is one final point of information I wish to raise. It pertains to the much neglected foulard. Adrien Brody is rarely seen without one in The Brothers Bloom. Worn casually around the neck tucked into an open necked, white shirt and with a black three piece suit, it looks really something. It takes a certain bravado to pull it off and I for one think he achieves it faultlessly. The foulard in men's clothing, for those unaware, is a long, thin, silk scarf worn by the likes of Anthony Eden on more relaxed days (still outdressing the modern slouches - what happened to the tie and tails of the Bullingdon Club Mr. Cameron?! See this excellent article for a more in depth excoriation of British political dress sense: http://www.mensflair.com/celebrity-styles/the-politics-of-dress.php) and I think deserves to be well and truly resurrected, rehabilitated and repopularised. It allows one to wear something around one's neck, thereby achieving a widely avoided smartness and still is comfortable and, I think, cool. Perhaps a decent foulard will be my birthday present to myself?

I shall leave you with this thought; has smart neckwear (no, a woollen scarf is not acceptable smart neckwear!) truly died a death and if not, where has it gone? No longer de rigeur in many city firms it seems to have been abandoned with great joy and rapidity by most of the lazier dressers and younger among the city boys in favour of the open collar and a pair of trainers (a topic for another post I think). Something to think on oh nation of Saville Row, Jermyn Street, New and Old Bond Street!

Joe

Any excuse...

...to dress up. For those of you sartorially inclined, I'm sure you're all very well aware that this season presents many an opportunity to dress to the nines and revel in it. Tonight was one of those opportunities for me. While not black tie, nor really any tie at all, a visit to some friends of ours, whose son at least is always well turned out, is an excuse for me to see a. what I can get away with and b. what new combinations I have to try out with Christmas clothing.

So, to what I wore. Blue, twill, high-waisted, notched back trousers, with a dark blue shirt, black waistcoat, black and red bow tie, blue double breasted jacket, red pocket square, black and red scarf and black boots. Oh and red and black argyle socks. God in the details and all that.

So, there you have it, the whole ensemble, the details and my arse, or part thereof. And yes, before you say it, I know the bow tie is a clip-on, but I didn't buy it and it was worn as something of a placating gesture, even if I did enjoy it secretly. I was distinctly overdressed, but frankly my dear, I don't give a damn.

In other news, I watched Downfall and Sexy Beast today. The first, a truly remarkable portrayal of the final hours of Nazi Germany and the lives of those closest to Adolf Hitler (played by the brilliant Bruno Ganz) and well worth the somewhat marathon viewing time. The second, a rather less refined piece of cinema, but a lot of fun regardless. (Sir) Ben Kingsley giving one of this greatest performances as the psychotic Don Logan, while Ray Winston spends more time in orange speedos than one ought to frankly, but does it with a certain aplomb nonetheless and Ian McShane, needless to say, is a fantastic villain.

Just one final thing, I am going to read Heart of Darkness at some point very soon having started reading it while at our friend's house. Something I ought to have done a long time ago.

Joe

What sweet music...

So, to my greatest love; music. A little bit about my tastes first. I have what could fairly easily be described as an eclectic taste in music. That is to say I enjoy listening to everything from the rawest of bedroom black metal 'bands' i.e. Willing Feet to some ridiculously well produced pop that I really ought not to like, such as OneRepublic. Definitely a guilty pleasure of mine. Between these two extremes are my more usual listening tastes, which, currently, revolve around a bit of indie rock (Arcade Fire's new album, more on that later), a lot of the more progressive elements in metal; Mastodon, Planks, Primordial, Neurosis, etc... and finally some bluegrass/country and western such as Justin Townes Earle, Bela Fleck and William Elliott Whitmore. A mere smattering of what I enjoy listening to, but you get the picture.

I think it's probably best I only tackle one or two albums at a time, so with that in mind, I propose to say absolutely nothing new about the Arcade Fire album 'The Suburbs', other than to say it is spectacular and I cannot, absolutely cannot recommend it highly enough to everyone. Seriously, just give it a listen, even if you've heard their stuff before and immediately thought 'Eurgh! Whiney, 'emo', indie shit.' This is different. This is an album that the BBC dared to say 'You could call it their OK Computer. But it's arguably better than that.' And if that doesn't at least make you sit up and stare, then I don't really know what will.

The second album is Justin Townes Earle's newest album 'Harlem River Blues', which to my mind is an absolutely masterpiece of bluegrass, country, rock 'n' roll, soul and general all round brilliance. It's only 32 minutes long, so it's that perfect length for re-listening, which, trust me, I have (my iTunes play count is telling me I've listened to the whole album at least nine times) and I know I have listened to it at least that many times again on my iPod. So, my recommendation to you for today is to track down this album and at least give it a try. If you think that all bluegrass is Hank Williams-esque vocals 'Lord, I jus' don' know what to dooOoo' (thank you Shawshank Redemption for exposing the world to that particular soundbite) and banjos. Think again. This is alcohol steeped, soulful music that I for one seem to find absolutely essential.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I am getting the peculiar sensation that my arms are very long and I'm writing this from a great height, so I suspect I need some breakfast and a shower to re-awaken my sense of perspective and depth.

Joe

Trepidation, pah!

So, to further explain various things about this here blog. The most obvious; the gentleman gracing the top of this page in oh so wonderful style (his clothes, not the blog... you're too kind!) is one of The Sartorialist's regular italian photographic subjects I believe and definitely an idol of mine. I can't really say anything new but he displays perfectly the skills of pattern matching (two checks that match!), colour co-ordination (that blue cardigan underneath!! And this from a cardigan hater!), the perfectly knotted tie and positively oozing that most mercurial of elements; sprezzatura. I think that well placed scarf and perfectly sculpted beard make it really. Accessories, accessories, accessories. A style one can only dream of.
Next, to the oh-so-ironic title. The story behind this, is not the deepest, but a provocative one for me anyway. I bought a new jumper today, slightly v-necked, in a shade of colour described on the label as tartan green, but thing british racing green basically, that I plan to wear tomorrow, while walking the dog, with a pink shirt, blue jeans and green wellies. Now, to the nub of the story, not long after buying said jumper, I mentioned that I would be wearing it with various items of clothes and most likely while walking the dog, only to received the retort from someone rather close to me that 'it's not a fashion statement'. Now, to me, that's like saying you can have your cake, but not taste it. That is to say, impossible, unless you suffer from some ghastly malady. I am now in the habit of buying clothes with the express purpose of wearing them with other clothes I may or may not possess and in certain milieu, styles or even, one hesitates to add, for certain activities. The aforementioned dog walking springs to mind. So, my question to you dear readers, is does the same occur to you? Do you buy clothes with a purpose in mind, do you buy them because you like the look of them, do you buy them because you want to craft a particular style or is a combination of a bit of all the above? Answers on a postcard to that delightful little comments box below that I so crave to see filled. (Love me!!)
One final thought as we creep towards the small hours of the morning. A question, as you might imagine, I am plagued by, is there a difference between style and fashion? To my mind, yes, undoubtedly. Style, in my own slightly small-minded way, is, I believe, that which outlasts the seasonal fads and pre-ordained 'must haves' (that is not to say they don't have their place and are to be poo-poo-ed by any means), whereas fashion is a rather more elusive sprite that one strives (if so inclined) continually to stay ahead of, if you are lucky enough and catch up with if you are rather slower on the uptake. For example, the currently trend for Barbour jackets of all shapes and sizes. Having been rather out of style and fuddy duddy, worn only by farmers and country bumpkins exclusively. They are now all the rage, to the extent that my local Fenwick's seems to have sold out over the Christmas period. No mean feat, when the most basic one will set you back somewhere in the region of £200. This trend, I hesitate to predict, will, for the large part of the population be rather wasted as the Barbour jacket is meant to be a lifelong purchase. My father's hangs in the utility room in a very battered and worn condition, but regardless, still utterly waterproof and protective. The fashionistas will be on to the next must have item without having the chance to wear theirs in and who knows, perhaps even wax it! Anyway, I digress. My point is that, to me, the Barbour is a piece of clothing that transcends fashion, on the rare occasion deigning to be included in order to raise sales, while those really in the know, will still be wearing theirs in 20/30 years time while they walk the dog on a grey, damp British winter day having lovingly waxed and treated theirs.

A fitting example of what Britain can produce on a good day, wouldn't you say?

Joe

Provocation, inspiration and trepidation.

I think a little more is required to explain the purpose, rationale and necessity of this blog. Both for myself and for your good selves dear readers.
The first; purpose. I seek an outlet for my not insubstantial, if inconsequential, thoughts and, one might even go as far as, beliefs regarding music, style/fashion, photography and other assorted ends and as such have decided to break my promethean chains and unleash them upon the world! *Ahem* apologies, I suffer these dramatic outbursts every so often.
Second, the rationale, which is entirely less clear. Naturally this presumes that a. there is a rationale and b. that you care. There is a rationale, rest assured, quite what it is I have as yet to divine, but I'm sure it will become clear as we go and as for the second issue, well, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Finally, the necessity. This is rather more selfish. I want to have a platform for my views and have chosen this, rather than the soapbox or political stage. Consider yourselves lucky. Furthermore, this will act as a sort of cathartic exercise and a place to gather my thoughts into one ever growing ball of tenuous thread.
So there you have it.
Yes, but what are you actually going to write about? I hear you cry. Well, as stated music - about which I will be noting albums of worth that pass a large percentage of the population by, decrying the horrors of the 'music industry' and subsequently rescinding these claims as well as heaping further praise on the albums that I love and the ones that I feel you ought to know about. Style/fashion, the only thing that comes close to my love to music in my quotidienne life and something I give a lot of thought to everyday and in every way, to paraphrase that great hymn. The other bits and bobs, well, they'll just happen as and when they happen. I am in no way in control of them.

That's it for now, I've inflicted enough upon you poor creatures.

Joe