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