The Look goes on...

Gsvs5 said:

These may be of interest.....

http://alfredsargent.co.uk/exclusive-range/chester/

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These are things of beauty and along with the Church Shannon perhaps the best of the English made plains that I have seen.

Alas they are far to good ( and probably far too expensive ) for my needs..I am looking for a shoe to wear to football matches mainly,I will be wearing Farah trousers and an Aquascutum Harrington or a Barbour jacket ( navy),so I thought a nice pair of plain Derbys with dainite soles for the wet weather would fit in well.
I don't want to look like an average football fan,as I like to get off and do my own thing away from the herd (sorry if that sounds snobby because I am not) and away from the police trying to usher you into the ground as quickly as possible...but there has to be a certain level of practicality to the dress,being out in the elements and standing on concrete,maybe having to walk a fair distance all to be taken into consideration.

BTW Gsvs5 I am sure I remember you mentioning lads in your area wearing Lotus Veldtschoen in the 70s,I bought a pair of Barker Ludlow last year,and when I saw a picture of Veldtschoen I think that the Barkers copy their look.

cerneabbas said:

These are things of beauty and along with the Church Shannon perhaps the best of the English made plains that I have seen.

Alas they are far to good ( and probably far too expensive ) for my needs..I am looking for a shoe to wear to football matches mainly,I will be wearing Farah trousers and an Aquascutum Harrington or a Barbour jacket ( navy),so I thought a nice pair of plain Derbys with dainite soles for the wet weather would fit in well.
I don't want to look like an average football fan,as I like to get off and do my own thing away from the herd (sorry if that sounds snobby because I am not) and away from the police trying to usher you into the ground as quickly as possible...but there has to be a certain level of practicality to the dress,being out in the elements and standing on concrete,maybe having to walk a fair distance all to be taken into consideration.

BTW Gsvs5 I am sure I remember you mentioning lads in your area wearing Lotus Veldtschoen in the 70s,I bought a pair of Barker Ludlow last year,and when I saw a picture of Veldtschoen I think that the Barkers copy their look.

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I think there might be something here that fits the bill:
http://www.redwingheritage.com/USD/...IbfLt7QYoivMO1Wnipid9qVqelVt#category=oxfords
maybe the Foreman oxford?

perfecting the Italian Trouser/blazer with the now ubiquitous Dbl Monks.




Milan Jan 2014........Plundering England1970 fair isle



cerneabbas said:

I was wondering what the tailors are like in HK ? I have heard conflicting reports about them,also the ability of shirt makers to copy any shirt you like,I am sure your post tour report will be interesting.

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Yes, post-holiday report to follow. Copy is a good word!



covskin said:

I have worn this basic black Swatch for 25 years

http://www.swatch.com/en/watches/originals/gent/gb743-once-again

Functional, modernist even. I just don't need bezels or chronographs.

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I guess it's keep the basic, functional, modernist Swatch - I agree wholeheartedly!



Gsvs5 said:

perfecting the Italian Trouser/blazer with the now ubiquitous Dbl Monks.

Milan Jan 2014........Plundering England1970 fair isle

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Well that bottom one just doesn't work does it, none of it. Unless the hapless hipster is trying to capture the 'dressed by mummy' look.



cerneabbas said:

With autumn / winter getting close I wonder if anyone has any purchases in mind,for me a couple of cotton roll necks and the elusive plain derby shoes are my priorities..and maybe a hat,how do other people here view hats ? any favourite types or none at all ?.

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No hat at all for me, just a noname telescopic umbrella for rainy days if I am wearing a suit.

cerneabbas said:

With autumn / winter getting close I wonder if anyone has any purchases in mind,for me a couple of cotton roll necks

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A Merino zipped turtle neck from Uniqlo for a day out in London today. With 22C it was maybe a bad idea.

^ yep, tops with the quarter zip are definitely modlike. I am pretty sure we would have worn fleeces had they been known back then! - if only I could find nicely-fitted nologo ones in decent colours, as seen on fit European women in the outdoors. One of the few pieces transferrable from modern technical outdoor wear, in my opinion.

Liking this raincoat

http://www.paulcostelloeman.co.uk/catalogue/beige-plain-twill-raincoat/index.html

Flyfront, above the knee, stone rather than dirty old man 'mid-beige', no liner, interesting dart-like seam from armpit to pocket seems to give it some shape, minimal belts/epaulets/straps.

Any thoughts on the material (wool/cashmere)?

^ thinking about it, is a little way above the knee outerwear a signature of the look? at least back then. A knee-length crombie would have looked a bit odd I think - too 'old man' somehow.

A proportion thing? or just easier to run in! I was still growing out of mine so my memories are perhaps not of the ideal.

Looks a bit short to me and the shoulders on the model images look too Boxy-almost David Byrne like….nice color though.



Gsvs5 said:

Looks a bit short to me and the shoulders on the model images look too Boxy-almost David Byrne like….nice color though.

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Thanks. Agree on length, I think it is the model that is a bit long though, falls much closer to the knee for me. Agree on the shoulders too (particularly from the back) but I reckon from all the tugging going on this is from overlaying a suit with well-defined shoulders. Set in shoulder construction of course but that doesn't seem unusual for a raincoat, strangely enough. Cleaner lines anyway. Collar a touch on the small/parallel side compared to classic maybe? - a small modern touch (like the dart).



covskin said:

^ thinking about it, is a little way above the knee outerwear a signature of the look? at least back then. A knee-length crombie would have looked a bit odd I think - too 'old man' somehow.

A proportion thing? or just easier to run in! I was still growing out of mine so my memories are perhaps not of the ideal.

Click to expand...

I think you're probably right about Crombie-length back then, covskin. I can't swear to it from memory of mine but if you have a look at the classic Sunday Times magazine photo "Meet the Crombie Boys" the length there was just above the knee.

I promised to do a brief review of my recent trip to Hong Kong.

There are so many things I could say about such a fascinating place but I shall try to restrict my comments to style – given the nature of this site and thread. Apologies to those who have spent time in HK - but I should welcome your comments.

Tailoring
All the guidebooks say take the Star Ferry across Victoria Harbour from Hong Kong to Kowloon. This has been the way to cross from one to the other since the 1890s.

HK Island, though frantic, is rather refined in many ways. You can imagine my horror then at arriving in Kowloon and having hardly disembarked from the little boat before I was pestered by one man after another wanting to sell me a ‘designer watch’ or handbag ‘for the lady’ or to drag me off to a tailoring shop. Here is an example of the type of card they thrust at you:



I thought of the relaxed sessions with my old tailor here at home – sitting at his dining room table going through book after book of fabrics and lining materials and samples of buttons – and decided there and then not to visit a Hong Kong tailor. I am sure I could have found a civilised one but taking the above experience into account and some of the disasters posted on the main board I decided not to pursue it.

Ready to wear
Both HK and Kowloon are full of very stylish and expensive shopping malls. Most shopping is done in such locations as they are beautifully presented, have arctic air conditioning and great restaurants and bars. Most are pitched at the very top end of the market – Alexander McQueen, Dior Homme, Etro, Ferragamo, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Tod’s, YSL, etc. Even a Goyard outlet – some time purveyor of exquisite luggage to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.

The Department Store is Lane Crawford which started life in Victorian times as a very modest operation and is now the home to many high end imported brands.

Lane Crawford menswear A/W 2014/15

The main Japanese Department Store is the stylish Sogo.

A Puzzle
One thing that kept puzzling me was that the average HK resident is very modestly turned out in the standard issue t shirt, jeans and (nearly always New Balance) trainers. The women try a little harder but it seemed there was a disconnect between what I was seeing in the shops and what I was witnessing on the streets. It wasn’t until towards the end of the holiday that I had my eyes opened by an Englishman who had lived there for 20 years (who we met in an Irish Pub!). He explained that these high end stores are aimed squarely at tourists and especially at the new Chinese middle classes who seem to have limitless funds. This is a cause of some disquiet locally - along with the political pressure now coming from China.

Of course, every now and then one would spy a beautifully turned ankle and Chanel shoe emerging from the back of a chauffer-driven Maserati Quattroporte and then one would understand. To be fair some of these Chinese women looked stunning but the men with them were still in the standard issue t shirt, jeans……

I made two modest purchases – a pair of Lacoste driving shoes and a checked BD by J Crew.




Wining, Dining, etc.
On holiday these are probably my favourite things! In HK (and Macau which we also visited) it can be fiercely expensive and in seafood restaurants almost prohibitive.

We discovered some of the best in less fashionable, but emerging areas and I am giving two or three examples here:

Best lunch -
Big Bite
196 - 202 Java Road North Point, Hong Kong
(Canadian burger place)

Best dinner -
Blue Lemon
Ground Floor, 110-114 Tung Lo Wan Road; Causeway Bay, HK
(kind of Chinese / European nouvelle – ish)

Best snack -
Pier 7 café
Upper Deck, Pier 7 (Star Ferry)
Central, HK.
(great views)

Stylish ways of getting around
If you can’t afford the Masser, try Star Ferry (and their Night cruises), Tram, MTR (metro) or taxis (all modelled on an old Toyota Crown) All apart from the trams have great air con.

Tram at North Point Terminus


The Look in HK – not there, I’m afraid. Also the traditional Japanese fascination with obscure subcultures seems missing from HK. I recall Paul Smith holding a small Northern Soul exhibition in his flagship Tokyo store. I doubt there would be much call for it in HK (although his stuff does sell well there I believe).

But there are some very good looks to be seen (just occasionally) on Chinese women and when they do appear rarely in the street it is a great sight.

The Englishman in HK? – looks like a pile of sh*t as ever….

I did my best to be an ambassador for the old country:


PS links and Hawes and Curtis shirt (as you would expect the other doggy sports a blue beret!)

I must mention one very stylish resident who only pops up for three nights each year for the Mid Autumn Festival. We were lucky to arrive during said festivities and fortunate that they are focused in the area around our hotel. The Tai Hang Fire Dragon is undoubtedly the most stylish resident of HK!