July Five: Men in Suits

You just can't beat 'em.

Endless Summer

I'm not too bothered by resort collections. I hate resorts. I hate summer. I hate being sweaty and hot and not being able to wear my fantastic fall clothes. But this time, Burberry has won me over:







Trench coats, trousers, blazers!
The whole collection is a brilliant palate cleanser, and true to my vision of what summer should be.... fall.

Inspiring Me Now: The Shark Edition

I like the idea of weekly/monthly/seasonal fashion concepts. For lo these many years, I’ve gone around believing I was the only person to ever do something as ridiculous spend a week intentionally dressing to a “sitting on the dock of the bay, watching the tide roll away” theme, a-la Otis Redding.

But then I discovered that I am not alone, and it truly warms my glacial heart to know that others are inspired by more interesting material than Kate Moss or Erin Wasson. Laura Jane as John Lennon in Rishikesh is just so much better. Better by a margin too infinite to express. My own most recent fashion inspiration, as you might remember, was Perou. But love is fickle. The tides are a-changing.

For July, my concept is a simple one: shark.

The backbone of the shark concept is a shark dress. What is a shark dress? It is simple. It is grayscale. It does not nip in at the waist because sharks do not have waists. Patterns and embellishments are not allowed. A shark is a torpedo with teeth... and in a shark dress, so are you.

Here are some examples. The first, I think, is the best:







Boring, you say? Bite your tongue! It's like being wrapped in a silk bedsheet, except with sharp lines and no volume.

This particular concept is also appealingly minimalist, because it removes the element of choice. Black ankle boots. Hair pulled back. A stroke or two of smoky grey eye makeup added to an otherwise bare face. Done.

No accessories allowed, with one appropriate exception:



This is actually made from whale teeth and not shark teeth, but whatever - mine won't be made from real teeth anyway. I'm on the lookout for tooth-like beads... and if that fails, I'll make my own damn teeth out of oven-bake sculpey. I'm ridiculously excited about making this necklace. Is my excitement palpable? It's totally palpable!

I hope you are getting a mind picture of the shark look I'm going for.

And I also hope that when you get dressed tomorrow, you are inspired by something brilliant, unusual and magnificent. Mostly because you are magnificent. But also because dressing like a shark is a thousand times better than dressing like stupid Kate Moss.

The Waste Land

A heap of broken images, where the sun beats,
And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief,
And the dry stone no sound of water. Only
There is shadow under this red rock,
(Come in under the shadow of this red rock),
And I will show you something different from either
Your shadow at morning striding behind you
Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you;
I will show you fear in a handful of dust.

___________________

From "The Waste Land"
by T. S. Eliot
(read the full poem here)










Model - Masha Novoselova
Images © Dutch Vogue

Girls on Top

Memo to anyone who sees me on Monday: I hope you are prepared for my sexy armpits, because I'm re-intrepreting this look with a black suit, black pinstripe vest, metal man's watch and my trusty aviators.

Inspiring Me Now: The Perou Edition

Have you been watching this season of Make Me A Supermodel? Damn right, you have! And have you found yourself screaming "JONATHAN FOR THE WIN!" at every judging, particularly when he is shirtless?

Ah, but I am easily distracted. This post is not about Jonathan!
It is about another man.
Another British man.
A man often described as “the scary judge”.

A man named Perou.


Image © www.perou.co.uk

I knew I liked him as soon as I saw those damn sunglasses.

In case you are not familiar, Perou is a talented photographer with shaved head and a deep Sussex growl that makes my toes curl (you know... in a good way). He has yet to be seen without sunglasses and approximately three pounds of finger jewelry, and cuts a fine silhouette in tailored suits and aggressive marching band jackets. His ensembles are, without exception, more interesting and inspiring than anything sent down the MMAS runway.

How can I not be fascinated by someone who wears (in public) a black jumpsuit with a front pocket that says “I Like To Watch”? How can I not envy a man who sometimes appears to have stolen a jacket off the back of a reggae marching band’s drum major?

(I am also deeply gratified by the fact that he seems to hate everyone on the show that I hate... I'm looking at you, Gabriel Von Fishface. His two-week absence left the remaining judges flailing in the deep waters of their own incompetence and sending home random, undeserving models while horrible Amanda somehow remained unscathed. But since his gratifying return last night, all wrongs have been righted. RIGHTED!!!)

Perou, you are Inspiring Me Now™. Despite several of my significant material differences from you (being female instead of male, having long blond hair and not a shaved head, the notable absence of many aforementioned items of awesome clothing in my wardrobe, etc), I believe that our tastes do, indeed, overlap. I have attempted to find some awesome girl attire that gives a nod to your aesthetic while complementing my own. The results, below:


Martin Margiela L’incognito Sunglasses
$410 at Oki-Ni.com

Wide Mixed Chain Bracelets (one for each wrist)
$34 each at Urban Outfitters


Rag & Bone Boyfriend Jacket
$632 at Browns Fashion.com


3.1 Philip Lim Frogged Waistcoat
$580 at Colette.fr


Rick Owens Mesh Jacket with Hood
$436 at Browns Fashion.com

The best part is that I suspect many of his own choices (particularly the band jackets) are vintage, and so I feel no obligation to pine for a specific item of designer clothing when there are similar gems floating around the vintage universe, waiting to be discovered.

So bien joué, Perou, for experimenting and having fun with clothing, and for achieving that inimitable subset of personal style where the "look" you have works better on you than anyone else.

The Ringmaster

Admit it: you are attracted to this crazy, sexy beast of a man.

Okay, or maybe it's just me.

Except for the hated plastic wayfarers, I love everything about these clothes and this picture. I covet his motorcycle gloves. I adore his top hat. I'm tickled by the fact that he has eschewed an ipod in favor of a boombox.

But most appealing of all - and what really sells it for me - is his "that's right, suckers, I am fabulous enough to wear a velvet cape on the street" body language.

Damn right.