Softly rounded collar

Club collar shirt by Patrick Ervell.

From club to Eton, Peter Pan to the golf collar, this no points collar goes by many monikers. Whatever you want to call it, I'm currently obsessed with it. Patrik Ervell makes some of the finest slim fitted options on the market and I was fortunate enough to pick up this little beauty in the January sale. I'm looking forward to wearing this shirt this upcoming Spring and beyond.

ASOS Ma}ke

At the beginning of the year, the first crop of fashion design graduates showcased their work with the LCF MA show taking place in the ornate Raphael Gallery at the V&A. As mentioned previously, I was fortunate enough to take my seat to watch it all unfold and I was utterly blown away by the menswear design talent on show. From the nineteen students who were showcased it was the menswear design graduates that really shone through. Among them was Domingo Rodriguez who went on to enjoy a hugely successful 2010. Since showing his widely acclaimed MA collection back in January, he has presented his SS11 offering in Paris as part of Esquire's '7 Brilliant Brits' and has now collaborated with ASOS.

The enticing fruits of ASOS MA}ke, Domingo Rodriguez and Yong Li Lee's capsule collection.

As part of its continued commitment to nurturing and supporting emerging designers, ASOS selected one menswear and one womenswear designer from crop of MA graduates to embark on MA}ke. Ma}ke is an exciting mentoring initiative which culminates with both designers creating capsule collections to be sold on the hugely popular and ever growing site. The successful 2010 graduates selected to be part of MA}ke were menswear designer Domingo Rodriguez, and womenswear designer Young li Lee. The two graduates joined ASOS in April and have since worked closely with the different functions of the business to help create their capsule collections. Each year there are a handful of extremely talented graduates from each of the main institutions but the question of how best to develop this raw talent in to success (commercial or otherwise) is an intriguing one. This initiative is ASOS' answer and the results are extremely promising. To mark the imminent availability of Rodriguez' understated cool capsule collection, we sat down with the designer to discuss the initiative, to look back over a remarkable year and also to look forward.

SS:Describe the moment you realised you wanted to be a menswear designer?

Domingo Rodriguez: I've always had a desire to do fashion - I started off studying art and graphic design but was very daunted to admit it! It’s a very women’s dominated area at college level but I quickly got over myself and started my BA in Fashion Design and Textiles. I quickly realised I didn't connect to a woman’s form, womenswear comes easy but I was stuck on... boobs! I moved over to menswear and everything just clicked. I haven't looked back since!

SS: How did you become involved with ASOS Ma}ke?

Domingo Rodriguez: I got involved with the project after the MA show, they came to the V&A catwalk and then we met up and I got to show them the collection up close. My MA collection is very subtle so I was able to show them all the soft detailing and pattern cutting details in person. After working tirelessly on the MA collection for months leading up to the show and to be recognised for all the hard work was fantastic!

SS: Along with Young li Lee, you joined ASOS.com in April and have since worked closely with the different functions of the business. The experience must have provided invaluable insight into the business of fashion. What have you learned over the last seven months? What advice would you give to a prospective menswear design student?

Domingo Rodriguez: Working with the design team has been one of the most eye opening and freeing experiences of my career so far. I got to go through the whole design cycle, from inception to tech packs, pattern cutting, fabrication, samplings, fittings, I got to see how the real creative commercial world works. The amount of detail and the quality of the MA}ke collection is fantastic, we've done things technically that I can’t produce for myself so its been exhilarating! My advice for students is to get experience in the real fashion world, just seeing how it works means you can make that leap from dreaming of fashion to understanding and realising it.

SS: What was your starting point for this design brief and how did it evolve in to the capsule collection we see today? How did the ASOS team help realise your creations?

Domingo Rodriguez: I have tried to build upon the world I created for my MA collection. So the core vision; the design, cut and pattern-work are all extended from catwalk show. I reworked my signature styles, translating my distinguishing details such as J-shaped sleeves, drape fronts, chevron textures and grosgrain details. Tonally I slightly tweaked the colour palette from the show to make it more accessible, mostly because I want to be able to wear them everyday! We have some amazing details like the flat suture stitch and magnet fastenings!

SS: I love the beautifully cut, soft tailoring pieces crafted in luxurious fabrications but how would you describe the collection in your own words?

Domingo Rodriguez: I think soft is a key word, soft progressive menswear. My pieces feel very familiar, echoing on traditional men’s pieces but up close subtle details become apparent. Bias rib going down the spine or rib cage, one piece cutting around the body and waterfall drape fronts with a very tonal and homogenous colour palette.

SS: What type of man do you envision wearing your designs?

Domingo Rodriguez: I hope it appeals to a broad range of men. I've tried to create a balance of more familiar pieces and more accessible progressive pieces so that there is room for it to fit into any wardrobe.

SS: 2010 has undoubtedly been a pivotal year for you. Since showing your widely acclaimed MA collection back in January, you have presented in Paris as part of Esquire's '7 Brilliant Brits' and have now collaborated with ASOS. Are you working on anything else in the near future? What do you hope 2011 will bring?

Domingo Rodriguez: I hope to carry on the momentum of the past year into the future and slowly build something in my name. I'm currently working on my next collection for AW11, and I have some exciting collaborations with Kopenhagen Fur and PHI-NOM in the works to look forward to. I'm very excited about the future and the launch of the MA}ke project!

___________

Through MA}ke, ASOS want to give their customers access to beautiful, considered pieces whilst giving young designers a vital leg up in the industry. Both Rodriguez and Lee were designers to watch the moment they unveiled their MA collections but with the online powerhouses help, we have been afforded an early opportunity to support their talent.

Wrapping up in a gentle wake for Autumn

As the mercury has continued to ooze southwards in recent weeks I decided that my wardrobe was in desperate need for an injection of wool. Having recently posted about Braille's SS11 collection and the launch of their online store, my search wasn't a long one. As mentioned last month, the London based design duo, Benjamin Vorono and Samuel Kientsch, burst on to the scene at Vauxhall Fashion Scout back in February and they've since gone from strength to strength. A Gentle Wake took inspiration from an autumnal holiday on the Croatian coast. It showcased a smart, masculine silhouette while using wool, hemp and silk to create pieces that are both accessible and exciting.

Working with the season friendly palette of brown, rust, forest green and grey, the duo breathed fresh life in to the wanting lungs of an assortment of classic essentials. Braille manage to encapsulate the ideal blend of minimalist design and modernity. The talented duo design garments that can effortlessly slide in to any man's wardrobe. Soon after their online store launched earlier this month and forced to resist the temptation of the other items, I snapped up the wool zip scarf. It was time to wrap myself up in a piece of gentle wake for Autumn...

Around this time last year I celebrated the season with a harvest festival of an outfit post inspired by Fantastic Man's October Look and I am itching do reenact this sartorial celebration. Ever since my eyes first encountered the combination of autumnal hues and the comforting and playful layering I have longed to dress in the true spirit of the season of dropped leaves. During October, the rich colours of autumn really come into play and should be celebrated. The forest green zip wool scarf will play an important part in this years ensemble. 

Dressed head to toe in various autumnal hues, it is difficult not to have a little fun standing in a pile of crisp leaves. However, too eager to wait for my next trip to Hampstead Heath I decided to share the scarf and the various ways of wearing it with you first. After the initial confusion of the double zip, I soon found my way...

Zip wool scarf by Braille worn with corduroy shirt and woll trousers by Uniqlo and crombie by ASOS Black.

Now, I'm off to construct my Fallen Leaf Outfit 2.0. Am I slightly mad for wanting to dress like a fallen leaf at the age of twenty six? The answer is of course a resounding yes but do I care? Not a jot. Dressing each morning should be fun. I will no doubt head to the Heath while it is at its most beautiful over the course of the next few weeks and this Braille scarf will undoubtedly adorn my neck.

Hormazd Narielwalla's Hat Parade

Hormazd Narielwalla's Hat Parade

There have been many golden eras where a man would consider an outfit incomplete, consider himself naked even, without a hat but now they are rarely even considered in the construction of the everyday outfit. As EJ mentioned in her campaign for hats, 'just look at the street scenes in almost any film made the 50s or earlier to see how commonly the hat used to be worn and how much better it makes almost everyone look.' However, the modern decline of hat wearing amongst men is obvious. I have to confess that despite admiring many hats from afar, I'm yet to fully commit to donning one. There is however, a great deal of inspirational hat donning out there. None more so than the creations of Bernstock Speirs. Inspired by the underground club and music scene, the design duo began creating men’s and women’s headwear which challenged the traditional ideas of millinery. A new generation of hat wearers has since been seduced by their innovative creations. An upcoming exhibition at their Brick Lane store will showcase the work of Style Salvage favourite, Hormazd Narielwalla.

Narielwalla’s fascination with pattern blocks has taken him on a trip up north of the body and drawn inspiration from shapes created for the head. The work features military figures composed of collage, photography and illustration sporting the designers AW10 hat collection. Using hat pattern blocks from Bernstock Speirs’ archive along with uniform drafts extracted from military cutting books and the all important masculine ingredient – facial hair. In his evocative work Narielwalla illustrates a new take on patterns, as they have never been seen. Bernstock Speirs have created a capsule range of hats to accompany the exhibition which will run from 15th of October until the 15th of November. The time for a new era of hat wearing is now my friends.

Sibling's Comic Horror Shoot

For Aw10 Sibling took us on a creepy journey for their fourth collection. Last February, deep inside Somerset House's East Wing we were led down the staircase, round the corner and through the door and in to Dr Frankenstein’s laboratory and into a world of fright and fear. Creative agency This is Real Art worked with Sibling to publicise this ‘Comic Horror’ collection. The agency came up with the idea of photographing scared-looking models wearing the clothes. They wanted to capture moments of genuine expressions of fear. Of course, the best way to do this is to really scare the models.

Working with the production company COY! and photographer Sean de Sparengo, an eerie environment was created, using total darkness and a bespoke fright inducing soundtrack. The models were led into the studio, unable to see a thing and made to stand on a spot for several minutes. They were then scared using an incredibly loud horror noise. Simultaneously, the photographs were taken and the look book created.



The video brings backs haunting memories. A few months ago now, I went to Ghost Stories, a truly terrifying theatrical experience written and directed by The League of Gentlemen's master of the macabre, Jeremy Dyson, and Andy Nyman, co-creator and director of Derren Brown's television and stage shows and star of Dead Set and Severance. Had there been a video camera catching my squeals and moments of skin jumping, the evidence would undoubtedly have looked remarkably similar to the models here. I both shudder and smile at the thought and share each models pain.

With each season the design trio combine the wonderful craft of knitwear with an added sense of humour. In fact, when we interviewed them earlier this year they conceded that "Sibling is all about humour in a very English way that may come across as being a bit silly at times." This video certainly encapsulates just that. I'm looking forward to seeing what the design trio create next. Roll on next month and Menswear Day!

Falling for Casely-Hayford's Paragon

Eyes still fixated on Casely-Hayford's AW10 collection, A Darker Shade of Black.

Every once in a while you encounter a collection that encapsulates your dream wardrobe. Casely-Hayford's A Darker Shade of Black left me contemplating a life of crime or black market organ dealing to enable it to hang in my flat. For AW10, the design duo reassessed ideas of masculinity, drawing influence from military uniforms and revisiting the darkened sensibility of their AFRO PUNK. The collection builds on their signature, sportswear and tailoring mix by adding military influences. The Afro Punk is now encased in armour. The father and son design duo have undoubtedly built on the successes demonstrated in their first three offerings with a saliva inducing fourth collection. Although unable to currently afford the collection I was able to call in a few pieces for a recent shoot with a Japanese magazine (more on this shortly) where I fell in love with the collection all over again. The 12 hole Paragon boots were the real focus of my affections then and now. It must be love.

Two looks featuring the Paragon boots.

The moment I slipped my feet inside of them I sensed something of a transformation. Having been seduced by the boots undeniable charms and given the giant menswear geek that I am, I needed to find out more about them.

A closer look at the focus of my affections. The 12 hole boot in all its glory.

'What did you find out?' I hear you cry. Well...these military inspired 12 hole boots are in fact a collaboration with the John Moore brand. For those of you who don't know, John Moore was one of the great originals of British design who sadly died prematurely in 1989. Although his influence is still felt today, I have to confess to knowing very little about the man so I think it best to allow Joe Casely-Hayford to elaborate on how the collaboration came to be...

"As well as working with Vivienne Westwood, under his own label Moore created some of the seminal shoe designs of the 80s. Over two decades before Dalston became the focal point for artists and designers that it is today, John Moore opened ‘The House of Beauty and Culture’ on Stamford Road in Dalston Junction. It quickly developed into one of those generation defining cult locations, attracting London's underground youth culture. The House of Beauty and Culture was built around the John Moore shoe collection, but became etched into fashion history because it brought together a group of the most exciting and inspiring creators under one roof - the legendary Judy Blame, knitwear designer Richard Torry, an unsung genius, hatter Fiona Bowen, and of course the great John Flett who before his untimely death was often compared to John Galliano. Flett lived in a flat on Kingsland Road opposite the shop, and was just beginning to make a name as a visionary cutter and designer.

The House of Beauty and Culture had a distinctive style, with a metal grille on its windows and a floor surface which was studded with coins from around the world. Moore’s shoes sat very comfortably in this setting; they could have a heavy serrated sole, squared off toes or ribbon laces, giving the feeling they belonged to a 20th Century Artful Dodger. This was a great time for shoe design. Lawler and Duffy had just left Cordwainers and after designing the footwear for the infamous John Galliano graduation collection they began to collaborate on Joe Casely-Hayford collections. The footwear Lawler Duffy and John Moore created had a very English look to it; made by Desborough with a hard industrial appearance."

A pair of John Moore toe strap boots seen at Vintage of Goodwood...alas they were two sizes too small.

Now, Moore first designed the ‘toe strap’ boot with the Desborough factory in 1986, before changing manufacturer in 1987. The original design was a seven eyelet boot, Goodyear welted and with a Northampton appearance. It fused elements of punk/seditionaries, Skinhead styling and traditional British work boots. The Toe strap became a cult boot and is today being produced for Casely-Hayford by the same maker, six years after Joe Casely-Hayford was originally approached by the company to update the boots for a new generation. Quite a tale and quite a boot.

Made as a limited run, the boots can be found exclusively at Dover Street Market and Hostem in London.

Albam AW10

We might not have reached mid August yet but my sweaty, aching limbs are longing to be protected by soft, texture rich fabrics as the hot, stagnant air is replaced with something a little more fresh and biting. During the press day madness back in April I encountered a dream rail of autumnal essentials at Cube. For AW10, Albam have gone back to their starting principle of creating the essential items within a man’s wardrobe, from the classic white t-shirt, through to the Italian made suit and an English crafted Pea Coat and from August to December, each month will see a capsule collection dropped into store. The first of which is imminent and to provoke a little excitement the guys posted the first batch of look book images over on their 'Behind the Scenes' blog.

Shawl collar knit. A perennial brand favourite

Knitwear is produced by a factory for which this AW10 collection will sadly be the last collection they make. The focus is on pieces inspired by the factory’s archive which counts the 1980’s America’s cup yacht team, the military and the Royal family as customers. Styles include the ‘Submariner’ roll neck and the shawl collar cardigan (a perennial favourite of Albam).

Each piece, when released, will be a numbered piece of one hundred produced.

Artisan waistcoat and chambray shirt.

The Albam signature of white details has been revisited to make them more integral to the garment itself. Highlights of this are seen in the linking of the knitwear in ecru yarn, only visible when the garment is opened up. This can also be seen in the taped seam garments creating an internal framework to the pieces.

Artisan pea coat.

Outerwear has become a focus of Albam since the release of the Fisherman’s Cagoule in 2007. Key pieces include the Workwear Jacket in a bonded cotton weave with polar fleece on the inside, which gives a more structured garment whilst being light and warm. Wax fabric also remains key with a workwear style that is crafted from wax cloth as a lightweight casual rain jacket and a Pea Coat, made from an oiled duck canvas from the USA.

Trail parka

The key pieces that embody the ‘Modern Crafted Clothing’ concept are the taped Ventile styles of the Alpine Jacket and Rain Mac. Designed and crafted in England these are waterproof garments, which combine Albam’s love of the outdoors with the forgotten expertise of one of the factories used.

Ventile mac and backpack.

This is just a handful of the styles that are coming through this winter at Albam. Throughout the ‘Essentials’ the styles remain cleanly designed with a focus on fabrication and construction. A number of the developments have arisen following discussions with customers about what they are wanting and where they themselves want to go with things. I love how the guys have remained true to their founding concept, slowly developing and growing their range all the while letting the right customers find them. I'm looking in stocking up on a few new season essentials.

A. Sauvage 000-1 - 000-11

Cast your minds back to the busy month of May, where I zigzagged my way across the capital for various press days and viewings to help see what AW10 would bring. One of the real highlights was A. Sauvage. At that moment in time I was unable to really examine the debut offering of the label and instead chose to introduce the designs via Adrien Sauvage's This Is Not A Suit tumblr. The concept follows a simple logic within a strong framework. To explore the word suit and what it suggests. In each case, the artist invites subjects to wear garments from his collection and encourages them to express who they are whilst wearing a suit with no directorial interference. Having established the loose parameters of the experience it is left up to each subject to decide what to wear, diverse as they are, from the collection 000-1 - 000-11. TNS is a case study of the artist’s ongoing fascination with the internal and external influences that enable individualism. I have been truly captivated by his natives and captain series. What better way to start the consumers juices flowing than to beautifully capture the designs worn so effortlessly by a diverse band of men and women, from retired Harlem Globetrotters to Coco Sumner to Terry Gilliam, Berlin break dancers to a local deli owner? I love the questions that this photographic projects asks about sartorial individualism. What does a suit mean to you? How do you wear a suit? This Is Not A Suit, this is so much more...it is an attitude and an ongoing style project.

With my interest heightened combined with the knowledge that the collection is hitting Matches and Harrods imminently, I decided to learn more about the label by visiting the designer behind it all. The label is the brainchild of Adrien Victor Sauvage who whilst working as a creative realised that the stylish demands of his clients were not being met so set about meeting them with his own designs. There was a clear and obvious gap in the menswear market and Sauvage had the vision and drive to fill it. So the designer developed the art of dress easy, or DE as he calls it. The debut collection entitled 000-1 -000-11 showcases both radical and elegant menswear. Sauvage has built a debut collection on pieces that would add so much to so many wardrobes. To make matters even easier for the every man he has practically created an fool proof guide of creating looks. Of course there are a myriad of ways each piece can be worn but for those less confident, he has created a look book of colour co-ordinated assembly line-esque, everyday dressing...

Left: Country Blazer - Blue flannel Prince of Wales Check (single Breasted , two button with notch lapel) with electric blue corduroy trousers, white Sea Island cotton shirt with scallop collar and electric blue knitted tie.
Right: Country Blazer - Purple flannel Prince of Wales Check (single Breasted , two button with notch lapel) with plum winter cotton trousers, white Sea Island cotton shirt with scallop collar and purple knitted tie.

Left: Three Piece Country Suit - Grey Prince of Wales Check (single Breasted , two button with notch lapel) with flat front trousers, white Sea Island cotton shirt with scallop collar and plum knitted tie.
Right: Sports Jacket - Forest Green double breasted jacket (six button with peak lapel) with burnt orange corduroy trousers, white Sea Island cotton shirt with scallop collar and orange knitted tie.

Left: Lounge Suit - Dark brown flannel double breasted jacket (six button with peak lapel) with flat front trousers, white Sea Island cotton shirt with scallop collar and olive knitted tie.
Right: Lounge Suit - Dark grey flannel double breasted jacket (six button with peak lapel) with flat front trousers, white Sea Island cotton shirt with scallop collar and light blue knitted tie.

Left: Lounge Suit - Dark grey flannel double breasted jacket (six button with peak lapel) with flat front trousers, white Sea Island cotton shirt with scallop collar and light blue knitted tie
Right: City Suit - Blue pin head wool single breasted jacket (two button with notch lapel) with flat front trousers, white Sea Island cotton shirt with scallop collar and lilac knitted tie.

Left: City Suit - Grey pin head wool single breasted jacket (two button with notch lapel) with flat front trousers, white Sea Island cotton shirt with scallop collar and blue knitted tie.
Right: Evening Suit - Midnight mohair single breasted suit with flat front trousers, white Sea Island cotton shirt with scallop collar and dark grey knitted tie.

I was fortunate enough to try on a number of the suit jackets and I fell in love with each one. Sauvage even managed to stylishly sidestep my aversion to double breasted jackets. The moment I slipped on the Lounge Suit over my shoulders my ordinarily disagreeable and difficult frame was shaken by the cut of this feat of double breasted craftsmanship. The forest green double breasted sports jacket quickly followed and I soon wanted to explore the countryside in my new DB suited stature. Moving on from my rekindled tailoring lust for one moment, it should be clear to see that each garment has traditional details combined with progressive cuts. using the finest of materials. The entire collection is based in cashmere, flannel, mohair, micro cord and worsted wool that utilise and showcase the modern palette. Quite simply put, A.Sauvage works on the principle of perfecting cut and concentrating on fit while having a spot of fun. It offers something more than most with its pomp and colour. It is hard not to covet the dapper three piece suiting, natty Prince of Wales checked country blazers or colour popping slim cut corduroy trousers. The designer will add pieces to the range as the seasons and needs demand. The collection is having a celebratory launch evening at the flagship Matches tomorrow (29th) and I'll be there to raise a glass to this stellar debut.

Update:

The event was extremely well attended and I have to confess to feeling somewhat under dressed when I found myself surrounded by an array of sartorial peacocks and modern dandies. The lower ground level of Matches had been transformed to showcase the collection in all its glory. We might not do party pictures here at Style Salvage but we can offer you a sneak peek in to the transformed shop floor with images snapped by none other than Adrien himself...

All images exclusively supplied by A. Sauvage.

The present phenomenon

Something like a phenomenon, something like a phenomenon, something like a...

For the last few weeks I have found myself humming along to one of LL Cool J's classic anthems. The reason for this unusual phenomena lies solely on the shoulders of one Susie Bubble. After returning from a brief stint in Paris she introduced me to a previously seen but unregistered Japanese label, Phenomenon. Established in 2004 by Takeshi Osumi (or BIG-O to his friends) as the more hi end branch and upscale brother of Swagger, Phenomenon has always been something of a cult streetwear brand that purports to fuse elements of American hip hop with that of the most enviable Japanese men's street style. The label has continually showcased a wide spectrum of intricate patterns, cuts, and overall quite out there and wild themes. A definite trademark of the brand since its inception has been to experiment and push boundaries.

For AW10, along with the customary design we also see a growth, as the label takes on a more mature designer approach as opposed to the strictly streetwear designs usually previewed. You don't have to take my word for it though, take a look at the below show images from Fashion Snap...

All show images from Fashion Snap

The season also saw the label have their first show at Japan Fashion Week (show video below) where it was met with big expectations and big praise from attendees and the subsequent blogosphere exclamations...

The balance between the theatre of the show and the wearability of the collection might be awry for some but not for this blogger. Despite being proudly on the dramatic side of the fence with its hyper styling, the collection is bursting with lust worthy pieces, wearable yet interesting. This is a collection that celebrates texture, protection, layering with a focus on rich fabrics and silhouette experimentation. It is exactly how I long to dress for the chillier months.

The Dungaree shirt from Phenomenon

As I mentioned in the first opening paragraph I had seen a few stories on Phenomenon but had not investigated the label in any way. Susie changed all that after a visit to Paris where she picked up the above denim shirt from Pigalle. What better way to acquaint myself with a brand than to wear it. I wish all of my introduction involved a present...

A close up look at the fringe detailing.

I'm under no illusions that this is a gift for Susie masquerading a gift for me because she has since worn in a few times. However, there will quite a few occasions where I'll steal this back off of her. I have to confess that initially, I was initially put off by the fringe detailing but then all that changed and I began to dream up a myriad of ways to wear it. Both of us has since mined through the offerings of the label in their very useful product drop blog (other stores/brands should definitely take note) and the vast majority of the pieces are undoubtedly far more evolved than the tee/trainer/jean boundaries of most street wear labels. Despite their being a good number of pieces that grabbed my attention, I can happily declare that Susie bought extremely well.

Dungaree shirt from Phenomenon worn with a heavy knit Maison Martin Margiela jumper, Unconditional wrap trousers and Kudu boots by Lodger.

After making the most of the glorious summer, I have now grown tired of the heat and sweat of life in the capital during the throes of this sticky, stinky season. I long for autumn. The mornings where I can layer and wrap myself up in a bounty of wool, tweed, cashmere and anything else I can get my hands on. This shirt will add yet one more texture. So despite BBC Weather recording temperatures of 24 degrees this morning I had to road test one of my dreamed up looks. I'm looking forward to styling up a few more as soon as I welcome in autumn.

A close up of the textures. Roll on autumn...