Stop Motion Inspired

Inspired by stop motion, the stylish Fantastic Mr Fox.

Last month, our old chum from across the water, The Sunday Best, asked the question "Is it strange to find style inspiration in an animated movie?' and duly answered his own pondering with 'Probably not when that movie is directed by Wes Anderson and features George Clooney'. I was fortunate enough to watch the film yesterday evening and in between scoffing my face with popcorn (half salted, half sweet) and covering my nose (after someone was sick a few rows back) I was certainly inspired and in awe of the style on show in this stop motion animated film. I find style inspiration everywhere, in fact more often than not I find it in the places where you'd least expect. This is very much more a Wes Anderson film than it is the Roald Dahl book that I remember but this is no bad thing. There are all the Anderson archetypes which have made this director great; stunning visuals with an exquisite attention to detail, issues of fatherhood, musical guest appearances and literary flourishes throughout. Everything is just so - from Mr Fox's well fitted double breasted corduroy suit to Badger's pocket square. Everything is measured, everything is perfect. I certainly could take a more measured approach to my everyday dressing. Everything should have a place, I just need to find said place...

Wes Anderson illustration by James Taylor for the Guardian.

Mr Fox's ensemble is a tight-fitting corduroy suit based on fabric from one of the dandyish forty year olds own suits. Mr Fox's suit is made of orange/brown-ish corduroy. It should come as no surprise to see that its hero sports a natty double-breasted version of Anderson's beloved suit, (as captured by the Sartorialist on at least one occasion) tastefully accessorised with a few ears of wheat in the breast pocket. The whole look is akin the colour of a leaf in autumn, in fact Anderson and his team wanted the whole film to look like Autumn. It is little wonder then that this film's style resonates so strongly, as you all know, I am obsessed by the colours of the season and dressing accordingly.

Wes Anderson in Paris. Shot by the Sartorialist (who else?!)

The talented chaps over at Street Etiquette recently highlighted the virtues of corduroy and I've certainly been respecting this durable textile much more in recent years. I'm somewhat embrassed to admit that there was a time when I would outright refuse to wear anything corduroy because my adoloescent mind deemed it far too uncool for me. Thankfully, I have grown out of this phase and truly respect it for what it is, a versaitle fabric perfect for the cooler months. "I rely on corduroy," Anderson admits in the recent Guardian interview. "I've been here in London a week – this is all I've got. "They last a couple of years. I have a guy who makes them specially for me. They're very inexpensive and I can just call him up and say, 'Can I have another one please?'" I'd certainly like his tailors number. In the meantime, I plan to swing by Lambs Conduit street to pop in to Pokit to inspect their corduroy suit offering because I have heard great things about this tailors.

Japanese Dandyism on show in Italy

Members of the 'Japanese Fashion Flock' as captured by the Sartorialist for Men.Style

We often say within posts and the comments section (particularly from one rather persistent fellow, naming no names...Thom...this post is dedicated to you) that Japan does everything better. It does seem that we as men's style commentators spend a large chunk of our time salivating over designers, brands, magazines and the people of Japan wishing that we could either speak the language, lived there or looked as cool.

During their coverage of Pitti and Milan The Moment mentioned the rise of the new Japanese dandy.

'I have to say that the Japanese fashion flock are stealing the show here. Amazing personal style, with what is becoming a bit of a signature look for a group of them: very natty, often checked sport jackets, worn with a coordinated checked shirt underneath a crew-neck sweater, along with slender pressed gray flannel trousers, argyle or some other colored sock and a very fine English shoe.'

I agree with everything above, except the fact that this is new because season after season I have marvelled at the Japanese fashion flock when captured by The Sartorialist. The mix of fabrics and attention to detail really sets these gents apart, we should all take note. If you aren't doing so already I suggest that you take a look at the street style photography outside of the shows...it can be much more interesting than the shows themselves.

The street is more interesting than the runway

Granted it is early days into the s/s 09 shows but I'm finding it extremely difficult to get excited by what I'm seeing. Similarly to The Sunday Best's early observations my favourite collections thus far include the tour of music style which was Rag&Bone and the romantic looks seen at Robert Geller but I've not been overly impressed or inspired by anything Ive seen on the runway as yet. What has been much more interesting to me is the Sartorialist's blog over at men.style (which if I'm honest is a great deal more to my taste than his recent posts over at his blog proper). Below are a selection of my favourites thus far. I'm sure there will be more to talk about around the street style shots posted here rather than standard fodder displayed on the catwalk.

Picture Postcard: I can see the light

Dearest EJ

I have been told that moving is one of the top three most stressful times within a lifetime...It hasn't been that bad so life must be good (touch wood). I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel...and it's not a light purchased from Ikea... hurray! The place is looking great already and the move has made me find some forgotten pieces, not to mention the fact I know have my whole wardrobe in one place... finally! Expect some more interesting outfit posts in the coming week. Anyway, enough about me, I just wanted to let you know that despite the fact I've been doing some serious hard labour...not to mention white van driving...everything will return to normal soon. In the meantime please see my good friend Gustav shot by the sartorialist, I just love the over sized safety pin brooch.

Much love

Steve

Hola Steve

Glad to hear the move has gone ok. Looking forward to seeing photos (HINT HINT) of the new place. Liking this chap a fair amount, particularly the way all the blue look together. Also like his bag, even though it looks a little cumbersome for everyday use. Not quite sure of the proportions of the outfit though. Something seems a little bit off and I can't put my finger on what it is.

EJ

p.s. I have so much less hair than you now, it's great!

Picture Postcard: Men Represent

It is great to see so many men submitting their daily looks on w_r. I must admit that I spend far too much of my time at work exploring and commenting across the site. Despite, this time consuming and addictive exercise, I still have time in my busy day to check up on my favourites though and I came across the above image on thesartorialist, it has to be my favourite image for some time. The chap on the right looks very familiar but with this shot we have a whole new element...I wonder what they are talking about....

Style Shrink for the day

Long before I became a mass consumer of magazines...even before those heady days of poring over The Face...my exposure to men's publications was limited. During my teens I used to read my Sister's boyfriend's GQ whenever I could though. Whilst my peers were consuming and ogling over magazines like FHM and Loaded (which to me were filled with on the most part unfunny jokes, boring/bad style and disturbing images...the only redeeming element were the sheer number of breasts on show) I was always more interested in the editorials and adverts (at times confused by the blurring lines between the two) within GQ... and I was fortunate enough to get my hands on them whenever the boyfriend left them lying around the house (which was pretty much every month). One of my favourite features within the magazine was the Style Shrink. I loved reading men's questions, ranging from enquiries into the right tie knot for a particular occasion to the correct way to wear a pocket square. Of course none of his really mattered to me, as I was just a youth quite happily wearing my favourite red Ralph Lauren Polo shirt, straight leg Levi jeans and Nike Cortez trainers. The worlds which these men were describing and asking about were so alien to me yet they captured my imagination in a way which is difficult to describe. Recently I have become aware (slightly addicted at times) to the online world of style advice with the likes of askandyaboutclothes and styleforum leading the way. I love reading about how men think about clothes and it is clear that at times they think about rules far too obsessively, we always suggest wearing what feels comfortable and what is right for the individual. Ultimately some rules are made to be broken..or at least tampered with.

So, you can imagine how pleased we were after receiving the following email...



If you can't read the above screengrab...here it is...

"Hey guys!

Just wanted to say hi and compliment you on putting together such an inspiring, hilarious, trendy and casual blog. I just found you guys this morning and been reading you the whole afternoon - cant stop laughing. At the same time, I've found soooo many things I've been looking for (on the streets) but was unable to find, talk about the deck shoes from Journal Standard. Keep up the good work because you just won another lousy reader from Milan lol.

BTW yesterday I got a foulard (little longer, brown silk very classy - as show above) and I have no idea 1. how to tie it 2. with what to wear it. Stefano Pilatti much?http://www.zimbio.com/Stefano+Pilati/articles/3/Stefano+Pilati+New+York+Times+Magazine Some ideas would be deeply appreciated!

Best,

Julian

ps - the entry about Modern Gentlemen. LOOOL. i'll start typing comments soon."

This was our first email which made us both blush and beam with pride simultaneously. We started the blog to open up a dialogue focused on menswear but we didn't really expect to receive emails like this where readers were keen to ask us questions and participate in the conversation so willingly (we only expected t continue chatting to each other with no one else even reading!)

The email sits in nicely with our 'Save the tie' campaign. The word foulard comes from the French world for silk handkerchief and to be honest with you I didn't know that much else about them other than Fred Astaire used to buy 50 a time from Brooks Brothers. if you want to learn more about them, I found this information courtesy of wisegeek. When men are wearing ties these days most like me are drawn to the skinny tie but why not opt for some traditional style?

I wish I looked like this after a hard day at the office.

Julian mentions within his email one of the best examples of a modern day foulard wearer: Stefano Pilati. When it comes to fashion, Stefano Pilati (see his feature on men.style) is certainly not afraid to lead by example. He embodies the louche elegance of YSL and of course the foulard is a key accessory for doing so. Pilati identifies with the forgotten glamour of tuxedos and scarves, a era where the foulard can complete an outfit...so why not revisit it today? It is all about style with a natural and relaxed elegance and looking back further than Pilati we of course have the wonderful Fred Astaire - "Astaire had the talent to construct a new model for men based on the democratic ideal of the classless aristocrat. He was a hero whose weapon was style, and that style was a distinctive casualness" (Quote from thesartorialist)

Here is Julian modelling the foulard extremely well - does he even need our advice?

Of course there is a danger of looking over dressed with any neck wear. I recently came across this informative article on asuitablewardrobe which offers some great advice. We suggest wearing the foulard with relaxed finishes - the folded cuff, the unbuttoned collar, Of course there is always the Fred Astaire way... teaming it up with a casual tweed jacket and wearing the foulard as a belt - again, effortless style. We suggest a great deal of experimentation. The above image demonstrates that Julian knows how to wear the foulard well already - he's just showing of to us all. I have tried searching for 'how to tie' instructions but to no avail. If Julian lived in the UK, he probably wouldn't be wearing shorts, instead I would suggest relaxed suit trousers. Jeans should be avoided but that's only my opinion. I recently found Lucas Ossendrijver's 10 rules of style and true style is all about making the clothes your own and ultimately dressing should be fun! Our main suggestion to Julian is build your confidence with the foulard by wearing it with a white shirt, as you become more comfortable you can be more adventurous...and of course you can always wear it as a belt!

Can you help Julian out better than we can? Are you an expert when it comes to everything foulard? Let us and Julian know your suggestions.

Hyeres - Top 5

The regular readers out there might have noticed that I can be little impatient/lazy and this forces me to take short cuts in some of my exploits, but on the majority of occasions rather than being shoddy the fruits of my quick burst of labour usually work. It works here. Many bloggers out there have been far more proactive than me when it comes to posting about Hyeres...I personally love how Susie Bubble has posted on the event, her eyes are my eyes... of course the Sartorialist captures some great images as well; there were plenty of people to snap but some of his choices surprised but as always impressed me... being a French festival there were plenty of French bloggers there, the pick of the bunch being Garance Doré, punky b and Cafe Mode. Without a further ado, here are my top 5 Hyeres moments:

1 - The Villa Noailles itself.

It is a beautifully modern building located on a mountain top with fabulous views of the city below. The drive up there might have been a little frightening (I rented a car, a nippy Citroen C3 - so I was the official driver of the event) but once there it was well worth it. The building, gardens and views are all breathtaking and it was the perfect place to chillax for most of the day reading Nico and a selection of other fashion magazines before wandering around the grounds and admiring the exhibitions.

The main garden where we sat, read and caught the sun

2 - Meeting the Sartorialist

OK - I admit it I didn't take this shot....I was far too scared to ask the great man for a photo - the image comes courtesy of A Shaded View.

After spending much of my time at the festival waiting to spot the Sart, I bumped into him at the party on the last night. He isn't at his most comfortable at parties, he certainly isn't a Facehunter, but we talked about his makeover post, why he wanted to do it and of course the furore which followed. He wanted to do it because, well he wanted to do it, his experience goes much further than taking snaps of people and the opportunity itself arose. He was a little surprised by the level of negativity on the post, it was the times that his readers had attacked him personally but he stood by what he wanted to do. You have to admire that. The overall feeling I took away after meeting him was that he knows what he wants and he stands by what he does and doesn't want to be pigeonholed by people- if they don't like it they don't have to read the blog.

3 - People watching

I'm afraid that much of my people watching was just that, watching...I didn't have the balls to ask for a photo. I think myself and Thomas from the Sunday Best need to sign up to Street Style Photography masterclasses. The most memorable person was a chap from Madrid who sported a clash of floral patterns...he certainly had the gaze of most of the people in and around the garden.

I really shouldn't like this in any capacity but I think under the sunshine of the South of France, the clash of florals worked for me.

The majority of people on show were well dressed, I saw quite a few pairs of the Pierre Hardy Hi tops which we featured back in November, a few pairs of Raf Simon shades, a few Slimane Dior Homme suit jackets but there was a lot of people dressed all in black or very casually...I'm making excuses for myself...I should have been more snap happy. I'm sorry readers!

4 - Melvin Sarkozy photography exhibition.

The images were quite astounding. The only negative was the room in which they were hung was pretty much a greenhouse, but as my eyes were melting I was happy that these photos were probably going to be the last things that I ever so (NB fortunately my eyes didn't actually melt). The photographs themselves are timeless, a masterclass of techniques and eye. Interestingly though, the man himself didn't see himself as a Fashion Photograper... he was interested in the clothing only for producing a powerful shot.

5 - Eric Lebon room

This was my pick of the fashion exhibitions. Lebon is a Hyeres graduate (but not a winner) and is a self taught designer who mixes the cultures of hip hop with more traditional notions of menswear. The room was full on wonderful pieces which I would welcome into my wardrobe... none more so that the bag shown below...

Picture Postcard: Suffering from double vision is a treat times two!

I hadn't noticed this myself (it was pointed out to me by the lovely EJ) but both the sartorialist and facehunter took identical shots of the above gentleman. I think this is the first instance of this phenomena and I doubt there will be too many but I certainly enjoyed it. I would not tire of seeing this quintessentially attired Springwear. I had infact commented on the sartorialist as soon as I laid eyes on it. Looking at the comments opinion was pretty divided by it; it really seems like this outfit has the marmite effect, well I am quite partial to a thin layer of Marmite spread on generously buttered toast and I am a fan of the above get up as well.

Regardless of the dubious points of this outfit one has to applaud the colour palette and the textures surely? The coat is cut extremely well and I enjoy the juxtaposition of the tailored top half against the slightly awkward and chunky bottom half, with the short trousers and the boots. I love the mix of the checked trousers below the argyle pattern of the jumper. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the boots (as in they are not something I would ever be drawn to whilst shopping) but they work within this outfit. Yes, those glasses seem to be adorning the vast majority of noses right now but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. All in all these two shots have caused a little stir (obtaining exactly 100 comments on the sartorialist) but what do you think? Do you like his hair, the glasses, the everything...or have I just turned mad from all of my marmite consumption?

I like everything... separately. Together it's just too much of a muchness. I wish he'd bloody well cheer up too! (On a different note, the sart's version is a better compostition. When I first saw Yvan's version I commented to the boyf that this chap should be a bit more the right...)

The importance of the sidewalk

I've been inspired to write a post about the the sartorialist by the article in today's Guardian Weekend magazine. The article discusses how our perceptions of who or what is stylish is not as straighforward as it was in previous times. The models and actresses who were once revered have now been analysed to the point of inducing humour and even pity (see Perez Hilton and gofugyourself). In short traditional style icons have lost their shroud of elusivity and in some cases their dignity and sanity (not naming names but I think Ms Spears highlights this point quite well). Enter Scott Schuman armed with his Canon G5 camera he has created a photo blog that is required reading for the fashion industry and people watchers alike. Have we entered into an era of the celebration of the individual, not just the individual but the seemingly ordinary individual? Two years after launching the blog (I wonder what we'll achieve in two years time...world domination no doubt, mwahaha), 50,000 people visit the site, he is listed in Time magazine as one of the most influential figures in the world of design and now prints of his work are being snapped up at $1,200!

It has been said (I believe EJ unearthed an interesting article) that the subjects of street style blogs can all blur into one. I can see this point highlighted across a number of other sites but this does not ring true on the sartorialist. In the article Schuman states 'Most bloggers are 20-year-olds taking pictures of other 20-year-olds, which is great if you are 20.' The sartorialist offers alot more variation. To illustrate this point and to applaud the work of Mr Schuman please see some of my favourite subjects.

Inspired by the Marx brothers

Mad about Plaid

How to wear a suit colourfully.

Metallic Cardigan!

The Red DMs - smart casual personified!

The article Steve refers to can be found here. Thought provoking stuff.

Live Fight Night: Facehunter v Sartorialist

In the red corner, sockless and wearing navy trousers and olive green jacket with interesting neckwear, weighing in at 180 lbs, the undisputed champion of Street Style blogs...Scott 'the perfect amount of cuff on display' Schuman.

And in the blue corner, wearing a clash of check, the undefeated challenger...Yvan 'likes his eye candy' Rodic.

Verdict: The youthful Rodic wins, the lively check being too much for the autumnal but ultimately dull Schuman

As you can see I am a little overexcited about going to Paris. Apologies but can you blame me?
It was cool coming across some mutual love between two of the heavyweights of street style blogging! I came across Yvan (Facehunter) on sartorialists style.com blog and the compliment was soon reciprocated on Facehunter.

OK I must get back to washing and packing. What a crazy life I lead.

You SAW the SART?? Right, friendship terminated.

I think the facehunter wins here, but ultimately my heart belongs to Scott and his shots of grown-up style I can aspire to. Teenagers already make me feel bad enough about myself, without having to be told every other day that they're ten times more stylish (and, apparently, richer) than me.

Mad about Plaid

Hey EJ

I am huge fan of plaid at the moment and seem to see it everywhere although at times when I do see it want to burst into the Python's lumberjack song (one day soon I will just have to). I know you are a fan of the plaid shirt but are your eyes feasting on it as much as I am in recent weeks? I'm just working out a myriad ways of wearing it and have been inspired on recent style posts from the sartorialist, facehunter and DDD!

Have a look at these...

The classic - shirt worn with (slightly faded) denim jeans (image courtesy of thesartorialist)
Plaid shirt used as layering - very subtle plaid here, even with the stripes though it works! (image courtesy of facehunter)

Plaid Shirt with matching hat (the shot doesn't do it justice really, it actually looked pretty damn cool) - NB - I love the style of the guy on the left. (Image courtesy of DDD) Dressing up in Plaid - I love the hair here and red socks - not a fan of the trousers (they give him the appearance of sporting child bearing hips). Thesartorialist is finding some great shots in Stockholm (image courtesy of thesartorialist)

I think everyone in the world knows of our love for plaid. I also think H&M have been reading my mind as they have devoted a whole section of their accessories range to black & red plaid... love love love. For ages now I have been meaning to post this picture of Joe Strummer- I love the jacket and the loose teddy-boy-esque look. Come on, this hair is just beautiful.Sigh. And then this afternoon I was watching the extra features on the Science of Sleep DVD and admiring Michel Gondry's rather adorable jacket. I googled him and began to suspect that Michel may share our love...

The coat seen on the DVD- I love the suit GGM wears throughout the film but that's a different post

Michel giving a talk in New York in August 2006

Michel at a show via this blog

It's clearly a long-term love.

Sorry to hijack/distract the focus of this post... oops.

That Sartorialist is stealing our thoughts!

Hey EJ

Have you seen how that pesky sartorialist has been inside our brains or maybe he is just one step ahead! I let him off the first time when he mentioned Fred Astaire's use of the tie as belt (although I mentioned this in an earlier post) but now it seems he is delving into the inner depths of my inspiration. Is this just a coincidence? I think not. I will have to don my trench coat and fedora and snoop around his archives. Regardless of whether he has or not (I really don't think he has been reading this blog) I am extremely happy to see him bring up the great style icons that are Cary Grant and Fred Astaire and to see the that the level of response following this post far out number the comments left for other posts. If you missed it, although I very much doubt you have, here it is.

My own personal favourite of the two has to be Fred Astaire. He was not blessed with the natural aesthetic beauty of Grant but Astaire used his style to allow his aesthetics to bloom and even surpass Grant's. The little touches within his style that at first can go unnoticed but once seen excite and wow the viewer, such as the tie as belt (my personal favourite which I have salvaged for myself), the slanted tie clip and the slim cut sleeves on his suits. In contrast Grant was always sleek and well styled but not stylish to the extent of Astaire whose style was simply breathtaking on camera and off. I commend the sartorialist in bringing this style debate to the fore. I hope to continue the good work and will post in much more detail at a later date.

I say we approach the sartorialist for a collaboration of some kind, are you with me?

Oh Stevie, you know my adoration of Fred. Looking at pictures today has made me realise that I might have been channeling him a little, but it's probably best not to dwell too much on that. My most favourite thing of all about him is his apparent lack of conceit and his fantastic smile. In every photo I see (bar the ones where he is concentrating on a scene) he has that lovely, open smile. He never seems aloof or mean, particularly not in any films that spring to mind. His style is so casual that any surprises it brings seem even more wonderful- dandyism without the pose and knowingness. Other people may disagree with me on this one and hold a completely different view, but for me he's the tops.