H? Katsukawa from Tokyo AW12

For four days last week the sartorial disneyland that is Pitti Uomo opened its doors for the eighty first edition of the tradeshow to help showcase one thousand and thirty three brands at the Fortezza da Basso. Oh how my feet ached as I explore the fifty nine thousand square feet of exhibition space, bouncing from area to area with the aim to unearth the real gems of the season. One gleaming piece of treasure was  the now familiar H? Katsukawa from Tokyo.

Under the moniker H? Katsukawa from Tokyo, Eiichi Katsukawa makes hand made, eye poppingly colourful shoes, along with wonderfully textured distressed Nibe leather brogues from his studio in Tokyo. From the moment I encountered his stand at Pitti Uomo Seventy Eight, his leather creations never fail to raise a wry smile whilst causing a lustful glint my eyes. Now, it wouldn't be Pitti without a long visit to his stand to marvel at his latest creations. For Katsukawa shoes should be enjoyed and loved rather than merely worn. In addition to being well crafted, they should bring a smile to the face of the wearer and the people who encounter them throughout the day. His last few collections of bold designs have undoubtedly done just that.

"I express the avant-garde style with new viewpoints and the day-to-dayness as enjoyments by creating a form of shoes. The essence of that form is intangible love" purred the craftsmen. Katsukawa fell in love with shoes when he worked in the shoe repair department at the Japanese retailer Isetan. After gaining experience in Tokyo, he moved to Northampton to study shoe design and production methods at the Tresham Institute’s Practical Design and Shoemaking Course. It was there that he had the opportunity to meet the great Paul Harnden. Following his graduation from the Institute, he studied further under Paul as a intern at Brighton before returning to Tokyo in October 2004. His passion for shoe making has since evolved whilst working at the Shinjuku Isetan men’s shoe repair center and through his participation in a number of successful collaborations. Katsukawa is currently focusing on his eponymous collection of handmade shoes and his carefully crafted offering is growing with each passing season.

For AW12, old favourites including the wonderfully distressed and texture rich Nibe leather brogues remain but are developed and joined with an injection of more casual options that seem to merge loafers with desert boots and bowling shoes. Katsukawa believes that good shoe design involves an intriguing balance of four elements; material, shape, pattern and style. This latest season sees the shoe designer shift the focus from material and on to the shape and style. Now, I had to wait some time for the order frenzy to quieten down as buyers surrounded the stand before taking a few shots of the collection...

A selection of shots taken at his stand.

Whilst positively beaming as he proudly talked through the collection, Katsukawa informed me that his designs are now available at Dover Street Market Ginza and L'Eclaireur in Paris as well as his original stockist, United Arrows. With huge interest from buyers present at Pitti Uomo, I wouldn't be surprised if a few more options were added to his stockist list.

Hardy Amies AW12

Shortly after the life and work of Sir Hardy Amies was celebrated with an exhibition on the Row in 2009, Claire Malcolm was installed as the house's design director. One year on after showing her debut collection that received so much acclaim, the reinvigorated label of Hardy Amies was invited to open the AW12 season deep inside Florence's first railway station. As I was covering the show for Dazed Digital, I was able to take my seat to watch it all unfold. It was a kaleidoscopic celebration of the grey flannel suit that was grounded in Hardy Amies' personal links with Hollywood, royalty and heritage. With the desire to reinvent the twenty first century gentleman, Malcolm revelled and excelled in glamourising the seemingly humble sartorial staple. "Personally I love flannel, the texture and the feeling of it. It is the subtleties in menswear, the proportion, cut, fabric and playing with them. Here matte flannel is next to high shine" she exclaimed backstage.  Every conceivable weave of flannel was on show and was specially commissioned from specialists Fox Brothers &; Co. Through this focus, the design talent was able to highlight a beauty in subtleties whilst drawing attention to the architecture of the suit.

A photograph of Hardy Amies in Berlin from the thirties graced the invitation and it was this image that sparked Malcolm's imagination. For her, the moment mirrored the Hollywood man of the period with his superhuman silhouette accentuated by a double breasted and luxurious overcoat. "I absolutely love Hardy's personal photographs, for me, it was more about him as a man than what he designed at that stage" confessed Malcolm as models circled to congratulate her. "He embodies that complex British gentleman, an amazing personality, with so much wit and style" she proudly declared. There can be little doubt that Hardy was a well travelled, confident man who could have walked straight out of a film script and it was the modern incarnation that strutted the runway in Florence. Much as the heritage of Hardy Amies has been built on the foundations of the quintessential Englishman's suit, there has always been a hint of international glamour and sense of modernity, here Malcolm certainly continued this tradition with pomp.

In addition to Hardy himself, one of the main reference points for Malcolm's collection was the staging and choreography of Busby Berkeley's musical classic, 'Gold Diggers of 1933.' The abstract performance of the film influenced the designer's modern take on this period. "Throughout the film there are these wonderful aerial shots that capture the movement of these girls and I was drawn to this idea of pure escapism" she gesticulated backstage before continuing, "The film itself is from the depression era and for the film to have so much glamour really appealed and mirrors Hardy perfectly." The collection oozed old Hollywood glam whilst still feeling contemporary. Describing the theme as 'Deco-Tron', abstract patterns ran dazzling throughout much like an Escher exhibition. From silk shirting and velvet evening jackets to Globetrotter luggage and nickel toecaps on the stunning footwear made in collaboration with blog favourite Mr Hare. As a child a kaleidoscope might have wowed you for a moment or two but Malcolm and co have managed to craft a much longer lasting spectacle here. Now, rather than talk incessantly about it, it is about time that I offered a selection of visuals that will make the point far better than these ramblings. Fortunately, both myself and Susie snapped away at the collection, both on the runway and backstage and here is a selection of my favourites...

A selection of mine and Susie's catwalk and backstage shots.

There is a common perception that the grey flannel suit is somewhat dull especially in light of its connotations of office wear but Malcolm took great pleasure in rubbishing this strain of thought. The collection itself was something of a celebration, an escapism of grey that breathed fresh life in to the House of Hardy Amies whilst staying true to the path walked so confidently by the founder himself. I'll leave you with the words that ended my backstage chat with the designer; "It is really about tailoring not being a ball and chain." Who can argue with that?

Third time lucky

Over the last three New Year celebrations I have managed to lose my glasses twice. The first pair of tortoiseshell glasses from Bruno Chaussignand fell to their death on a grimy warehouse floor in Dalston. As the drunken fog lifted, its body like most of my recollection of the evening itself, were lost forever. For months I had searched the streets and stalked the Internet on the quest to unearth the perfect pair of glasses. Once found they were lost during an over enthusiastic dance move. Undeterred, after a little money squirreling, a replacement pair was on my nose and stayed there for some time. Somehow they even survived to welcome 2011 and months of wear followed. However, they would not take part in the countdown for 2012. I managed to lose them in my own home. Despite hour upon hour of fruitless searches, hopeless furniture moving and desperate spring cleaning, they are buried deep in the bowels of my flat. I've come to the conclusion that, as much as I love them perhaps a change is needed. So, rather than plump for a third pair I decided to look for a new frame. Throughout the comedy of errors that plagued my previous eyewear preference, there was one launch that raised my pulse and left me daydreaming of having them grace my nose. It was here I returned.

Early last year Oliver Peoples launched a limited edition Vintage collection with much fanfare and deservedly so. It consisted of three frames all known by their original names, The O’Malley, the 1955, and the OP 505. In efforts to retain the same craftsmanship and integrity of the original before it, founder and Chief Designer Larry Leight worked with original Japanese factory to reproduce this special batch of optics. As much as I admired the trip of frames, it was the OP 505 that really caught my eye.

A closer look at the detailing on my OP-505s

It was the first style introduced in the debut collection back in 1987 and featured a filigreed antique metal temple and bridge detailing. So, frustrated after a festive period of squinting and safe in the knowledge that a few frames remained I popped to 20 20 on Tottenham Court Road for a speedy solution. Following a long and trying (for the examiner rather than for me) eye examination my order was placed and the very next day, the OP-505 graced my face and followed me to Pitti Uomo. 

Oliver Peoples Vintage OP-505s worn with... 

contrast shirt by One Nine Zero Six and tweed sleeved zip up jacket by Dries Van Noten.

Having failed to take good care of my glasses on two occasions already, I'll strive to look after these as well as I can. 

Details: Camo that demands attention

Camouflage by definition is a method of concealment but Nam's jacket from General Idea was one of many items of clothing on display at Pitti Uomo that deserved attention.

Treasured Items... The Dandy Project

Takahiro Miyashita's decision to bring his critically beloved avante-garde menswear label, Number (N)ine, to an end in AW09 his followers were left bereft. The label closed on a high with an exquisitely crafted and extravagantly layered range of clothes that delicately flickered between fashion and costume. It was a triumph that is difficult to forget. The unveiling of Miyashita's The Soloist, with its soft layers of faded romanticism, has helped comfort his supporters but they still cling on to the fruits of his previous endeavour. The Dandy Project is just one (an a remarkably good one at that) example. Here he shares his most treasured item... 

----------

The Dandy Project and the Number (N)ine monkstrap shoes

"It would render me practically footless if I lost these Number (N)ine monkstrap shoes that I had purchased at the store's closing sale in New York two years ago. The silhouette is of a classic slim monkstrap shoe, but with punk-rock creeper detailing, tough and extremely walkable hard rubber soles by Continental, rendered in ever-wearable dark beige suede. Their era- and style-ambiguity make the shoes as great a base for dark and conceptual Belgian pieces as they would with full-on Americana, and the high vamp provides ample coverage that allows me to wear them even on the deadest day of winter."  

"I've worn them so much so that the lines are going squiggly and the weave goes gaping open. There is a faint white stain on the left shoe (toothpaste fell; I was brushing in a hurry) that suggests perhaps a bird might have gone to the bathroom on my shoes, but I think I'll keep it on there."

"Number (N)ine is now defunct, and though the designer Takahiro Miyashita still brings his artisanal romance to his new line The Soloist, nothing would compare to the dark, theatrical exuberance that was Number (N)ine. In honor of the brilliant designer, I've affixed medal of sorts on one of the shoes: a vintage shoe clip from Kings County Salvage in Williamsburg. I could only hope that the intense brilliance of the rhinestones against the battered, seemingly bird-defiled creepers would be something Miyashita-san would find at the very least, agreeable." The Dandy Project

----------

Touching on Casely-Hayford SS12 all over again

Back in January 2009 I stumbled across a debut collection of tailoring crafted for the twenty first century gentleman that left me day dreaming of becoming such a gentleman. Seasons have passed and although I'm no closer to meeting any modern day measure of a gentleman, I still dream and swoon at every Casely-Hayford collection. Since the house's inception, Casely-Hayford have forged a new handwriting of modern English style that have left this blogger sartorially excited. The father and son design duo have created a signature style of relaxed masculine proportions and exquisite tailoring, all the while fused with an injection of the raw energy of London's dynamic culture that constantly inspires them. With each season, the design duo begin with the desire to capture, play and experiment with the duality of English Sartorialism and British Anarchy. With each season, the desire to own a Casely-Hayford dominated wardrobe grows.

The pair draw from English sub-cultures, English social uniforms, and take inspiration from the way sportswear has integrated itself into the everyday life of British street culture. It is an ever intriguing house that encourages change whilst being grounded in tradition. For their AW11 collection, the father and son design showcased an eloquent summation of the previous five collections and signified a real statement of intent. The pair have used the previous collections to individually explore key strands of the house DNA, from the luxury sportswear of SS09 to the Afropunk of SS10 and military detailing of AW10. Now each component has been placed and finely tuned, the house is able to carve out an exciting future. Entitled Touch, the SS12 collection focuses on light weight tactile cloths. Now, I had the good fortune of examining the collection up close back in February thanks to The Showroom Next Door and even though most events that occurred that far back have been long forgotten, memories of this collection have stayed with me. Months on, I still long to touch and this feeling has only intensified thanks to the unveiling of the look book over on Dazed Digital. I couldn't resist sharing the collection with you all over again.

It is a collection that longs to be groped. A showcase of texture, print and the tactile with fabric at its core. The collection researches how the House define singularity in a time of uniformity and reflects new cultural shifts through an unfamiliar juxtaposition of textures.  This season evolves from a simple form; the white polo shirt, with its deep cultural identity. By presenting a rich combination of sports related fabrics in a new context Casely-Hayford with the Moodysson. The new patchwork polo shirt is made up of a fresh juxtaposition of sporting fabrics, each with a unique handle: towelling, piqué and mesh sit abrasively next to waffle, aertex and rib. Throughout, each fabric has been specially chosen for its touch and handle. From the super light high twist satin finish shirtings to the coarsely woven exclusive Jacquard from the Neill Johnstone Mill in Langholme Scotland whilst textured knitwear moves forward in harmony with the whole collection. The tailoring fabrics have been especially developed by the Savile Clifford Mill in Yorkshire for their particular dry handle; a subtle ‘burl’ effect weave creates a Braille like touch, and the driest fresco jacketing comes with a lovely element of surprise in the almost silent blue Black Watch Tartan. The season also marks the launch of a 'Made in England' shirting range that incorporates colour and modern design whilst being constructed by one of the oldest shirtmakers in the country. This direction has been maintained by developing a small range of artisan ‘Made in England’ Garsington Albert slippers. These slippers are hand crafted in England and come in three shades of stamped Mock Croc patterned leather. Garsington sits alongside Bentley, a distinctive brand signifier with its unique box quilted suede upper whilst Loach completes the footwear offering and continues the in demand John Moore Collaboration. Much as I bounced from rail to rail in the Showroom Next Door, my eyes richochet of each look book shot... and what a look book. Below, a few of my favourite looks are accompanied by my own detail shots from Paris...

Casely-Hayford aims to fulfill the requirements of the international man who experiences and absorbs many influences, yet chooses to distil this knowledge by maintaining a quiet confidence. With this confidence he may sometimes prefer subversion over reverence. He savours the point where anarchy and sartorialism merge; his lifestyle reflects the Casely-Hayford fusion between sportswear and tailoring to create an unwavering statement of modern British style. Shot by Katinka Herbert in two locations in Durham, Biddick Hall and Lambton Castle, the look book captures this spirit and lifestyle perfectly. The day dreaming continues...

Hiding in clouds

As a child I was fascinated by clouds. I think my desire to analyse what was floating above all stemmed from a short lived and strange desire to be a TV News Weatherman. I was a strange child. During this phase and before I began dreaming of running out on to the Highbury turf, here was a moment when I could name any type of fluffy formation. From cumulonimbus to stratus, I knew them all. Such displays of nephology knowledge have now been replaced with an ominous looking cloud of confusion but I still enjoy looking up. Two recent acquisitions have reminded me of my childhood obsession but rather than imitate Michael Fish, the desire is now to embrace the textures and prints that have long held my imagination. One is a Christmas treat from Marwood and the other is my only sale purchase of the season, a knitted blazer from Liberty London Collection... 

Hiding in clouds

Launched for Autumn/Winter 2011, Marwood’s debut collection showcased an exquisitely crafted range of ties and bow ties made with the finest fabrics such as woven silk, wool and traditional English lace. For SS12, influenced by the photography of William Eggleston that makes the mundane surprisingly beautiful and painting of Peter Doig that reflect a mood for summer, Becky French presents a brighter and more playful collection that continues the label's signature of matte finished textures and dazzling patterns throughout. During the ridiculously hot and hectic weekend that was Paris fashion week for me, I found captivating solace in this sophomore collection entitled Camouflage Clouds. It comes as little surprise that Marwood's well crafted offering has since caught the buyers eye and I'm so pleased that its ties are already or soon will be available in Japan, Hong Kong, Australia and New York. Driven by her passion for pattern, colour, nostalgia and detail orientated design, French has developed close working relationships with some of the country's most skilled and experienced craftspeople whilst breathing fresh life in to neckwear. The real highlight for me were the pieces of geometric lace from AW11 in an updated off-white laid over shades of sky blue. Having vocalised my love for one such tie in a crowded showroom in Paris, French felt the Christmas spirit and decided to spoil me by thanking me for my support.

The cobweb like formation over the sky blue shade

However, this stunning tie is just one component of my hiding in clouds outfit. The second was unearthed amongst the the bounty of bargains that were to be had in the basement of Liberty. During a sale swoop with Eliza, we bounced from rail to rail stopping to admire a stunning wool Dries Van Noten coat and Lou Dalton tailoring before getting excited over an assortment of garb from Liberty London Collection. Now, designers have long been inspired by Liberty's ever growing archive of prints. With an archive that is one hundred and thirty five years old, there is plenty to excite and inspire but I've rarely been excited by their own foray in to clothing design. However, this fully lined knitted wool blazer is something quite special. With its slashed pricetag and Eliza's approval it was too good an opportunity to miss.

A closer look at the Liberty print lining

Having been inspired by Marwood's SS12 collection, the Liberty London collection jacket continued the cloud theme perfectly. A cloud hiding outfit began to form in my mind and it was time to float away with it...

Knitted wool blazer from Liberty London collection worn with a leopard print shirt from R.Newbold x Goodhood and finished off with the Marwood tie.