Merchant Ivory productions were some of the few films that were marketed, formally and by word of mouth, by the mere fact that they were ‘Merchant Ivory productions.’ Whereas other films would be related to as ‘the new Spielberg’, ‘that Tom Cruise picture’ or as the vehicle of some other individual of sufficient wattage, those of Ismail Merchant and James Ivory, in a similar manner to the Coen brothers, were accorded the grand respect … [Read more...]
It is always unnerving when you encounter a brand that sounds plausibly antiquated but is in fact still in its first generation. I once wrote of Aspinal of London, a company that borrowed seven of the eight letters of a famous Mayfair gambling club, perhaps in a bid to sound credibly ‘upper-crust’; a remarkably young company, considering the heritage design and appeal of its products. I was equally surprised to learn that Drakes of London, a … [Read more...]
These beautiful loafers are my latest purchase. While highlighting them a while ago, and having lusted after them since, I’d only just got the spares together to buy them. They’re a beautifully crafted collaboration between Northampton’s Grenson and British independent clothier Albam. Sadly, the photos don’t do them justice. I’ve often found it difficult to qualify what Albam’s style is. The clothes come under the category of … [Read more...]
I was fortunate enough to be able to tour the Edward Green factory in Northampton last week. A new building (as they’ve moved around a few times since leaving what is now the John Lobb factory in the centre of town) it nonetheless has a lot of atmosphere and personality. This is due in no small part to the personality of the staff, who delighted in teasing each other about which job best showed off their talents, or indeed which angle was best … [Read more...]
Suppose a retailer, whose clothing and philosophy you rather liked, asked you if there was any garments you’d like to see them produce. What would you say? I’ll let you think about it for a moment. But that is what happened to me last week. It turns out that the guys at Smart Turnout are fans of both MensFlair and BespokeMe and having read my post on military watches decided to get in touch. An e-mail conversation ensued with Louis, … [Read more...]
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