One of the most pleasant ideas of buying clothing and accessories is that, after they have ceased to be useful for the purchaser, they find renewed purpose with another. We all know the Patek Philippe story about not actually owning something but simply looking after it for the next generation; it’s marketing bumf, certainly, but there is something enduringly appealing about being able to pass down something of style and value. After all, a … [Read more...]
Public transport over a long distance can be a fascinating experience and so it proved when I recently took a long-distance train journey that provoked some interesting thoughts. The first thought was that trains, for all their limitations, really are one of the most pleasurable ways to travel. Ensconced with a book about Ivar Kreuger, a G&T, a shuffle mix on the iPod and the unfolding sunset-lit countryside, I struggled to think of a more … [Read more...]
“You’ve written a lot of articles about morning dress!” a friend exclaimed to me recently, as he scrolled through my column on his phone. “Is it your favourite topic or something?” For reasons unknown, even to me, I do happen to write a great deal about my views on morning dress. For an ensemble that is used by fewer and fewer people on but a handful of occasions throughout the year, my persistence with the subject is certainly … [Read more...]
A dear friend recently asked me what I believed to be the difference between a suit jacket and a blazer. “I know what the literal difference is” he smiled “I just want to know what their uses are. I mean, can a suit jacket ever double as a blazer?” This is possibly one of the most important questions I have been asked. Chiefly because I have always advocated using clothing efficiently and flexibly; after all, we all have limited space … [Read more...]
When holidaying in Ravello six or seven years ago, I remember overhearing a conversation between a lacemaker and an American tourist in a little cobbled street between the town square and the Villa Cimbrone. The beautiful Amalfi setting-sun, gorgeously orange, was floating lazily on the horizon and the tourists and residents of the cliff-hugging town were just beginning to fill the streets with their laughter, perfume and the echoes of … [Read more...]
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