The Rake: A Real Style Magazine

Finally. A magazine that professes to be about men’s style and actually dedicates most of its content to that topic.

Finally. A magazine that takes men’s style seriously enough to include a regular section on tailoring, how it works and how it should fit.

Finally, a magazine for me.

The Rake, a new magazine launched from Singapore at the end of last year, fills many of the gaps in menswear journalism that I have bemoaned on several occasions – most specifically in the post No Magazines for Me.

Indeed, it was that post that spurred editor Christian Barker to send me the first two issues of The Rake, explaining that similar feelings about menswear journalism had led him to launch it.

Christian asked me for some feedback, so hear it is.

The Academy section, which tackled the shape and tailoring of a coat in the first issue and trousers in the second, shows some good depth and benefits enormously from Scott Schuman’s photographs, on licence from The Sartorialist website. Let’s face it, very few if any magazine photo shoots are as inspiring as Scott’s street photography.

The commissioned shoots are pretty good too though. I was a particular fan of the Richard Anderson Glen plaid suit with pink stripe apparently owned by the staff of The Rake. And thank God that, unlike every ‘fashion’ magazine, you can actually see the clothes.

The profile of Anderson & Sheppard did something more than just sing the tailor’s praises, which was refreshing. Most profiles sound like they were written by the company in question and wouldn’t be out of place in their marketing material.

While this A&S piece didn’t actually criticise the tailor in any way, it did feel free enough to poke fun at the tailor’s snooty past and suggest to readers that the English-drape house style may not be for them.

Equally, the personal experience of having bespoke Berluti shoes made was a nice way in to a profile of the company and the product. A personal recommendation means so much more than an interview or marketing puff, and will nearly always have a unique slant on the topic. Here, that angle was the parallel between creating shoes and creating watches.

Another unique column is the Pocket Guide – what one stylish man carries around in his pockets. Honest, personal and no puff in sight.

The one constructive criticism I would make is that there is little opinion in The Rake. Good journalism is intelligent and investigative on the one hand, and opinionated on the other (in news and columns, respectively).

Menswear is full of opinions and disagreement, as the various online forums attest. But little of it is intelligent, eloquent and entertaining. At most it is one of these, in turns. An opinionated column, by someone with obvious knowledge of the subject and an ability to turn a phrase, would be welcome. Why driving shoes are so inelegant, for example, or Why bright socks are for people without personality.

As with newspaper columns, arguments like this would be interesting even if you disagreed with the point. Indeed, they may be more interesting as they force you to consider why you hold a particular view. How much of it is rational and how much a product of the people that surround you?

There is some puff in The Rake – the column Cherchez La Femme and the profile of Ermenegildo Zegna Couture for example. The latter spends most of a full page trying to find different ways to say ‘this suit fits like a glove’ again and again.

But it is a great magazine. Extremely high production values, a lot for your money and finally, something that takes classic style seriously.

The magazine is bi-monthly (every two months, rather than twice a month – strictly speaking that phrase can mean either) and distributed in Hong Kong and Singapore at present. It costs SGD10, roughly US$6.50.

Old Sites, Old Shoes and Old Preppy Photos

• It’s always worth trawling through the archives of great sites now and again. I discovered this recently from June 2007 on A Suitable Wardrobe.

• And some great analysis on The Devil Wears Prada, which is being re-run at the moment.

• Some well-found snaps on classic prep style.

• Some equally old snaps but with a personal twist over at 13th and Wolf.

• One problem on loose threads on a jacket looks like it’s been solved over at Andy’s.

• It’s a good tip to try and rework shoes when you can. Save a great upper.

• And this thread is fantastic for showing how the re-crafting process is done.

What Men Wear in Italy

Images above are from the Japanese website Kishida Days which you’ll probably enjoy a lot if you’re a fan of street style blogs. It features images with inspiring outfits of well dressed men in Italy.

5 Questions to Valentino Ricci

I’m sure many of you recognize this gentleman from the Sartorialist. Valentino Ricci, an attorney by profession is also the owner of sartoria Sciamat but most of all he is a gentleman with an impeccable style and when I saw his pictures I just had to get in touch with him. So I did and asked if he would like to answer some questions for me. As you can see below, Mr Ricci was very kind and accepted my inquiry.

How old were you when you first found out about your passion for clothes?

I had bought in a shop of fabrics a cut of chalked brown flannel and for the first time I crossed the threshold of a tailoring for man where I commissioned a custom suit for me: I was sixteen years old.

How would you describe your style?

Original contemporary classic style.

Where do you find inspiration?

I find the best inspiration on those old people sitting on benches in gardens and/or walking aroud the South Italy villages.

Name one well-dressed person that has influenced your life and taste (if there is one) ?

l’Avvocato Agnelli.

What do you think about fashion in general?

I think it has taken a wrong direction and you are following a wrong business: the business of that who finances fashion itself instead of final consumer’s one. If the latter were considered much more, things would improve.

Valentino’s website: http://www.sciamat.com/chisiamo.htm

Videos:
• Discussion between Mr. Hackett and Mr. Ricci
• Interview (in Italian)

Images by source:
http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/2009/02/on-streetmr-valentino-ricci-florence.html
http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/2008/06/on-streetmr-valentino-ricci-florence.html
http://stylemens.typepad.com/fashion__sartorialist/2008/06/18/index.html

This is guest post by Cristoffer N. from Sweden who currently blogs at http://welldressed.blogg.se/ about well dressed gentlemen all over the world.

Winter Shows in Winter, Large Men and Nonchalance

• Magnificently, the runway shows have got so far ahead of themselves that the seasons actually align: the Fall 2009 clothes are being shown for next year just as the weather is at its coldest this year. All the shows are here.

• Some wonderful pictures here. Who would have thought it, checked trousers for formal wear?

• And this illustration of the week has something to say on rules for large men. Though it seems to us that the rules are there to make people look thinner, not more stylish. Ferre would definitely look thinner in two-button, two-piece suits.

• Good to see Sleevehead reporting back on some of the workings of a Savile Row tailor. Isn’t an informal reception so attractive?

• Interesting thoughts from Will on how to achieve nonchalance. Is that the right wording? Can it be achieved or should it be stumbled upon?

• For in-depth advice on menswear, Antonio Centeno is a great resource. All his articles can be found here.

• And finally, let’s do our bit for charity. The Red Nose Day campaign has been launched with a range of t-shirts. They’re not bespoke, but they will save lives.