The Future of Style, as Told by Hardy Amies

The previous Permanent Style posting described how Hardy Amies, resident of Savile Row and men’s style legend, saw fashion in the sixties.

In his book ABC of Men’s Fashion he described the narrow, high-buttoning suit of the period and his belief that, for practical reasons, that style would remain the norm. Another interesting aspect of this is that he believed future trends would follow this line, only to a greater extreme.

He was wrong, of course. By the end of that decade all clothes were looser, baggier, freer. The seventies would see such a profusion of wide lapels and flared trousers in suits that commentators at that time again felt confident in predicting that the new style was here to stay.

Amies described the style of sixties most succinctly in a caption to one of his illustrations at the centre of the book. It reads: “The complete man-present: forward-looking hat, high tab-collared shirt, high-buttoning suit, slim boots with raised heels.” The picture shows a man in a pale-grey, checked suit, with only the top two buttons of his four-button suit done up. The trousers are narrow and a little short, the boots shiny and black. His dark, knitted tie is matched by a dark pocket square (though as the photo is in black and white the precise colour cannot be discerned).

Opposite is the future, as Amies sees it. The caption reads: “The complete man-future: slim bow tie balancing the vertical line of the suit, high-buttoning cutaway jacket, extra narrow trousers tucked into calf-length boots.” The gentleman pictured wears a dark, pin-striped suit, with only the top two buttons of his five-button jacket done up. The bowtie is matched by a dark silk handkerchief. And, amazingly, he indeed has his suit trousers tucked into calf-length black boots in what appears to be suede.

(My apologies that I don’t have any reproductions of these pictures. If anyone has any suggestions as to wear I can get these to illustrate this posting, please tell me.)

Did Amies really believe that the future of formal wear was suits tucked into suede boots? Can you imagine businessmen today sitting in the boardroom, their suit trousers tucked into Ugg Boots? Admittedly Uggs would be too chunky for Amies, but it seems no less ridiculous.

The fact is fashions oscillate around a figure of Permanent Style, with the sixties narrow form at one extreme and the seventies flair at the other. One swing is followed by another in the opposite direction. (By this I mean long-term swings, those that last decades not years. Skinny jeans, for example, do not qualify. They are a seasonal fad, like cowboy boots or peasant skirts.)

Once enough men today have bought one-button suits, expect to see three or four-button versions on the catwalk. Designers have to come up with something that’s different, after all. And when those inventions seem to chime with the times, as boots did in the sixties and flares did in the seventies, they’ll become a decade-long swing.

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Sixties Style, as Told by Hardy Amies

The Victoria & Albert Museum – London’s best if you are interested in style and decoration – is running an exhibition on the Golden Age of Couture, 1947-1957. The exhibits of vintage Dior, Balenciaga and Balmain gowns are fascinating: the relentless tightening of waists, the details of how dresses were cut and the style culture of Paris.

But the discovery of the exhibition for me was in the gift shop: a new print of Hardy Amies’s ABC of Men’s Fashion. First published in 1964, it contains a staggering number of sayings about men’s fashion that have remained in circulation. The most famous of course is: “A man should look as if he had bought his clothes with intelligence, put them on with care and then forgotten all about them.”

There are also little gems such as “Cummerbund. ‘Anglo-Saxon 1616. A sash or girdle worn around the waist’. Need I say more?” And “Fancy waistcoat. Fancy is a suitably unpleasant word for a rather nasty article.” Although Amies does go on to say “I should exclude from this fancy waistcoats worn with a morning coat. Here a touch of dandyism seems to be desirable.”

For the purposes of Permanent Style, however, the most interesting aspect of Amies’s book is his declarations about the fashion of the sixties, and his confidence in its practicality and longevity.

The sixties ideal is long and slim, with very narrow trousers, a four-buttoned suit and ankle boots. His tie is thin and he wears a trilby pushed forward on the head. Everything is about length and height, all buttoned-up and tight. His guidelines are:

Trousers: “Trousers follow the natural contours of the leg as closely as comfort and the fall of the cloth permit.”

Jacket: “The line is accentuated by the use of three buttons as fastening rather than two or one. Four are better still.”

Revers: “These higher fastenings automatically shorten the length of the revers and it is natural that they should also become narrow.”

Sleeves: “Sleeves should be as narrow as comfort permits, and at the wrist should just encompass the cuff of the shirt.”

Waist: “A four-button fastening looks well with a jacket cut rather straight at the sides. This looser, straighter jacket has for some time been liked by the young. It looks casual. The older find it comfortable.”

Headwear: “Given the slightest chance, young people rush to put on a hat. They are designed to be worn well forward on the head, thus enhancing the forward lines of the rest of the costume.”

Footwear: “Elastic-sided boots are more comfortable to wear, easier to put on, nicer to look at, and better integrated with the rest of one’s clothes than the lace-up kind. They seem to have just about everything in their favour.”

I find it fascinating that someone so revered now and then had such confidence that style was changing. It is an illustrative lesson in assumptions about so-called classic style or indeed permanent style.

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Goodbye Valentino, Welcome Valentino

Of the mighty Italian designers, Valentino must rank as one of the mightiest. The perma-tanned, perma-elegant Lombardian has been on the scene for nearly a half century and in that time he has become one of the most successful couturiers in history, and undoubtedly, one of the most popular and well known figures in fashion.

Though his women’s collections receive just attention, he is not a one trick pony. There are tens of designers who can’t match the quality of one gender’s collection with another. Ralph Lauren is a rarity in that his men’s collections are actually more dynamic and intriguing than his women’s collections – a mark of his personal taste more than his undoubted ability. Galliano, try though he might, just can’t cut it with the boys. While there is something interesting about his approach and his imagination, his magnificent couture skill actually affects his ready to wear negatively; his conjuring is restricted to the fantastical and despite his creativity in the field of female couture, there is an embarrassing lack of it in his spring 2008 men’s collection.

Valentino, on the other hand captures ‘need’ and ‘want’ without sacrificing invention; he has been measured and realistic about his artistry. And importantly, he didn’t allow his couture fantasy anywhere near his men’s ready-to-wear cutting table. The comparison with Galliano might seem unfair; indeed it is central to the Gilbraltarian’s strategy to introduce the couture rudiments of exploration and experimentation to the generally staid arena of functional menswear. However, his acknowledgment of timelessness is relatively weak in comparison to Valentino. It’s not that the Italian doesn’t want things to change, it’s just that when something is not broken, there’s nothing to fix.
Valentino’s menswear collections focus on tradition. Although, as one commentator on this site pointed out, the Spring 2008 collection was certainly one of the best in recent times, there has been a reassuring reliability to Senor Valentino. Plenty of designers have been hit and miss in the style stakes. ‘Fashionistas’ may laud anything and everything, but it actually takes more to impress arbiters of style. This is not because said arbiters have any special sensibility of ‘good’ fashion or ‘bad’ fashion, but that, generally speaking, they are more difficult to coax from their shells. When it comes to the future, arbiters of style are generally more willing purchasers of pessimism. However, one shouldn’t run away with the idea that this is a particularly bad thing; fashionistas can be inappropriately gushing and quite frightening in their blind optimism and utter devotion to trend.

In a menswear department Valentino had the ability to delight both. His snappy tailoring of men’s classic fashions updated reliable and well-loved looks to the applause of the fashion world and they never seem to approach absurdity or over-theatrics, thus entitling him to the long lasting approval of generations of style men. Though inevitable, his retirement is a great shame as it seems to have ended this happy co-existence of couture and male and female ready to wear.

And with Pozzoni as creative director, an ambitious couturier himself, what future holds for the men’s collections from the house of Valentino? It seems that despite his guarded, derivative Fall 2008 collections that nursed Valentino’s legacy, there might be some changes to come, and if couture is Pozzoni’s future then what embracement of continuity will there be?

After Slimane’s fall from Dior, it was suspected that the first collection from Kris Van Assche would be ‘Hedi-reverential’ and indeed, largely, it was. However, the difficulty in following a great name seems to have affected him as the unimpressive Fall 2008 collection illustrates. Slimane’s Dior collections were certainly fashion forward, but he recognised timeless urbanity and translated it competently.

Pozzoni is fortunate in that his responsibility at Valentino is so small, but despite this, he is stepping into some very large and very well respected shoes. Valentino had a gift for recognising, quite simply, what looks good with what. From his elaborate couture to his sturdy menswear that defined eighties chic, Val showed a talent extremely difficult to replace.

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Links: Creased Jeans, Labels and Logos, Paris Picks…

Creased jeans: A fad or a style quirk?

Labels and logos: Mortal or minor sins?

Paris fall ‘08 picks: All check-worthy looks on one place.

Global warming, local chilling: Dressing for the weather.

Reinventing a classic: Appeal of corduroy.

WASP 101: Another lover of classic style started blog.

If you only have…: Five items from the closet StyleForumers cherish the most.

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The Future of Men’s Style Blogs

As a magazine editor myself, I have always felt frustrated that there is no newsstand magazine catering to me or anyone with a similar interest in men’s style.

Magazines that claim to do so either stray too far into lad’s mag territory (filled with sex columns and guff about cars or lifestyle – GQ, Arena, Esquire) or focus on the seasonal rotation of men’s fashion (GQ Style, Arena Homme Plus. But how many men do you know that change their clothes every six months?).

What is needed is a men’s magazine with features like a women’s magazine. It needs information on the history and traditions of menswear, together with tips on combinations and shops, and a little on fashion trends thrown in.

Until a year ago, I thought nothing came close to filling this gap in the market. Then I discovered blogs.

The more blogs I find on men’s style, the more there seem to be. Each mentions a few of his favourites as recommended links, and so you are sent off on another two or three forks of discovery.

Blogs have disadvantages. Without the editors or quality control that you would have on a magazine, some are poorly written or poorly researched. At their worst, they are empty musings by bored students, and each sentence is so long it gives you a headache.

But many show greater knowledge and greater clarity. My first discovery was The Sartorialist, which has become extremely popular and features the photos of Scott Schuman. His real talent as a photographer and real passion for men’s clothes – particularly as regards colour – is clear in almost every photo. Others with real knowledge include Andy, at askandyaboutclothes.com, and Will at A Suitable Wardrobe. I would also include the blogs featured on this website as among the best.

Discussion forums are very popular – and this proves to me the size of the audience for writing on men’s style. Among the biggest are styleforum.net and thelondonlounge.net. Andy also features forums on his site. But forums too have their disadvantages: without any quality control, you can find yourself reading page after page of comments that do not provide anything original.

In my opinion, the future of men’s style blogs will be in collections of columns and features, much like a magazine. This could happen through new sites, like mensflair.com, or through the extension of existing magazines.

By collating writers onto one site, Men’s Flair enables you to read different viewpoints and different types of writers in one place. Magazine sites such as men.style.com (which publishes GQ and Details in the US) have begun to collate blogs (such as The Sartorialist and In Her Eyes) as well as trying to start their own style forums.

This is the future. Blogs have filled a gap in the market, but there are so many that people find themselves reading the few that show real talent – as both writers and stylists. Those few will consolidate leaving the reader, hopefully, with the men’s style read they need.

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