Hail the Swedish Giant and the Inditex Armada

It is not often that I express satisfaction with the world of affordable everyday menswear. Usually, I growl with contempt for the lackluster products available on the high street. However, recently, there is cause for cheer; it seems someone is finally considering style in relation to affordable male attire. (more…)

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Classic Shades are Way to Go

Sunglasses are essential. We all need a little eye-protection from the sun at some stage. Even those who manage to travel without sunglasses, instead wearing wide-brim hats or even carrying a sun umbrella, will admit that at certain times of day, in certain environments, they wished they had some polarized lenses. Try walking around a small rustic village in Crete in the height of summer; and look at a mass of white buildings with a few dots of dazzling blue without wearing shades. Discomfort is an understatement. The last time I did it I had a headache and couldn’t see properly in the darkened rooms of cool churches for at least a few hours. (more…)

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What to Wear to a Summer Garden Party

What makes a summer garden party? I have a theory that it is actually the people who make it. Inviting a lively, attractive crowd will do more for an event than all the chicken wings, Rioja and Space-age Bachelor Pad music in the world. For one thing, the soul of a good garden party or barbecue is the conversation between those attending. How sophisticated or enjoyable this conversation is will depend largely on what tone is set; too jocund, and the event can be abandoned as too raucous, and equally, too staid and dull and people will be thumbing the tops of their wine glasses, pondering the possible entertainment value of a nearby wake. This halfway point between ferocious fun and utter boredom is exactly the point to be remembered when choosing clothing for such an event. (more…)

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Style Icon: King Edward VIII

If you mention King Edward VIII, later Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor in conversation, sadly the only response one is likely to get is; ‘Oh, the guy who married the Wallis Simpson woman.’ The fact of the matter is that this man’s legacy is overshadowed by his practically small, but consequentially huge decision to abdicate, thus giving up the crown in order to marry the woman he loved. Precious little is known of his youth or his other influences. Such was the consternation of the British establishment, and so mighty was their power in the early part of the 20th century, that later generations of British people have known him for little more than the man who wanted to marry a divorcee. (more…)

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