A Boy’s First Love: Lotus Originals

Ever since I was a small boy I’ve had a deep and abiding love for Lotus Cars. This is partly the result of growing up a bike ride away from the Hethel factory and test track; in the summer holidays I regularly rode down to the test track in the hopes of seeing an Esprit go around the track.

My ardour was only intensified when at the age of eight I saw my first James Bond movie, ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’, a film notable only for the Lotus Esprit that turns into a submarine.

So hearing that Lotus Cars were launching their own clothing and lifestyle label I was naturally intrigued, if not a little excited.

It’s not as unusual a venture as it might at first sound. Clothing labels have for years linked themselves to sport in the hopes of acquiring reflected glory and glamour: Hackett with its links to Rugby and Aston Martin Racing is a good example; not forgetting the most famous sporting association of them all of course, Ralph Lauren and Polo. Indeed, I’ve often wondered why we don’t see more traffic coming the other way, particularly in England.

These exclusive preview shots would suggest this is not a venture that is going to disappoint.

I’m told the aim is to “create a line with real fashion credentials, in line with other British heritage brands” and become a major international player on the fashion scene, not merely provide interesting souvenirs for Lotus fans. To that end the clothing and apparel reflect the racing heritage of Lotus, with particular reference to its racing glory days in the 60s and 70s – when gentleman racer and sartorialist Graham Hill drove them to the 1968 F1 World Championship.

But there is certainly plenty of motoring heritage and glamour to build on from this golden age of racing. Thanks to the peculiar genius of late founder Colin Chapman, Lotus became known for authenticity, innovation, design excellence and later on craftsmanship - the cars are still largely built by hand.

The collection is designed by an in-house team at Lotus drawn together from luxury fashion backgrounds.  It’s all part of new CEO Dany Bahar’s (formally of Ferrari) vision to broaden the brand and expand the business – expect to see some exciting new cars in 2013 and 2014.

Garments already previewed feature sweaters of Loro Piana 100% cashmere yarn knitted at 18 gauge for a lightweight but soft touch.  Cardigans and V-neck knits are textured in wide stripes to create a tyre-track effect with white armband detail hinting at race track road markings.  Polo shirts and T-shirts feature double stitch edging and vintage Lotus logos, racing stripes and car silhouettes. Block colour numbers relate to the dates of famous racing victories of the 1960s and 70s, as well as 1948 - the year that Lotus founder Colin Chapman built the first car.

My favourite item is a hand-treated leather jacket, inspired by the 1970s drivers’ suits, using authentic design details in the form of protective quilted padding on the shoulders and a two-button side-fasten collar. The leather goods are made in the same factory that makes all the Ferragamo leather. The next most desirable item and a classic wardrobe staple is the navy quilted Paddock Coat with tan leather trim, reminiscent of the ‘Gentleman Driver’ look, with a discreet Lotus crest and luxurious fleece lining.

The collection certainly looks classic and very British, something I can only applaud. Styling details on many of the pieces refer to specific dates or numbers from Lotus’ history - race wins, car identification numbers etc. British Racing Green features prominently in the collection (referred to as Lotus Green on the website) and is the exact shade of the old Lotus car livery.

Officially launching on the Lotus website www.lotusoriginals.com on Wednesday, I have to say I don’t normally get excited by ‘luxury brands’, but I’m emotionally invested in this one and hope it proves a success. If current form and intent is any guide I think it will.

Warby Parker: The 2011 Collection

I wrote back in December that Warby Parker, the online purveyor of vintage-inspired acetate eyeglasses, planned to launch a new collection for 2011. That new collection is now available on their website. The 2011 collection includes fourteen new frame styles and a variety of new colors.

Warby Parker sent me a selection of the new frames to inspect ahead of the launch. As a group the collection appears to be bigger and bolder than their original offerings. The most striking aspect of the collection are the new colors.

The only new solid color is Midnight Blue. I like the new color. It’s conservative without being black. Pictured is the new Begley frame in Midnight Blue.

There are several different versions of what Warby Parker calls a “fade.” A dark color at the top of these frames fades to a lighter one at the bottom. There is Lunar Fade (pictured on the Winston frame) that blends from black to clear. From a distance the Lunar Fade provides a fairly subtle effect. The other fades are much bolder. The Burgundy Fade (pictured on the Crosby) fades from dark burgundy to almost clear. The Old Fashion Fade (pictured on the Felton frame) transitions from dark brown to a light caramel. The Oakwood features a similar combination of brown and caramel, but it has a mottled pattern instead of a fade.

The other three colors, Greystone (a greenish gray), Striped Maple and Striped Evergreen remind me of the Celluloid barrels of vintage fountain pens. The Beckett is pictured in Striped Evergreen.

On another subject, several readers who live outside the United States have asked me if Warby Parker plans to offer international shipping in the foreseeable future. I am informed this is a project that is in the works.  Canadian shipping was launched a few months ago. Currently the hope is that they will be able to offer full-fledged international shipping in the next six to nine months; however, that is a moving target so it could be sooner or later than that estimate. Nevertheless, for those of you outside the United States who are itching for a pair of Warby Parker eyeglasses, your wait may end in 2011.

Interview: Linda Pilkington, Ormond Jayne

With good reason I’ve championed London Perfumier Ormonde Jayne. Not only do I like what they do, I like the way they do it. The scents are original, bold and elegant; it’s one of the few houses to offer Eau de Parfums for men; and everything is made in their London laboratory. What’s more, the business is real enough that you have a good chance of being served by the owner and creator Linda Pilkington. You really can’t say that of most brands.

Until now I’d only met Linda fleetingly, but the opening of her newest shop in London’s prestigious Sloane Square afforded an opportunity to find out more about this up and coming brand that refuses to sell out, and the woman that created it.

When you started out did you ever imagine you would be where you are today?

Linda Pilkington: Selling flowers 40 years ago, there was never a moment where I imagined I would own a perfume house. I bumped into a friend of mine who was working for Chanel [Bruce], he knew me when I was a child (he was a neighbour) – he remembered when I used to sell “scented things”. [Growing up] We lived in Cheshire in the middle of no where, so my parents filled the kitchen with hobby books with endless things to do, art boxes, dressing up boxes etc. I leaned towards making chocolates which I enjoyed, as well as making scented products. I sold flowers outside our home to get money so I could decorate my room.

That’s how it all started. When I met Bruce, he said to me “I’ve bought these scented candles they don’t burn very well, could you melt them down and re-set them for me?” It was amazing, we hadn’t seen each other in 25 years. I thought “this is getting quite serious, they obviously think I’m better than I am, I really ought to do a bit of research”. Eventually after 6 months I showed my wares to Sophie (who also worked for Chanel) and she said “these are great I’ll buy 30”, and I’d created Ormonde Jayne.

And where did the name come from?

Linda Pilkington: I thought my name was boring and my husband said, “well, you’re Linda Jayne” and I live at Ormonde Terrace. There wasn’t really a great deal of thought or market research, anything is better than Linda Pilkington.

So I decided this could be a good thing for me to do for a living. It was very slow progress, I actually made room sprays because I didn’t have an alcohol licence, so I couldn’t buy alcohol to make a perfume. When I moved into a proper studio I applied for an alcohol licence which allowed me to take the company to the next step.

But you never had any formal training?

LP: I did invest in quite a comprehensive studio and the alcohol licence. A lot of people knew I had these premises, and a lot of perfumiers used my premises. This was at a time when people started getting into niche perfume. So over 2-3 years I had a lot of people from the industry coming and going, which was great for me because I asked them lots of questions. It was fantastic for me, a great learning time. I was able to come into contact with some very interesting people at the top of their game.

It strikes me that in the last 12 months things have really taken off, what one thing got you off the launch pad?

LP: I have a mentorship from Walpole (the luxury branding group), they have certain criteria, for example, you have to be British owned. You have to present to them, a bit like Dragon’s Den. 30-40 company’s go and they pick the 5 company’s they feel will be a luxury brand of tomorrow. My mentor was very bullish, he was from a City PR company – he said “what are you going to do with your brand? If you don’t grow your brand you won’t exist in 10 years as bigger investors will copy you and do it bigger and better and faster”. That’s what you have to do. You have to grow your company. Even the other niche companies, Clive Christian, he’s got 300 points of sale but they’re not making the products themselves, it’s all manufactured for them. I told him I can’t [have 300 points of sale] and he said, “lets work out what you can do. You could have 50 points of sales and still be able to make it yourself”.

Where are you in terms of opening your branches abroad?

LP: Well I think I have to babysit this [Sloan Square] for now. Because I’ve opened in Harrods and this shop in one year I don’t want to take on investors or become forced to sell part of my company because I can’t meet my commitments. So I have to make this shop work and make sure Harrods makes money.

With this expansion are you still managing to make your own products? One of the things I like is that you make your own products here in London.

LP: My critical mass is 50 points of sales for me to still make the products myself. I would have to get more staff at the studio e.g. one in charge of making candles, one filling, one mixing/making. They’d also do the internet orders.

I love the fact it’s such a hands on and personal business.

LP: I enjoy that part as well. The thing is with investors they always say the right things and nice things when they want your company, then they turn into beasts. They just want to roll it out for 5 years and sell it on. They want anybody to buy it. I know people who have done it and regretted it.

As you become better known, and you’re known for your original and unusual scents, is there a temptation to go more ‘mainstream’?

LP: I hadn’t thought about that actually. I haven’t made a perfume in quite a while. I think the next time I do decide to make a perfume I won’t be thinking like that. I’ll be thinking, “what should I have in my library or perhaps what’s missing”. For example, I don’t have anything with Tobacco or Sandalwood, so I’d be looking to see what’s missing from my repertoire. It would still be an Ormonde Jayne perfume because that’s what people expect, especially the Blog and internet people. They would post very quickly if something smelt a bit commercial.

Do you still manage to serve in the shops?

LP: As of next week I will work in this new shop [Sloane Square] so I can get to know the customers here and they can get to know me. They’ll get the whole “this is Ormonde Jayne, this is what we do, this is who I am”.  I used to work in the Bond Street store as I didn’t have any staff and found it a good thing to do because you really get to understand customers and who they are.

What can we look forward to in the future?

LP: I think we will definitely maintain our integrity, what you’ll see is Ormonde Jayne staying true to Ormonde Jayne.

The New Year List

I am a compulsive list maker. My latest is a quick note of those retailers I intend to visit and interviews that are still pending, and in some cases long overdue.

North Sea Clothing

I highlighted independent British label North Sea Clothing back in March of last year. The label was founded by one man, Neil Starr, with one aim: recreate the classic pre-war Royal Navy issue Submariner Jumper. Since then one can only assume things have gone well because North Sea Clothing has since produced the equally solid and beautiful Expeditionary Jumper and has a Norwegian Submariner about to launch. Sadly I never got around to tracking down Neil Starr for that interview. Well, this is the year.

Tim Little

Tim is another guy who I’ve never yet met, but whose work I’ve admired from afar. 2010 was an interesting year for Tim. Having sometime earlier established his own London based label, Tim Little Shoes, he was recruited to reinvigorate Northamptonshire shoe maker Grenson. And a highly successful bit of recruiting that turned out to be. Well, Tim has moved on quite considerably from there and last year bought the company and the factory. Finding out just what prompted this bold move and what he has in store for the company should make an interesting interview.

John Simons

I’ll bet that John Simons needs little introduction for many UK readers of Mensflair. But for those unfamiliar with this name, John is the man responsible for introducing Ivy League clothing to the UK market (you can read more here). That may seem small beer at the back end of an Ivy resurgence that still shows little sign of fading; but John was importing famous American Ivy League brands back in the sixties. To many he is a legend. Sadly the lease on his last shop ran out and John announced he intended to retire. Well, proof that men of the cloth never retire, just before Christmas he opened a new shop and while he continues to import hard to get American labels he is also producing his own extensive range of authentic Ivy League inspired clothes, under the label J.Simons Apparel Company. There are some great looking pieces, but I’m yet to visit the shop or get my hands on some of his kit.

Archer Adams

I’ve profiled Archer and his original rock and roll clothes here before. When I first discovered Archer the shop was just being kitted out and he was awaiting the first deliveries of stock. Since then it seems the shop is fully up and running, the shelves are stocked and he has brought forth some great pieces, including that elegantly simple raincoat I high lighted last time (not to mention the tie you saw me wearing in my recent Herring Shoes photo shoot. High time a paid the man a visit and checked out the full range of clothes.

It’s going to be another busy year. Still, should keep me out of trouble.

Braces And A Neckerchief

Oscar Wilde once noted that clothes should hang from the shoulder, not from the waist. To that end, I decided last week that I needed to find a quality set of braces to pair with the Corbin trousers that I wrote about in my last article. You may recall that I deleted the belt loops and had buttons added for braces. After doing a little research, I settled on braces from Albert Thurston. That British company has been making and selling braces since 1820.

Albert Thurston braces are offered in wool boxcloth for cool weather and the lighter weight barathea fabric for warm weather. The braces are offered in a wide range of colors and patterns. The leather ends come in black, brown or white leather. The braces with hand-stitched white glove leather are arguably the most versatile because you don’t have to worry with matching the leather ends to your shoes.

I found a small selection of Albert Thurston braces for sale at A Suitable Wardrobe Online Haberdashery. The store is run by Will Boehlke who maintains an excellent style blog. His selection of braces does not match the offerings directly from Albert Thurston, but he stocks the most useful colors. For those in the U.S., the biggest advantage for buying them from the ASW store is the free shipping. I settled on a set of red boxcloth braces with white leather ends. That combination is arguably the most classic and I thought appropriate for my first pair.

While perusing the ASW store I also happily discovered a lovely dark brown and lilac neckerchief in a 1920s style leopard print. I’ve always thought a neckerchief would be useful when paired with an open-necked shirt, but this is the first time I have ever found one for sale. This particular neckerchief looks great with a blue shirt and the brown tweed shirt jacket that I wrote about recently.

My experience ordering from the ASW store was positive. The online store is easy to navigate. My order arrived quickly and was nicely packaged. And as I mentioned before, the shipping was free.