Dries Van Noten is a master of pattern, colour and detail. He puts things together that shouldn’t work, but they do. Take for example, this striped shirt. The simple addition of the fuchsia pink floral on the placket and around the hem lifts this into fashion artistry.
Left – Dries Van Noten – Ladderstitch Shirt – £535
I recently visited Dries Van Noten’s flagship store in Antwerp. The first Dries store I have ever been to. Opened in 1989, but built in 1881, it was formerly the ‘Het Modepaleis’ (the Fashion Palace) and is a listed landmark and historically home to a gentleman’s outfitters, a peer of Dries’ grandfather. The wooden counters, tiled floors and wide curved windows – all of which are unique – helps the building retain it...
Label To Know Delos
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Based in London, Delos is a luxurious travel focussed label. The collection of menswear and womenswear, born in the Mediterranean, is designed for the constant traveller.
Left – Delos – Rambert Bow Tie Silk Shirt – £475
Founded by Artem del Castillo, it is named after the mythological Greek island of Delos (Δήλος), said to be the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. Meaning ‘clear’ or ‘brought to light’ Delos explores a spectral palette with fluid and non-constrictive silhouettes.
For Spring Summer 2023, the collection looks at the art of Shibori, the Japanese technique of dyeing fabric to produce different colour spectrums – think ombré bleeds on silk.
Del Castillo says, “I created Delos in appreciation of artisanal craftmanship and...
Get The Look Papal White
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Pope Francis looking fly in his white puffer coat went viral at the weekend. It turns out it is an AI fake. Who cares? He looked boss and has given a injection to late winter white. While not that practical – isn’t cleanliness next to godliness? – there’s always the washing machine. The crucifix is optional!
Left – Nobis – Supra Men’s Performance Puffer – £859
Far Left – Zara – Puffer Jacket – £59.99
Left – ASOS – ASOS DESIGN longline puffer jacket in ecru – £85
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Get The Look Pedro Pascal’s Summer Crochet
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While not exactly red carpet dressy, Pedro Pascal, star of The Last of Us, looked kinda cool in his brown crochet top. Crochet has been bumbling under as a men’s summer trend for a couple of years now, thanks to the hands-spun look of brands such as Bode.
The waffle knit clings to the right places while letting in maximum ventilation and is ideal thrown over a vest top for day or just as it is for the evening. British brand, King & Tuckfield has this relaxed ladder-stitch version in timeless navy.
Left – Pedro Pascal on The Mandalorian red carpet
Left – King & Tuckfield – Ladder-Stitch Camp Collar Shirt – £245
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Splash or Cash? The Embroidered Linen Shirt
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This is more splash and less splash looking at the two prices, but with embroidery you’re paying for time. Harago’s embroidery is all handcrafted in India, while Percival’s looks like a 17th century sampler.
These are the kind of pieces that look like new vintage and as such will slip seamlessly into your summer, warm-weather wardrobe.
Left – Harago – Village Narrative Embroidered Linen Shirt – £335 from Matchesfashion.com
Below – Percival Tapestry Cuban Linen Shirt – £199
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Menswear Product Of The Week The Sailor Cap
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Move over bucket, goodbye baseball, sayonara beanie; the headwear-du-jour is the sailor cap.
Setting sail on the good ship S.S. Daley, the new collection from the British designer starred national treasure, Sir Ian McKellen, and, also, these rather fetching floppy sailor hats. While not available from the brand just yet – I really hope he follows JW Anderson’s lead and starts selling those branded underpants to bankroll the rest of the brand – there are a few alternatives, designer or surplus.
From Patou’s achingly Parisian style to Charles Jeffrey Loverboy cheeky sailor, it adds a playful innocence to any look.
Left – Sir Ian McKellen on the S.S.Daley AW23 catwalk
Left – More S.S.Daley AW23
Bottom left – Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY – Sailor...
Menswear Trend Ribbing You
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A ‘social x-ray’ was a term coined by American writer, Tom Wolfe in his cult 1980’s book, Bonfire of the Vanities. Very thin/anorexic, usually female socialites, were noted for never being too rich or too thin. Thanking you, Duchess of Windsor.
Translating that look to menswear, without the calorie counting, is the Belgian designer, Walter Van Beirendonck. He showed clever rib cutaways in jackets in his most recent AW23 catwalk, as well as rib-like designs in his current SS23 collection, now available.
Figi Studios has this stunning short sleeved shirt in black tulle giving the impression of a full torso x-ray.
Left – Walter Van Beirendonck AW23
Below – Figi Studios – X-Rays Shirt – $340
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Menswear Product Of The Week The Sailor Collar Track Top
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Browsing the stores in Antwerp, and wow, what a fashion-loving city that is, I walked into Verso, a large, luxury multi-brand store in a beautiful heritage building and happened upon this sailor-type tracksuit top from Kenzo. Kenzo’s new Artistic Director is Nigo of A Bathing Ape fame, who is taking Kenzo back to its Japanese roots and bringing out Kenzo’s famous boke flower.
The oversized collar falls over the back shoulders to form a sailor-type bib and could be a reference to the Japanese tradition of wearing sailor uniforms to school. The back is cooler than the front, but this handsome green gives the top an innocence and playful feel, especially with the large elephant on the back.
Left & Below – Kenzo – Elephant-Print Varsity Jacket – £645
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NA-KD puts recycled materials on the board for their 2023 swimwear collections
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In the depths of winter darkness, many start looking forward to the summer heat and beach vacations. While doing so, trying to find the perfect bikini is one of the first step in trying to prepare for take-off. Swedish fashion house NA-KD has decided to become the green option on the market with a large range of zero waste swimwear.
In 2023, many customers look for earth-friendly swimwear options, such as a bikini from recycled materials. That’s where NA-KD has stepped up to the plate. Amongst other policies, the brand has set a goal to have 100% of their products made more sustainable, including using more organic materials, natural dyes, and recycled materials. By doing so, they are aiming to reduce their absolute emissions by 50% from 2020-2030, setting a clear precedent for the...
Pitti Uomo Menswear AW23 Gnomes Scrapbook
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Minus the fishing rod, and pond, the fashion gnomes were out in force at the recent Jan 2023 Pitti Uomo. Florence was a buzz with folkloric fortezza folk who seem to have fixated on the beanie with a slightly pointier top.
Gnomecore has become a major trend and it’s easy to see why. All you really need is a baggie beanie. The men’s industry, including, buyers and brand managers, like a trend that’s easy and you can make your own. With Italian temperatures plummeting, it’s also practical. There’s no trend like gnome!
Left – The daddy image of Gnomecore – Christian Bale in GQ
Below – All the fashionisto gnomes out at the recent AW23 Pitti Uomo Fortezza in Florence