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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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
Menswear Trend The Kitchen Sink
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When Elon Musk walked into Twitter HQ, after buying the company, he was carrying a sink. It was reportedly a pun on ‘Let that sink in’, but it could quite easily be taken that Twitter cost him everything but the kitchen sink and here it is!
It seems that sinks are in, or more specifically drainers. JW Anderson, creative director of Loewe, has decorated one half of an overcoat with stainless steel drain holes for the SS23 season. Next, should we be expecting a Fairy Liquid matching bag, or should we leave that to Anya Hindmarch?
Perfectly ventilated or money down the drain?!
Left & Below – Loewe – Drain Hole-Embellished Wool-Blend Overcoat – £8550 from Matchesfashion.com
Bottom Left – Elon Musk & his sink at Twitter HQ
Mantero X Octopus
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Octopus and Mantero come together for a collaboration that combines the iconic tentacle design with artisanal haute-couture tradition. Mantero is a family company that has been creating, weaving, printing and producing items in silk and other fabrics of extraordinary beauty and flawless quality since the beginning of last century (it was founded in 1902).
Two brands that may seem to have little in common, yet both are characterised by an ability to produce real icons, as well as a focus on products that are 100% Italian from concept to production. Mantero in Como, where talented creatives, artisans and technicians work together on drawing, finishing, printing and hemming. Octopus in its Varese plant, where prototypes come to life and most of the production takes place, and its new headquarters...
Get The Look Bones and All Floral Cowboy Shirt
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TheChicGeek says, “I know it’s cool to wear somebody else’s clothes today, but how about somebody you’ve just ate?! Timothée Chalamet plays a blood thirsty cannibal in Luca Guadagnino’s new film, Bones and All, and his wardrobe seems to consist of whatever is left over from his pickings.
Left – Timothée Chalamet in Bones and All
This fringed cowboy shirt was a standout, and, while I can’t find a floral fringed version, it got me thinking about the Liberty style floral cowboy shirts Tom Ford did for Gucci back in the day.
While not exactly a snip, it could be seen as an investment, and leave you looking good enough to eat! Sorry.
Left & Below – Gucci by Tom Ford – 2004 Western Shirt – £495 from Ebay
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Tried & Tested Aire Ancient Baths London
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Destinations all over the world, Aire Ancient Baths London, opened in 2021, features numerous pools, such as Caldarium (Hot Bath /40ºC), Frigidarium (Cold Bath / 14ºC and Ice Bath 10ºC), Tepidarium (Warm Bath / 36ºC), Balneum (Bath of Thousand Jets), Vaporium (Steam Bath) and Flotation (Salt-water pool with salt the density of the Dead Sea), plus optional treatments in a listed Georgian townhouse.
TheChicGeek says, “The most welcome of London icebergs, Aire Ancient Baths, under an unassuming Georgian townhouse, is a cavernous wonderland of water and heat. The former home of Peter Pan’s JM Barrie, has, just two levels below the ground, a listed brick cellar that was almost made for these ‘ancient’ baths.
Close to where Father Thames once lapped the end of the street, this quiet road, just...
Menswear Product Of The Week The Flemish-By-Way-Of-Suffolk Gilet
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I’m off to see the new fashion museum in Antwerp in January and it’s got me feeling for tapestries. Dark flemish style tapestries remind me of the Dries Van Noten collection he did around 2017, and they somehow has this rarefied and fusty country house feeling that looks perfect layered under a nice winter coat or jacket.
This is listed as a women’s, so go for a bigger size, but it’s not like to has to fit in the shoulders or arms.
Left & Below – Lavenham – Jacquard Big Quilt A Line Mickfield Gilet – £295
Champion partners with Beastie Boys to celebrate ‘Check Your Head’ 30th Anniversary
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Champion are proud to announce a collaboration with iconic hip-hop legends Beastie Boys. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of their hugely influential 1992 album ‘Check Your Head’, Champion has released a limited-edition capsule clothing collection.
The Beastie Boys’ multi-platinum third album is considered a milestone for the band. ‘Check Your Head’ was first album to be produced, in its entirety, by Beastie Boys with Mario Caldato Jr. and their first album recorded at the band’s own G-Son studios in Los Angeles.
Originating from Rochester, New York, Champion became synonymous with hip-hop culture that was so heavily influenced and led by Beastie Boys. As well as their ever-lasting influence on music, it was also the band’s image that permeated the subcultures of the 90s and continues...
M.C. Overalls England’s Oldest Workwear Brand Celebrates its Community Of Crafters
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Established in 1908, England’s oldest workwear brand, M.C.Overalls believes in the power of self-expression, nurturing creativity and the value of working hard. Creating durable, gender-neutral and versatile daily staples. Clothes to work hard for the hard-working.
The latest campaign combines the values of the past to champion its current community of creators. The creative explores the brand’s mission statement of ‘We Work Hard’ through a literal interpretation of the product being a blank canvas, combining this with analogue photography techniques and using subjects close to the brand and its values.
The brand’s distinctive style of heritage workwear staples with a modern twist is just as at home adorning a model on the catwalk in Paris as it is on the back of a brewer in...
Book Fashion Wankers It Takes One To Know One
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Are you more Romford than Tom Ford? My latest book, Fashion Wnkers – It Takes One To Know One, has just been released. The idea is, in the age of Tom Ford’s ‘F*cking Fabulous’, Eggsl*t and B*llocks To Brexit, the ‘Fashion Wanker’ is the new fashionista (or fashionisto).
It’s all about confidence and being able to laugh at yourself. The truly stylish are the first to poke fun at themselves after all and it’s a very British thing.
Left – Fashion Wankers Cover – For those who make Quality Street look like Dover Street…
Fashion Wnkers is the funniest fashion book (obvs. I wrote it!) this side of fashion week. It shows you how to be a fashion wnker and will help you spot which wanker you are and what to look for out the selection of 16 fashion wankers....