April 21, 2013

JAY FOR A DAY

2013 is quickly proving to be the year of The Great Gatsby. With the much anticipated cinematic reinterpretation by Baz Luhrmann coming out next month, fashion's all agog about the Art Déco Roaring Twenties style that defines the novel and weaves are being torn out due to the extreme amazingness of the film's soundtrack curated by Jay-Z. If you haven't read the book - you really should, it's quite thin and an excellent summer read - this is the plot in one sentence:

It's the summer of 1922 and this guy from the Midwest, Nick, moves to Long Island and his neighbour is the mysterious Mr Gatsby who throws massive parties but never attends them and there are other characters and then something happens to his mistress and it's all about the emptiness of the upper class and there's a green light and yay symbolism! 

So when Eurostar invited me to pop down to Jermyn Street in London for a day in the life of Jay Gatsby, I was quite tickled to accept. Fashion field trip! Watch what happens when five bloggers (I was joined by GillesJonasKaren and Bram) get together for an outing across the Channel (spoiler alert: lots of staring through a lens / at a smartphone). Like Japanese tourists, only worse and at least the Japanese get to wear those cool beige fisher hats with the chin straps. Are you ready? Let's do this!



Early on a Saturday morning this tiny group of bloggers boarded the Eurostar Business Premier carriage to St. Pancras, acting precisely as a group businessmen would on a serious excursion: yapping excitedly, taking instagrams of everything and debating whether or not to embezzle the tiny jam pot that came with the lovely breakfast ("But it's so tiny! So bloody tiny!"). Karen and Bram fell asleep before we even got there. It was a very refined affair, if you must know.



Upon our arrival we took off to Jermyn Street, where our first stop would be the grand shirtmaker's house of Turnbull & Asser. Famed for their high quality shirts with a signature coloured body and prim white collars and cuffs; they were Gatsby's favourites. We chatted to Mr Steven Quinn, who personally holds the Royal Warrant for the brand, and he showed us around the plush store. Turnbull & Asser dressed the likes of Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan, Charlie Chaplin and more recently Daniel Craig in Casino Royale and even Marc Jacobs. 





Mr Steven Quinn, who fondly remembers Robert Redford's visit to the store when they were fitting him for the classic 1974 version of The Great Gatsby: "He came into the store in a simple black t-shirt, I'll never forget that. You immediately knew he was a star, he just looked so cool."

Mia Farrow simply could not hold in 'all the feels' when Redford would throw his £200 Turnbull shirts at her. We fondled the fabrics some more but then it was time to head down to Favourbrook, for a look at their Gatsby suit selection! 



Favourbrooks take on the quintessential Gatsby summer suit. It's all about the white linen, you guys. But only the smart tailored kind that doesn't make you look like a retired flower child on a patchouli-picking pilgrimage.




































After all this sartorial jolliness, it was time for a delightful lunch at Franco's. They had created a custom Gatsby menu for little old us, with a special rose-infused Gatsby cocktail. Which was highly appropriate, for old Jay was all about the drink. 



After a delectable lunch, we simply crossed the street to Bates, the hatter responsible for that archetypal Gatsby 'newsboy cap'. That cap was introduced in America by Irish immigrants and was Gatsby's way of connecting to his past. The newsboy caps he wore were rich in fabric, but working class in heritage. So we got our heads measured up, knit ties were purchased and Binks the taxidermy cat added just the right amount of unsettling Old World class every hatmaker should aim for. The staff was pleasantly accommodating and seemed to take genuine pride in their job, a fact I noticed in most of the Jermyn Street stores we would saunter into that day. The way the Bates salesmen addressed eachother ("If you could pass me a size 50 Panama, please, kind sir?") was really quite endearing. 





Ah, not quite pulling that off now are we, Immi? No time to waste, on to the last stop! So we have our suit, our shirt and our hat. All we still need are...

Exactly. So we headed over to Foster & Son, founded in 1840 and London's oldest established shoemakers. Making bespoke shoes for any client with the time (and funds), these craftsmen- and women use the same age-old techniques they have since the 19th century. You literally stand on a piece of paper, they draw the outline of your feet and then they get to work. Again, it was fascinating to see young people show such dedication to an ancient skill. Reassuring, even. 




As we left the store, a heavy rain started pouring down. Ah, London, you cold mistress. I love you.

April 09, 2013

FANTASTIC READS

I haven't had a week off since last September, so after a great internship I look forward to a few days of sweet nothing. That also involves catching up on my reading. I can't wait to get started in the "Fantastic Man: Buttoned-Up" paperback. It's part of Penguin Books' East London Line, and was given to me by my dear Boby. The book is part of a series that celebrates the 150th anniversary of the London underground and was edited and written by the venerable editors-in-chief of Fantastic Man Magazine: Gert Jonkers and Jop Van Bennekom. 'Buttoned-Up' explores the marvel of why East London boys button their shirts all the way up. I actually prefer a shirt that's done up to perfection, it allows for a sense of strict utilitarianism that I'm quite drawn to. Leaving one or two buttons undone can just give the impression of indecision, of taking a noncommittal stance towards dressing. The book also features outstanding writers such as Alexander Fury (whom I recently interviewed), Paul Flynn and Simon Reynolds with photography by Benjamin Alexander Huseby. And when I'm finished reading it, I've still got the new issue of my absolute favourite magazine, Fantastic Man, to dive into. Bliss.
So, what are you reading at the moment? I'd love to hear what else is good!

Buttoned-Up, Fantastic Man SS13 and The Gentlewoman SS13 lie atop eachother. 
The cap by is by A Cut Above.

(Tip: use the word 'tube' and receive a 30% discount when purchasing the paperback.)

April 01, 2013

Today marks the fourth anniversary of Style For Guys! Now that's pretty remarkable, isn't it? When I first started this blog, I really didn't think much of it. Which explains the extreme banality of its name. I have often wished I would've just come up with something artsy like "The Style Solipsist" or anything that makes me sound remotely intelligent. I even had to add a bloody '4' in the url, for the internet is a total axewound and the full name was already taken. I was all set: not only did I appear unoriginal, I also had the spelling abilities of a 14 year-old TXTING PR!NCE$S. If only I had known, that sunny day in 2009, that this little domain name would take me as far as it has now, I might've stopped and said: "Nah, this title won't do, mate." Four years down the line, I have come to appreciate my silly name. It's a true testament to the naïve unpretentiousness that lies behind the roots of this blog. Also, I'm a daft little man and "STYLE4GUYS" won't let me forget that. I applaud you, reader, for sticking around all these years. I know I should post more often, but not treating this as something compulsory has actually kept it alive for so long. I do promise more content this year; perhaps I'll do one of those '1 post each day for a month' kind of thingies. 
Or maybe I won't.
Un bisou.
Immi