Dunhill laser keyboard: great idea, never works

This is clever little box projects a keyboard onto a flat surface to enable you to type to your heart's content on a full-size keyboard virtually anywhere.

As well as this being something of a surprising development from Dunhill, which is better known for well-made clothing and once-upon-a-time for cigarettes, it is also something that historically has never worked.

People have come up with these things before and they can be as frustrating as trying to key in a sentence on a Sinclair ZX81. Still, you never know, maybe Dunhill know something we don't. technology has advanced after all.

This is all to do with a new vision from Dunhill of integrating technology.

But I am left with the burning question: if this really works, how come Apple haven't done it? Just saying.

Via Esquire

Resurrected: the archives

Going through some of my drawers has been like unearthing ancient artifacts - a timeline of my tastes through the medium of accessories, and a reminder that Japan isn't the be all and end all for clothes even if I might sometimes think so.

Take my scarf collection. Not something I've really had the occasion to revive so far this year, but in winters past the addition of a silk scarf was de riguer in terms of outfit accessorisation.

You will note my first silk scarf purchase to the left of the picture, a gold and olive patterned Gucci affair of considerable length.  Below that is a McQueen thing which was almost a cross between a scarf and a tie.

To the north of the Gucci is a Louis Vuitton striped scarf which is actually the only one which has had an outing this season. Still looks good under a sweat.

Peaking out below the hat to the right is silk scarf by William Hunt which never really got a lot of wear but is on the verge of being put in for cycling.

Talking about the hat, that's from Dunhill. Bound to be seeing the light of day as the winter draws in, with its floppy lug protectors. Then there's the Gucci belt, always a faithful companion for keeping the strides in position.

Kim Jones: Steering the good ship Dunhill no more

After a couple of years of doing jack all for Dunhill, Kim Jones is leaving.

As I said in a previous post, the sum total of garments I have taken a fancy to during his tenure has been one shirt, with a lined placket. Other than that it's been entirely unremarkable.

I would love to know if this is the reason Jude Law parted company with the brand - after all, you're not going to want to endorse something that looks like it should be on the rails of M&S. Whatever, he's gone too.

Still, out with the old and all that. Now all they've got to do is sort that website out.

That berk they have modelling stuff in their online store couldn't sell lolipops in the Sahara as far as I am concerned.

* Note: This post has been toned down slightly following a comment from a reader who seemed to take quite an exception to it. Seeing as this reader chose to remain anonymous and also to flower his prose with appendage related insults, I will not give him the pleasure of seeing it published. I would also imagine, given the tone of that comment, that he is either Kim Jones himself or someone who works at Dunhill. Which leads me to think that maybe I touched a nerve. Hopefully he will take note.

Jude Law for Dior Homme: Man up

To be honest I always thought Jude Law was quite fitting as the face of Dunhill.

He's set his stall out as the modern day version of Michael Caine - a bit of an English playboy, a bit whoah, a bit way. With all its Toad of Toad Hall motoring associations, it seemed right that he should fly the flag for Dunhill.

I saw him once at an art exhibition. He's shorter than you'd think. Can't be more than 5'7", which is a bit of a let down really. It seems like he should be taller.

Now I don't know if it's his fondness for rug revealing deep V t-shirts that has persuaded him to make the jump to the camper side of style, but he's suddenly popped up fronting a campaign for Dior.

The brand did need a bit of manning up after years with Hedi Slimane at the helm, when malnourishment was the byword and the skeletal side of pop in the form of the Horrors and Pete Docherty were enrolled as ambassadors of the brand.

But Jude Law? It just doesn't seem right. Even if this gritty little film is directed by Guy Ritchie. Louis from Pineapple Dance Studios would have been a more sensible choice.

Mind you, the right length trousers on Jude would come up short on anyone else, and ankle-length strides are in right now.

Maybe Dior Homme is on the mark after all.


Via Freshness

Dunhill shirt: They got it right this time

It's getting more and more diffficult to find anything decent by Dunhill these days, such is the kiss of death that designer Kim Jones manages to give to everything he touches, although to say he killed Umbro is a bit of an exaggeration - it would be more accurate to say he mercifully put it to sleep.

But seek and ye shall find, as they say, and after some considerable rummaging in the Bourdon House flagship store the other week I unearthed this shirt.

The untrained eye might see a sky blue business shirt here, but this is much less formal than that. Relaxed collars, an 'engineered' European fit, and the addition of a bit of canvas to the placket, has ensured this is already a well-established piece of my sartorial armoury.

Which makes me think that Kim Jones can still pull it off now and then.

My only regret is that I didn't get any more when I had the chance.

For sale: Dunhill summer jacket

I got this from Dunhill at Bourdon House last year and must have worn it twice before another jacket turned up.

Since then it's been hanging in a suit bag.

Size medium, pristine condition, made from some kind of wool and abaca (a kind of hemp fibre) mix, it is incredibly soft and hangs beautifully.

A deep, stormy navy in colour, with raglan sleeves and all sorts of nice little details such as branding to zip pull and rear of snappers, neck fastening, and lambskin pocket corners and edges. Jacket has a thin cotton lining and cord collars.

Snap adjustment to waist and cuffs.

Measurements are:

Armpit to armpit: 21.5"
Armpit to hem: 14"
Armpit to cuf: 20"

Cost me £279 new. Selling for £160 shipped.

Please use the contact button to email me regarding this jacket.

Paypal only please.

SOLD

Dunhill AW 2010/11

I did have my doubts when Kim Jones got behind the wheel at Dunhill. I never thought much of his Umbro creations, although that could have had as much to do with the brand name as the designer.

But here he seems to have found his driving line. It's like he's stepped out of a Ford Escort and got into a Bentley. Then switched on the sports mode.

And he's settling into the drive nicely. This Autumn / winter 2010 / 11 collection is all about moddish silhouettes and gentlemanly charm, and sticking to the refined pallette that British modesty demands.

Meanwhile he's been sure to maintain that historic motoring pedigree.

Well driven there Jones, just drop us off at the store if you would be so kind.

The way I roll. Today

A bit of English, a hint of the US and a shell from Japan. That's the way I like it.

Supreme box logo tee, Dunhill chunky knit shawl cardigan, Original Fake Gore Tex jacket.

Dunhill shawl cardie: Because I had to

I know I don't need another jumper, but I went into Dunhill and they had a sale on and this was hanging there in this little wood lined cubicle, with its own light illuminating it from above and it was the last one. In my size too. Half price.

And I just knew that if I didn't get it there and then, I'd never see it again. But I would think about it. Oh how I would think about it, for weeks, chastising myself for not making the purchase, for how my life would have been so much better if only I hadn't left it.

So I didn't leave it.

The right bag: Dunhill SS10 Chassis leather collection

If there are three accessories that define your standing in society, it has to be your watch, your shoes and your bag. You could dress from head to to toe in rags, but if your bag, shoes and watch are decent enough, you will still manage to scrape by with a bit of respect at the least, or at best be mistaken for an eccentric millionaire.

Only this morning I noticed a chap on the train with dishevelled balding grey hair and a Berghaus jacket - two classic indications of an accountant who enjoys fell walking at the weekend and has a penchant for homemade ale. Then I noticed his Rolex Submariner and my opinion changed. Here was a man of some taste, despite the Berghaus jacket. He even polished his shoes.

If he had only been carrying a decent bag, my respect would have been complete. He actually didn't have a bag, but if he had I would hope it had been fashioned from a nice hide, be simple in its appearance and be of the holdall design, carried in the hand as opposed to slung over the shoulder.

Something from Dunhill's SS10 Chassis Leather collection would work a treat, crafted as it is from a deep grey leather embossed with a carbon fibre pattern previously only found covering the dashboards of exotic sportscars. As a bonus, the leather is allegedly scratch resistant. Quite the gentleman's holdall, great for a weekend trip or for holding that gym gear, and an accessory to be admired.

But a Dunhill holdall could be a style indicator too far for our Rolex-sporting, outdoor jacket-wearing friend. Something tells me he might actually have a preference for rucksacks. Of the Karimoor variety.

Kim Jones at Dunhill

It's no secret in the world of gentlemen's style that the latest coup for the UK's classiest luxury menswear brand Dunhill is that Kim Jones (he who saved Umbro) is now creative director.

What you might not know is that as part of the build-up to the Spring-summer 2010 presentation in Paris, Mr Jones will undertake something of a Twitter-fest.

The Twitter is called Alfred Dunhill and the page is dunhill_inParis. Enjoy

Dunhill desert boots

Dunhill has a great nack of producing classic pieces very well. They have just released their version of the desert boot - a true summer perennial.

In true Dunhill style it's all in the detail. Soft nubuck leather, neat stitching details, wax cotton laces, Dunhill branding to the tongue and the all-important natural crepe soles.

Evokes daydreams of lazy days by the beach, having arrived by Vespa with a picnic on the back, although considering I already live by the beach, I guess the Vespa bit doesn't really count.

Find them at Dunhill.com in pale stone or navy colourways.

Dunhill cashmere sweater

This is a nice jumper. One of Dunhill's latest offerings, looks a bit like a cashmere sweatshirt, and therefore totally versatile over any number of social scenarios.

Not that I should be looking at crew necks this year - if the fashion press is to be believed I should be taking a pair of scissors to all of them and turning them into V-necks, because the V-neck happens to be in fashion this year.

Perhaps I'm getting on a bit, but the knitwear in my wardrobe consists solely of knitwear in crew necks, cardigans and V-necks. They have all been worn in equal measures and until now I had no idea that one style might actually be more in fashion than another. OK, the oither year cardigans had a bit of a resurgence, but from what I can remember I wore them before then, and guess what? I put one on only the other day.

I believe these items are known as wardrobe staples, or classics. Don't let some fool with a few column inches to fill tell you otherwise. There is no in or out when it comes to knitwear, except maybe fairisle patterns, which look terrible all the time.

And besides, if V-necks are in, that's even more reason to buy a crew neck. So buy the Dunhill jumper.

http://www.dunhill.com/