Take my picture: the street style snapper phenomenon

Fascinating little film from Garagemag here examining the phenomenon of the street style photographer and how the fashion weeks are now swarming with them.

Fashion journalist Tim Blanks, recalls the days before blogs when there were barely even any press at the shows, and compares it to the present day and now it admits that it has all become too much.

"I found it charming and that for so many people to have this level of enthusiasm it must be good for the industry and then this season I just though 'oh enough.'

In the words of early style blogger and photographer Phil Oh, "now it has become like trench warfare."

Even the subjects themselves are getting wise to the style blogger, and seek out exposure, dressing specifically for the bloggers, or  "peacocking," as it has become known.

If that wasn't bizarre enough, it has got to the stage when bloggers are taking photos of each other, "which I find endlessly amusing," says Tim Blanks.

The irony is not lost, that's for sure.

http://garagemag.com/

Nick Sullivan: The way I dress

I like Nick Sullivan. When he was at GQ around 2001, he commissioned me to write a feature on trainers. I have always been very thankful for that. Shortly after that he disappeared, and I had no idea where he went. I did wonder if it was something to do with the feature.

It looks as if he went to America, or at least that's where he is now, as fashion editor of Esquire. This little film of him getting ready to go out is full of insights into Nick's style preferences, some of which, such as "no tie clips," I wholeheartedly endorse. Others, such as "no hoodies" I would have to disagree with. There are some very nice hoodies out there, after all.

Nick's style is very much the smart man-about-town. Structured jackets and brogues, that kind of thing. It's a look he is comfortable with, and that is the key to style of any preference.

Passion of the Craft: this is the way

There are those who follow and those who show the way - and I have always had an overriding desire to find out what makes the latter tick.

Enter Passion of the Craft - a ten-part series of videos focusing on those who influence the culture of today, and the way they go about it. The series features some invaluable nuggets of wisdom from the likes of Brendon Babenzien of Supreme, Vashtie, and Rob of Alife.

You never know, we might learn a thing or two. 

Passion Of The Craft  [Trailer] from THIS IS BANDIT on Vimeo.

Tommy Ton street snaps: focus on Visvim

Virgil boots

Tommy Ton is well known among the readership of GQ.com for his reportage shots of the fashion shows across the globe. He also seems to be quite fond of Visvim by all accounts, or to be more precise, his subjects are.

Grizzly moc

Answers on a postcard please

Canoe moc

Gabo

Navajo blazer (I think)

Yucca moc folk

More Tommy Ton street style here

The influencers: they're in your head

INFLUENCERS FULL VERSION from R+I creative on Vimeo.
Just like something out of some sixties secret agent series, the influencers get inside your mind. They plant seeds and make you think the decisions you are making are actually yours.

Over the years the art of influencing, putting people on things, creating trends, has become big business. Which it would, seeing as we are all influenced in one way or another every day of our lives. From the coffee we drink to the shirts we wear.

This little film looks at what all this actually means. It has been put together with some of the leading tastemakers in New York, and goes some way to explaining why you just dropped a monkey on those new kicks.

Give yourself 15 minutes to watch it.

"Ideas and products and messages and behaviours spread just like viruses."
Malcolm Gladwell

Via sartoriallyinclined

Suit Supply Shameless ad campaign: distracting

I don't know if Suit Supply actually makes decent suits, and to be honest after this I'm none the wiser.

But they do know how to shoot an ad campaign, with some Dutch flair.

Apparently Facebook demanded Suit Supply remove these shots from their page because they were deemed offensive, which I suppose is as good an example of the sexual divide of certain cultures as you're going to get. I can just imagine a whole swathe of middle America choking on its Pop Tarts this morning.

But will it sell the suits? Probably not. After all, who's looking at them?

The North Face Purple Label Gore Tex trenchcoat: somebody shoot me

I really ought to be careful of what I wish for. Some time ago, around the time I was daydreaming about creating my own clothing label or something similar, I remember posting on this very blog of my desire for a trenchcoat made of Gore Tex, and my amazement that no one had thought to produce one.

In my rose-tinted daydream I imagined a brand of integrity to pick up the baton, someone of the likes of Visvim, or Albam, even Dunhill. Someone who could do the piece justice.

My call has been answered, by the North Face.

You wouldn't see anything by the North Face in my wardrobe, but that's mainly because they produce garments in the volumes that Bic produces pens. But they are quite handy in the manufacture of generic black nylon jackets with no particular shape.
And they've done some stuff with Supreme.

This doesn't mean they can produce a trench. Old it might be, but the cut of the trenchcoat has undergone many subtle variations in its time and to do it well is akin to gourmet bangers and mash - it might seem pretty basic but the proof is in the flavour.

This does not look like a tasty bangers and mash. This isn't even Wall's microwave sausages and smash. This would make the designer of those first Aquascutum Great War officer-issue coats turn in his grave.

This is sacrilege. I truly wish I'd never mentioned a Gore Tex trenchcoat.

Shapeless, hanging in all the wrong places, too long, and if I'm not mistaken devoid of that classic trench feature, the gunflap to the shoulder, fer chrissakes.

Before you turn around and tell me you actually like this, just have a flick on Burberry.com and see how it should be done.

White Mountaineering: climbing up the outerwear hit parade

For a brief moment last week I did wonder if White Mountaineering might rival Visvim for my outerwear affections this winter. Until I found that Moncler V jacket I was telling you about.

All the same, I reckon this could be the most promising brand to come out of Japan for a good few years. Nice understated lines, muted colours, thoughtful details and that underlying utility element that will ensure that you are bound to favour it above other, less weather-friendly, options.

Then there is the availability. I can actually only think of The Glade as I write, which makes White Mountaineering even harder to find than you-know-what.

If you wanted more convincing, here is a look at this winter's down jacket.

Just look at the pockets. One for every day of the week.

You can find White Mountaineering at The Glade

Via Freshness

Selectism and David Fischer: Vorsprung Durch Technique (or something like that)

I think Selectism might have been one of the first decent blogs I became aware of. There isn't a lot to it - straight forward info on new clothing and style developments, but it's presented in a manner that implies organisation and co-ordination.

No surprise that it comes out of Berlin, really. Can you think of anything that's come out of Germany that isn't efficient? Just look at Audi.

And that's what I want from a style blog - straight forward, no nonsense German reliability. Informative and delivered to my inbox before I wake up.

So it was nice to discover that the success of Selectism and its bedfellow Highsnobiety is down to quite a nice chap called David Fischer, who has developed the blog into a complete retail operation.

Such a success is it that Gant has made a film about David as part of its promotion of its Michael Bastion designed collection.

It gives me a kind of hope for the future of Openzedoor. Although the reliability side might require a little German engineering.

Acronym FW10 lookbook: Back in black

You know autumn has really arrived when Acronym roll out their collection for the year.

They don't really tend to push the boat out as far as variety is concerned - in fact to the undiscerning eye, this collection would look pretty much the same as those which have gone before it.

But that's the whole point. This is stuff that transcends fashion or fads, manufactured from materials which are supposed to look either forever new, or will wear in so subtly that they will take on a character all of their own.

Which is a god thing, because the price of Acronym has gone through the roof over the past few years. My version of the SS-J7C 3XDRY Softshell Contour Jacket circa 2005 cost me £369 I'm sure. This year it will set you back €660, which even taking exchange rates and inflation into account it quite a mark up.

It's a good job it lasts.



This year's Acronym collection is available now at The Glade

Wall Street 2: Money can't buy you taste

They seem to dress quite well on Wall Street, if Oliver Stone's sequel is anything to go by.

It's all Gucci loafers, Hermes ties and Bulgari rocks. A far cry from my experience of the shopping habits of investment bankers in London. They might splash out a couple of quid on a pair of shoes, but they are more likely to be John Lobb than Gucci, and when it comes to work suits, "what's wrong with M&S?" as my pal Jamo recently exclaimed.

Not quite the exhibition in extravagence you might expect, but then this lot tend to be more reserved in the sartorial department than you think.

They take care with the money they've got. Wearing it, with the exception of a decent Rolex or Panerai, is tantamount to burning it as far as they are concerned.

Why spend it on clothes when it could be spent on holidays, and massive houses, the wife and kids and that Maserati Quatroporte? Not forgetting the pension plan. Who really wants to work past 50 when you're doing 12 hour days?

So we have a financial sector populated by a lot of people with the money but no inclination to dress as well as they could.

So Wall Street 2's designer Ellen Mirojnick got it right with Shia La Beouf in the Central Park scene, when he rocks up in a leather bomber, slacks and loafers, looking like a doorman who has just finished his shift.

Mind you, the suits still look sharp.

Michael Douglas takes Gordon Gekko to the country a little later on in the film with a nice line in subtle plaid sports jackets and there's a whiff of Mad Men in Shia's skinny tonic suits.

Ms Mirojnick, had the suits made by a tailor called Leonard Logsdail in New York. The shirts were made at Anto Beverley Hills, and yes there is a thought process behind the variety of collar designs.

You can read the full interview with Ellen Mirojnick here

The week's randoms

Here's a few shots I found this week that I couldn't think of anything to write about, put together in some sort of a flow.