Good Clobber

Affordable fashion for cost conscience males.

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Jamie Garbutt Photography

Some months ago I stumbled across the work of Jamie Garbutt, a  London-based photographer who looks to British subcultures to create beautiful, retro-inspired portraits.

The 'Mods and Sods' project appeals to me the most, with it's well-staged and immaculately-presented subjects. Check out a few photographs featuring classic Mod looks from the collection below.

Garbutt showcases some other projects on his website, including portraits of a suitably suave 1970's styled man and motor as well as Skinheads on their scooters.

Head over to Jamie Garbutt's website to see the full range of 'Mods and Sods' shots (including women/womenswear) and his other projects.

Thanks to Jamie Garbutt for the images and ModCulture for the heads-up.

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Ben Sherman 'Spirit of Union' Autumn Winter collection

Although here in the UK, we're still enjoying a warm summer, fashion brands are, as always, thinking ahead to the next season and prepping their Autumn and Winter collections. The forthcoming line from long established, Mod-based UK brand Ben Sherman looks to the heritage of northern England for inspiration. The mining communities of mid-century Britain and the people who worked in and around them are the theme for this season

The 20th century trade unionists and the artists who documented them are mentioned in the press releases from Ben Sherman, however it looks as if the collection takes some influence from the work of the Ashington Group; a society of artists from Northumberland that were made up of mostly untrained artistic amateurs who painted life and labour in England during the 1930s, 40s and 50s.

Lots of the items in the collection nod to the utilitarian garb that pitmen and their associated traders would have worn in yesteryear. It's perhaps a bit arrogant to suggest that modern high-end men's street wear should duplicate the clothing that labourers were wearing 50 years ago whilst prospecting for coal in a northern England mine... Which is why Ben Sherman have elegantly referenced these roots, rather than plagiarising them. I've been a fan of the Donkey Jacket (first image in this post) for a long time so its interesting to see somewhat of a re-imagining of this garment from Ben Sherman, with the hope that this will do something to bring the Donkey Jacket back into the mainstream.

Some of the items in the collection include all-over prints, some of which are a little bit wacky for everyday attire; you'd have to be on a peacocking mission to successfully pull these off. The printed patterns used in the garments (depicted below) remind me of paintings by L.S. Lowery, a Lancashire born artist who created images of working life in and around the city of Manchester - so it seems they strike the appropriate tone.

'Spirit of Union' is the moniker for this collection, which seems appropriate as Ben Sherman are keen to highlight that 'the north' was and still is a place of both warmth and community, as well as one of grit and hardship. Themes and ideas like this make up part of our British cultural identity and heritage - values to which Good Clobber is keen to align itself.

No prices are listed in the press materials for this collection but you can check out the Ben Sherman website for loads of information on the collection right here.

When I've got a little more time to commit, I'm keen to look into the art of northern England; The Pitman Painters, The Ashington Group and the work of LS Lowery. It feels like Ben Sherman are doing something original here, or at least hinting at something that I've not seen referenced in menswear before. Watch this space!

Thanks to Ben Sherman for the images.

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Andy Murray's Adidas track top

On Sunday 7th of July 2013, Andy Murray won the Wimbledon men's single Championships. As this is the oldest (and arguably the most prestigious) tennis tournament in the world, this is a big deal for the UK.

I've covered Andy Murray's success and relationship to Fred Perry in a previous post but today, a little less than a week after Murray's history-making performance, I wanted to make mention of a particular piece of his apparel... 

Some of the hype around Murray's final was created by the interesting documentary on BBC One called 'Andy Murray: The Man Behind the Racquet' which was broadcast before the big match. I caught the documentary when it was repeated on the Monday after the final and it included a new closing section where Murray ruminated on his win and chatted to the press about the success. Check out the still from the show above, note Murray's grey Adidas track top. Nice.

As the documentary was airing on Monday night, I noticed a mention on Facebook from the online retailer 80's Casual Classics, purveyor of fine 80s inspired Casual Clobber.

80s Casual Classics pointed us towards the Adidas Court Superstar Track Top in Legend Ink Navy Marl. Check it out in the pictures below. It's a real beauty.

Ivan Lendl is a former no. 1 tennis professional and Andy Murray's current coach. The Adidas track top featured in this post is somewhat of a nod to Ivan Lendl's signature Adidas apparel of yesteryear.

It's a smart top and Murray makes it look good. Wouldn't mind picking up this one myself.

You can find the Adidas Court Superstar Track Top in Legend Ink Navy Marl at 80s Casual Classics for £55.00. Not super cheap by any means but maybe worth splashing out on as a treat.

Thanks to The Daily Mail online, The BBC and 80s Casual Classics for the images.

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The Story of Wellington Boots

This weekend, in the UK, The Glastonbury Festival is taking place. As well as being famous for it's immense size, quality music line-up and spiritual attraction, Glastonbury is known for being muddy... sometimes very muddy. Mercifully, the weather this year has been pretty good; there's been lots of sunshine and not too much mud, so no need for Wellington Boots... 

This got me to thinking; where to Wellington Boots come from? As an essential piece of festival kit, it's probably worth knowing a little bit of context to this perfectly evolved utilitarian footwear.

The Wellington boot originates from Hesse, which can be found in modern-day central Germany and is an adaptation of the ‘Hessian Boot’; footwear that was a standard issue item for military troops in the 18th Century. This low-heeled boot, with a semi-pointed toe was ideal for mounted troops: The shape of the Hessian boot reflected that of a stirrup and therefore the foot of the rider could easily be inserted into the stirrup and held securely in place.

Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington was an Anglo-Irish soldier of the British Army and statesman who lived in the late 18th Century / Early 19th Century. Being a man of society, Wellesley had the means with which to own bespoke clothing and instructed his boot maker, Hoby of St. James’s Street in London, to adapt the Hessian boot in order that it be better suited for contemporary military work and the life of a gentleman. Wellesley asked for the boot to be knee-high at the front (to protect the knee when on horseback), closely fit around the leg and made of a soft, flexible calfskin leather. ‘The Iron Duke’ can be seen wearing the resulting boots in this oil painting  of 1818, by Thomas Lawrence

Also there's a statue of Arthur Wellesley in Leeds. Somebody humorous has given the statue an appropriate defacing.

In the 1850’s the adapted Hessian boot started to gain popularity in Europe and a calf-high version of the boot was presumably nick-named the ‘Wellington Boot’.

Charles Goodyear is generally credited with the inventing the vulcanization process of natural rubber. However, in 1852 Hiram Hutchinson, an American industrialist, met Goodyear and purchased the patent to create vulcanized footwear. Hutchinson founded a company in France under the original name of ‘Compagnie du Caoutchouc Souple’ (Flexible Rubber Company) and later re-named ‘A l’Aigle’, French for ‘to the eagle’, a reference to Hutchinson’s heritage.

In 1853 95% of the French population were working in fields and wearing wooden clogs. As you can imagine, vulcanised rubber boots were a total revelation and soon became very popular. Only four years after its inception the company was manufacturing 14,000 pairs of boots a day. These boots were very similar in style to the Hessian boot as adopted by The Duke of Wellington, giving birth to what we know today as the modern Wellington boot.

With the onset of two World Wars in the early to mid-twentieth century, much of the action was fought in damp, wet, inhospitable conditions. Waterproof footwear was in dire need. Production of wellington boots dramatically increased around the First and Second World War. Supposedly, the waterproof boot was an object of envy by German forces in World War One and were a great aid to the British Army.

When I think of uniforms and military kit, Wellington Boots don't spring to mind. Also, its very difficult to find images of First or Second World War troops wearing Wellington Boots. However, it makes sense; in the boggy conditions of a battlefield Wellingtons would help avoid the infamous Trench Foot. A kind contact (and my good ol' dad) pointed me in the direction of this website, that features First World War allied troops wearing wellington boots. The design doesn't look to have changes all that much in around a hundred years.

Today, 'wellies', 'gumboots' or 'gumbies' are available with an astounding array of variation. One can pick up a pair for less than the price of a meal, or can blow the budget on a pair from a prestigious brand such as the UK's Hunter Boots, which were the brand who supplied The British Army for both World Wars under the original name of North Rubber UK. If you're keen to own a little piece of wet-weather-footwear history and have a considerable chunk of change, Aigle, the company founded by Hutchinson more than a hundred years ago are still producing wellington boots in France.

So if you're heading off to a festival this summer, or perhaps you're on your way back from Glastonbury now; take a moment to consider your wellies. They've been keeping feet like yours warm and dry for a very long time. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Those rubberies need recognition!

Thanks to the below for images and info.

Tommy 1418 and Laura Martin, 36ixty5 Days of Photography, The Clothes Whisperer, Yorkshire Photo Daily, AllPoster.co.uk, janeausten.co.uk, blakeneymanor.com, photoree, The Atlantic, HouseDivided, aeroscripophile, larep.fr, bonsplansmontargis.com, Wikimedia, Hunter Wellingtons, Express Wellies and Leparisien.fr

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I made two more shirts

Previous visitors to this blog will be aware of my recent and growing interest in shirt making. The first shirt I made was a success in that I (re)taught myself how to use a sewing machine, followed a sew pattern and created a garment that actually fitted. However the quality of the first shirt was pretty poor; there were a lot of amateurish mistakes and sewing gaffs that I just didn't have the experience to avoid or foresee.

Since that first shirt I have been determined to make a shirt that meets a high enough standard so that I can wear it to the office. The two shirts in were made by me in the last six months and come pretty close to that goal.

In case you're interested in making your own shirt, the pattern I used and highly recommend, is the Kwik Sew 3883 pattern (available here). It's a really easy pattern to follow as the instructions are printed in colour and the measurements are in metric and imperial.

The white shirt that you can see at the top of this post is the third shirt I have made, it is therefore is the most well-finished. I still have a very long way to go until I reach anything like the standard of shop-bought garments but I'm quite pleased with how it worked out.

I made a few refinements to shirt number three that where simple deviations from the original pattern, one of those was an alternative white shirting cotton on the inside of the cuffs and collar stand.

This shirt has a slimmer fit than the very first shirt: One of the great things about making your own clothes is that you can tailor them to fit nicely, or at least in my case, give it a good try!

In hindsight, shirts number two and three are a little bit long in the body; the tails come down quite low. However, when tucked in, which is generally how I wear shirts to work, this doesn't matter. It's also a fairly easy change that I can make when I have the opportunity in the future.

This blue and white number is the second shirt I produced. I really like the candy stripe pattern but the fabric is not the highest quality: As I'm very much still learning, I opted for cheaper materials to practise on. The fabric for this shirt  it only cost £2 a metre, which is about as cheap shirting cotton gets.

The sleeves in the pattern I was working from are actually a little bit long for my arms. I went a bit maverick with these two shirts and made the sleeves a little bit shorter than the pattern dictates. This just about worked; the cuff still fits but for the next shirt, I think I'll need to do a bit more work to make if flawless.

With both the shirts in this post, I attempted to seal the body and arms with what's called a 'flat felled seam', a seam that is almost always used in shirt construction. Its a relatively easy seam to sew but I still need a lot of practise before I can make it look perfect. Thankfully, for the next shirt, I have a special foot for my sewing machine called a 'felling foot' that will help achieve a superior finish.

Due to a strongly-held preference, both of these shirts have button-down collars. Again, this is not something stipulated in the pattern, however it is a fairly straight-forward change to make the collar to add a bit of a refinement and make a nice shape. It takes a little bit more effort and time to achieve but I think it's well worth it.

So there they are. Shirts number two and three, finished and actually wearable this time! If you're interested in making your own shirts, I highly recommend taking on the challenge; it's certainly not easy or quick (both shirts took between twenty and thirty hours to complete) but it is immensely rewarding and the feeling of walking to work in a shirt you made yourself, from scratch, is like nothing else.

Here's to the next one, shirt number four, which is well under way. Here's a little sneak peek...

Until next time... Practise makes perfect.

Feel free to hit me up with any questions you may have - I'd be interested to hear if anyone is willing to give shirt making a shot!

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What are Breton Stripes?

T-shirts aren't something we generally feature on Good Clobber: Although they form an important part of every-day attire for men the world over, the range and variation of t-shirts available on the market today is so mind bogglingly large that it's just not a subject that's worth covering in any sort of specific detail. Also, t-shirts don't really qualify for the 'smarter-end' of the menswear spectrum, which we're keen to lean towards.

However, something very interesting regarding t-shirts came to my attention this week. Ben Sherman, the long-established Mod inspired British menswear brand, have recently been promoting the availability of their 'Breton Stripe' T-shirts. It's a recognisable garment; a classic crew-necked t-shirt with horizontal dark blue stripes (or 'hoops', as they run around the body).

'Breton Stripes'? What is that? A quick search on-line took me down a very interesting path...

The story of Breton Stripes goes all the way back to March 27 1858, when a law was passed in France to make knitted blue-and-white striped tops part of the regulation uniform for French sailors. Apparently the original Breton Stripes numbered 21; one for each of Napoleon’s victories (although which 21 victories I am unable to find out; presumably Naval sea battles).

The design is also reminiscent of the Flag of Brittany, a region in North West France. The ‘Gwenn-ha-du’, which means white and black in Breton is a flag consisting of nine horizontal stripes that represent the traditional ‘dioceses’ (or regions under the supervision of a Bishop) of Brittany, rather than having any nautical association.

Since 1889 the garment was manufactured by French company Saint James in wool and cotton and is still on sale today. Due to its ease of wear and practicality, the garment soon became popular with dock workers and seafarers in Brittany. The stripes on the shirt also helped in perilous sea rescues; the distinctive block pattern helped distinguish the wearer against the waves.

Inspired by its popularity, French Fashion designer Coco Chanel introduced the design in her nautical collection of 1917. Later, the shirt was associated with the French New Wave cinema movement. Special nod here to Jean Seberg’s sexy starlet look alongside the ridiculously cool Jean-Paul Belmondo in À BOUT DE SOUFFLE (1960).

Lee Marvin, who starred alongside Marlon Brando in 'The Wild One' (1953) wore a Breton-style t-shirt that is said to have influenced a biker in San Francisco named Frank Sadilek, who went on to instigate and become president of the Hell's Angles Motorcycle Club and therefore influence a whole subculture of biker garb.

Earnest Hemingway wore Breton Stripes, as did Pablo Picasso and of course, a reoccurring style icon on this blog, James Dean.

I think the first time I recognised a Breton t-shirt was on Carl Barât, the guitarist and co-frontman of great British band The Libertines. Carl Barât and Pete Dougherty have gone on to do many things since that time but the image of Carl in a Breton t-shirt under a cool leather jacket is seared into my memory.

So, where can you buy a Breton Striped t-shirt from today? There's no shortage of them on the market, with lots of high street retailers and online stores offering Breton Striped, or Breton-inspired tops at affordable prices. How much fidelity these designs have to the original history is questionable, however as Ben Sherman put me on to the interesting heritage behind this simple garment, I should be recommending you check out their Breton Striped t-shirts at the Ben Sherman shop here.

Thanks to the below for info and images

Ben Sherman, Wiki Fashion, Classroom 4 Wiki, Wikipedia, Quba and Co., Jake Davis, The New York Times, ImTheItGirl.com, Wikipedia France, Stage of the Art,  and fdb.cz.

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Bold print shirts from Peter Werth

Showing off is never a good idea. However, balancing a bold pattern with an outfit can often be stiking in an elegant way. The shirts in this post are from Peter Werth, a British brand with some fine sartorial history, and these shirts certainly are bold.

This Haines Red Shirt will help you make a statement. It includes a bluff collar and a placket fly to conceal the buttons. Matched with a dark suit and tie it would serve as a good accent to the overall look. If you stare at it for a little while this pattern sort of makes your eyes go funny. £65 from Peter Werth.

This Radford Navy Shirt is the most expensive of the three featured here, at £80. It has a floral pattern of white on dark blue and on the inside of the placket and collar stand includes a similar pattern with a lighter blue background. It's a clean, sophisticated look that is good fro spring and summer but I find dark shirts are less versatile when matching with trousers or a jumper that shirts based on white.

A tad more subtle that the other two shirts, The Henshall White Polka Dot Shirt includes something I'm always a big fan of; the button down collar. Nice little bit of detail included at the back of the shirt; a Peter Werth signature tab under the collar. However from the looks of it, this shirt doesn't include a two-piece split yoke; a small refinement that helps match the pattern on the yoke with the front pieces. This shirt will set you back £60.

Head over to the Peter Werth website to see more.

Thanks to Peter Werth for the images.

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What is a Blouson?

Here in the UK, the weather is beginning to improve; spring is in the air. With warmer temperatures it’s now not totally essential to layer-up every one goes outside and thoughts are turning to lightweight attire. When doing some research online into springtime jackets, I was reminded of the word ‘blouson’. It’s a term that my dad used a lot when I was younger and I never really understood what a ‘blouson’ was.

So then, what is a ‘blouson’?

The origin of the word 'Blouson' is probably from the French word 'blouse', first recorded in English in 1828... Now, 'blouse' sounds a bit girly to our modern ears, however in history, the word wasn't gender specific: The meaning could come from "workman's or peasant's smock". The derivation may also be from the Provençal dialect words for "wool", blouso or "short wool".

Men working in blouse-like garments in George Stubbs' 1785 painting 'Reapers'.

The Cambridge Dictionary says that a 'Blouson' is a "loose, short jacket that is worn on the upper body and fits tightly around the waist" and in modern parlance, this is what the term has come to mean: A very generic name for a jacket that fits these traits.

Blousons have many references in history; however it was the Second World War that helped form what we now recognise as this classic jacket shape. The ‘Eisenhower Jacket’ and ‘Bombardier Jacket’ or ‘Bomber Jacket’ are notable examples.

Think of it this way: A shirt tucked into your belt line and then pulled out slightly so it sits slightly out and over your waist, this is ‘blousing’. Typically, blousons fit more loosely around the torso than at the waist, where they are gathered or darted.

A firm favourite of this blog is the Harrington Jacket; a lightweight blouson with a soft, buttoned collar that can be raised. 

Generally speaking, a Harrington jacket is gathered at the waist with an elasticated band. The Harrington Jackets featured here are from Baracuta and Ben Sherman – perfect for spring.

Of course, the blouson shape is not restricted to the Harrington Jacket, there are a great many numbers of variations including...

The Letterman or Varsity Jackets

Monkey Jackets

Bomber Jackets

And many types of leather jackets, flying jackets, packaways and much more.

Notable examples of blousons in popular culture are... Ryan Gosling’s shimmering driving jacket from DRIVE.

James Dean's windcheater in REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE.

And Walter White's everyday attire in BREAKING BAD.

If you’re looking for a suitable additional layer for the spring, consider a blouson. As a very versatile piece of attire and with a huge array of choices, you’re sure to find something that works for you.

Thanks to the below for the images.

The Tate Britain, Classic Hollywood Central, UGO, One Mick Jones, Vice,  Emen Fashion, La Redoute, Kitsune, Asos, Baracuta, Fred Perry, Ben Sherman and Peter Werth

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Roamers Suede Desert Boots from Amazon

A lot of the apparel featured on this blog is Mod-inspired. With this in mind, I am almost ashamed to admit that I have never owned a pair of classic suede Desert Boots; a staple footwear choice for Mods. However, the reasoning behind my decision in this is sound; I'm an advocate of long-lasting quality footwear, which is why I tend to exclusively buy leather footwear. Suede is easily ruined by water - making it not an ideal choice for the inclement weather that we experience for the best part of the year here in the UK.

However, I've been on the hunt for a cheap pair of desert suede boots with the thinking that, if they're affordable, it won't matter too much if they eventually get ruined - I can just buy another pair. The first result for 'Desert Boots' in Amazon heralded what I was looking for; classic suede desert boots for less than £30.

These boots are made by a brand called 'Roamers', which admittedly I'd never heard of. The Amazon retailer who sent them to me was 'Shoesbyclair' and cost £22, with a little bit extra for postage.

Within a week, my boots arrived. First impressions where good; they where the right shape and colour and fitted well, however I did avoid taking them out in the rain until they were throughly coated in suede protector spray (costs around £5 from your local cobbler).

The suede upper is soft and flexible; it feels re-enforced in the right places and the stitching is neat and tidy. This type of desert boot has a nice thick crepe sole, which gives you a little more cushioning than other desert boots I've seen, however I did fit my pair with an innersole just to give them a nice snug fit.

There's an important point to make here about the crepe soles. I have previously owned a pair of ebony leather desert boots from Clarks; the apparent originator of the desert boot. I loved this pair of boots but after about six months they were rendered useless, because of the sole:  After quite a lot of use, the sole of the Clarks desert boots wore smooth - it had no grip at all. There were quite a few incidents on wet pavements where I lost footing and almost stacked it! The crepe soles on this pair of boots seem to compensate for this issue; they are ridged and textured to provide some extra grip. Will this work and ensure that the sole doesn't ware away?  Only time will tell.

The boots depicted here are only about a week old and haven't had a great deal of use yet. Suede does ruin easily when wet, so I am expecting them to deteriorate from their box-fresh state in a few months. However, they're so affordable, I won't mind picking up another pair as replacements… Judging by the reviews on Amazon, a lot of customers are employing the same strategy.

So there it is, a cheap pair of desert boots that look and feel good. I try not to promote 'throw-away' fashion and please don't expect these to be the best pair of boots you'll ever own; the price to a small extent does represent the quality, however on the whole I think they're pretty good.

My pair of Desert Boots cost about £22 and are in 'Sand' colour, although you can also find them in brown, black bad blue. Check them out on Amazon here.

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Commercial System of Cutting

To encourage my burgeoning interest in shirtmaking, a kind friend lent me this old Indian book on tailoring...

'Commercial Systems of Cutting' was published in 1981 in Bombay (now Mumbai) and is designed to teach the pattern-making, cutting and fabrication of garments. The instructions are a little bit complex and I have to say that I've not attempted to make anything from the book, however I thought I'd share some images with you as the illustrations are very quaint, retro and charming.

As well as recommending all the equipment and accoutrements that one may need to make a piece of clothing, the book also includes this neat little measuring scale.

As this book was printed in India over twenty-five years ago, most of the garments are rather old-fashioned and a lot of the measurements are in imperial units. However, the practise remains the same.

Notice the specifically India garments such as the Jodhpur Coat and Sherwani (the "national dress of India").

Despite India becoming independent in 1947, there's something rather 'British Empire' about the book.

I love these little menswear illustrations. Despite being slightly 'cartoony', you get a good idea of what your finished garment will look like.

My shirtmaking activities have taken a back seat throughout this cold, dark winter. However, I'm keen to finish off shirt number three. Keep your eyes on the blog and I'll have an update soon.

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Kin by John Lewis

Last month, long established and upmarket British department store, John Lewis, released a new clothing collection from their own creative team. According to Camilla Rowe, a spokesperson for the brand, 'Kin' is "not a seasonally trend-driven brand; it's about modern, stylish pieces that you can get some sort of longevity from." Kin is designed for the whole family; you'll find items for men women and little 'uns - but of course as this is a menswear blog, we'll concentrate on the clobber for gents here.

I found the collection on the shop floor and the clothes caught my eye because of their simple elegance. The rain mack was the first item that I spotted and I was pleasantly surprised by the cost. Encouragingly, the tag line for the collection says it all; "Affordable, well designed, contemporary yet timeless; clothes for everyone."… Without trying to be too much of a sucker for the marketing, this is a unifying ethos that I agree with.

Although designed in Britain, there are hints of scandinavian influence in the collection; lots of paired-down and edited styles create a create an overall subtle look. Tom Saunders from John Lewis, who helped create the brand explains that "the collection maintains a clean sophisticated handwriting throughout".

As well as nice chinos, jackets and suit trousers, the collection also includes some accessories; a canvas gym bag, a rucksack and a tote that looks like a bit of a 'man bag'.

Many of the shirts come in at around the £30 mark and look to be well made. Lots of them include button-down collars and, although the shirt collection includes a few rather 'standard' blue oxford weaves, there are some more interesting ideas such as this printed Foulard shirt; it's not quite polka dot but rather has a red and blue pattern of squares and dots.

I don't yet own anything by Kin, but John Lewis are reliable when it comes to quality and I gave some of the items a good look over; they look the business. Items start from as little as £7 (socks) and range up to around £160 for a suit. Find the full range of over one hundred items (women and children included) at the John Lewis store here.

Just as a little end note, a company called Farrow designed the branding for Kin. Check out the blog piece on their work here.

Thanks to John Lewis and Farrow for the images and to The Telegraph and GQ for the quotes.

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Fred Perry Laurel Wreath Spring / Summer '13 - Graphic Design Influences

This week Fred Perry Laurel Wreath Menswear released their 2013 spring/summer collection. This season the design team looked to the British graphic art movement of the early 1980’s for inspiration. 

The clothes are very nice (reflected by their quite high costs) but the context to their design is actually just as interesting as the items themselves… Here's the background...

Neville Brody left the London College of Printing in 1979 and started working for a small record design agency that was involved with the post-punk music scene. His first piece of work can be seen int he image below; a 10" vinyl and slipcase for a band called The Motors.

Brody then went on to become Art Director of The Face; a British music, fashion and culture magazine which ran from 1980 and sadly closed in May 2004. The Face was an iconic magazine and has since been recognised as such by featuring in exhibitions at London's Design Museum and the V&A Museum. Brody produced some of the most memorably layouts and covers for The Face, you can see them in images below.

This polo shirt from the collection seems to have something in common with Brody's work, albeit a subtle connection. A direct translation of the layout probably wouldn't work too well on a t-shirt.

Malcolm Garrett studied in Manchester in 1976 around the same time as The Sex Pistols and Buzzcocks were rising to prominence. Working with Buzzcocks, Garrett produced posters, record covers and logos for the punk band. Later, Garrett went on to work with Duran Duran, producing the recognisable cover to arguably Duran Duran's biggest hit, Rio amongst other releases. 

I think the below jumper is influenced by Malcolm Garett. Pink and grey is always a good combo. The design isn't an exact reflection of the 80's records, subtle updates make this garment more contemporary.

Peter Saville also studied in Manchester in the 70's and met Tony Wilson, arguably an instigator of the British Punk scene and important figure in the Post Punk and New Wave movements that followed. Wilson was the mind behind Factory Records, it's subsidiary venue The Hacienda and played an important role in the success of the bands Joy Division and New Order. Remember those super famous and very iconic record covers from Joy Division and  New Order (pictured below)? Peter Saville designed those.

Check out the jumper below in comparison to Saville's work. The press release explains that the "industrial dash print and a two colour dot pattern [are] evocative of early computer cards". This could be mirroring Saville's design for the 'Blue Monday' record sleeve from New Order, which mimics a first generation floppy disc.

Finally, Norman McLaren was an experimental filmmaker working throughout the 1940's, 50's and 60's. McLaren is from a different movement to the other influencers in the Laurel Wreath collection but in my mind, he's the most interesting. Check out his work in the excellent six minute video below in which he demonstrates techniques of making sound with images. 

It's a great little film. You can see nods to McLaren's hand drawn sounds in this Colour Pop Card Wallet from Fred Perry.

So, there it is. Some nice clobber from Fred Perry with a very interesting set of influences and context. Today, I learnt something from Fred Perry. I'll finish with this nice British Bomber Jacket in royal blue.

The Spring Summer ’13 Collection from Fred Perry Laurel Wreath Menswear is available online here now. Prices are high because all items are made in the UK.

Thanks to Fred Perry and the following for the images...

nuits sans nuit et quelques jours sans jour, Test Pressing, Simply Marvellous, The Red List, Burning the Ground, Arjo Creative Papers, Hunger TV, arkitip and carlosbela.

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STOKER and Matthew Goode

Last Sunday I got the chance to check out the new indie flick from Fox Searchlight, STOKER, as directed by Park Chan-wook, the mind behind the much renowned 2003 Korean cinema hit OLD BOY.

STOKER is good. It's entertaining, it's sexy, it's classy and most of all impeccably well made. The movie is somewhat of a meticulous study in menswear; it's worth seeing simply for the costumes alone.

The main focus of the film from a menswear perspective is British actor Matthew Goode who plays the main antagonist; Charlie Stoker. Goode is well cast for the role; he's very good looking, has a debonair charm and is suitably creepy. Importantly, he carries the costumes perfectly. In a weird kind of way, he creates a kind of sinister 'M&S model' character!

Key plot points in the story make good use of apparel... A rather violent act with a belt provides a turning point in the story and Mia Wasikowska's character of India wears many pairs of rather boyish saddle shoes throughout the narrative.

Director Park's masterful aesthetics and tight handle on colour are complemented by the carefully considered costumes as designed by styling duo Kurt Swanson and Bart Mueller AKA 'Kurt and Bart'.

In a recent interview for the great site Clothes on Film, Kurt and Bart explained some of their choices made for Charlie Stoker's costumes…

"Many of Charlie’s colours were informed by imagery of the plumage and eye colour of some birds of prey. A lot of those goldy browns into that mustard colour of Charlie’s Bottega Veneta sweater are from some of those images."

Charlie is frighteningly well dressed. I don't want to spoil the story for anyone, so I can't completely explain the context. However, if you've seen the movie you'll understand why Kurt and Bart gave Charlie Stoker an innocent clean-cut look "we approached his clothes almost as if it’s his first day out of prep school."

Of course, just like the movie as a whole, Charlie Stoker has a dark side. Kurt and Bart explain: "We wanted to contrast his darker nature with warm colours and soft textures. Charlie wears a lot of cashmere… blood and cashmere is always a nice combo."

STOKER is out now, catch it in your local picture house.

Thanks to Fox Searchlight for the images.

[goodclobber]

H&M for Brick Lane Bikes

For the spring season, popular high street clothing retailer H&M, have just released a capsule collection designed in partnership with Brick Lane Bikes. Not being an avid cyclist, I was a little impassive towards the news, however on closer inspection of the items, I'm actually quite impressed….

Designed by H&M and tested by Brick Lane Bikes, each piece has all the technical details needed for better cycling, with the versatile city cyclist style that can be worn all day long.The 11 piece collection is available in around 180 stores and on-line now.

The most interesting angle is that small technical details in the garments become part of the look of each piece.

The functional rider jacket from the collection is made from water repellent and breathable material, with ventilation holes under the sleeves, presumably to keep the rider dry (externally) from our capital's inclement weather and dry (internally) from body perspiration; working up a sweat whilst on two wheels. The jacket is cut longer at the back, to keep spray from the back wheel off your bum and inside the jacket there are shoulder straps so that the jacket can be taken off and worn like a backpack; freeing up the arms and allowing the rider space to breath - innovative.

Also in the collection are a pair of functional chinos, the legs of which are cut for slightly bended knees, a reinforced crotch is included (presumably because constant rub and wear from the saddle makes holes in the crotch), and reflective tape seams on the inside leg which are visible when rolled up for extra safety on the roads in low-light conditions.

Brick Lane Bikes tested every piece of apparel to ensure it's fitness for purpose. This is an ethic that we agree with here at Good Clobber; all items reviewed on this site are throughly tested in the context they were designed for. So hats off to H&M and BLB for putting their new clobber through the paces.

I'm yet to get my hands on the clothes but as London is spotted with H&M outlets, I'm sure to have the opportunity soon. Will report back with a reaction.

As it's H&M, the items are reasonably priced. Check out the full collection at the H&M website here.

Thanks to H&M for the pictures.

[goodclobber]

Good haul from TK Maxx

On a recent shopping trip into town I took a quick look into the discount retailer TK Maxx. In the past, I've sort of dismissed TK Maxx because they stock some proper weird stuff; all the stock that brands can't sell through their own outlets. However, I was wrong...

Although it is true that most of the items in TK Maxx are in large or extra large sizes and you'll need to spend some considerable time in the shop going through everything that's on offer, there are some good bargains to be found. Check out the image above, all of these shirts and jumpers, from two of our favourite brands, Baracuta and Ben Sherman where only £20 each!

Often, I feel that I own enough blue shirts. But what the hell - it's Baracuta and it's only £20 - why not?!

I think it's likely that a lot of the discounted items from big brands such as Baracuta and Ben Sherman are from last season but I can't imagine this is a negative for most customers.

I own quite a lot of Baracuta shirts now and the best feature a two-colour embroidered branding logo.

Nice little bits of detail on the Baracuta shirts; a little fabric tab on the felled seam where the front and the back meet at the bottom.

And here we have two cotton crew neck jumpers from Baracuta. The green is actually a much more appealing colour than this - the camera doesn't quite do it justice.

Two-colour embroidered branding again. These jumpers are great for the office.

Both of the Ben Sherman shirts feature lovely button-down collars and alternative fabric on the inside of the collar stand.

Again, these shirts were selling for the discount price of £20 each.

Nice details on the cuffs. This type of cuff is called a 'mitre cuff' - it's one feature that helps identify a well designed shirt.

If you don't have a brand of TK Maxx in your local store, it's probably worth checking out their website. You may find some good items listed there and it'll save you having to rummage through everything that they have on hangers in store. However, be warned - they turn over stock quickly; if you see something you like, it's worth grabbing it while it's there.

Find the TK Maxx website here.

[goodclobber]

Skyfall and Tab Collars

Generally speaking, I'm not a huge James Bond fan but SKYFALL is worth mentioning: Not only is it the biggest British film of all time, it's actually rather good. Around the time of it's theatrical release the media was awash with excessive Bond praise, so I decided not to cover it. However, Skyfall has played quite a significant role in my life in recent weeks because of what I do for a living. The movie is available on Blu-ray and DVD from today (here in the UK).

When I started writing this article, I was going to focus on the Tom Ford suits in general but in researching around the costumes I found out something much more interesting...

There was something I found intriguing about Bond's shirt collars in the movie: When you come to watch it, notice how perfectly shaped his collars always are. The tips of the collar are always in exactly the right place, regardless of the action

On close inspection of the video you can see that there's a small diamond shape in the point of the collar. At first I thought this could have been created by collar bones - but these are too long and straight to make this shape. Then I thought the collar points are either weighted or pinned down.

However, according to the best online resource for information on this subject, TheSuitsOfJamesBond.com, which is an excellent site, Bond wears a 'tab collar' in Skyfall.

GQ corroborates this fact as well: A shirt with a tab collar is something I'd never heard of before, but stick 'tab collar' into Google and you get an image of Daniel Craig in Skyfall.

The tab collar is an ingenious but very simple idea, illustrated well by the image below from The Cufflinks Shop. The points of the collar are drawn close together a piece of fabric, a 'tab' that is fastened with a button that I think might be attached to the top of the placket. This is what creates a nice neat finish to the collar that's hidden by and elevates the tie knot.

I've never actually seen a tab collar up close so I can't confirm that the small diamond shapes that are present in the magnified image above are caused by the tab, but I think it's very likely. The diamond shape could be the stitching between the tab fabric and the underside of the collar.

In fact, you can actually by the white Tom Ford shirts that Bond wears in the movie. They're available from Selfridges for the pricely sum of £310 each!

This little detail might seem insignificant, but to me, it's exciting. A lot has been written about Jame Bond's attire and there's not too much new to say about it... This is new. Skyfall is the first Bond movie in which the British spy wears shirts with tabbed collars.

I'm also quite pleased that the niggling feeling about those collars paid off: Almost by accident, I found out that there was a clever little secret hidden away that helps make James Bond look impeccable. Here's a nice pic of Bond in the National Gallery to finish.

Skyfall is available on Blu-ray and DVD now.

Thanks to MGM, Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures and Fox Home Entertainment for the images.

[goodclobber]

Onitsuka Tiger Mexico '66 Trainers

For a long time I've been interested in garnering myself a pair of Onitsuka Tiger trainers. In the recent January sales I managed to score myself a pair of classic Mexico '66 Onitsuka Trainers for the absolute bargain price of only £30.

It's been a long time since we've had a review on Good Clobber, so it's high time we revisited this feature. So here it is, my review of the Onitsuka Tiger Mexico '66 shoes.

First up, let's have a very quick look at the history of Onitsuka Shoes: The company, founded in 1949 by former military officer Kihachiro Onitsuka is one of the oldest shoe companies in Japan. Onitsuka made history by introducing a basketball shoe with suction cups on the sole to improve grip; a feature which apparently found it's genesis when Onitsuka was trying to prise a piece of squid tentacle from the bottom of a bowl.

In 1977 the company was having great success and merged with two other sports apparel manufacturers to become the ASICS Corporation. Despite the name change, the range vintage of shoes are still sold under the name Onitsuka Tiger. This particular style of shoe was originally called the 'Limber Leather' but is now called 'Mexico 66', a homage to the Japanese pre-olympic trials for the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico.

So let's take a look at the shoe. It's easy to see why they're popular; they have a sleek and subtle style, they're not obviously 'shouty' and yet they are easily recognisable, mainly because of the classic ASICS stripes on the side. This shape a style has been copied many times but never bettered.

Lightweight and well cushioned, these trainers are comfortable. The leather and suede upper is very flexible and so far they have held a good shape. I wouldn't recommend them for anything more than everyday use; these aren't shoes that were made for athletics or outdoor sport. I take a UK size 8 shoe and they fit fine, although I did add an innersole to this pair - just to make them a nice snug fit.

They tend to make your socks ride up around the heel. It's a strange thing and I've never experienced this before in a pair of trainers. I think it may be something to do with the suede tab at the back - or it could just be the socks that I wear. Strange.

Also, be warned; the toes and some of the upper of these shoes are partly made of suede, a material that can look a little worse for wear if it gets wet or dirty. I'd recommend purchasing a suede spray and a good suede brush to keep them looking as new as possible.

This particular pair of shoes are in a grey / red colour way, which is why I think they were on sale - however there are many, many variations available and I don't think this colour combination are the most popular. I picked up my pair in the sale at the UK high street shop Republic but you can find them in loads of shoe retailers.

I'd recommend these shoes. They look great, they're comfy and so far they've held up well. I dare say I'll be picking up another pair later in the year - keep your eyes open for sale prices.

Check out the official Onitsuka Tiger website here.