Belstaff x Rankin photoshoot features Sir Ranulph Fiennes

Photographer Rankin has collaborated with Belstaff to feature the celebrated explorer, Sir Ranulph Fiennes in a photoshoot featuring Belstaff's jackets and boots. Sir Ranulph met stuntman Riley Harper and the two were photographed to embody the spirit of adventure each represents.

The shoot is tagged "Worship The Ground" and some of the images were shot from below a glass floor across which the two models ran and rode Harper's custom 1965 Triumph TR6 Trophy bike. See the video below:

I attended a lecture last year at which Sir Ranulph talked about his life and his recent adventure running the Marathon des Sables on behalf of the charity, Marie Curie - described in his book 'Heat' (available below). Sir Ranulph is a man of supreme courage and humour and it's good to see a brand using an older man of his calibre to advertise its products. More information and links below.

  

• To see and buy from the Belstaff 'Worship the Ground' collection, click here. 
• Buy Heat: Extreme Adventures at the Highest Temperatures on Earth from AmazonUK and support Grey Fox Blog.
• Marie Curie and Sir Ranulph Fiennes, click here.
• All images above by Rankin, click here.

This feature is unsponsored.

Product Roundup: Duke & Dexter, Galvin Bros x Wayside Flower

The Product Roundup series summarises products that have caught my eye but that I've neither seen nor tested or worn for review. Contact details are given for you to investigate further.

Duke & Dexter

Duke & Dexter (above) formal slippers are designed in the UK and handmade in Italy. They are made from many different materials, including linen, velvet, canvas, suede, pony hair and needlepoint. they are designed by Archie Hewlett, a 21 year old designer who surrendered his place at university to follow his dream of starting a new business. Now worn by a host of stars, including Eddie Redmayne, they are sold at Liberty's and over 100 countries. A great success story and one to inspire other young people. Priced from £95, see Duke & Dexter.

Galvin Brothers x Wayside Flower collaboration

Furniture makers, Galvin Brothers of East Yorkshire have produced a new collection of utility wear designed in collaboration with English clothing manufacturer, Wayside Flower. Made in the coastal town of Bridlington, the collection consists of a joiner’s apron, a woodturner’s smock and a draftsman’s roll. The smock also comes in a yellow waxed cotton. Prices £40 to £125. See Galvin Brothers. 

I wrote about the wonderful Wayside Flower some time ago on the blog here. They produce (also in East Yorkshire) outstanding knitwear, outerwear and accessories made in Britain and are well worth a look.

Google's Project Jacquard - wearable technology & Norton & Sons

During London Collections:Men I attended an 'The Ambassadors Project' at Mark's Club held by The Woolmark Company, Pierre Lagrange and The Savile Row Bespoke Association. I met all sorts of interesting people in the tailoring and cloth/wool production world. Among them were a young coat maker, Rachel Smith and Nick Hammond, an under-cutter, both working with Norton & Sons of Savile Row. They told me a fascinating story how they've worked with Google on Project Jacquard to weave interactivity into any fabric using standard industrial looms. The video explains more:

The yarns can be coloured and are indistinguishable from traditional yarns. They are made conductive by combining think metallic alloys with yarns like cotton, polyester or silk. Wearing a garment made from the fabric allow interactivity with phones and other devices by touching the surface of the cloth. Miniaturised electronics are also built into the garment.

Surely the future of clothing manufacture?

See:

Google's Project Jacquard

Norton & Sons

The Woolmark Company 
The Savile Row Bespoke Association

Belts, pocket squares and wallets: three UK and US brands to try

The menswear and accessories business is a busy one. My e-mail inbox is witness to the energy and creativity that drives it. Much of what I hear about is British-designed or manufactured, but I'm often contacted by brands outside the UK. Here are a few, both British and US-made, that I've heard from recently. All have sent me products to review. I've tried them for a while and give a little information about each. 

If you want to see more, please follow me on Instagram where I post images of the products in action, being worn and used by Grey Fox.

Denura Smart Suede Belt Brown

Denura (above) make belts in the UK and have been doing so for other brands for some 30 years. They now market their products in their own right and aim to keep down prices by selling them direct through their website. The belts are beautifully made, with chunky buckles, soft leather or suede and immaculate stitching and construction. With prices from £29.90 and UK-manufactured, these are a steal. Highly recommended; see Denura.

Deji George

Deji George (above) is a brand I've talked about before. Their creative and original silk squares remain among my favourites for the breast pocket. Blending obvious cultural influences with sartorial flair, these are made in England in a variety of colour and patterns of good-quality silk with nicely hand-rolled edges. See with ties and other products at Deji George.

Chester Mox, a small Californian business producing high quality leather goods

Chester Mox (above) is a small Californian company making high quality leather products. Bellanie, the woman behind the company, makes everything herself and she was trained by a former Hermes craftswoman. The leather she uses are the same as those that you'd find at Hermes, Alden, and John Lobb, and everything she makes is hand saddle stitched. I was sent a black box calf compact bi-fold wallet and was impressed by its immaculate stitching and soft leather. See Chester Mox for more information and to buy. Like all good quality leather products, these will look better and better with age (like Grey Fox readers, of course).

Monochrome: checks and texture

I love monochrome checks at the moment, so allow me to indulge in herringbone, dogstooth, houndstooth, puppytooth, Glen check, Prince of Wales check, grey, white, black, charcoal, texture and feel. The skill is wearing them together, but that's another story. Suppliers' details below.

Suppliers (from top left clockwise): Black.co.uk (cashmere scarf), London Undercover (umbrella), Gloverall (jacket), Johnstons of Elgin (cashmere scarf), London Sock Co., Marks & Spencer (knitted silk tie), Age of Reason scarves (pocket square), E Tautz (Glen Check trousers), Portuguese Flannel (shirt).

Menswear reading for 2016: three recently published books

Books are a rich source of inspiration for a man looking for style. Here are three very different books published recently which I'd recommend.

Best of British: The Stories Behind Britain's Iconic Brands by Crompton, Egelnick & Friederichs (above) At a time when British menswear is undergoing increasing international  success, this book celebrates some of the greatest names in British clothing manufacture. Many of them (Lock, James Smith and John Lobb for example) have remained in family ownership for centuries. When I started this blog, I was only dimly aware of the depth of this historic and valuable resource and, in general, our oldest and greatest brands are better known and appreciated outside Britain than they are within our shores.

This book is part of the effort to redress this balance. Simon Crompton is well-known for his blog Permanent Style and his writing captures the passion that underlies many of these brands, whose owners are all too aware of the value of the heritage they safeguard. Needless to say, the quality of what they produce is of the highest. The photographs complement the text, showing machinery ancient and modern, the products they make and those working the machinery with great affection and respect.

Of course, this book is selective and there are others that could have been included, but as a snapshot this book is an important record of the companies featured. Luckily most are seeing an upturn in fortunes as their skills and quality become appreciated around the world. Long may it continue. Buy this book if you have any interest in our great clothing and accessories industries. Published by Prestel. Buy Best of British: The Stories Behind Britain's Iconic Brands.

A life in Fashion: The Wardrobe of Cecil Beaton by Benjamin Wild (above). Cecil Beaton's creativity expressed itself in his sartorial flamboyance and he patronised many of the best tailors, shirtmakers and accessories companies in his search for style. Taking elements from international fashion, he developed his own distinctive look. This book looks in detail at his wardrobe, his choice of clothes and how he used them to emphasise his body shape. He worked closely with his tailors, using their skills to achieve what he was looking for.

As one man's search for style, enhanced by his special theatrical creativity, I found this book fascinating. Beaton's intense sensitivity about his appearance clearly fuelled his constant search for sartorial success. As a detailed account of a man's search for perfection, this is a fascinating book, but it's also a useful outline of menswear history during the twentieth century. Thames & Hudson. Buy A Life in Fashion: The Wardrobe of Cecil Beaton.

The Vintage Fashion Bible by Wayne & Gerardine Hemingway (above) provides a different sort of inspiration, recording men's and women's styles from the 1920s to 1990s. Its design is a retro as its content; it doesn't have any of the modern minimalist appearance of the other books reviewed here, but its crowded look and clashing colours and fonts contain a treasure trove of information.

Written by the founders of the Red or Dead fashion label, the book also offers tips on how to select and buy vintage clothing. Worth a look for the richness of the inspiration it contains. Published by David & Charles. Buy The Vintage Fashion Bible: The style guide to vintage looks 1920s -1990s.

Note: If you choose to buy these books through the links above you will be supporting this blog through Amazon's Associates' Scheme.

London Collections:Men - Autumn/Winter '16

London Collections:Men brought menswear buyers, journalists, fashion retailers, wholesalers and bloggers from around the world to London for four days in January to see what the UK has to offer for AW16. My aim? To look for interesting trends and styles, to further my search for style and to see if the older man is yet being taken seriously as a potential market.

It would be impossible to cover the whole event, especially as a sole blogger, so here is my edit of what interested me as an older man in search of inspiration and style.

Grey Fox at LC:M - image by Jonathan Daniel Pryce. Shoes Oliver Sweeney. Coat/suit Hardy Amies

Conclusions? Colours are muted, with exceptions from brands such as Richard James and Thomas Pink, but monochrome can be brightened with colourful knitwear, ties, shirts and accessories. Checks and stripes remain central themes, roll-neck jumpers are legion, corduroy appeared in several collections, trousers remain generally slim, but E Tautz, Oliver Spencer, Thomas Pink, Topman and Richard James show a further drift towards more relaxed, fuller trouser shapes. I stand by my forecast last year that we will see fuller trousers being worn on the high street within a couple of years (I might be persuaded myself).

A look for AW 2016 from Thomas Pink: relaxed trousers, checks, stripes, monochromes and muted colour

The boundaries between formal and casual continue to blur. The development of more comfortable styles of suiting, with less-structured, more relaxed shapes, means that men feel at ease in a suit. As a result, with the continuing inspiration of workwear, they form a part of collections like Oliver Spencer.

Older models remained surprisingly rare at LC:M, with some exceptions which I'll mention below: well done Oliver Spencer, Turnbull & Asser and Thomas Pink (just) for recognising that style isn't restricted to a man's twenties.

Oliver Spencer AW16

Oliver Spencer's show contained his usual relaxed, casual styles. As he told me when I bumped into him during the weekend, he is blind to age and the nature of the models he uses at his show confirms this. I like his clothes, which are stylish, often made in the UK and not unreasonably priced. See Oliver Spencer

dunhill AW16

Dunhill AW16

Dunhill's show at the Savile Club was the epitome of British style and tailoring, from blazers, pinstripe suiting to leather casual jackets, this is a brand that suits men of style of any age. I'd like to explore this brand further. No older models, though! See dunhill

Thom Sweeney AW16

Thom Sweeney's show was at their ready-made store in Mayfair. The British tailoring theme pursued by so many of the best menswear retailers included corduroy suiting, blazers, tweeds and fine flannel. Young models only. See Thom Sweeney

Private White VC AW16

Private White VC's transition from makers of workwear to more tailored menswear continues apace. A well-balanced mix of casual and formal shows how this very British brand is developing fast. They make in their own factory in Manchester and, as such, we should support them as British manufacturers. Despite the young models, their clothes are for all ages. Private White VC

Turnbull & Asser AW16

Turnbull & Asser AW16

Detail from Turnbull & Asser 2016

Turnbull & Asser was a favourite for me. Another British manufacturer, T&A stand out from what is a crowded tailoring scene by playing with traditional checks, designing sumptuous English silk cloth and displaying sharply cut menswear. As can be seen, they don't see age as a barrier to style and it was good to see grey hairs on some of the models. I'd love to bring you more of this brand this year. Turnbull & Asser

Hardy Amies AW16

Hardy Amies AW16

Hardy Amies is a brand I've worn a bit this year. Their clothes fit me and I like the very contemporary yet classic approach to design. Their prices are fair (they introduced a suit costing under £400 last year). Their show displayed fairly slim-cut but classic shapes. No grey hairs at their presentation. Hardy Amies

E Tautz

E Tautz. Readers will know my admiration for what Patrick Grant is doing with this brand. Using largely British manufacturing and cloths (including cashmere and checks from Johnstons of Elgin), they produce menswear that offers relaxed styles inspired by the mid-twentieth century. Only young models at this, but, as I tried to show in a photoshoot last year, this collection should be aimed at all ages of man. E Tautz

Thomas Pink AW16

Thomas Pink AW16

Thomas Pink AW16

Thomas Pink. Sadly I missed the Thomas Pink show but the images of the collection show cranberry, mustard, turquoise and other blocks of colour framing a collection of texture and shape that is both classic and contemporary. This brand has moved on from shirts and socks and I'd like to bring you more them of this year. One of the brands that showed a few grey hairs. Thomas Pink

Richard James AW16

Richard James AW16

Richard James showed in Savile Row, their spiritual home. While short, the show brought their usual clever use of colour and shape. I'd hoped to bring more of this brand to you last year, but it didn't happen, so perhaps it'll happen this year. As with other brands, corduroy put in an appearance and there was even a glimpse of wider-cut trousers among the slim-fits. No grey hairs here though. Richard James

Gieves & Hawkes

Gieves & Hawkes AW16

Gieves & Hawkes AW16

Gieves & Hawkes AW16

Gieves & Hawkes. A crowded presentation party couldn't hide the variety and quality of the contemporary styles and tailoring on offer from this historic brand. Their design director is about to move on and it will be interesting to see if the present 'design with a twist' approach is continued. Gieves & Hawkes

Paul Smith AW16

Paul Smith. Sir Paul appeared in a small display, the size of his original shop, surrounded by memorabilia of his clothes, of music, cycling and Paul Smith design history. Yes, there was a grey-haired model: Sir Paul himself. Paul Smith

Chester Barrie AW16

Chester Barrie always stand out because of the quality of the tailoring and shapes of their menswear. More cautious than Turnbull & Asser but less main-stream than dunhill, this is yet another brand I'd like to bring you more of as it has much to offer any man of style. No older models that I saw, though. Chester Barrie

Universal Works AW16

I love the casual, layered, comfortable nature of Universal Works' clothes and still remember with a smile our photoshoot last summer when we wore some of their shorts suits for a fun, tongue in cheek feature on older men and shorts. David Keyte is leading the business all over the world and it was good to see another busy and creative presentation at LC:M. See Universal Works.

Johnstons of Elgin opens a store in New Bond Street

Johnstons of Elgin has been one of my favourite brands since I visited their mill in Elgin just over a year ago although I've yet to see their Hawick factory, where their cashmere knitwear is made.

 The Johnstons mill in Elgin

Here is a brand that has quietly been going about its business for over 200 years. Its design and manufacturing expertise is tapped into by some of the largest and most respected fashion houses around the world, something Johnstons doesn't talk about from both modesty and a desire to protect confidentiality of these renowned clients.

Outside the new store in Bond Street

The shop is opened by suitably-clad celebrities

Knowing something about the many pies they have had a finger in makes me proud to have had the chance to work with them on the opening of their new store in New Bond Street, London. Here you can buy their own products, mainly cashmere, made to the high standards that have drawn such attention from around the world. As so often with the best British brands, they are under-appreciated at home, but popular with consumers in the Far East, USA and elsewhere around the globe.

Inside the menswear section of the store

Having a London presence of their own allows British consumers to get to know this wonderful business and their high quality products, many of which I've been able to test out over the last few weeks. Cashmere of such richness and softness that make me wonder why I ever bought that cheap and thin stuff sold cheaply elsewhere, Johnston of Elgin's cashmere is the real thing in terms of quality and durability. Woven into cloth, it makes superb jackets which are a very luxurious and soft alternative to wool.

The herringbone-pattern runner and a cashmere Donegal tweed jacket and cashmere roll neck

Johnstons of Elgin jacket and cashmere cardigan

The shop is beautifully designed, with a 12 metre-long herringbone-pattern runner, as if from a loom, leading you from the door and downstairs to the menswear section. The design takes many elements from the mills in Elgin and Hawick. A large range of coloured knitwear provides a welcome relief from the rather monochrome appearance of many menswear stores in London as greys, soft blues, black and white have dominate the male palette the last few seasons.

Visit the Johnstons of Elgin store at 77, New Bond Street, London, W1S 1RY - see their website.

My visit to the Elgin mill is here.