Fausto Coppi - Il Campionissimo - champion of style and cycling

There are some men who have a natural gift for looking stylish, whether they're involved in sweaty sport or wearing a suit and tie. One such was Fausto Coppi, the Italian (naturally) cycling campionissimo. World champion, winner of the Giro d'Italia five times and Tour de France twice, he reigned from the forties to fifties, until his untimely and sad death from malaria in 1960 as he tried to extend his ailing career by racing in Burkina Faso.

On or off his bike he looked cool and stylish,a s these photos show. I suppose it's that natural self-confidence linked to the grace of a natural athlete that gave him an edge here - no doubt being Italian helped as well!

And here with his brother, Serse, who sadly died in a cycling accident.

Mixing patterns - check on check - take care

Mixing patterns, such as wearing different checks alongside each other, has to be done with care. I've admired the way some men manage to do this without looking as though they've thrown on whatever lay to hand when they got up in the morning. What are the secrets that enable different patterns to be worn together successfully?

One of the masters of the art is Nick Wooster who is often photographed by the Sartorialist and other fashion blogger-photographers. See how he successfully mixes patterns here in a way that is actually so conventional that it's difficult to analyse why it has such visual impact. Maybe it's the total confidence he brings to his clothes and of course their cut and style.

Normally a man would be very careful about wearing such a mix of tweedy patterns, herringbone, Prince of Wales and other checks. But look at the second picture - what do you notice about the colours and textures that Wooster has chosen? Subtly different shades of grey of similar textures bring together what could otherwise be a jumble of clashing patterns .

I haven't yet been bold enough to wear patterns in this way, but it's on the to do list as the search for style continues. One trick I'm learning is to see how others do it and then decide what works for me. Have a look at the pictures below, do they work for you? What makes them successful or not?

Sir Paul Smith looks at the London 2012 Velodrome

Last week I was lucky enough to have a ticket to see part of the London Prepares World Cup cycling event at the new London 2012 Olympics velodrome. It's a stunning and beautiful structure, as designer Sir Paul Smith, a long-term cycling fan and mid-life man of style, tells us here -

 

A Shed of One's Own - another look at men's mid-life style

I picked up a copy of A Shed of One's Own - Midlife without the Crisis in Watertones (note they no longer use an apostrophe - so much for literacy). It's a light-hearted look at the ups and downs of men's middle age and is an enjoyable read.

 Here, for example, is what he says about cycling, a topic close to my heart -

When you next see your cyclist friends, they have lost all their excess weight and become sinewy and weather-beaten.....Dedicated cyclists don't do small talk any more....They..go to bike shops and salivate over an unusually sleek carbon frame. Out in the garage they keep a small stash of dog-eared bike magazines. They wear lycra without embarrassment. They are lost to the world.

In relation to men's mid-life style, Berkmann describes the relaxation of the middle aged dress code which once saw men dressing quite formally, even at weekends. He sees men continuing to wear younger styles because, "we see ourselves as we once were, and sometimes rather better than we once were." This has led to men wearing clothes quite inappropriate to their mid-life status. He drives home his point - "Skinny jeans: absolutely not. And especially not with gleaming new boxfresh trainers."

Hear hear!

Rediscovering the overshirt - a garment for all seasons

Recently rummaging around in my drawers I rediscovered a tartan overshirt I bought many years ago in a climbing shop in Wales. It's labelled Gelert, who still supply outdoor gear here. It's turned out ot be a very useful garment, doubling as a jacket and jumper and often worn, layered up, on the coldest days outdoors. Often overshirts are made of wool, fleece, thick padded cotton so they take the place of lightweight jackets.

Have a look at Selfridges, Folk, Asos for a selection of men's overshirts.

Here are a few other ways of wearing overshirts -

Photo Asos

Photo Eight-in-Hand

Photo Eight-in-Hand

Photo Mr Mort

Photo The Sartorialist

And here I am recently wearing a Rohan overshirt -

Photo Grey Fox

Middle aged men and the pleasure of owning beautiful objects

Men of whatever age love well-made objects. Most of us with an interest in style will want to own something of beauty or an object into which care and craftsmanship has been invested - a watch with an in-house movement, a classic camera built to last, a custom-made bicycle, an original work of art, a bespoke suit/ shirt/ pair of shoes, a precious antique. With many of us this interest will become a drive to collect - I discussed this in passing in my last post about military watches.

Once you've handled a pre-digital Leica, for example, you're hooked by the solid metal body, the snick of the shutter which just exudes mechanical engineering quality and the pin sharp images - as a result you want to expand your collection of lenses. It's the same with other things - cars that have engines you can tinker with and don't have to be repaired by mechanics with degrees in computer science, steel-framed racing cycles with smooth shifting Italian gear systems, bespoke jackets with a flattering fit and details like hand-stitching and opening cuff buttons.

Photo Grey Fox

A common theme is that these items will last, the camera won't stop working after the first shower of rain, the buttons won't fall off the jacket after a few weeks' wear and the custom-made bike will feel as if it's doing the pedalling for you. These possession may cost more, but in the long run you save money and the Earth's dwindling resources - it's all about sustainability as well.

Photo courtesy of Ming

The welding on a custom-built titanium Seven Axiom
Photo Grey Fox

Happy Valentine's Day

A very Happy Valentine's Day.

With love from,

Grey Fox

xxxx

Blazers - Mr Porter video

Here's yet another helpful video from Mr Porter about that staple of any man of style's wardrobe, the blazer. Often the term is used loosely nowadays to describe any dark jacket, rather than the traditional navy or yachting-inspired dark blue coat with shiny buttons.

I try to avoid being a fashion policeman, but please don't go for a look designed to make others think you've just stepped off your private yacht. It's a bit sad to have a blazer with a badge on the breast pocket and fake rank stripes round the cuffs (unless you're a real naval officer or an official at the Royal Yacht Squadron). I joke not, there's one leading men's fashion site selling just an abomination as we speak.

Incidentally, I love the word blazer - it's thought to have been named after HMS Blazer, whose crew was rigged out in jaunty blue and white jackets by a proud captain in the days before Royal Navy uniforms were standardised. Anyway, blazers have moved on from the shapeless polyester sacks with horrid fake-brass buttons we bought in the eighties. Richard James has some calm and invaluable advice for you here.

Looking to buy a double-breasted jacket on-line - how easy is it?

I want to look at double-breasted jackets again (see my post of a few days ago salivating over Cabourn's tweed DB jacket). I also like the look of these double-breasted jackets shown in The Sartorialist's photos below (worn by the same gentleman, I think).

The Sartorialist

Firstly, look how well they are worn in these photos. They fit well and are made from quality materials. What makes it for me, however, is the lived-in look he brings to the jackets; has he slept in them? He's totally comfortable and shows no self-consciousness at all - that's how to wear clothes successfully (cigarette aside!). I also like the use of layers, scarves and the collared waistcoat or cardigan works well and provides extra insulation on a cold day.

The Sartorialist

What a versatile garment the double breasted blazer can be, worn indoors or out, appropriately layered with waistcoat, sweater or cardigan according to the temperature. They look good with denims, tailored trousers or chinos which, if the jacket is dark grey, black or navy blue, can be almost any colour. 

I thought I'd see if I could find something similar using on-line retailers. I didn't want to spend too much time on the task and probably looked at seven or eight stores - to my disappointment I didn't find much. I came across many pea coats in my search - they are common at the moment - but are for outdoors, so don't have the versatility of a blazer-type jacket which is lighter and has a more tailored fit.

This exercise highlights for me some shortcomings of shopping on-line -
1. the difficulties of firstly finding sellers who may have what you want,
2. finding what you want on the sometimes extensive sites,
3. knowing if the style and fit will suit you. For example, many jackets are now made of satin-finish cotton which I think looks horribly cheap, but it's hard to tell this from the nature of the fabric finish from some sites' pictures.

These problems are usually mitigated by stress-free return policies and pre-paid postage return packets, so you have to take a slight gamble whenever you buy on-line and be prepared for the additional time and frustration if items don't suit you.

Of the sites I looked at, by far the most user-friendly, and the one I wanted to stay on and browse (because of excellent general interest comment and videos) was Mr Porter. This site is welcoming whatever the age of the shopper - as are Hackett, Paul Smith, Ralph Lauren and J.Crew. Sites like Oi Polloi and Topman are geared more to a younger market if you're after something reasonably classic (I really like Topman's Harris Tweed collection, but know from bitter experience that the clothes are generally skinny cut and more suitable for the younger man).

These jackets looked promising and the next step would be to order and try them on! But is it as satisfying an experience as pounding the pavements on a real, as opposed to a virtual, shopping trip?

J.Crew

Paul Smith from Mr Porter

My favourite shoes - Loake Chester brogues

Nearly ten years ago I badly damaged my right foot in a cycling accident (yes, another one). For a long while I thought I would no longer be able to wear my favourite shoes - brogues. I tried a few pairs of mid-priced brogues, but none were comfortable. Eventually I tried a pair of Loake Chester brogues. What attracted me to them was that they are made here in the UK, unlike many other leading brand (and pricey) brogues which are made elsewhere (India for example). The Loakes have turned out to be supremely comfortable, due partly to the supple leather of the tan calf uppers. They are beginning to acquire that patina of age that the best shoes show after a year or more's wear.

See Loake for more information.

Photo Grey Fox

Photo Grey Fox

100 Years of Menswear - inspiration for a trainee man of style

Being on a search for style in middle age it occurred to me that I ought to take a passing interest in men's fashion so I looked to see what books are available to educate me. The result was Cally Blackman's One Hundred Years of Menswear published by Laurence King in 2009. 

Blackman is a fashion historian and her book contains a fascinating selection of photographs, illustrations and commentary tracing the history of menswear since Edwardian times - highly recommended whether you're interested from a historical perspective, or are simply after inspiration.

Note to Sir Paul Smith - if you no longer want the dusky pink needle-cord jeans you're wearing in the last picture, can I buy them from you please (I'm 32 x 32)?

Nigel Cabourn DB tweed jacket - rare classic quality?

I've been looking for a double-breasted blazer or tweed jacket. Here's a Nigel Cabourn 1940s-inspired Harris tweed jacket I'd come across before and admired. Unfortunately it was made in limited numbers and is now out of stock. It would be a bit of an extravagance to own, as I already have a Cabourn Tenzing jacket (reviewed here), but if I could find one in size 48 (38") I'd snap it up - I could just see it worn with my battered jeans, cream roll neck and tan brogues.

The design is so classic, robust and wearable I'm surprised nobody else makes anything quite like this. There are plenty of clone-like pea coats and single-breasted tweed jackets, but the willingness to really explore such classic designs seems to be the preserve of only a few designers like Cabourn. Is that the middle age man in me talking? It may be, because the more I search for a style the more I appreciate classic quality like this.

The search continues - I'd probably sacrifice my Tenzing jacket for it!

Vintage watches 3 - Rolex Explorer - the original Bond watch?

The Rolex Explorer has a distinguished history and is generally reckoned to be the original James Bond Rolex, as described in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. See this link for more information.

In reality, the watch has been used widely by travellers and explorers, as its simple but robust mechanical movement made it ideal for the rough and tumble of adventure. The claim that one was worn by Edmund Hillary to the summit of Everest is probably untrue, although Rolex may have supported the expedition. It's thought that he actually wore a British-made Smiths for the climb, and that company subsequently made several Smiths Everest models to commemorate this (see picture below).

Its classic simplicity and design make the vintage Rolex Explorer a must for a man of style. The company still makes a later version, but it lacks the beauty of the original 1016 and other earlier models.

Grey Fox photo - Rolex Explorer 1016

This picture of Ian Fleming from the National Portrait Gallery in London, shows him wearing his own Rolex Explorer 1016 -

Ian Fleming's Explorer, found and much exhibited recently -

Smiths Everest - Grey Fox photo

Men dressing well - just relax

One thing I'm learning in my search for style in middle age is that if you feel self-conscious in your clothes you won't look relaxed and, as a result, will not look well-dressed. See what I mean here? The artificially posed "I know you're looking at my suit and hair" look.

Relax man!

Below we have examples of  the natural well-dressed look - Steve McQueen,  relaxed, at home in his clothes and self confident. I make no apology for also showing pictures of Prince Charles; look how at home he is in his clothes, even in the ultimate formality and discomfort of military uniform; that's true style (although maybe a minus point for the unbuttoned double-breasted jacket?)

Dress for your personality. Look for classic clothes you feel comfortable in, don't feel you have to dress as a peacock if you don't want to.