The Sartorialist: Closer - Volume II

Regulars here will know that it was The Sartorialist's photos that made me realise that there can be male style  in middle age. Without Scott Schuman's work there would have been no Grey Fox.

I therefore look forward to seeing volume 2, The Sartorialist: Closer. According to The Sartorialist's website there will be separate covers for men and women, at least in the States - it doesn't appear in both forms on Amazon UK, where the book can be pre-ordered. I like the idea of two covers; but will the men buy the cover with the beautifully-dressed woman and the women buy that with the dapper chap in the double-breasted suit, or vice versa?

Also available in an oversize hardback edition limited to 2500 copies, the book is for sale within the next few days in the USA and (I think) a few days later in the UK.

Style influences - John F. Kennedy sailing

These photographs of John F. Kennedy sailing are well-known. I like his natural sense of relaxed style and the combination of white with different shades of blue. Here in the Northern Hemisphere, summer is fading, but there's still time to wear those white or pale khaki chinos, that cornflower blue polo shirt and pale blue Shetland wool jumper if it's cool. Just let the clothes hang as you put them on - there's no need to tuck in your shirt, it'll only come undone as you rush around the foredeck repacking the spinnaker.

White canvas deck shoes are ideal; leather sailing shoes an acceptable alternative. White socks are fine, but a bright blue pair, to match your shirt, the sea and sky, are ideal. Wayfarers or similar sunglasses, with a heavy black or tortoiseshell frame, will keep the sun out of the eyes. Polaroids are best for cutting down the glare from the surface of the sea.

A few pictures

I've been sorting out photos taken over the last few months on my iPhone and thought I'd post a few here. I'm not claiming any merit for these, but it's amazing what a little phone with a cheap plastic lens can produce.

All photos Grey Fox

Gentlemen, we should be proud of our grey hair - why hide it?

Should any man using products to cover grey, silver or white hair be excluded from Grey Fox membership? I wouldn't use them, as I have an  instinctive dislike of fakery, but I appreciate that many will disagree with me. Certain hair colouring products are being sold hard here in the UK at the moment.

We should be proud of our maturity in middle age and beyond. To be otherwise suggests that we are easily  swayed by others' prejudices, and surely we're old enough to be our own men. Are products like these the enemy of Grey Foxes everywhere? What do you think?

Style influences - Franco Minucci

I stumbled across a picture of Franco Minucci of Tie Your Tie in Florence on a Tumblr site. This is the sort of image that inspires in a search for style. Here is a grey-haired gentleman sporting a beautifully-fitting suit and displaying the elements of style that we expect from Italian men. Look at the length of the tie and the buttoning of the jacket - carefully crafted sprezzatura (see here for a definition and more) if ever I saw it.

That suit looks as though it would be as comfortable as a pair of pyjamas (in fact it looks so rumpled he may sleep in it); wearable in both formal and smart casual situations and with almost any style or colour of shoe, shirt and tie. I like the slightly wider lapels, the working cuffs and the turned-up trousers. I'd cut my hair shorter, but then I'm not Italian. Here's a guy with a strong sense of style; take from it whatever appeals to you.

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Grey Fox mentioned in the Huffington Post!

I was delighted to see that Grey Fox has been mentioned in Huffington Post with ten other Fashion over Fifty blogs. I am the only example of the Y chromosome, but there are some classic women's blogs, including Chicatanyage, Style Crone, Mis Papelicos and others. You can read it here.

Thank you Huffington Post!

There are of course many excellent blogs which don't appear - women should try That's Not My Age, men will enjoy Tweedland. Some of my other favourites are listed in my Blog List to the right of this page.

Gentlemen, do you shave your legs?

Well, if you're a cyclist you have every right to do so. If you need to ask why a cyclist should shave his legs, you shouldn't be doing it.

For some time I've been using Rapha chamois cream to (how can I put this delicately?) ease the chafing from long periods in the saddle - and it's very effective. Now you can buy Rapha shaving cream for use not only on the chin, but also on the legs. I haven't tried the shaving cream, but if it's as good as their chamois cream, it'll be worth trying. However, it's worth waiting until your legs are tanned and sinewy before trying this seriously. Both creams are available in the Rapha sale at the time of writing. I may give it a go one day and report back.

In case you're wondering, I have, so far, never been sent anything to review. If I've reported on a product, it's been bought with my own hard-earned cash. 

'Men stop caring about appearance at 37' says survey - oh yes?

This 'survey' has received wide publicity over the last few days. I quote it below in full from ANI's website. The problem with this sort of report is that the press regurgitates a sensational-sounding press release without telling us much about the origin and validity of the 'survey' that forms its basis. How large was the survey, what questions were asked and how, and how valid and representative are the results? We don't know. We are simply told that men are hopeless dressers after 37.

The usual stereotypes were dragged out by the press (Clooney the good dresser, Clarkson the bad) which raises the suspicion that someone is after publicity. Below are the images used to illustrate the Daily Mail's report. The 'survey' was carried out by ISME, an online home shopping catalogue - that may be significant.

Although I can't take this too seriously, I suspect from my own experience that there's an element of truth in the reports. That is why I started this search for style. If accurate, the conclusions may help explain why the fashion world doesn't bother with the older man. But it's a chicken and egg situation. Do men give up as they mature because they can't find suitable clothes among the skater wear and T-shirts? Or is it that they have better things to do, feel it's no longer worth looking for style, or for some other reason?

Read the report below and let me know what you think. Whatever, I feel it's time the fashion industry saw the potential here - and fashion editors could do more to help this process. Older man are a pretty affluent group - come on ladies and gentlemen!

London, August 17 (ANI): The age at which men stop caring about their appearance is 37 years - out go the fashion-conscious outfits of their younger years that are slowly but surely replaced by a uniform of baggy T-shirts and worn-out jeans, a new survey of their significant others has revealed.

In an attempt to slow the fashion decline, nearly two-thirds of women have admitted preventing their partner from buying certain items, while 37 percent buy all their other half's clothes.

Nearly a fifth of women surveyed said their husband's dodgy denim had forced them to take action, with ill-fitting jeans and matching jean/waistcoat combinations the worst offenders.

For another 16 percent, it was their partner's old-fashioned, discoloured and overly tight underwear that drove them to overhaul his wardrobe.

According to the survey conducted by online retailer isme.com, other hated items included Speedos and shocking floral shirts.

However, while many wanted to keep their partners looking fashionable, women were also keen to ensure they dressed their age, with 7 percent saying they had vetoed hoodies and clothing more suited to a boy band member.

The survey of 2,000 women aged over 50 found most would prefer their men to copy the styles of actors such as George Clooney and Hugh Grant - but thought they actually dressed Jeremy Clarkson, Prince Charles and Alan Titchmarsh.

Left to their own devices, the women surveyed thought a quarter of men would avoid clothes shopping altogether.

Of those men that would venture into a store, 26 per cent would only buy new clothes when theirs had worn through and 24 per cent would make a beeline for the cheapest item, whatever the style or fit, the women said. (ANI)

Revisiting the blue and brown colour combination

Some time ago I wrote a post (here) about the combination of blue and brown. The Sartorialist has just published this photograph, taken in London, which shows how successful a combination thsi can be - here in the brown knitted tie and blue suit.

Try unusual combinations before you reject them; they may unexpectedly be successful. Here the effect is set off by a muted-pink pocket square. Business gent with a twist!

And at popular request - if this colour combination is good enough for the King of Cool (in Bullitt) it's good enough for me.....

Why Grey Fox and not Silver Fox?

I've been asked why this blog isn't called Silver Fox (defined as an attractive older man), so I thought I'd offer an explanation.

Here is an excellent reason for not calling this blog Silver Fox!

Here are a few reasons -

1. When conceiving the idea of a blog I heard a young woman describe an older man as a silver fox and this formed the basis of the name. I felt, however, that the term sometimes has predatory connotations; Terry Thomas leering at some gorgeous young girl - "helleeeeww". He is a bit of a bounder, cad and scoundrel. I continued my search for a name.
2. I am in my fifties and my hair is greying, rather than completely silver.
3. Someone pointed out that the word 'grey' can mean boring or lifeless. I was aware of this, but felt that I would use the word with an ironic sense - grey foxes need not be uninteresting.
4. A silver fox is, by definition, attractive. A grey fox is generally smartly-dressed and stylish, but not necessarily conventionally good-looking.

And, no, the name's got nothing to do with Fifty Shades of Grey. I hadn't even heard of the book when I arrived at a name.

Terry Thomas (left) in School for Scoundrels. The ultimate silver fox and cad.

Of course, the spelling of the word 'grey' marks this blog out as British, rather than US, where the word would be spelled 'gray'. With access to UK and US English an everyday occurrence on the Web, I felt this was no problem - and, after all, I am British. I didn't anticipate, incidentally, that I would welcome so many readers from the USA.

So, there you are.

Nigel Cabourn SS2013 - interview

This interview of Nigel Cabourn at Pitti was published by Helmstyle last month. Cabourn introduces his SS2013 collection. You may feel you'd need to be a bold older man to wear some of his designs, but I really admire Cabourn's use of traditional fabrics and manufacturers and the quality and detail of his work. There is much to influence us here in our search for style.

Style for the older man - some Grey Fox ideas and influences

I started this blog to record influences in my search for style as a middle aged man. Most fashion houses market their clothes at the younger man - look at the age of the models in their publicity shots, lookbooks etc. I believe this is misguided. It misses a large market which has a significant disposable income.

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The fashion world seems to be driven by its creators (who are generally young) rather than by the accountants. This may in some ways be a good thing, but it means that anyone over 40 is ignored. We don't (if we have any sense of taste or style) want to be wearing skate wear and low-slung jeans; that can seem as if we are reluctant to let go of the vestiges of a lost youth. Far better to accept who you are and dress accordingly.

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So we older men need to search further for our clothes. There are no Hollisters, Abercrombie and Fitches, Zaras, etc for us and we have to look at suppliers of more classic styles to find what we need - I've identified a few of these in previous posts. This means we can express our individuality, as we are not dictated to in the way that the young are in making fashion choices.

In this post I've put together a few pictures showing what I consider to be successful attempts at middle age or older style or showing garments that would work on older men. Of course, the choice reflects my tastes and may not be yours. I realise that many of the photos show blazers - for me the jacket is an adaptable basic for formal or casual wear.

Dressing with style is about developing your own taste and self-confidence through trial and error. You should experiment to decide what suits you - try classics to start with while you build confidence, but don't be dictated to. 

A Neapolitan Dream

Masculine Style

The Sartorialist

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The Sartorialist

The Sartorialist

The Sartorialist

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Where is the Cool?

Jimmy Choo - Stepping Out with Mr Porter - video

Here's a nice video produced by Mr Porter in collaboration with Jimmy Choo, tracking the day of a well-shod gent in London - enjoy it!

A reader asks - what are the options for the man of style on a budget?

Many thanks to Mal Jones who asked me to write something for the grey fox on a budget. I don't spend a lot on my clothes (that may be obvious from the odd photo posted on the blog!) and there are a number of ways in which you can keep the costs of style in control.

Take full advantage when quality retailers have sales.

Buying cheap clothes is unlikely to represent an overall saving. How long do those budget chain store shirts really last? Do you really like them? Do they wash well? Do they fit well? Probably not. If so, you will wear them for a very short while before throwing them away - or they will linger unworn in the wardrobe. Where's the financial saving there? So, buy as good quality as you can afford. Better clothes will fit better, last better, wash better and look better. You will enjoy wearing them more, so will need fewer overall. This has been my experience since I started my search for style in middle age.

A few more ideas -

1. Wait for the sales and buy the best quality you can afford. Who cares if they are last year's designs?
2. Learn what to look for in better-made clothes. It's very difficult to define a well-made garment as materials, construction and purpose vary so much. Feel the material, does it crush, is it soft and comfortable, does it feel insubstantial, does it have that unidentifiable feel of quality? Are the seams properly sown, do they come apart under pressure? While not a foolproof guarantee, the better the name on the label the higher the quality will be.
3. Try the garment on. Does it feel comfortable? Does it fit well? How does it fit as you move? If you buy on-line be sure that you are prepared to return something that doesn't fit and  make sure that the shop has a fair and easy return policy and process (see Boden and Mr Porter for excellent examples.)
4. What have you got that you will wear the garment with? Don't waste money on something you'll never wear again as it doesn't go with the rest of your wardrobe.
5. Try buying vintage for style and individuality at a fair price. See my efforts elsewhere in this blog. If a garment doesn't quite fit be prepared to have it altered by a good tailor.
6. Periodically have a good clear-out of your wardrobe, you may find a long-forgotten treasure you can revive.
7. Clean and maintain clothes well - they will feel, look, last and smell better.

I'm not going to recommend particular manufacturers and suppliers as I think that, in general, you get what you pay for on the high street. Shop around and apply the ideas above and you should end up with an economical but good quality wardrobe of fewer clothes that you will wear regularly.

Vintage brogues eBay £25

Harris tweed jacket (part of a suit) eBay

Hornets vintage, Kensington, London

Hornets vintage, Kensington, London

Hornets vintage