Fashion horrors for the older man

How can the middle-aged man avoid those fashion horrors that haunt him as the grey hairs gather? Here are a few thoughts after less than a year's search for style in middle age.

1. Avoid wearing anything that you think will make you look younger. It won't. No T-shirts with rock band logos, no cowboy boots (unless, of course, you're a real cowboy), no skinny-fit jeans.
2. Don't try too hard; above all, don't wear brogues without socks.
3. Don't try to hide those grey hairs. You run the real risk that it will be obvious and you will then be seen as the sad sort who cannot accept ageing with dignity.
4. Don't ask your children for style advice (particularly daughters). The wounding sarcasm will only hurt you. (To be fair, I haven't had this from my daughter.)
5. Stick with classics, but give them a twist with bright colours and accessories such as pocket squares and scarves.
6. Avoid artificially distressed or aged clothes and accessories  You will be living a lie. Wear them out yourself and then continue to wear them.
7. Don't allow yourself to give up on the search for style. The fashion industry may not be interested in you, but there are plenty of great clothes and accessories out there for you.
8. Don't leer at younger women; but do admire older women - they will tell you if they don't like it.
9. Take pride in your age once you reach your forties and older. You are now a grown man!
10. Always ignore bloggers who write articles like this telling you what to do.

Archie Foal - quality British clothes for men

Here's another retailer of British-made clothing that I came across at Best of Britannia. I was impressed by the quality of the knits and the fit of the new British Millerain waxed cotton jacket. If you're a grey fox, don't be put off by the youth-orientated advertising; this is classic stuff that looks good whatever age you are.

It's good to see that knitwear classic, the Guernsey, revived. Every yachtsman used to wear these and I remember a voyage to the Channel Islands during which I stocked up on the real thing. These too are actually knitted in Guernsey. Other sweaters come in a range of patterns and colours; all made in GB, and using fine wools such as merino, cashmere and yak. I coveted the red Oskar cable-knit merino crew-neck sweater, pictured below - there's a real gap in my wardrobe for brightly coloured knitwear.

The waxed cotton Ansgar Biker Field jacket is made in London. As the name suggests, its style is influenced by the shape of both biker and field jackets, a mix it achieves extremely well. There is also a good range of socks in boot, regular and shooting (for breeches) lengths.

For more information see the website here. As usual, I've chosen some of the items I would go for.

Schofield - wristwatches designed in Britain

A good classic watch is essential in any search for style. Regulars here will have guessed that I'm a wristwatch enthusiast. So, while at the Best of Britannia exhibition early in October, I was delighted to find a British watch designer. Giles Ellis is the enthusiastic founder and owner of Schofield Watch Company. Such was his love of watches that he founded a business to design a timepiece he would himself wear.

Talking to him, it was clear that he was motivated to produce a watch of the highest quality  As with any successful design, the devil is in the detail - the smallest elements of the watch have been thought out with the greatest care. The watch is based on very British elements - influenced by the design of lighthouses of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

The watch is, at 44mm, slightly larger than I would normally wear, but having tried it, I would revise this view. The case is large and chunky, but so intelligently made, curved, angled and proportioned that it looked fine, even on my slim wrist. The GMT function enables you to keep time in another time zone without having to adjust the watch. There is also a power reserve indicator. The movement is a high quality Soprod Swiss automatic, beautifully finished (but the owner will never see this).

Everything about the watch and the accompanying accessories is beautifully presented. To continue the British theme, some of the straps are made from British materials - Moon Mills tweed, British Millerain waxed cotton and, to come, Ventile. All these materials I'm covering in other posts this month in the context of the best of British fabrics and fashion. (I'd love to see these produced in other sizes, 20mm and 22mm, for other watches - these are the sort of well-designed and attractive British product that deserves a wider audience).

Finally, among the accessories available is a mouthwatering (I never thought I'd use that adjective, but it's apt here) watch case that has been made in collaboration with Cherchbi. I was delighted to see that the Herdwick wool has been used in its construction. I mentioned this Cumbrian sheep in my post here. Farmers have sometimes had to throw their fleeces away due to its low value. Yet here we have a sheep that has been farmed in an area of England (which I love and visit regularly) since the Vikings lived there. So, to see a  product which uses its fleece was very welcome. We should support such collaborations and wear them with pride.

So, once again, a great British-designed product made with passion and attention to detail.

A reader asks - Should I tuck in my shirt or not?

Let's have a brief respite from the Grey Fox Made and Designed in Britain Month.

From time to time I am contacted with sartorial questions by visitors to the blog. Usually I can give my view without too much problem. Then, recently, the question arrived (from a Spanish visitor) that I had been dreading – should the shirt be tucked into the trousers or allowed to hang outside?

I’d been dreading this question because it exemplifies the confusion about his dress sense that a man feels when he reaches middle age - am I trying too hard, is this too young a style? A young man would not be concerned. Once middle age approaches, however, that confidence is undermined. Some months ago, in a crisis of confidence, I made the mistake of asking my children for advice on this knotty point. My daughter said the shirt should be tucked in, my son disagreed.

At that point I recalled why I had started Grey Fox; to find my own way on matters of style through trial and error. I had to answer this for myself. So, here is my carefully-considered view. As ever, I emphasise that it is my view. You should decide for yourselves (all images from Mr Porter):

Formal shirt, Brioni Bengal stripe - Mr Porter

Formal shirt –

1. Always tuck in your shirt when worn in a formal situation, with a suit, jacket or tie.

2. By all means, wear it outside your trousers if worn informally (for example with jeans), but only if,

• The shirt is cut suitably, i.e. it is not too long or so baggy that it whips around your hips like a country smock. Best is a slim-fitting shirt that is not too long or over-generously cut at the bottom.
• You are not wearing a tie.
• You feel it looks right. I know that this sounds unhelpful, but you need to stand in front of a mirror and ask yourself, ‘Do I feel uncomfortable like this? Will I feel self-conscious all day?’ If so, tuck the shirt in.
• You have taken advice which is unanimously in favour of the shirt being untucked. However, be warned, if you ask for advice you run the risk of receiving half a dozen conflicting opinions which will only leave you confused and even hurt (avoid asking teenage daughters for advice if possible).
• The shirt is not rumpled at the bottom because you have tucked it in and then changed your mind. It should be neatly pressed from top to bottom.

Casual shirt untucked. Dunhill denim - Mr Porter

Casual shirt tucked in. Rag and Bone - Mr Porter

Polo shirts –

Can be tucked in or not. I generally wear them untucked, but I like wearing them with a summer blazer, in which case they are tucked in (I'm not a fan of untucked shirts with jackets). As with formal shirts, make sure the cut is not too long or baggy if it is to be worn outside the trousers.

T-shirts –

Generally will not be worn tucked in, unless they are worn as undershirts. If you have massive upper body musculature and like to show off, tuck the T-shirt in, I'm not going to try to dissuade you.

A cunning tip

If you're still unsure, try having your shirt half tucked in. This requires great subtlety (and sprezzatura) if it is not to appear too contrived and if you are to avoid looking like an overgrown schoolboy who's just climbed a wall to steal some apples. Practice makes perfect with this one.

(Glossary - For some readers trousers are pants; for UK readers, if you feel you need to tuck your shirts into your pants (underwear) you are visiting the wrong blog).

Dashing Tweeds - British designed and made

I've been aware of Dashing Tweeds for a while, largely because I was interested in their tweed fabrics interwoven with reflective threads, ideal for sartorial cyclists. This is just part of their range. They use British mills and tweeds for their highly original style, best described as dashing, often bright, certainly colourful and, as they say themselves, full of humour. They collaborate with a wide range of designers and others to create all sorts of applications for their superb textiles. Several leading tailors use their fabrics to make highly original and wearable garments.

A Ready to Wear range exists alongside the sale of tweeds and made to measure. I tried on a jacket recently and was very impressed by the quality and feel of the tweed - very comfortable.

Ready to Wear jacket

Made in These Isles - craftsmanship from the British Isles

Made in These Isles sells craftsmanship, new and vintage, from within the British Isles - including clothes, accessories, homewares and furniture. Their selection process involves,

'Attention to detail, quality of materials, great design, simplicity of form, complexity of construction, trusted production techniques and like minded people all help to shape the selection process'.

Here are some of the clothing items that caught my eye, all British made. They have recently added items to their Autumn/Winter collection.  See the Made in These Isles website for more information.

Common People waxed Mackinaw jacket

Vintage Goverall duffle coat

Hilltrek Ventile cycling jacket

To Be Frank waxed jacket

Fallow Japanese pink selvedge hand made British jeans

Eastie Empire Tailors Winston overshirt

Antiform reclaimed belt

Guest post - An Englishman Abroad seeks style in middle age

For some time after starting Grey Fox I could find no other blog that focuses on the challenges facing a man looking for style in middle age. Then 'An Englishman Abroad' arrived on the scene. Mark J Hollingsworth, the blog's founder, has kindly agreed to contribute a guest post. 

Elegance – not vulgarity

By Mark J Hollingsworth

Just over two months ago I came across the blog site of the Grey Fox and, after reading his posts, became inspired to start my own complementary site on the subject of ‘lifestyle and the middle aged man’. I am very grateful to Grey Fox for asking me to contribute a post to his ground-breaking site.

Why did I start to write? I did not set out to become an expert on style – however, I felt if I had questions about middle aged lifestyle then so would others, so I am simply aiming to provide opinions which may help others form their own views.

Photo - The Sartorialist

Initially I was searching for help with two questions in my life:

1. Being an Englishman living and working in Canada was I alone in being shocked at the continual ‘casualization’ of society?

2. At the age of 51 was I becoming ‘old fashioned’?

Froma Harrop, on creators.com, answered the first question in her recent accurate attack on her North American compatriots entitled ‘Slobs and the American Civilization’. Ms. Harrop wrote of her recent experience standing at Chicago airport watching a “nation of slobs parading through the airport. Frayed denim hems swept the filthy floor, cleavage poured out of t-shirts bearing vulgar messages, big bellies flowed over the waists of ill-fitting jeans, mature women waddled in stained sweat suits….it’s a grim scene.”

Grim indeed. It seems the richer North America has become the more slovenly it has become.

So, I have partly begun a journey, through my blog, to take a stand against this ‘casualization’ in middle age and fight back against the past two decades of sloppiness and scruffiness!

Sadly though, and as the Grey Fox has also discovered, there is a very little public debate/discussion for middle aged men in this area. Conversely, there is certainly no shortage of excellent sites for middle aged women, which also contain a considerable amount of comment on how they wish their respective husbands/partners would dress more appropriately for their age! So the demand is there!

However, unfortunately we seem to live in an age where men have been told, over time, it is effeminate or shallow to invest too much in their appearance.

Why? That I don’t know yet. Which leads me to my second question whether I am ‘old fashioned’ in being concerned about my appearance and lifestyle?

The older I have become (and I am now 51), it seems the more the quality of my life matters to me. I am searching for a conservative but modern lifestyle – a style that says I’ve been around for a while, but I am still going strong and will be here for some time yet! I have learnt style has little to do with money – it’s rather an attitude. But, I feel I must not let my style threaten my notion of my masculinity. Overall I wish to retain my sense of individualism.

Perhaps the most inspiring quote I have found in the first two months of writing my blog, which helps answer my two questions, comes from Patrick Grant (Norton and Sons, Savile Row):

 “There’s too much vulgarity today. I’d like to see a return to understated elegance, to decent codes of behaviour, to being men of purpose.”

Based on this quote, my own thoughts after my first 9 weeks of research and writing can be summarized:

a. Let’s buy less yet invest in better quality.

b. Let this middle aged generation set an example in menswear and create a new golden age of style.

c. Let’s remember every morning as we prepare for the day ahead that our style is our first means of communicating with the world around us.

d. The way we dress is a way we show respect to ourselves and to others.

e. Let’s communicate elegance, not vulgarity.

I know I echo the Grey Fox when I say I would welcome your comments on this post – or any issue related to our middle age experiences!

Thank you

 Mark 

 Mark J Hollingsworth

‘An Englishman Abroad’

Farrell - The British Warm and other coats

Continuing the British theme, the Farrell range was created in tribute to Jack Farrell, a notable dresser and Stoke on Trent native who also happened to be Robbie Williams's grandfather. Essentially the aim is 'to make quality clothing for the everyman'. The A/W12 collection uses British fabrics and explores a utilitarian and military theme.

There are some nice-looking classics, that aren't just for the younger man - a British Millerain Poacher's Jacket, pea coat, a revival of the traditional British Warm coat (made from Melton wool and inspired by Winston Churchill no less), very traditional pocket squares and cravat, trilbies and knits. Definitely worth a look, at House of Fraser, Selfridges and Farrell.com.

British Warm

Pea coat - Melton wool

Blue dot scarf

Supersoft folding trilby

Red foulard pocket square

Brook Taverner - lots of classic British-made fabrics tweeds

Brook Taverner hit my consciousness only relatively recently. Quite why, I'm not sure; they've been around for 100 years and have been selling online for seven years. They sell classic men's clothes, many made from British-made fabrics and tweeds. The brochure is full of well-known names like Harris tweed, Abraham Moon, Reid & Taylor of Scotland and Johnstons of Elgin. To add to the feeling of quality, merino, cashmere and the finest cotton are used for many of the garments.

My love of tweed is obvious to anyone who has browsed this blog. Brook Taverner use this fabric for a wide range of coats, jackets, waistcoats, luggage and a rather nice suit (we should all wear more tweed suits, and turn down the heating if necessary). Colours and patterns range from plain to checks which blend all the beautiful outdoor colours that we expect of tweed.

I would wear the tweed jackets with jeans, but a wide choice of trousers - cords, cotton and wool mix - are also on offer. Brogues and other footwear from Northamptonshire manufacturers have been carefully selected to match the other garments.

The cuts look fairly classic, so you won't find any Topman-style extremes of style here. Here are some of the items I would select. See their website for more. At present everything (except sale items) is 50% off.