In The Park Milan

Dries Van Noten jacket, CP Company shirt, Jaeger scarf, YMC t shirt, Lee jeans, Church's desert boots.

Tom Ford Essentials

From the Tres Bien blog promoting the new issue of Self Service and Tres Bien also has an excellent shop.

Maison Martin Margiela Garden Milan

Maison Martin Margiela Garden Milan

Milan at Night in McQ and Nigel Cabourn

This picture was taken on a night wandering the streets in Milan.

McQ rain coat, Dries Van Noten jacket, Folk cardigan, Stone Island t shirt and CP Company scarf.

In this picture Nigel Cabourn coat, Junya Watanabe jacket, RAF Simons scarf, Folk t shirt

Orange Trams in Milan and Prada

We noticed a lot of orange in Milan and especially in the Prada collection.  This is the same colour we noticed on all the trams.

Karen in a Ralph Lauren rain coat, Jaeger jumper and Jil Sander bag.

Nigel Cabourn

Nigel Cabourn Air Craft Jacket that was picked up at BasilicaDuo

The photo was taken in the Straf hotel.

New Purchases CP Company, Stone Island and Jil Sander

Well it is often said that the level of quality in the shop's in Milan is much higher than in the UK.

The quality is much better and I have tried to search to pictures online ...

• The most beautiful CP Company grey silk and cotton scarf 
• Stone Island blue canvas belt and white t shirt with blue stripe
• Jil Sander navy t shirt 

I can not find images for any of the pieces so I will upload some pictures in the next few days. 

Packing for Milan Trip March 2011

I am currently packing for a weekend trip to Milan.


My case is a Mandarina Duck DROP case in grey and I will be taking my trusty Bill Amberg selvage skiff bag.


My wash bag is a Isi by Mandarina Duck and it will contain the following;

• Shiseido face wash
• Anthony moisturiser
• Modern Organic Products (MOP) shampoo and wax
• Monocle x Comme des Garcons Scent Two: Laurel
• Bamford body wash  
• Plus the normal little bits to get me through the weekend 

My clothes for the weekend are as follows; 

• Lee 101 Selvage jeans
• Our Legacy chinos 
• Folk t-shirt with a blue block colour pocket
• YMC t-shirt 
• Comme des Garcons wax over shirt
• Folk oatmeal cardigan 
• Our Legacy blue jumper 
• Woolrich checked shirt 
• Universal Works denim shirt
• Nigel Cabourn air craft jacket 
• Tretorn pumps in grey 
• Church's desert boots in blue 
• Dries Van Noten jacket 
• McQ trench coat 
• RAF scarf 

Other essential things for the weekend include a number of guide books, my sunglasses and the wife. 

Summer Shoes the Suede Brogue

Well I have got to admit I am planning two additions to my shoe collection this summer, both will be suede brogues.

I always try to buy British shoes as I find they last longer and can take the battering I normally put them through. The stand out shoes are;

Church's Blakeney Suede Sand


Grenson Williams Brogue Grey

Universal Works and YMC are Becoming Established Labels in my Wardrobe

Every year I try to introduce a few new brands into my wardrobe and I also always tend to move on from a few brands (that is another post).

Two brands that are really standing out for me this season are Universal Works and YMC.

My first introduction to Universal Works was a rather fine denim shirt last summer and since the introduction I have been keeping an eye on the collection.  The company describes itself on the website;

It's about good honest menswear, it's about quality garments with a great fit. There is no great vision or message, no target markets, just garments for everyone, clothing to look stylish in because you the wearer makes it so, clothing you want to wear, clothing you will look good in.


A great snap shot of the collection can be found at Stuarts London - Universal Works collection

For me the stand out piece is the Commis Grey Jacket


YMC is another brand I started to buy last year, it was a rather nice fair isle cardigan, the brand is not driven by seasons/trends but is based on function and quality. A good snapshot of the YMC summer 2011 collection can also be found at Stuarts London.

The stand out piece for me is the Cotton Stripe T-shirt. 

I Love the Colour Blue

This season blue is the most dominant colour in my wardrobe and the influence comes in three main ways.

New Order are one of my favorite bands and Peter Saville was heavily inspired by Yves Klein

Yves Klein and his IKB

This in turn influenced (along with the colour of the sea) influenced Massimo Osti, and the first coat I fell in love with was a blue Stone Island.

Art, music and fashion all come together with a love for a colour.

Bag Essentials

I have three main bags that I use on a regular basis;

• Mandarina Duck times briefcase in blue
• Bill Amberg skiff bag in green
• Porter shopper in black that will be inside the skiff or briefcase

There is no point discussing the use of bags by men, it is dull and not really worth looking at in any detail. Anyone with things to carry needs a good bag.

So here is a list of my bag essentials ... the things that always travel with me;

• Bill Amberg wallet in light brown
• Keys on a Mulbery dog keyring and sitting in a Folk card holder
• Il Bussetto purple coin purse
• Blue sued Folk pouch, with poop bags for my dog
• Swiss Army knife
• Moleskin diary and note pad
• Pilot pen
• Hand wash
• Android phone, kept in a Bill Amberg card holder
• Normal mobile phone
• Sunglasses normally Ray Bans
• Mobile wireless connection

I am currently lusting after a Belstaff Military Bag but I have not reach the point of purchase yet ... do I need it or is it just a bit of bag lust?

Junya Watanabe MAN

I have got to say this collection is excellent, top quality indeed.

Wandering around Liberty yesterday I just fell in love with a blue overshirt with a cord collar - it is just amazing.

The following is a snapshot of the collection and the Comme Des Garcons website.

New Blog On Fashion and Style

I am not a very good writer, an expert on fashion or even a person that follows fashion. Saying that I love clothes and individual style.

This blog is not designed to tell people what to wear or even how to wear it - it is my personal love and expression of my love for clothes.

My favorite purchases so far this season are;

1. Nigel Cabourn Air Craft Jacket in blue

2. YMC Stripe T-Shirt

3. Folk Oatmeal Cardigan like this grouse one

4. Folk Block Colour T-Shirt

5. CP Company Overshirt

6. CP Company Cardigan

7. Universal Works Knit

8. Stone Island Cardigan

I have also purchased the usual basics; Albarm jeans, Tretorn pumps, Mandarina Duck bags and a few other bits and bobs.

The plan is to bring in some more t-shirts, shirts, shorts and some shoes; Margaret Howell, Oliver Spencer, Church's, Raf Simons and Dries Van Noten.

I am not really sure how to sum up this seasons purchases but I would say it is a combination of some 'modern but classic' British design and a bit of 'design and functional' European pieces.