the battle of soles

The desert boot is a fashion staple right now, that much is undeniable, but what about his smarter Eaton educated brother the suede chukka boot, dare you rock a smart sole? In a word: no, no you don't.

With the prevalence of the American Workman last season there has been a surge in the popularity of traditional boot makers and traditional boots, as such we are all spoilt for choice when it comes to well made, sturdy and classic boots. The chukka has been given the new-classic treatment and we are swimming in good examples for our sartorial digestion, but we seem to be avoiding them like the last sausage roll at a buffet.

In reality the only difference between the desert and the chukka is the sole, but what a difference, where one has a Mod and Grungy undertone the other is your rich mate's Dad at the school fare, and therein the problem lies. Stigma. But people rise up! We can beat this with skinny jeans and a fitted t-shirt. It's time to take back the chukka. And why not? If a desert boot will do then a chukka will excel, use it to dress yourself up where the desert would dress you down. There are plenty of great examples out there with some dressier and others more rugged, either way the chukka is an under used asset in the wardrobe.

nb. It's probably worth mentioning that there are far more disgusting chukkas out there than there are deserts so be careful; never buy polished leather, suede is better and get a narrower shoe otherwise your in trouble, big trouble. It's also worth mentioning that chukkas -nice ones- are likely to set you back more than deserts but that's by-the-by, vive la revolution!

Think:
Alden
Loake
Greson

hmmm... i don't hate liberty print?

I've always despised liberty print because I thought it a bit flouncy, which is odd because I'm quite the flounce. Repetitive floral prints just jar me a little and none more than the lining of my shirt pictured above, considering this is a fairly busy check shirt it has always bothered me that someone would think to line it this way. However I've had a sudden change of heart -something that often happens to me- upon teaming this shirt with one of my spanking new neckerchiefs. My revelation is that if worn correctly with complementary patterns the liberty lining doesn't make me want to burn my shirt with me in it. Now the Jury is out as to whether I'll be seen in a full liberty shirt but as of today I rescind my hate of liberty print, it has been downgraded to a dislike. Well done liberty.

hikey oh blimey

We're all kicking about in our utilitarian work, army and desert boots but where do we go now All Saints have caught onto the trend and every Saturday night Big Brother wannabe is wearing them? Well I've seen the future and it's in Blacks Outdoor Pursuits; the hiking boot. And I'm not alone, these things have been pretty big in Japan for a while now and even our multi-striped-one-trick-pony Paul Smith has jumped aboard with his vintage style Ike Hiking Boot. As usual I like to go straight to the source so won't be putting down my £3,000,000 (I'm pretty sure that's the actual RRP but I could be wrong) for Paul Smith's imitations and want to get something a little more authentic, which is going to prove... tricky.

Companies such as Aigle and Vasque still make a few classic boots, but these are hard to find and are still pretty pricey, plus it will take you weeks to wear in the leather let alone make them look vintage, so where do we go from here? EBAY. It might take a little searching but ebay will bare the fruit of other peoples labour in the form of old 80's hiking boots, weathered and worn in these will go cheap and look amazing. However you don't want to be stomping around in other peoples foot sweat and foot grooves so for a little extra cash take your new old boots to a cobbler and have them resoled and rebuilt and BAM! Old new boots that look awesome and didn't cost you the earth.

Strangely enough, though I hate Paul Smith's Ikes, I love these Fracap Japan Mountaineering Boots because unlike the Ikes, which are trying to look like something they are clearly not (old and durable), these Fracaps are imitations but are taking the best elements of walking boots and putting them into a modern boot that would be useless half way up Mt Fuji but look sweet treading tarmac.

a life skill i don't quite have

Right if you're like me then you will have been trudging around in snow and slush and all kinds of crap for a few weeks now and it's sucked, every minute of it. Worst of all your leather boots are all now covered with a white salt tide mark from all the grit that has been thrown down, so it's about time you use that boot polish for your footwear rather than that racially dubious fancy dress outfit.

What you'll need is:

Boot polish (doye!)
Old Tooth brush
Leather brush (or any clean fairly tough brush)
A chamois (I use a duster when I can't find one)
And some elbow grease

I could explain how to do it myself but I have limited butling skills, this guy however butles with the best of 'em. I will say though that this is an important skill to have as it will add years to the leather on your shoes and boots and there is no excuse for tatty leather. Go forth and buff!

(Total lame out post I know but I've taken my sleeping tablet and had a glass of wine so I'm a ticking time bomb.)

it's gonna be a camp spring (in my house)

Fuck snow. I've been saying that since December but now you have fallen on yer arse and had a 3 hour commute to work you're all with me. More than that in retail world it's already Spring, hard to believe but SS10 has started already so it will soon be time to pack away your thermal socks and wool scarf that could clothe a sheep and start your new Spring look. Remember; fuck snow. This time of year I can get a wee bit blue because I love scarves and mourn their loss until October rolls in, luckily for SS10 I've come up with an awesome -and camp- solution: neckerchiefs!

Like scarves they go round your neck, unlike scarves they do not keep you warm. Unfortunately that's all I can find within myself to say about neckerchiefs other than I think they should be big in SS10- which, also unfortunately, doesn't mean that they will. I think there are some definite no-no's when it comes to neckercheifs: no ganja leaves, no national flags (unless it's painfully ironic), no Che Guevara, no Bob Marley and no camo.. infact there are a lot of bad neckerchiefs so maybe it's easier if I say what's good. Black, red, blue, white and green are good -but not all together- and subtle but repetitive patterns. Basically if you think a Cowboy or a Sailor would wear it then you've hit the sweet spot. Chicks have been owning these for a while now so there is plenty to select from, and don't be afraid to buy something intended for girls it's only weird if you buy their underwear.

If you're like me and not into jewellery then neckerchiefs are a top shit accessory because it will make you look like you have really thought about your outfit, when you haven't! There are loads of bandannas and neckerchiefs out in the Internets, vintage and new, I'm yet to find a good one stop shop so you'll just have to search for them, but surely that's half the fun. Oh and be prepared to look camp, because you will.

david cameron made me hate GQ but i did find this great image (mens mag rant Pt.1)

GQ reaffirming their status as premium men's fashion and lifestyle magazine -and not monthly rag thrown together to tongue the anus of which ever celebrity/politician/twat they can get a half decent picture of- has rated the sartorial genius and all round excellently down to earth guy David "Dave" Cameron as #08 in their Best Dressed List 2010. And why not? Who says the same two ubiquitous black or navy suits day in, day out can't be cool? Not me, because when Dave is hitting up some down time with The Fam he is well known to bust out a pair of sweet board shorts, OMG! or what?

I actually haemorrhage when I try think of the honest reasons David Cameron could be considered the 8th best dressed man over the last year... really I can come up with nothing. I can't think of anything that Dave is 8th best of at anything, over any time period, ever. Even in the Conservative Leadership stakes he would be far from my first choice. This is an embarrassing and obvious political arse licking, especially when you consider that Gordon Brown has been ranked at #01 in GQ's worst dressed men side bar- wowzer. Not that Gordo is well dressed but he certainly isn't bad, he kind of bumbles around under the sartorial radar for good or bad, in the same way your dad does.

This sort of big-boys-clubbery really annoys me, not because it's a big boys club that I'm not invited to but because it highlights the fact that these lists are no more thought about than a shopping list. Who do we have pictures of? Who do we want to align ourselves with? Done. Take GQ's hottest girls of 2009; Ann Widdecombe was at #04 or something. Compared to the relative complexity of an actual shopping list, GQ's best dressed/best looking/most influential lists could be and most probably are, compiled by a 7 year old (or a half wit intern who's daddy once went shooting with David Furnish). This is the sad fact of a lot of men's lifestyle magazines; they have best of's or guide to's that are compiled with the level of care an ape renders to cracking a shell with a small boulder, and people lap it up as if it's gospel. The articles are little better, not badly written but lacking in any real conviction or interest in the topic and interviews with people who are just slightly left field but not far enough so that we can't identify them from the leading image. Unfortunately the only alternative is the painfully pretentious arts and media magazines that have lists like the top ten best designed airline interiors (true fact).

The problem is systemic throughout all the major and most of the specialist magazines right now, there seems to be a lack of lustre and a lack of cash to buy in lustre. Which is fair enough I guess as people are asked to do more with less, something has to give- for some it's page count, for others it's the panache. The trouble is without the panache the subtle advertising and product or person placement becomes all the more obvious and you begin to ask why you put down £3.95 for 200 pages of adverts.

Rant to be continued...

best. book. ever.

There are few things in the world I love more than Grunge, so for me, this book is as close to porn as you're going to get onto a coffee table. The collaboration between photographer Michael Lavine and author Thurston Moore (of Sonic Youth) documents the late 80's / early 90's Seattle Grunge scene that took the world's sub culture by storm. There are some truly excellent photographs of "the kids" really sticking it to "the man" by wearing some subversive and rather fetching threads; oversized sweaters and shirts, denim and leather and neckerchiefs, sweet lord I need a neckerchief. It actually makes me a little sick with envy looking at these youths who I know -but struggle to admit- that at ten years my junior they are dressing and behaving far cooler than I dare.

American Workman / Utilitarian / Grunge, call it what you will, if Cobain was resurrected this Easter he would be bang on trend as we all rock out with loose shirts and workboots a-go-go. The world is primed for a Grunge resurgence; we're all dressing the part but dare not speak it's name. Why this Autumn/Winter style trend has not been clocked as Grunge is a mystery to me, perhaps it's the lack of soundtrack but flicking through this book I can see so many looks easily achieved with 10 minutes spent on asos.

An engaging read and a veritable style bible, "Grunge" is a must have especially at £5.99 from Amazon.