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The old saying goes that if you remember the Sixties you weren’t there, recalls Robin Dutt. Well … there is no doubt that David Bailey was. Born in 1938 and one of the last of the very last, the photographer surely not only remembers the Sixties but can be said to have helped to make it what it was. Rightly he is thought of as one of the pioneers of contemporary photography and is credited with creating timeless, iconic moments, celebrating faces and fashion which are so evocative and still compelling.

The world of glamour Bailey, left, inhabited as a photographer was a far cry (as it so often is) from his early days growing up in north Leyton, East London but when he did begin to show his talents, his rise was stellar. He captured Twiggy, Jean Shrimpton, the Krays, Michael Caine, Andy Warhol and even Her Majesty the Queen.

This weekend, his famous image of Catherine Deneuve, ‘Flamingo’ (1967) will be on view at Christie’s, Paris ahead of the auction of this and many superb images by him. Bailey and Deneuve were married between 1965 and 1972.

She once said, ‘Oh, Bailey, it’s great…we got divorced today…now we can be lovers.’

David Bailey’s Catherine Deneuve, Flamingo is one of the highlights of Christie’s Photographies
auction at 9 Avenue Matignon, 75008 Paris, France. 6-9 November.

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The old saying goes that if you

Accessories, News

Certain garments, never die in terms of ethos, says Robin Dutt. Their lure and appeal is because of their reliability and that enduring sense of being a “classic in the wardrobe”.

Chinos are one such example: a go-to, trusty friend which can be as anonymous as focal, as casual as ceremonial. And although the name is of course, Italian, they are very much part of the English male wardrobe, balanced by stricter tailoring atop by way of a well-cut jacket.

Bearing in mind that chinos are happily accepted in all hues, whether unremarkable staples in beige or navy or horse-worrying bolts of cherry red or emerald green there’s a pair for all out there. Utilitarian, by any other name.

Tom Cridland, pictured above, is an enterprising chap. He runs his sustainable fashion brand with the ethos, ‘buy less, buy better’ – a sentiment also echoed by many new and established designers including Vivienne Westwood and also her son, Joe Corre, of  ‘A Child of the Jago’. Cridland points out that if climate change continues as it is at present, unfavourably, cotton production will be compromised so it might indeed pay to value that investment wardrobe and eschew trend – highlighting your own sartorial autobiography which will be every bit as refreshing as a new look presented by the few to the many. Indeed, Cridland’s sustainable garments come with a 30 year guarantee so he expects you to live in them. Well worn means often, well loved and there has always been a certain charm about subtle mixing of the slightly weathered and the stridently pristine when it comes to male attire – a certain studied negligence or insouciance.  He has made clothing for amongst others, Leonardo Di Caprio, Ben Stiller, Daniel Craig and even Clint Eastwood.

When not creating clothes, the designer busies himself as a musician and also, his lively podcasts, called ‘Greatest Music of All Time’ have included Smokey Robinson, Annie Lennox, Sir Cliff Richard, Chris Rea and our own fashion legend, Twiggy – whom one shouldn’t forget has her musical history, given her stirring role in the musical, ‘The Boyfriend’.

You could say that Cridland knows how to wear the trousers…

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Certain garments, never die in terms of

Accessories, New Trends

Style News

Favourbrook has been for over three decades a Godsend for gentlemen looking for something different, when it comes to formalwear writes Robin Dutt. Indeed, when I was in charge of wardrobe for the film (‘Against Nature’) centring on the life of one of fiction’s great Dandies, Des Esseintes, I knew where to find the principal frock coat. As it turned out, it was a one-off (although everything at Favourbrook is made in small batches) a superb floor-sweeping coat made of the finest velvet in deepest purple to be worn by the star, Allan Corduner. I also arranged the costumes for his counterpart, Adrian Dunbar but they had to look markedly different to Corduner’s magnificence. And that magnificence is something that Oliver Spencer, pictured above, knows all about.

Mr Spencer’s take on formal wear was to suggest that such attire need not be dull and predictable, so he gave a Dandy edge to frockcoats and waistcoats, shirts and cravats, many festooned with motifs – flowers, bees, dots and stripes in a symphony of colours – unexpected but never overdone. In some ways he just might have been tipping a hat to the Peacock Parade of London’s ‘sixties scene and twenty years later, the much missed Scott Crolla who for ten sadly short years reimagined exotic clothing for a new breed of man.

But to know how not to step over the taste line when it comes to male sartoria is an art indeed. Beau Brummell’s point that if people turn to look at you in the street, something is very wrong. Such a man is either too tight or too fashionable – both sartorial crimes then and now. This is the season for more and more formal wear to be dusted off and make appearances at festive parties and formal dinners – the arts of embroidery, embellishment and strategic blending or contrast stitching all playing their parts. This season, whilst you can purchase Favourbrook classics, the emphasis seems to be on cleaner and more strident silhouettes redolent of Victorian or Edwardian fashion plates and engravings, in shades of Dove grey, Midnight Blue and Lamp Black. Of course, there is still room enough for personalization by way of an elegant and decorative waistcoat to play centre stage or the rich multi folds of a silk, richly appointed tie or cravat. Of course, it is all about the careful sourcing of luxury fabrics and evocative colours – elements that write the wearer’s sartorial autobiography.

As Oliver Spencer says, ‘Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, or in our case, change our DNA in order to accommodate the growth of casualwear in menswear, we stiffened our upper lips and dug our polished Oxford heels in to design a collection that fully encapsulated the timelessness of traditional formalwear.’

Simplicity is dress is often the most difficult thing to achieve but this is where the efficacy of the classics comes to the fore. So, expect to see wardrobe staples which won’t scare the horses but will draw many an admiring glance such as the traditional frock and tail coat or the sumptuousness of a lush velvet Nehru coat. Of course an Indian construct with an undeniable heritage, the Nehru is one of those styles which is so versatile that it effortlessly blends Eastern construct with Western styling. Again, Scott Crolla knew this only too well. He would have approved, one thinks.

Favourbrook, 16 & 17 Pall Mall, London, SW1Y 5LV Tel – 020 7493 5060.

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Style News Favourbrook has been for over three

Accessories, Shirts

Who would have thought that something so essentially for the gym or an element of underwear or nightwear might find iconic status, asks Robin Dutt? But this is exactly what the humble T-shirt has done. Perhaps from the very beginning, this garment must have screamed marketing potential. From comic slogans and of course rock band imagery to political statements, the basic ‘T’ is as vocal as it is ubiquitous. Those Frankie Goes to Hollywood ‘RELAX’ shirts have passed into pop iconography, as has the image of designer, Katherine Hamnett wearing a statement about the Pershing Missile to a reception at Number 10 Downing Street with a rather bemused (irritated?) Mrs Thatcher in that shot.

Somehow a leveller which can also be stratospherically priced, the ‘T’ whether from Hanes, Fruit of the Loom or high street favourite, M&S, has made itself indispensable in probably every wardrobe in every country. Who can forget those vintage silhouetted Che Guevara examples in cherry red or jungle green or the classic Punk ‘Never Mind the Bollocks’, Sex Pistols statement in English Mustard? And then consider the subtlety of Vivienne Westwood’s orb-motif shirts and Camden Town Goth specials, screeching Metallica, Alice Cooper, Marilyn Manson or Whitesnake.

But then, a simple T can be a very subtle and anonymous thing. Just remember how many images of fashion supremo, Giorgio Armani there are, who partners such examples with the fluidity of his liquid tailoring? A fresh white T and a subtle blue blazer? Charm itself… A ‘T’ is simply a go-to and a saviour. It can spell rebel and man of taste too.

So, it is no surprise perhaps that this pop and rock garment will probably fly off the shelves at the Stones’ London store, a range which brings out brillo and bravado in equal measure – with chunks of cheek and irony not too far behind. Perfect with jeans, perfect with a suit, a T-shirt is forever. Collaborating with Irish T-shirt brand, Tonn, (Gaelic for wave) the band has produced three styles – two, short-sleeved examples and one long sleeve style. Tonn produces organic T-shirts and use ethically sourced cotton designed in Ireland and produced in Portugal with a traceable production line. They were originally selected to produce T-shirts for Ronnie Wood for the No Filter tour in 2018. RS No.9 Carnaby is stamped on the inside of every garment to celebrate the Rolling Stones’ rock boutique which opened in 2020. As everyone will know, Carnaby Street was the vital pavement stage and catwalk for Mods and Rockers, Punks and Goths, Skinheads and Hippies, for many decades and the presence of the Rolling Stones’ shop and the new Queen outlet close by reinforce this historic strip’s musical credentials.

Mary Harding, Director of Tonn says, ‘The biggest band in the world has taken this little Irish brand to their hearts.’

The short sleeve T comes in at £50 and the long, £60 and will be available from the shop and from the Tonn website.

Rolling Stones shop, 9 Carnaby Street, London, W1

carnaby.therollingstonesshop.co.uk

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Who would have thought that something so

Gifts

For the first time, Caran d’Ache places the art of engraving on the centre stage to create an enhanced slim
lined Léman writing instrument. Léman Slim Lights has a baguette diamond guillochage,
reminiscent of a dazzling jewel. An exceptional design with a cascading body, this collection
glitters as it plays with light to create infinite reflections. Léman Slim Lights is a subtle blend of precious
materials that is magnified by the traditional guillochage technique, still upheld by Caran d’Ache today.

The Léman Slim Lights collection is brought to life by Caran d’Ache’s craftspeople, with a process similar to that of the leading jewellery houses. The polishing reveals the rhodium-coated silver of the instrument’s body, so its attributes shine in the best light, while the countless engraved prisms lend the appearance of a diamond. A delicately lacquered white button is the perfect finishing touch to this finely-crafted masterpiece. Caran d’Ache carries out this meticulous technique from start to finish in the
Geneva-based workshop.

Léman Slim Lights seamlessly joins Caran d’Ache’s signature Léman collection, which has paid homage to
the beautiful hues of Lake Geneva for over 20 years. The intensity of the seasons, the glittering waves and
the magic of lakeside nights are reinterpreted in these truly essential writing instruments. With its
streamlined body, the exceptionally light Léman Slim instruments offer easy handling and optimum writing
comfort, complete with a touch of timeless elegance.

The Léman Slim Lights are available as a fountain pen, roller pen or ballpoint pen to purchase from
Harrods.

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For the first time, Caran d’Ache places