Le Noeud Papillon Life & Style
Carlo Riva Silk Shirting And A Light Caramel Suit By The Bespoke Corner
As it comes into summer I highly recommend not giving into Covid (as I have done for most of this year) and dressing like a slob. I have tried of recent to lift my game on the weekends to make use of all that time and resources that I have spent on writing about menswear and tailoring. Specifically last weekend I dusted off a light caramel wide notched lapel suit by The Bespoke Corner which was made using Sterling Cloth's serge wool. I love a good suit and it really does make a difference with how people respond to you. It's uplifting. And frankly, anything which brings a bit more energy and positivity to a room right now is a good thing.
Some Comic Relief Is In Order
I have been watching events around the world unfold and I am going to have to try my best to stop picking up my phone or iPad because it just seems like everywhere you look there's nothing particularly wonderful happening. North Korea is flexing it's muscles, an Oompa Loompa is running the United States and Australia is raising so much debt we will soon need one of those debt clocks in our financial district to remind ourselves just how much this is all costing us.
I have always found that one thing that really takes your mind of it is very good comedy. The Farelly brothers have made some of my favourite comedies - Dumb And Dumber, Hall Pass, There's Something About Mary - these were my go to movies when I just wanted to be entertained and switch off from the world. They are up there with my favourite comedy of all time, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and my other favourite comedy, Some Like It Hot.
To Our American Customers
There are a few things I have come to love about your country. I will tell you what they are. Bruce Springsteen. That's for sure. You may as well start working out where you are going to put his statue in Washington DC from now. Secondly, your Star Spangled Banner, because the defence of Fort Henry shows the true grit and spirit of your country when it unites for one cause. Thirdly, Marvin Gaye - because he sings it in a way that touches you in a way only angels could.
About The Snow Kerchief
The genesis for my foray came mostly from Prince Charles and a photo of him in a onesie in Zermatt circa 1983 wearing a kerchief. But my Australian icon must be Walter Reilly or Wally, the great bullshitting yarn spinner from Crocodile Dundee that has perfected that laconic story telling that Australians are so famous for, as though he might break out into The Man From Snowy River without so much as pausing for breath.
New Silk Eye Shades - Very Chic, Very Comfortable
The compact ones stow more easily and there is still the same total 'blackout' from eye shades, which is their primary function. Block out light, comfortably. That's what their primary function is. The secondary being - look beautiful whilst blocking out light comfortably....
SNOW CAMPING
In the evenings we camped in an orange tent in a very quiet part of an otherwise very mercurial set of mountains. You really can never quite tell what the weather will be tomorrow, or what the weather will be like as you ascend to the summit. In short, mountains very much resemble what is going on in the world at the moment - always capable of being at sixes and sevens, so you need to make the most of every moment. The good thing about snow camping is that it is free, so long as you are willing to do number twos in what is called a poo-tube, which ensures our native wildlife are unaffected. Since COVID can survive in our number twos, it's a very good thing. As usual, I wore out kerchiefs in the snow, it's become a force of habit. I prefer them over buffs, though at times I wished I had remembered a buff.
Thank You Emma, You Are A Star
There is only so much I can do to sell my own products, but when our customers share their images and their stories, it is so much more powerful than anything I could muster myself. Emma, you look superb and the silk really suits you. It's a limited edition coffee cups silk we designed with Rocco Fazzarri. We love your tagging us so please either do so on Instagram or send the images via Whatsapp to +61413140994.
Caption It!
A number of months ago I saw this picture and I fell in love with it. 1957. Marilyn was with Arthur Miller then. I have always loved his use of a slim batwing bow tie. He has a way of doing black tie I quite liked. Anyway, there is Marilyn with a rich financier Winthrop Aldridge and they are mid-stream, or at least she is about to speak to him. So, what's the funniest caption you can give it? Let us know in the comments section of our Instagram and then for the best caption I will send our a face mask that you can choose from any of the existing stock on the website. Good luck and I am sure you will have something up your sleeve that's better than what I could think of.
Another Way To Do An Ascot
The Ascot takes it's name from the town of Ascot, about 55km from London, home of the famous horse race The Royal Ascot. Traditionally it has tapered ends. It was a favoured bit of kit of the English aristocracy who wore them from the early 1700's onwards but as the middle class grew, so too did the demand for this type of neckwear. Today it's seldom that you find men wearing them, they are a little effete and in this regard, worn for example in a club house, they can be a little toffee-nosed. However, the simple fact remains that they are chic. And, worn in a variety of settings they can be dumbed down so that the wearer doesn't have to appear 'tone deaf'. The ones we have had made are 155 x15cm and when tied, preferably with a four in hand knot, or else in a more traditional knot, which I don't advocate, but which you can learn by googling 'how to tie a traditional ascot'. In term of construction, these ascots that we have made are a variation on traditional shapes and construction. They have no tapering, neither in the centre of the piece nor at the ends. For me, given that we were using light silk twill, rather than jacquards, offers a more sleek, more modern finish. It looks more like a kerchief, only the lines are cleaner since there is no roll stitched edge. If you are looking for a modern way to look classically elegant, I definitely recommend you give them a twirl.
WHAT I AM WEARING TO PASS THE TIME DURING COVID
There is a discomfort I feel when I watch instagram posts of influencers I admire and follow when they continue to post images of suits and black tie and smart casual. I barely get a chance these days to don a suit and tie and I have instead been experimenting with athleisure and tailoring. It might sound odd but I have spent some time trying to work out if you can pair a tailored casual jacket with running tights - but not the tights you would suspect, and certainly not meggings. I am talking about those technical running pants by Nike, specifically the range of Phenom running tights which at times can be quite gregarious and one pair I found recently had a finish that on some angles and in certain light looked like faux leather. And what is more, between cutting silks and riding my electric bicycle, and because I swim on Bondi Beach in the morning, I find myself wearing sneakers in that kind of way that you'd expect a Californian to wear on David Letterman or some such late night television show.
HOW ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO LOOK AFTER YOUR FACE MASK?
The short answer is, by hand. The best way to wash them is in a hand-basin using tepid to hot water with laundry detergent. This apparently deteriorates the wall of the virus. Once washed, rinse and leave to dry in direct sunlight. The UV light from reading, also destroys the virus. Once dry, use a warm iron to re-pleat the mask and you are ready to go. Some are saying you need to wash the mask every day. I do not. I rotate my masks regularly (which is why I advoate buying our family pack) and I wait until I have used it a few times before I wash it. As I rotate them I leave them in direct sunlight so I always have a mask or two that have spent the day in the sun. Then I come back to them and wash them all together in one go save one mask. To me, this is common sense. But since we are in unchartered waters, I highly recommend you do your own reading and keep up to date with what is being published in online journals.
And Such Terrible Fabrics, And Nothing To Choose From!
Don't make the mistake of being the last one to the party. Whilst we have fabrics, whilst we can cut make and trim silk face masks in less than 24 hours if needs be, why not consider coming past or dropping us a line on +61413140994 to organise the face mask that you want, in the materials you selected.