A real man for all seasons – Bill Borrows

Author, journalist, raconteur, man about town, Man City fan (don’t hold it against him), general big mouth, Professional Manc, Friend of Hunter S Thompson, the list could go on and on, Bill Borrows has written for The Guardian, Loaded, L’Uomo Vogue,  Esquire, TalkSport Magazine once again the list could go on and on. And God Bless him amongst all of that he made time to answer a couple of questions for your truly at Clothes-make-the-man.com

1)What would be the one piece of clothing you would rescue from your home in the event of a fire ?

I don’t suppose I’ll be allowed to save my snakeskin Doc Martens as, technically speaking, they are not an item of clothing (although I was granted a free run of the store in Covent Garden and, faced with entire range, chose them anyway) so for sheer comfort, familiarity and the memories it brings it would have to be a plain v-neck long-sleeved white Banana Republic white top I bought in Aspen. Or a sky blue crew neck jumper I grabbed off a rack in Salzburg airport.

 

2) If you could have invented anything what would it be?

Invent or discover? If it’s the latter then either electricity or tortoises. If it’s the former then I’ll go with the Kinder Egg – genius. Wrap a cheap difficult-to-assemble toy in shit-tasting sickly chocolate, put it in a yellow canister and bingo! The world is your bi-valve mollusc.

 

3) If you had one day to live what would be your biggest regret ?

She knows.

 

4) Who is your style icon ? Why ? 

Big question. I’m going for a top three.

iii) James Garner in the Great Escape. Whether in denims (at the end of the film) or uniform with a chunky white polo-neck he rocks Steve McQueen off the screen

ii) Chet Baker. Lived fast, looked good the whole time. Even at the end when it all caught up with him.

OR 

i) Johnny Cash outside Fulsome Prison. Black three piece suit, no tie, leather trench coat. Just off to work love.

(See images below) 

5) Tell us something no one else knows ?

I’m thinking about buying a shed

 

6) What piece of clothing best describes you ?

A battered old Thin Lizzy tour t-shirt

 

7) Have you ever bought a piece of clothing and regretted it ? If so what & why ?

Anything other than something black, blue or white – nothing else ‘goes with’ me. I’ve tried. So, to that end, it would be a bespoke green tweed three piece suit I bought in several moments of madness. I could have said no at the fitting

 

8) Who would do you ideal diner guest and why ?

Alive or dead? Alive? It would be Jessica Alba for reasons that need not detain us here. Dead? It would be Lyndon Baines Johnson so we can sort out who killed JFK once and for all. Alive and then dead? It would be George Osbourne so I could poison the shiny-faced little twat’s mulligatawny and watch him plead for the antidote as I crush the phial beneath my foot

 

9) What track would always get you on the dance floor ?

For Those About To Rock – AC/DC

 

10) What do you have to do after this conversation ?

Finish editing a book

11) What would you like to be doing after this conversation ? 

Finish editing a book. And then get on a plane to Greece and sit by a pool for three weeks before having a mad one in Chicago with Jessica Alba for a few days