CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN

anthonymcgrath405 / 18/09/2014

The Talented Mr Gandy, David Gandy – Textual Conversation

Ohhh Life must be sooooooooooooo difficult being David Gandy

Ohhh Life must be sooooooooooooo hard being David Gandy

David Gandy is quite literally at the top of his game, in an industry renown for its female bias and one of the few businesses where the men’s pay packets are small fry in comparison with their female counterparts, Gandy has ripped up the rule book and rewrote it according to his guideline. In fact, in the Closing Ceremony of the 2012 Olympics Games, during London’s, “How great are we” Finale and in paying homage to all things Great with Britain. David was the sole male representative of the Brit Supermodel fraternity (See image below).

In 2006 he became the muse of the International Fashion House of Dolce & Gabbana annually starring in their apparel campaigns but best known as the face of their “Light Blue” fragrance, currently one of the world’s top selling male fragrances. The iconic campaign saw David’s face and of course, his body become recognisable, literally, overnight, with a 50ft billboard in New York’s, Times Square, over 11 million internet hits to view his campaign and global recognition.

He has appeared in numerous campaigns and catwalk shows, opening for D&G in Milan in 2010, with Naomi Campbell for Fashion For Relief and has worked alongside supermodels including Giselle, Eva Herzigova and actress, Scarlett Johansson.

David has shot with some of the most sought after international photographers including Mario Testino and Steven Meisel and boasts an envious portfolio of editorial work, including countless covers for international publications (see below).

In 2010 he made male modeling history, twice. He become the first and only male model nominated for the BFC’s Model Of The Year award and the first male in his profession to appear on BBC1’s Friday Night With Jonathan Ross. David continued to promote the profile of male modeling and men’s fashion, speaking at the Oxford University Union.

His latest venture sees him, well in very little to be honest, working in exclusive collaboration with International Retailer Marks & Spencer to launch, David Gandy for Autograph, an underwear and sleepwear collection for men. In what will be the first time M&S has globally launched a new range this way. In total this year, the range will be available in over 350 stores worldwide and online. The range launches today and is marked by a week long string of events kicking off at their Marble Arch Flagship store in London then sees David travelling to M&S flagship stores in Ireland on the 19th September, Hong Kong on the 23rd September and France on the 25th September to personally unveil the collection. In and amongst all this Gandy-mania, Clothes Make the Man managed to catch up with Mr Gandy for a quick chin wag and to chew the cud over a cuppa.

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

I don’t really have any regrets but if I had to pick something then maybe it would be to live in the moment more.

My schedule is constantly busy, which is great, but it’s important to get the balance right.

What’s your favourite piece of clothing?

I have lots of favourite pieces of clothing but I’m particularly fond of my Chopard Mille Miglia watch which is beautiful but also holds a lot of memories for me.

Who is your style icon?

My style icons are mostly icons from the past. I’m drawn to men who have ‘old school’ gentlemanly qualities from their style to their presence so I’d probably choose Cary Grant.

What piece of style advice do you live by?

Maintain your individuality.

What piece of clothing should everyman have in his wardrobe?

Start at the bottom and work your way up – we all need a good pair of underpants which hopefully I’ve designed with the launch of my new David Gandy for Autograph range with Marks & Spencer. I think it’s important to have a good, tailored suit in your wardrobe – it doesn’t need to be expensive, you can buy off the shelf but if you then get it tailored by someone locally, it will fit so much better. A good pair of shoes are important – and often overlooked and some good jeans and T shirts.

If you could only wear one brand for the rest if your life what would it be & why?

I like variation so I don’t think I could choose.

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

Not really. If I don’t like something immediately then it tends to work down the line somewhere.

Who would do you ideal diner guests and why?

Winston Churchill, Paul Newman, Michael Caine, Sean Connery – a mixture of good conversation, good fun and the ability to share that with people I think would like a drink as much as me!

If you could have invented anything what would it be?

The combustion engine

How do spent your free time?

I don’t have a lot of free time but when I do have it, I tend to indulge in the things I love the most – my family, friends, cars, food and being home.

Favourite hotel in the world?

Dunston Hot Springs in The Rockies is up there for me.

Tell us something no one else knows ?

I found out today that there are 4 prison cells (allegedly) at the top of Big Ben…

The Many Faces & Covers of David Gandy

anthonymcgrath405 / 17/09/2014

For U, For me, For Everyone – U Clothing

The Brains behind U Clothing are Rafal Antos and Don-Alvin Adegeest, the brand’s Creative and Managing Directors respectively. Rafal’s CV includes, previously designed for Gap Europe and Giorgio Armani mainline and oversees all areas of design and creative direction. Don-Alvin is an LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey) alumnus having launched Marc by Marc Jacobs in Europe, so not a bad pedigree, one could say.

They launched the brand back in 2012, under an ethos of creating an everyday wardrobe of modern, luxury streetwear. Desirable pieces considered at all levels: From design to execution, from sourcing to manufacturing. The collection consists of effortlessly cool pieces in gorgeous fabrics, made in Europe as sustainably as possible.

The collection for Autumn offers a shifting balance between modern day casual wear and classic athletic shapes translated into modern, luxurious pieces. The essence of which focuses on clean lines, fabric quality and masculine styling. This season took inspiration from work wear apparel and American sportswear.

Outerwear is a key feature in the collection, such as M65 field jackets, fishtail parkas and utility bombers which come in a variety of wools, including washed wool felt, printed wool melton and a double wool check. Key features include two-tone sleeves, twisted seams and utility pockets.

Sweaters, hoodies and joggers are a casual wear staple and this season come in ultra luxe fabrics such as alpaca jersey and brushed terry. Utility and work wear details can be seen throughout the collection, placing an emphasis on function. T-shirts and polos come in supima cotton and heather jersey options. Colours are subdued, with grey tones, military greens, navy, black, white and denim being the core colours.

anthonymcgrath405 / 16/09/2014

The Journey of a Lifetime – J Shoes x Peregrine Collaboration

The appetite for brands collaborating seems to be endless, the consumer seems to love them, the press moan about them, but sceretly cherish them and brands themselves get so much out of them, its hard to see them ever falling out of fashion.

The latest in the eternal line of these partnership, comes in the shapely form of two Great British brands in Peregrine x J Shoes. Firstly, Peregrine began life back in 1956, but the manufacturing business at the heart of it, J.G. Glover, dates back to 1772 when Thomas Glover started his knitting business. Eight generations later the brand still remains with the same family to this very day. Peregrine is the evolution of the Glover family’s dedication to superior knitwear, the company continues to produce high-quality, fashionable clothing made exclusively within Britain. The designers at Peregrine combine classic styles and traditional materials with an innovative aesthetic.

J SHOES was founded in the British Midlands, its inspired by the centuries of quality shoemaking from the region. Seamlessly blending British heritage, traditional craftsmanship, modern design and independent style – J is an expression of personal taste and individual character. Taking classic silhouettes such as the Brogue or the Chukka, J applies a little unexpected colour, material or texture, to produce timeless shoes that showcase one’s true colours and character, inside and out.

J Shoes stand by their principle of never trying to fit in or conform to fleeting fashion trends. Instead, they takes inspiration from unique personalities and for each season creates shoes that are completely individual to help their customer express their own style and stamp their personality on them.

For this collaboration J Shoes have transform a classic boot into a British heritage design. Combining this with the trademark Dainite soles the menswear inspired style being versatile and classic.

Made in two colours – black leather with blue knit(above) and brown leather with red knit(below), this offers to take a modern spin on classics styles and the Bowden boot is no exception. To accomplish the look , Peregrine have created two contrast panel jumpers in their classic knit.

anthonymcgrath405 / 15/09/2014

Be a Master of the Blade with the Wilkinson Sword Hydro 5 Groomer

Wilkinson Sword renown for their shaving ability and prowess within the bathroom cabinet have unveiled their latest grooming power tool, THE HYDRO 5 GROOMER ! The only 4-in-1 styling implement with patented technology that not only trims, but shaves, edges and hydrates throughout each and every shave. This simplifies any grooming ritual, taking the stress out of shaving using an innovative design for a more precise shave that protects your skin in doing so. On one end of the Groomer, is an adjustable trimmer and on the other, a convenient all-in-one tool removing the need for multiple attachments cluttering up and interfering with the yen of your bathroom cabinet. So in four simple steps –

1) The Hydro 5 shaves with 5 Ultraglide blades and skin guards that reduce friction the skin and the cartridge for less irritation.

2) Edges with a flip trimmer that exposes all 5 blades for reaching tight spaces with ease.

3) Hydrates throughout each shave with a Gel stream which contains aloe that lubricants the skin, helps reduce irritation that lasts up to 2 times longer than regular lubrication strips.

4) Trims with an adjustable power trimmer featuring a wide comb and sharp blade that can be customised to desired hair length for cutting efficiency.

anthonymcgrath405 / 12/09/2014

Turn the world upside down with SWATCH’s sistem51

Thirty years ago Swatch, honestly revolutionised the watch industry by introduced a simplified, Swiss made quartz wristwatch with only 51 parts, so ? Whats the big deal ? Well, it was the world’s first plastic watch made not by hand in the traditional Swiss manner, but on a fully automated assembly line. The small number of parts and automated assembly made quality Swiss watches accessible, for the first time, to millions of people. Thirty years later, Swatch has done it again: sustained investment in research and development, innovative thinking, advanced engineering and simple creativity have turned the watch world on its head yet again. The “lucky number” of Swatch – 51 – being not only, the point of reference, but creativity.

The protagonist of the story this time is an automatic (self-winding) mechanical movement made from a total of 51 parts. The parts form five separate modules, which are welded into a single unit centered on a single screw. Conventional mechanical watch movements have at least twice as many parts; some of the more complicated, high-end models have more than six hundred, assembled by hand over weeks or months by master watchmakers in their ateliers.

SISTEM51 is the first and only mechanical movement with fully automated assembly. The high-tech escapement has no regulator; the rate is set at the factory with a laser, making the manual rate adjustments normally required by a mechanical watch unnecessary. The movement, which features a 90 hour power reserve, is made of ARCAP, an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc with exceptional anti-magnetic qualities. All parts are hermetically sealed within the case: no moisture, dust or foreign elements can interfere with performance, assuring a very long life and sustained accuracy over time, well maybe by 10seconds give or take.

For a fraction of the price of traditional luxury mechanical watches, a SISTEM51 Swatch opens up the fascinating world of mechanical movements to millions who could not previously afford a Swiss made mechanical watch. It is a luxury, an accessible point of entry to high-end mechanical watchmaking—for everyone.

The whole look of the Sistem51, has been completely thought through. The dial side reveals six of the movement’s 19 rubies, and from the back one gazes through a transparent oscillating weight into the heart of this fascinating microcosm. Design is a key part of the Swatch DNA, and SISTEM51 extends its reach into the innovative depths of the movement itself. Coming in four different Sistem51 colour ways of White, Black, Blue and Red to finish the overall aesthetic of this latest creation.

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