CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN

anthonymcgrath405 / 02/05/2013

Heureux Quatre-Vingtième Anniversaire Lacoste de Vêtements-Font-le-Man.com OR Happy Eightieth Birthday Lacoste from Clothes-Make-the-Man.com

The very first Advertising campaign from Lacoste back in 1933

Bonjour Style Trekers and welcome to a, particularly Gallic post today to celebrate an amazing milestone in the history of an exceptional brand. So without further ado, Happy Birthday Lacoste ! or Joyeaux Anniversaire for you linguistic sticklers. So what you gonna do for your birthday crocodile ?

Well, a whole host of celebrating 80 years of evolution, revisiting, reinventing and renewing of glamour, essentially.

It all started on a tennis court in 1933 when French tennis champion René Lacoste, or “the Crocodile” performed viva la revolution of men’s fashion by replacing the classical woven, long-sleeved starched shirt with a light and comfortable short-sleeved one in airy petit piqué fabric, better known today as the classic LACOSTE polo shirt.

Authenticity, audacity, empathy and a certain “joie de vivre”
inherited from the 30s are the four pillars that made LACOSTE a successful worldwide fashion brand. Today the iconic Croc insignia has more than 1160
boutiques throughout 110 countries, selling two items every second !!!!

Yes, all good and well, but what are the brand going to do to celebrate this historic event ? Well, first in the series of projects is, EDITION – a capsule collection of classic iconic Lacoste items inspired by images taken from the archive.

Next up we have, the Custom Polo shirt, the brand has created 12 very special limited edition custom polo kits, which, lets face it are bound for collectors item status. So throughout 2013, Lacoste will propose each month one custom polo kit, distributed exclusively in an F-Store available on the LACOSTE Facebook page (Facebook.com/Lacoste). Fans will have the opportunity to customise a white L.12.12 polo shirt using different techniques such as coloring, sewing, embroidery, flocking or graffiti.

Talk about saving the best for last and personally my favourite of the projects. Lacoste to commemorate 80 stylish years, invited the celebrated British designer Peter Saville, yes the same man responsible for designing some of the most memorable album covers EVER, including Closer by Joy Division, Happy Mondays’ Pills, Thrills and Bellyaches and responsible for designing the Identity logo to the best city in the UK, Manchester. Saville was asked to create a symbol to represent this milestone in the Brand’s history. Peter, of course, successfully rose to the challenge with a specially crafted 80th Anniversary Logo.

The resulting motif elegantly epitomises 80 years of Lacoste history with a contemporary vision. Peter worked alongside Lacoste Creative Director, Felipe Oliveira Baptista and Lacoste Design Director, Christophe Pillet to translate his celebratory configuration of circles forming a symbolic ‘80’ numeral which is designed to frame a multiplicity of visual content.

anthonymcgrath405 / 01/05/2013

And here’s one I made earlier – TENT Bags

Ahhhhh thats what you need, first thing of a Morning, a press release dropping into your in-tray, which evokes a, “Hello There !” moment. That sure as hell happened with this lil gem. TENT by Esther Porter , offers a collection of British designed, utilitarian outdoor bags.

Now then, the beauty and USP, excuse the marketing crap, of TENT is, all the bags are made from a combination of, get ready for this, recycled tent fabric (reclaimed from summer music festivals of yesteryear, so when you were wetter then a British Summer holiday after the mud bath that was Glastonbury, Reading or even Coachella, sorry what on earth am I thinking). British rubber-bonded cotton canvas for increased water resistance and durability, equestrian-grade cotton webbing in the straps for comfort, and nickel hardware for strength, what a combination !

This season, TENT introduces a new backpack style in addition to their signature barrel, holdall, satchel and rucksacks. The backpack is simply constructed, boxy in shape and inspired by military bags, cycle-panniers and dive wet-bags. It features a fold-over style that keeps things secure and waterproofed. Plus, new colours include; sky blue, sandy-khaki, golden yellow and soft grey. Finished to the highest standards in terms of technical properties, fabric and appearance the final product remains minimal, refined, practical and hardwearing.

TENT by Esther Porter Spring 2013 Bag collection

anthonymcgrath405 / 30/04/2013

Selvage a pair – Nudie Jean Dry Organic Pima Selvage Jeans

Nudie Jeans, have built a world class reputation since their launch in Gothenberg, Sweden in 2001 with a no nonsense, Anti-Fashion, common sense message of if you like the brand join us and enjoy their product and if you don’t thats cool, OK. Their core values were decided upon even before the brand was founded. To work with suppliers and partners who respect human rights and take responsibility for the environment was a given base to start from. Apart from doing what they enjoy the most they wanted to work with people who share this simple and genuine philosophy. They wanted to create a platform for realising idealistic projects and they entered into a collaboration with the humanitarian organisation, Amnesty International, in its launch year.

The guys behind the brand have a beautiful approach to the denim business believing that besides leather, only denim has the ability to age so gracefully, formed by its wearer into a second skin. The Indigo colour of denim is the living colour thats fades together with the lifestyle. The longer it lives, the more character and attitude it gains

The latest addition to their family is an, unsurprisingly, Organic premium Pima cotton grown on a small scale organic farm in New Mexico, USA. Selvage fabric woven in Japan on narrow shuttle looms by skilled denim artisans. Cut and sewn at one of the world’s best denim producers in Italy. The Grim Tim Dry Organic Pima Selvage Jeans.

The fabric has a streaky appearance which is a feature thanks to the long fibres of the Pima cotton. Combining Pima cotton with the benefits of the selvage weav- ing technique creates a durable, dense and soft fabric. Each pair has an individual number, ranging from 1–480, stamped on the back leather patch. To break-in this dry 13,5 oz selvage jean, wear it for six months before first wash.

anthonymcgrath405 / 29/04/2013

Not tonight lads its Gentlemen only – Gentlemen Only the new fragrance from Givenchy

No its not some grand mahogany door clad, pretentious media hungry private members club, no this a universal club with no door policy, no discriminatory management and no silly meetings in front of a panel of po faced harridans to gain membership. You don’t have to be born with a silver spoon perched in ones mouth or a case of who you know not what you know. This is a club where you will recognise its members by smell alone, as Givenchy, the French Power Fashion House launches its new Gentlemen Only fragrance.

The Scent uses a mix of the finest essences and natural ingredients. It starts with giving off an aromatic and spicy freshness, created by a blend of green mandarin orange, pink peppercorns, nutmeg and birch leaves. Then its depth is revealed by trio of cedar, patchouli and vetiver before a powerful charm of of incense hits you.

Each element of this fragrance has been thought through, the bottle is classic and yet contemporary, reminding you of a

Actor, Simon Barker Face of Gentlemen Only by Givenchy

gentleman’s hip flask and the thick glass bottom is reminiscent of a paper weight you would find on the desk of a man of the world. The House of Givenchy has thought long and hard as to who could epitomise the elements of what encapsulates this scent and what it is all about and they choose the Australian actor, Simon Barker, currently seen in the film, “I give it a year” and the investigator in the TV series “The Mentalist”. Barker is seen as a modern day gentleman in the same way as Jimmy Stewart and Cary Grant were in the Golden age of Hollywoods films.

Givenchy’s 10 ways to spot a modern day Gentleman, are you one ?

anthonymcgrath405 / 23/04/2013

Bags of Likeability – Universal Works X Millican Collaboration

It honestly is a rare occurrence when I’m able to say, watch this, it explains everything, but that is exactly what the below short film does. Two Great British Menswear brands have come together to produce a concise capsule bag collection, offering everything, any man, any bag he could possibly need. Universal Works, who produce a well made, easy to wear and affordable collection for men who want contemporary clothes, but understand tradition and looking good without trying too hard. They have teamed up with Millican, a brand that follows the path left by eco-adventurer and godfather of sustainable living, no not Tom Goode of the Good Life, God Rest his Soul, but Millican Dalton, who in turn produce a collection of organic canvas bags and accessories. Watch and Enjoy –

SS/13 Universal Works x Millican Collaboration from Millican on Vimeo.

TENT by Esther Porter Spring 2013 Bag collection

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