Magic Brands, the Rise of Soporific Style and the Second Death of Celebrity Dressing
This week, a generous portion of sartorial minestrone.
I’m currently taking a break in Tuscany (by a turn of generous fortune I’m staying at the Slim Aarons-beloved Il Pellicano Hotel, c/o Gucci, which is about as glamorous as my 2024 is likely to get), so this week’s newsletter is something of a sun-addled digest.
Enter, 10 garments, musings, tips and style-related tidbits which have been bothering my mind as I’ve sweated into my sunlounger. Sei benvenuto.
1 | My Magic Brand
Last week, Business of Fashion unveiled its second annual magic brand index. Presented in matrix form, the index ranked the world’s leading luxury labels in terms of alignment (clarity of proposition), engagement (effectiveness at inspiring customers) and intent (ability to encourage customers to shop).
I was sad to see a few of my former favourites among the “lost” brands - labels which scored low on all the aforementioned factors - including Jil Sander and Lanvin. I was heartened, however, by the appearance of several of my favourite labels in the “magic” section. Loewe, Maison Margiela and Giorgio Armani, to name a few.
It’s worth noting that some of the brand positions made little sense to me (Valentino - with its over-logoed and indistinct menswear offering - inexplicably appeared in the “magic” section; whilst Bottega Veneta - arguably the most magical luxury brand in the world right now - was omitted entirely) but the validation for Armani made me feel a quiet sense of satisfaction.
I’ve not made a secret of my passion for the independently-owned Italian super brand, which will have been in business for five decades next year. In his long lifetime, Mr Armani has developed an aesthetic signature so entirely his own - and stuck to it so assiduously/stubbornly - that he’s built both a personal fortune of over €8 billion and, in turn, a bullet-proof brand.
Show me a man who would turn his nose up at a Giorgio Armani suit and I’ll show you a liar.
Not only is Mr Armani’s East Asian-tinged, loose-cut, fabric-focused approach to tailoring (still) entirely original, but it’s incredibly flattering and effortlessly cool. I wear his clothes all the time, and feel indomitable every time I do.
If you’re feeling the Armani magic too, then here are a few of my favourite pieces - both vintage and new - to covet right now.
2 | The Holiday-Ready Rule of Eight
During my time in Italy I’ve worn the same thing to the beach every single day and opted for a variation on a similar outfit most evenings. It’s been a relaxing turn of events which has made me realise how little one actually needs to pack for a sunshine holiday.
In fact, I’ve come to the conclusion that all anyone needs (beyond underwear) is eight key items.
N.B. This edit is different to my mini-break packing guide from a few weeks ago, as it’s more geared to a week-long summer holiday where you’ll be seeing no one other than the occasional sea urchin.
A serviceable pair of swim shorts
A good pair of trunks in a durable fabric will take you through your entire holiday. Just avoid peeing in them whilst in the sea if you can, give them a wash out in the evening, and wear the same pair every. Single. Dreamy. Day.
A few great T-shirts
You’ll need at least three of these heavyweight Arket Tees (the white ones are also good) which you can wear on rotation and hand wash as needed (but do be sure to hand wash).
A Beach-to-Night Shirt
A roomy silk, linen or foamy cotton shirt which can be worn just as easily on the walk to the beach (and thrown over your face when the sun gets too much) as it can for evening drinks, is a holiday essential. You needn’t pack two of these shirts unless you’re feeling FRIVOLOUS.
Some kind of Jacket
You might get cold in the evening, so pack a light, unlined blazer which wears as comfortably as a shirt (see section 5), and you don’t feel precious about. Ideally you should wear it on the flight there and back, too, to save on suitcase space.
A pair of Shorts
A solid pair of navy blue chino shorts will look great with your tan, can be rolled up when it gets really hot, and dressed up at night with your freshly rinsed and subsequently sun-dried beach shirt.
Some White Trousers
Just in case you plan on visiting a nice restaurant on a chilly evening, pack a pair of easy white trousers which can be worn with your beach shirt and jacket.
Birkenstocks
You will not wear any other shoes at any point, so absolutely do not bother packing them. Nothing will take up more space in your carry-on than pointless pairs of footwear. Travel smart, wear Birkenstocks.
Solid Sunglasses
A classic pair of black Rayban Wayfarers will see you through all eventualities en vacance. They also flatter pretty much every single face type.
3 | Soporific Style is On The Rise
I loved reading Washington Post fashion writer Rachel Tashjan’s excellent piece on designer Evan Kinori, who creates clothes which, in Tashjan’s words, “cost between $400 to $700, have the ease of 1990s Armani menswear and the intelligent lines of Yohji Yamamoto. And the precision with which he makes them, from sourcing his fabrics to manufacturing the clothes and selling them, is almost maniacal. Most are made domestically [in the United States].”
The truth about Kinori’s clothes is that they are deliciously dull. Much like the earthy, fabric-focused, seasonally unchanging garments designed by Margaret Howell, Kinori’s aesthetic is homespun, simple and geeky in the extreme.
His focus is vehemently anti-trend, instead honing in on minute details - sourcing the finest, locally grown cottons and spending long months refining the shape of a button hole or jacket vent. His cult following has grown accordingly.
Kinori’s is an approach adopted by other beautifully boring brands such as Stoffa, The Row, Auralee, Giuliva Heritage, Studio Nicholson and, of course, Margaret Howell, which somehow feels more relevant than ever in our exhausting age of over-consumption and endless production. Which leads me neatly onto…
4 | The Latest Death of Red Carpet Dressing
Now that I’ve had a few weeks to digest the high fashion gristle of the Met Gala, I’ve come to the conclusion that in order to maintain its relevance, the event needs to take a fallow year every other year. Much like Glastonbury, or the pruning of Plane trees.
Because at this year’s Gala, the mechanics of celebrities being dressed by brands for the event became precariously exposed. From Zendaya’s multiple changes, to Cardi B’s dress of pantomime proportions, there was a certain practiced-ness to the thing, which diluted the magic and made it a bit boring to watch.
Brands have long needed celebrities to wear their clothes on the red carpet. Many of these celebrities do not wear these outfits by choice. They are either paid to wear them by said brand or placed in them by stylists eager to curry favour with labels they want to style campaigns for.
A few years ago it was a system which worked well, inspiring muggles like you and me to shop the looks worn by their favourite stars on the red carpet, but now it’s worn through - at best seeming slightly cynical, at worst making brands look desperate.
Far better for the world’s most important labels to start focusing on making really desirable collections that are properly designed - and for us to start wearing brands which produce clothes that speak to us personally (rather than those we’ve seen plastered onto a famous person like a cut-out dress on a paper doll).
5 | A New Hybridity
Hybrid garments are nothing new, but 2024 seems to be a vintage year for clothes and shoes occupying two different subcategories at the same time. From New Balance’s much internet-ed loafer-sneakers (below), to Bottega Veneta’s tromp l’oeil leather jeans and Balenciaga’s new shoe box clutch (kind of counts, right?); mash up garments are very much where it’s at right now.
For me, though, the most interesting hybrid garments to filter through the menswear firmament of late, are blazers made from shirting fabrics. Such garments have been worn by those in the know for years (Rolling Stones’ stylist William Gilchrist has his shirt-blazers made by his personal tailor in Naples), but now the brands have started doing smart takes too.
Good for our ever warming world, and far better for your bank balance than a fully canvassed jacket.
6 | A Moment for Top Hats
The summer social season is just around the corner, and although you’d be unlikely/daft to sport a top hat to Wimbledon or the Serpentine Party, you’ll have to consider wearing one if you’re heading to the Royal Enclosure at Ascot, which is being sartorially overseen by young British designer Daniel Fletcher for the first time this year.
Back in 2017 I had a wonderful top hat made for me by St James’ hatter Lock & Co. The only problem being that it was crafted - as many new top hats are - from felted fur, which makes it quite warm on the head in the summer months (the only time I ever wear it).
The fact of the matter is, however, that it’s almost impossible to find lighter, silk top hats unless you’re willing to spend a fortune, as etiquette expert William Hanson told me recently: “The production of silk top hats stopped in the 1930s, when World War II kicked in. The silk looms were therefore decommissioned and they’ve never come back because there simply isn't the demand. There are only a small amount of silk top hats in circulation and to buy one will cost you upwards of £5,000.”
To Lock & Co or Oliver Brown (the official hatter of Royal Ascot) for a fur hat it is, then. That or you could rent a silk hat, but don’t expect much change from £500.
7 | Rimowa vs Globe Trotter
I was recently asked by one of my followers on instagram (hi, @jlau29), to determine whether a Globe Trotter or a Rimowa suitcase is more worthy of your hard-earned cash. Both are healthily priced, with carry-ons from each starting at over £1000.
Personally, I’m a big fan of Globe Trotter. For one, it’s British and I like to support local where I can. In terms of aesthetic, the vintage feel of GT’s suitcases works better with my tailored wardrobe and I enjoy the way they look in my house when not in use (I put them to work storing unworn clothes).
I also love the fact that Globe Trotters look better the more beaten up they get (I abuse my suitcases).
The only (very) minor downsides of owning a Globe Trotter are a) the metal fasteners tend to be a bit flimsy (I’ve had a few sheared off when they’ve popped open mid-flight), and b) the fabric lining is liable to stain if a bottle of moisturiser suffers a leak (an all too regular occurrence when I travel).
Rimowas, on the other hand, are elegant in a Succession kind of way - they’re stealthy and they make their carriers look like secret agents - but the truth is I find them a bit sterile and I know a lot of people who have struggled with easily damaged cases which cost an arm and a leg to get repaired.
Ultimately, however, it’s down to your personal taste.
(Globe Trotter FTW).
8 | A Flashback to Neon
During this current trip to Italy I’ve been using a Gucci beach bag finished in the brand’s grey canvas monogram, souped-up with a strip of neon lemon leather across the mouth and over the straps.
(Gucci did not ask or pay me to include the bag in my newsletter, it’s important to state).
At first I was fully against the neon, thinking it looked gauche, but as I started to carry it to the beach with my holiday wardrobe of navy blues, I began to notice just how great the bright pop of yellow looked against the darker shades.
It was an aesthetic flashbulb moment which brought to mind Jil Sander’s seminal spring summer ‘11 menswear show, where the German designer sent out boys wearing immaculately-cut block colour neon garments worn with more muted pieces.
It got me wondering whether neon could be the next chromatic frontier for 2024 - the lightning bolt to shock us out of the neutrally-toned, quiet luxury (double vom) moment we’re currently inhabiting.
There’s something about a flash of neon amongst the darkness, after all, which feels both modern and enticing - like Gatsby’s green light across the bay.
9 | The Riddle of the £400 Running Trainers
A poll, for this portion of the newsletter. I wear Cloud Monster trainers by On Running every time I jog. They’re the best trainers I’ve ever worn. Bouncy, supportive, ultra-light, perfectly snug around the upper - I didn’t think I’ll ever wear another pair.
Or at least I thought so until recently, when Loewe released its latest collaborative collection with On, including a set of marshmallow-y Cloud Tilt 2.0 running trainers in an array of enticing shades.
Thing is, the trainers cost £400, and I’m attempting to justify the purchase to myself with how regularly I run (at least twice a week) and the fact that I’ll most likely wear them when I’m not running, too (as literally every other person in the world who owns On trainers does).
My question to you, reader, is whether designer running shoes (which are actually made for running) are a bold new fashion finishing line to stream across; or a stupid sartorial pitfall to swerve, like a child avoids cracks in the pavement.
I think I know the answer, but I’m eager to glean your thoughts nonetheless.
10 | Dry Cleaning is Better Than Shopping
I’ve had an account with Jeeves of Belgravia dry cleaners for the past few years, and it’s an account I use very, very regularly.
Because nothing brings me more joy than handing over a bag of dirty clothes to the nice man who comes to pick them up in his black van. It’s like receiving Santa’s sleigh with the roles reversed - him providing me with the gift of considerably less stuff, me providing, well, said stuff.
In the time I’ve been using the service I’ve also come to realise that the elation I experience when my dry cleaning is returned, is very similar to the rush of endorphins precipitated by a shopping trip. Because as I unwrap the freshly laundered clothes from their perfectly crisp dust bags, I invariably feel as though I’m in receipt of completely new items.
It’s not cheap having lots of clothes dry cleaned, of course, but it’s much better for the environment than constantly buying new ones, and there’s something deeply satisfying about trusting a stranger to take care of the things you love, and that trust being honoured. It’s a similar feeling, I imagine, to finding an excellent babysitter to look after your children. Perhaps.
My point? Find a great dry cleaner you trust and stick with them. Not only will they reduce your outgoings in the long run, but they’ll also show the door to any moth infestations, which is only ever an excellent thing.
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