London Lunacy

A recent visit to the London Show Rooms to view the designers' Spring 2012 collections reminded me of the boldness, originality, and oftentimes lunatic charm that I find lacking in New York's more sober, commercial fashion scene. "So bad it's good" was a recurring theme among my picks, and depending on your degree of risk-aversion---once-in-a-while or once-and-for-all---it's mighty fun to break the rules.

So wrong it's right: studs, tattoo prints, and a huge "ELVIS" sign seemingly DIY-sewed on to the back of a faux-denim knit jacket sound like a recipe for chaos, but with summer blacks and beat-up black lace-ups, I think this Sibling jacket could be next season's beautiful disaster.

Cozette McCreery, in a Sister by Sibling neon leopard-print sweater, holds up the jacket to show the circus-font "YES" on one sleeve and the tattoo prints on the other.

The time for leopard print (at least in my world) has passed, but the mirage-like quality of the digital cheetah and tiger prints on this Katie Eary silk shirt is enthralling. With the gold buttons, and the peek-a-boo detail right under the collar, tucked into sharp navy trousers, this would be perfect for hosting a summer soiree.

Katie Eary's eagle-headed cheetahs are as absurd as they are beautiful.

exaggerated epaulettes by Katie Eary

Lou Dalton's inspiration was the miners strike in the UK during the 80s and the Pitman Painters, livened up by the idea of the swan and the duckling, and it was fascinating to see how clearly this inspiration was translated into her clothes.

These fully-lined white denim bermuda shorts by Lou Dalton are carefully hand-frayed all over to resemble feathers.

This Lou Dalton Swarovski crystal-encrusted chain mail cummerbund/apron is regal, warriorlike, and gentlemanly all at the same time.

Lace panels bring a subtle gentleness to this easy white t-shirt.

photographs taken at the London Showrooms in NYC

Nibbles: Nasir Mazhar Hat

designer Nasir Mazhar in a pencil loop hat of his own design

Having a pencil on the side of your head, usually tucked into the ear, is a staple of carpenters, or where I'm from, balut-makers (click at your own risk) who mark these widely-maligned duck eggs if they're ready or not. I think having a pen-loop on this Nasir Mazhar cap is just brilliant; aren't we always fumbling for a writing implement?

photo taken at the London Showrooms, New York

British Crown Jewels

I was dazzled by the gems on display at the London Show Rooms in NYC. These baubles may not be the emeralds or rubies the size of fruit set in platinum with big round brilliants surrounding them that you would associate with British jewelry top-of-mind, but rather, they are modern pieces that are very emblematic of the London fashion talent we know and love: quirky, inventive, and unlike any other.

Fannie Schiavoni excited the science geek in me with the most remarkable necklace made out of anodized lab-grown crystals:

I can already envision it, my mad fashion scientist outfit for spring: the Fannie Schiavoni lab-grown crystal necklace over printed silk shirt in blues and greens buttoned all the way to the top, glasses, a Margielic white lab coat, and maybe a battered brown doctor's bag to keep it gritty and down-to-earth.

Schiavoni's necklaces and harnesses in soft-as-silk chain mail

Holly Fulton showed bold graphic pieces with faux stones of inhumane proportions, which we all know I love.

the designer looking very chic in a necklace from her line, paired with vintage fan earrings

Her cuffs looked powerful, and I could very much see them crossing over to menswear. The large, globe-shaped stones on these are almost identical to those used in The Crystal Maze, a game show I spent many a childhood evening watching and fearfully thinking how miserable I'd be if I got trapped forever in the Aztec or Medieval challenge rooms...

crystal and Swarovski split-pearl earrings

and the most mesmerizing bib of crystal balls on lucite

Dominic Jones' blade hoops were intriguingly dangerous:

earrings by Dominic Jones

and his turquoise and silver earring with hematite beads were a modern take on Native Americana.

Though they aren't technically jewelry, Mary Katrantzou's exquisitely embellished pieces were sartorial gems.

Mary Katrantzou digital-print booties studded with pearls

a Mary Katrantzou skirt with paillette flowers, crystals, and beaded digital-print velvet greenery

Louise Gray's necklaces were lighthearted and very wearable.

The one on the far left reminded me of two DIY projects I did a while back, (googly-eyed shoes and the whistle necklace).

the designer, Louise Gray, and her lunatic-chic twinkly eyes

Sibling's East London Pub Crawl

Among those who presented at the London Show Rooms in New York today, the one that surprisingly put a smile to my face was Joe Bates, Sid Bryan, and Cozette McCreery's Sibling. I've noticed Sibling on the periphery, but didn't pay much attention to it in the past, dismissing it as perhaps too casual for my own tastes. But upon closer inspection of the line today, I discovered a clever cheekiness that could work wonders at livening up my wardrobe of dark suiting material and silks and chiffons of varied sorts and patterns.

"Sibling takes a knitted pub-crawl around East London" was the theme of Fall 2011. Each piece in the collection of knitwear was inspired by a pub in the infamous nightlife area.

The George & Dragon in Shoreditch gives birth to a fair isle vest knitted in Scotland, featuring Saint George, crossed cigarettes and dragons.

Inspired by the same pub is this hoodie done in a sculptural technique called dragon stitch.

The soft knit assumes the form of spikes, and makes for a frighteningly awesome sweater.

the merino wool dragon scales up close

The George drape hooded jacket with detachable zip hood had a pattern all over reminiscent of bricks in a dungeon.

Sibling's Sid Bryan styles the jacket on a model.

The jacket's drapey shape is a departure from most of the collection's classic-fitting sweaters, but the coziness of the knit is pure Sibling.

And the piece (or two) that I never thought I'd want but now need more than ever, the twinset they made in collaboration with artist "Pure Evil", featuring pandas with sequin Kiss make-up.

the Sibling Pandas Rock! twinset

Never in a million years did I imagine I'd lust for (1) a twinset, (2) graphic-printed pandas and (3) anything with sequins. Alright, maybe not number 3, but you get what I mean. Slip on the twinset and you're warm, you look cool, you look like a reverse cross-dressing schoolmarm.

Sibling London

John Lobb's Spirits of Capitals

Last week, I was honored to be invited to a private press viewing of John Lobb's "Spirits of Capitals" collection at the Hermès men's boutique on Madison Avenue. Though the Hermès Group's regulations prohibited me from snapping my own photos at the exhibition, I was lucky to have a brief chat with John Lobb CEO Renaud Paul-Dauphin, who explained to me the direction the brand was shooting for in the near future. John Lobb wants to dissociate itself from the general misconception that the brand makes only stodgy old men's thick-soled brogues, and instead, aims to bring forward its superb craftsmanship and the timeless yet worldly and almost eclectic character of the long-time boot maker. Paul-Dauphin, a stylish gentleman himself, proudly wore a pair of John Lobb double-monkstraps in tan, each one fascinatingly fashioned out of a single piece of leather.

The "Spirits of Capitals" collection was born out of a challenge for the house of John Lobb to craft a pair of shoes that would embody a city in the world. John Lobb commissioned a number of teams of designers, shoemakers, and clients of different backgrounds: artists, performers, and possibly a couple of private people with bucks to blow. The result is an album of shoes that profoundly exemplify the cities that inspired them.

The Moscow shoe, a boot of course, is distinctly Russian.

In browns of differing shades and textures, they were inspired by a bespoke order made for a Russian opera singer particularly renowned at the beginning of the last century. The client's initials are hand-embroidered in Cyrillic letters on the heel of the ankle boot.

the Moscow ankle boot in 166 box-calf, wagtail box and tobacco brown suede

What could be more English than green and brown? These boots in cotton canvas and calfskin are unmistakably London.

the London low boot in gold Barenia calfskin and khaki canvas

The Beijings, with the suede and the zippy lateral elastic strap sheathed in leather (which would allow for flexibility and ease of wear and removal), are forward and pragmatic.

Beijing oxfords in green grey suede with pearl grey piping

The New York shoes are, I think, quite remarkable. They're almost downtown New York in their offbeatness, and in this colorway of dark pink with antique blue box leather, they are unlike any other.

New York oxfords in dark pink box paired with antique blue finish box

The heart-shaped "tongue" sent my heart a-flutter.

The Taipei mocassins looked immensely wearable, and the accent of the bamboo-hued crocodile was, I think, just right.

Taipei moccasins in oxford mink calfskin and bamboo crocodile

But if I were to have a piece of the collection, it would have to be the Tokyo boots, which I might have cradled in my arm a little too long for security to not take notice. They were sleek, simple without being boring, and (I don't know if I've used this word on the blog before but) darn, were they sexy. I think they are somewhat reminiscent of the elegance of Japanese pagodas: stately and almost ethereal, yet brought down to earth by the 100% wood construction that had to be rebuilt every few years.

Tokyo low boot in blue box-calf with a black finish.

It would pain me to have to choose between the two colorways. The first, in blue-black, exemplified understated dandy with the rich sapphire hue gleaming only in direct sunlight. But the same boot in tobacco brown suede with rose gold hardware (!) calls to me with a bedroom voice.

Tokyo low boot in tobacco brown suede with rose gold hardware. Note the spool-shaped heel on this one.

All the shoes in the collection are fully customizable: change the leather, swap the heel, John Lobb would tailor it to a client's specifications, for a price. Think of it as the ultimate DIY collaborative experience. Gentlemen around the world, how astutely do you think Lobb embodies your city? If your metropolis of residence isn't in the collection, what shoe would you have them make for you?

How to Age a Barbour

You might recall the gripe I had with my Barbour International jacket: the stiff, heavy fabric, the shiny gold buttons. It was just too new. After a few attempts at accelerating the aging process, some exaggerated and some crafty, I finally got it to a stage where I'm satisfied.

My very own battered Barbour. It still isn't quite as worn as Crangi's, but I think it's patina-d enough to be proudly worn out.

This is what it looked like, new:

my Barbour International, fresh from London

And this is how I aged it:

My first point of attack were the almost orange-gold buttons. I took heed of the advice from an anonymous commenter who suggested a paste of flour and vinegar to tarnish the buttons.

I spread it on thick on all the brass on the jacket, left it on overnight, and peeled the hardened paste off the next day. It did a great job at mellowing the bright brassy hue of the buttons. I also spread some on the badge to dirty up the bright yellow.

I then wore the jacket out as often as I can, and on the days with the most horrid weather. And when nobody was looking, I'd rub my arms or back against a rough gravel post or two. One day after it rained, I found the boldness to take my jacket off in the yard in front of my apartment, drag it along the grass and gravel, and trample on it shamelessly.

After a while, I knew it was time to highlight the patina by re-waxing it:

Barbour Wax Thornproof Dressing, available at Barbour boutiques or at Blackbird

I placed it in my poison pot with about three inches of water and heated it just short of boiling; I didn't want the bubbles to tip the can over and spill all the precious wax.

I then worked the melted wax in with an old tea towel, making sure to rub it in well on the seams. (Note for the future: I might have been better off using a sponge; my white tea towel pilled all over the jacket and the lint took quite a while to clean off.)

the jacket starting to show that sought-after shine

I had to re-heat the wax twice, as it had hardened on me. When I was done with the entire jacket, working in the wax thoroughly to achieve that patina, I used a hair dryer to go over the spots where the wax was laid on too thick or where it had hardened before I had the chance to rub it in. Re-waxing my Barbour took an entire messy afternoon of nearly finger-bleeding towel-scrubbing, but I'm very pleased with the result.

the distressed, shiny look at last!

As a finishing touch, I went over the buttons with a scrub sponge to scratch and matte them up a little bit.

my aged Barbour International jacket

Re-waxing a Barbour is much like waxing a car: it requires attention to detail, lots of elbow work, and usually more wax than you thought you needed. The car emerges looking fresh, almost like it did the day you took it out of the dealership. But the jacket ends up looking like it survived the ten worst London winters... and that's just how I like it.