A tribute to the man that is...

What do Mick Jagger ,Lennox Lewis and Will Smith all have in common , apart from being iconic men within there field ? Not guessed it yet ? Well they all have an appreciation for a good hand made suit. Not any suit though but one crafted by Oswald Boateng ,  the north london born designer has dressed the best of the best even the likes of Sir Anthony Hopkins. However it is not his a- list cliental that is most impressive but more his approach to bespoke tailoring . His style is “crisp  and structured with an attention on flow and finish”. His look is somewhat a take on the modern day dandy, with his use of bright colours such as fluorescent purple and  turquoise . Boateng has managed to capture the man of the twenty first century.

Since moving to Vigo street in 1993 after the success of his first fashion show in paris, his mission was simple  to “save Saville row”.Compared by some to his idol the late Tommy Nutter, Boateng saw his role on the row as “rewriting established perceptions of Saville row with a more contemporary twist on the classical form”. With the increasing rent rises and aging talent, the Row was distined to be demolished but with the bravado of Boateng who's self publicising brought spotlight back to the heart of mayfair.The Row no longer  struggled for business it thrived under the new blood, who were essential in the survival of one of Londons most iconic streets. Although scrutinized for his outlandish mannerisms his passion earned him an O.B.E in 2006 for his services to bespoke tailoring. Not bad for a self taught tailor.

Boateng's showing at LFW

After all his accomplishments it seemed only  fitting that Boateng make a  return to london this year after  2 years as the closing show at london fashion week . The show consisted of over 100 models and looks which encapsulated the spirit of the man. Even combining two seasons, both autumn/ winter 10 and spring/ summer 11. It was a truly outlandish affair. Displays like this as well as his long list of achievements have Made Oswald Boateng a house hold name within mens fashion. His Next project is a film titled  “ A mans story”  a documentary on the man himself and if its anything like his other efforts its sure to be one to watch. 

The only christmas event you need to attend

Christmas party's are about to become a regular . You will find yourself dodging many and attending few. But of the ones you do attend  make sure it is The other side magazine 's christmas shindig.It is at the Macbeth in shoreditch on the 15th from 7.30 onwards. Order tickets here £4 before and £5 on the door. Its sure to be a good event, I will be there as well as a pretty decent line-up including : Chad valley ; Trophy wife ; Othello Woolf all live plus many other DJs. Radio 1 seem to be fond of these guys so definatly worth a listen. For more info check out there Facebook page.

The other side magazine is a free quarterly mag that  celebrates Londons diversity with interesting articles on art fashion food and music. Time out said they where " The one free magazine  worth reading". Thats enough of a reason to actually read it I believe. It is also a good platform for aspiring writers and illustrators to get there work published so check out there site here .


So the undertone of this is be there it seems to be a christmas party that will actually be good plus I heard there are going to be mince pies ... enough said.

Esquire Presents : Exclusive preview of Daks Archive musuem

Last evening was eventful to say the least I was kindly invited to old bond street to preview Daks new museum. Very happy to be there Imust add. For those who aren't that familiar with the brand , Daks is the reason for the "self supporting trouser" invented in 1934. This is the reason why Adrian Sauvage isn't using belt loops in his new collection. The brands history is astounding , it is weird that such a tailored brand also had heavy involvement in sporting events including Wimbledon. Those winning suits didn't make themselves.

The routine of the evening was something similar to a black tie dinner . Glass of champagne on entry with many refills after (My glass wasn't empty at any point). It was a case of "more champagne sir?" with the reply " Yes please". A constant array of  canapés from pork to salmon even a chocolate cake. After listening to a speech from the chairman of the company and from the lovely zandra rhodes. Who is chancellor for UCA may I note. We was then lead to the museum in the company of esquire fashion editor Gareth Scourfield. There is a fair bit of name knowing there , I spent most of the evening hunting each one down which was interesting . 

All in all a heavily intoxicated evening as my friend found out over a phonecall. Very entertaining.    

 As well as viewing there new collection with a very handsome 20% discount. Last night was also a chance to try out there new bespoke Tailoring service , which from what I saw included a vast number a fabrics colours and cuts. Something tailors on saville row would of envied . 

 Unfortunatly I wasnt allowed to take photos so there is no first hand photography.  Over there  is my goody bag and invite . Which included Esquires december issue with mostririser and aftershave.  

However I wish you guys could see the double breasted wool blazer... 

Is Lanvin's collaboration with H&M the beginning of the end for high end fashion ?

After reading numerous posts from fellow students about the the new collection for H&M by Lanvin all saying the same thing ... "Its amazing" , "cannot wait" I couldn't help but think one thing ? Is it really?

Lets firstly say yes this is an important step for the high street and im sure the collection will be succesful  but is it really good for the high -end consumer. Im a great believer in fashion being accessible to the masses but isnt this just making brands like Lanvin less exclusive. Part of peoples love for fashion is the exclusivity that comes with it.  As much as it is a burden wanting something we cant have brings a certain aspiration to the manner in which we act . So just say all of a sudden big brands start to work more with lower street chains ... Yes it will be great  however after a while both  the cheap and actual lines are bound to have affiliations . Both in cut , texture and designer. Alber elbez has one mind and regardless of who he's designing for the outlet is bound to be the same right?

So look at it from the other end , if you could afford Lanvin would you be to happy that every person on the street may be wearing similar garments to yours , only half the price? I wouldn't be . Next  we will be seeing brands such as Givenchy doing collections for Topman. Some part of me hopes this will never happen. If it does then soon there will be no defining factor between premium lines and there cheap alternative.

Before you get caught up in the glamour of the situation just have a think on the larger scale...

But do we love Lanvin?

Grimes future

Now regardless of your musical preference you cannot ignore the relevance Grime is having in todays music scene. Lets firstly establish that I myself have a big dislike for popular culture OK, but without grime Artist such as Tinchy stryder , Tinie Tempah and Professer green would not exist. All managed to convert there underground tone into pop chart success which is if im honest more than annoying.But what this post will make you realise is that Grime is far from dead.

It all started at the MOBO's which some may of watched. Excluding all the ludicrus awards that were given out . There was a fairly important final performance. Which even though included the likes of Tinie temper and Professor Green was a huge success ( in my eyes). It included two artist that will hopefully not betray there field ... Giggs and Devlin. These two are sure to carry grime forward for the next few years without a doubt.

Giggs -let em ave it-out now

Giggs a south london born artist was more of a surprise especially as this man is banned from radio due to the explicitness of his lyrics. Even though I was not a fanatic fan at first it seems that I'm converting slowly, even if his voice is unusually deep.

Devlin-bud, sweat & beers -out on 1st nov 

Devlin is another who hasnt acheived too much wide spread success due to the irregularity in the way he raps but definatly is one to watch. What is important to note is that these two capture the essence of grime and what it truly represents at the moment. It's an art form and something that hopefully will become a lot more noticable as times go on.First step Giggs at glasto this year, whats next?  

Below is the song they performed the official video which also happens to include Example yes thats right the now pop sensation (ish) returns. For all the un - knowledgeable out there Example started off in grime before he ventured to pop stardom ... this is one return that I most definatly  welcome.

The inclusion of artist like this clearly ushers in a new dawn for the genre something that we must all pay attention to or if not than appreciate at least.