Best (and the not so well) Dressed Man – 2009

This maybe slightly late but I wanted to write a little something about the recent Best Dressed Lists featured in the May issues of a couple of men’s fashion magazines. The reason? Finally getting the ‘best dressed man’ right. This being the first time I have wholeheartedly agreed with a best dressed list and well…I wanted to cerebrate.

These lists, a regular page filler for the majority of magazines, seem only to reward good looking and money rather than a reward for any fashion or style they may have. The perfect example of this is Daniel Craig.

Daniel Craig, winner of GQ’s best dressed list in 2007 and 2008, does know how to wear a suit but how much input or even choice he have in what he wears is questionable. His high profile role as James Bond, means that designers will be extremely keen to have Craig wear their suits and such is his body shape I am sure most suits would look pretty good on him. Without wanting to be too harsh, Daniel Craig’s, “understated elegance”, is nothing but a safe bet. I should however add that I think Daniel Craig is a good style icon as his look (a good suit and a pretty normal face) is a little more attainable than a certain Milan based English footballer.

The recently best dressed British Men lists have highlighted the idea of wealth rather than fashion ingenuity and the current GQ Top Ten does little to shake this tag off. The top ten contained, along with our good friend James Bond; Guy Ritchie (really!?) and David Cameron. DAVID CAMERON!!!??? Now I am sure when you look at David Cameron, I don’t see a man with any style rather I see an average looking man wearing a slight better than average suit. Hardly top ten material.

Anyway, without waffling on to much, GQ awarded Mark Ronson the number one position. Not something you can really complain about but like David Beckham’s inclusion in the list it all seems a bit safe.

The point of all this is that Esquire have broken the mold, to a certain extent, and have chosen someone who has genuine style rather than following the guidelines set out by the very same magazines. Esquire have got it spot on with the crowning (get it?) of Prince Charles as their best-dressed man in the world. A brave decision but 100% the right one. Jemremy Langmead, Esquire’s editor, said that the list was looking for the, “men who dress like grown-ups…as well as those who have development their own distinctive style.” Charles certainly ticks these boxes and certainly gives us men unlucky another not to look like David Beckham a bit of hope. It is not even the wealth or the status that Charles carries into his style but it is simply put, its his style class which shines though.

Below is my favorite picture of the newly appointed style King (think its the sunglasses…) and GQ’s 8th best dressed man in the UK David Cameron. P. Charles manages to wear beige and white, not usually a good combo but here it is this colour clash that entirely justifies (among many others; the slicked back hair, the double breasted suits) his position as the world’s best dressed man. While the picture of Cameron on the other hand does scream below average.

If one needs more than the picture below please follow this link to the Guardian’s website for some style lessons form the Prince himself.

Angel Ibarra – New Sandman Review Online!

The review I wrote of the Angel Ibarra show in Manchester has just gone up @ http://www.sandmanmagazine.co.uk/reviews/l052.htm so please go have a look.

In case there was any trouble with the link I have included the review below…because I am nice like that

Angel Ibarra / The Honeymoon Suite / Lou Whatling / Modern Day Society

Club Academy 07/03/09

Scheduled to be on stage, Angel Ibarra lead guitarist of Seattle Post- Hardcore band Aiden, an outfit that polarise opinion at the best of times and a band I must confess a certain fondness for. Angel is on his first UK solo tour having been inspired by the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line. The underground goth scene to Jacksonville is certainly a big jump and the two greatly differing styles of pop-punk and folk are both on show here tonight.

First on, Modern Day Society, who are greeted enthusiastically by the small but lively crowd, which in hindsight is the best reception of the night. Playing an acoustic set, minus a drummer, gives MDS a combined age of 32, making them younger than one of the guys I was there with! The faux American pop-punkers work through covers of My Hero and Sex on Fire, which are not awful by any stretch but as you might guess are not the most original choices. They leave the crowd buzzing, which on tonight’s performance might have a little more to do with them being in the same year at school and a little less to do with the music…

Up next, Lou Whatling who is firmly sitting on the folk side of tonight’s metaphorical fence and who, seemingly out of nowhere, produces a voice so big some money could have been saved on the speaker-system. Channeling music of a bygone era, she squeezes out a set filled with grit and soul, whilst the dual vocals (sung with her guitarist) conjure images of June Carter and Johnny Cash while Lou’s husky tones perfectly complement her own playing, Overall a good, solid show and well worth a look, although sadly seemed wasted on this crowd.

As they stride onto the stage manfully, beating the States at their own game might be the last thing on their minds, but our next band certainly hold their own with the best of them. The Honeymoon Suite are pretty hard to resist with dual vocals, massive hooks and choruses that are fast paced, melodic and catchy but never overdone. At worse they are a little generic and lack originality, much like most of the ‘pop-punk’ coming out of the UK, but to focus on that would be to miss the point of The Honeymoon Suite and the point is that these guys are fun! Tonight they truly seemed destined for greater things and despite the deflated crowd my feeling is it is not a question of ‘if’ they will make it but ‘how big’ they will be. Go see them now!

Our “Man in Black” for the evening (literally as it turns out) Angel Ibarra gives us an enjoyable but underwhelming run through of his solo material which lacks the swirling, heart pounding passion one would have hoped for from a Cash inspired Angel. Indeed the more cynical amongst us (two of whom came to the gig with me) might even question what type of ‘Cash’ really interests him.

What Angel does have however is a great voice. Starting right at the back of the throat and tearing its way out you can’t deny his quality, which rivals even Lou Whatling for grittiest performance of the night. I can’t help but feel it is undermined by his lyrics though, which seem clumsy, clichéd and hollow. The show ended with not one call for an encore, which suggests that the crowd had come to see their classmates in Modern Day Society and be invigorated by The Honeymoon Suite not by Angel.

Double Denim’s back….WHAT!?

 

Triple Denim looking...good!?

Double denim, long been one of the great fashion taboos is set to return to fashion…well maybe.

 

John Galliano and Dolce & Gabbana among others have featured double denim at the heart of their spring summer 09 collections. The pictures below are from DSQUARED2 spring summer collection and look fantastic and dare I say wearable!?!? For people, including myself, who are not quite ready for the ‘denim on denim’ navy suits would be are best bet.

Something tells me that you are going to need pretty deep pockets to pull this off but if you are brave and rich another, go for it!

To see more of the DSquared2 Spring / Summer go to http://www.theinsider.com/photos/1277780_DSquared2_Spring_Summer_2009_Collection