• A bespoke shirt will actually fit you
• A bespoke shirt can be crafted to fit your unique lifestyle, fabrics that suit your climate, and cuts complimentary to physical activity, even how you sit or stand
• Tailors know what looks good, and more importantly what will suit you
• If you don’t know what you want, your tailor will have a font of sartorial knowledge to help you choose
• If looked after properly a bespoke shirt can last 10 years or more
• Just because a shirt is from a good label, it doesn’t mean it will fit properly
• A bespoke shirt makes a statement
• When you go bespoke, you become a walking advertisement for your tailor, he wants you to look the best possible
• It should be the most comfortable piece of clothing you own and if you are wearing it in the office all day this is very important
• Clothes that don’t fit often end up wearing you. Wearing bespoke pieces gives you confidence and you may achieve more
It’s 1975, Zeppelin fans causing havoc in Boston Gardens, The Rolling Stones introduce their new guitarist Ronnie Wood, and their upcoming North American tour, by performing Brown Sugar on the back of a flatbed truck in NYC. Across the pond a truly influential album to British Rock is born. Dr Feelgood a British pub rock outfit release their debut album “Down By The Jetty” a sound which would go on to influence the emergence of punk rock, and many artists from The Jam to Blondie, and the Ramones.
Dr Feelgood’s sound was routed in rhythm and blues, Wilko Johnson provided jagged percussive guitar, interlaced with blues licks and solos, this and Lee Brilleaux’s nicotine growl and harmonica work gave the group its iconic sound. “Down By The Jetty” shows Feelgood at their rawest and is often argued to be their greatest album, it shows off their great talent and energy from start to finish. Our favourite track from the album is the opening title “she does it right” with a riff that is unmistakably Wilko’s handy work.
Get ready for the weekend; treat your self to a whisky, a style up, and a piece of British rock history.
With the end of the Tour we decided to take a look at one of the coolest riders to have ridden the mountain ranges. Edouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx, better known as Eddy Merckx.
Merckx turned pro in 1965 going on to win 3 World Championships, 5 Tour De France victories and 5 Giro D’italia. An insatiable rider, with an appetite for winning (525 in total), the most handsome man on the track had it all. He was meticulous with his equipment, constantly tinkering with his bike, adjusting saddle height mid-race or even demanding frames to be put on the next plane to Switzerland so he can race on it the next day because the geometry was better. His ferocious style, incomparable wins, and sheer dedication to his sport earned him the nickname “The Cannibal” and secured him iconic status in cycling.
“Ride as much or as little, or as long or as short as you feel. But ride.” ~ Eddy Merckx
Get the look
Brent says:
“A look that would suit anyone, it’s a cut that hasn’t aged since the ‘50s and one that never will.
Ask for a classic short, back and sides.
Wash, towel–dry, then use a touch of moulding cream to style. Wear it side–parted or combed straight back, but don’t use too much product as this is a style where the haircut itself is the star.”
When the director Fred Zinnemann was looking for an actor to play the anonymous assassin in The Day Of The Jackal, some of the most exciting actors of a generation auditioned for him. He turned down Michael Caine, and rejected Roger Moore. The man he chose was a respected stage actor who had impressed in films like The Battle Of Britain and The Go-Between, but who not yet a star.
The Day Of The Jackal changed that. Cool, immaculately dressed, and with the requisite coldness of the hired killer he was playing, Fox was prefect as The Jackal – the apparently quintessentially English assassin. As exciting were the films locations. Shot across Europe – from Paris to Rome and, our favourite at Pankhurst London, the French Riviera – it is enough to make you want to jump into The Jackal’s Alfa Romeo Giulietta and take off for the Mediterranean yourself.
Get the look.
Brent says,
“It’s a classic, well-cut, side-parted, graduated haircut. It’s all about sleek lines and elegance. Alain Delon is another who wears it well.
Ask for a graduated, side-parted cut to be left slightly longer over the ears so the hair sits back nicely into the back of the neck.
Shampoo every other day. Then, for everyday use, towel-dry, then use our leave-inStyling Conditioner to finish the look. If you’re going out, add a touch of Moulding Cream to make it a little more malleable.”
James Hunt won the Formula One World Championship in 1976 before retiring from racing in 1979. He brought a rock’n’roll effortless cool to the sport and is now in the Motor Sport Hall of Fame.
Graham Hill had the air of a classic english gentleman and accolades to match, He is the only driver to win the Triple Crown of Motorsport—the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Indianapolis 500 and Formula One World Championship.
Jim Clark, was a versatile driver who competed in sports cars, touring cars and the Indianapolis 500. He met a tragic end at the Hockenheim in a racing accident, At the time of his death, he had won more Grand Prix races (25) and achieved more Grand Prix pole positions (33) than any other driver.
Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss was never a champion but was heralded as “the greatest driver never to win the World Championship”. He did however win Italy’s thousand-mile Mille Miglia road race In 1955, an achievement described as the “most iconic single day’s drive in motor racing history.”
Lewis Hamilton, the youngest driver ever to have turned a contract from McLaren into a Formula 1 drive, a modern day icon of British racing.
Four men that knew how to wear long hair, Peter Fonder, Javier Bardem, Vincent Gallo and Alain Delon. Each cut was the perfect length and style for them, here’s how to achieve our favourite long mens haircut.
When growing your hair, for a strong masculine style keep the the hair off the shoulders with a similar length in both the front and back. You don’t want to be left with a short cut on the front with longer hair at the back.
To style, use a styling conditioner, this will add definition while protecting and nourishing your hair throughout the day. Rub the styling conditioner into your palms and thoroughly work the product through your hair from front to back, starting with the sides and finishing with the top. For a sleeker style push your hair back behind your ears.
KEEP IT SIMPLE!
Hyatt West Hollywood Hotel, Los Angeles
The West Hollywood Hotel is a legend amongst the rock’n’roll community. Jim Morrison is said to have been spotted on the window ledge outside his room on a number of occasions, while The Who’s drummer Keith Moon, possibly one of the most explosive rock stars to have graced the earth, threw a television out of his window just for fun. Led Zeplin would rent out entire floors to stage their antics, with drummer John Bonham even riding his Harley Davidson down the halls of the establishment. These displays of debauched behavior earned The West Hollywood the nickname ‘The Riot House’ and secured its place in rock’n’roll history. The West Hyatt has since matured into a more respectable hotel, with the rock’n’roll behavior moving down the sunset strip to the luxurious Sunset Marquis where many of todays stars choose to stay.
The Chelsea Hotel, New York
The Chelsea Hotel is almost unrivalled in its list of rock’n’roll inhabitants – Jimi Hendrix, Leonard Cohen, Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, just to name a few, passed through the hotels doors. The Hotel saw its most riotous times in the 1960s and 1970s with, perhaps, its most notorious incident in 1978. Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious was accused with stabbing and killing his girlfriend Nancy Spugen in his room. The playwright Arthur Miller, who lived at the hotel for six years following his divorce to Marilyn Monroe, summed up The Chelsea Hotel as follows, “There are no vacuum cleaners, no rules and no shame.”
The Cumberland Hotel, London
Over the four years Jimi Hendrix spent in London, he frequented many West End hotels, however The Cumberland remained a favorite of the guitar god. Jimi spent £17 a night on a hotel room where he would often hide away from the prying eyes of the media, and enamoured admirers. The Cumberland was Hendrix’s last official residence before his untimely death on September 18, 1970 aged just 27.
The Chateau Marmont, Los Angeles
The Chateau Marmont is synonymous with the Hollywood experience, hosting nearly every major A-lister to have visited the sunset strip. From Red Hot Chili Peppers Anthony Kiedis recording his vocals for “By The Way” in his hotel room, to James Dean auditioning for his role in “Rebel Without a Cause”, the hotel has seen many a high point in entertainment history. Like most haunts of the rock star, The Marmont has also seen its fair share of the dark times. When John Frusciante, also of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, took up residence in the Marmont he quickly descended into a drug hell, which nearly cost him his life. The Chateau Marmont is an institution of rock’n’roll and deserves its place in our top 5.
The Joshua Tree Inn, California
The perfect get away from the star paved streets of LA, Joshua Tree Inn stands firm in a wild and desolate landscape. Musicians such as Keith Richards, the Eagles, and Gram Parsons frequented the desert getaway, but one day the desert would claim one of their souls for good. On September 19, 1973, Gram Parsons died of a morphine and alcohol overdose. Gram then had one of the most rock’n’roll funerals of all time. Parsons stated that he wanted his body cremated at Joshua Tree and his ashes spread over Cap Rock, so Phil Kaufman his tour manager, and another friend, stole his body from the airport. Driving a borrowed hearse full of beer and Jack Daniels, the pair drove into the desert and cremated Gram under the star studded sky.
First take a look in the mirror and decipher your facial structure. What shaped face do you have?
Diamond
Square
Round
Oval
The Hair
Invest!
• People with beards often forget they have a face underneath that needs care. Apply hot flannels to your skin every so often to open up the pores underneath – or put your face over a steaming bowl of hot water instead. Use a moisturiser afterwards.
• Shampoo your beard regularly.
• Imagine a line between the top of your ear and the corner of your mouth. Hair should not grow above this line, nor on your neck, unless you are going for the wolfman look. If you are going for the wolfman look, what are you doing reading this?
• Clippers are essential for maintaining your beard and for keeping it at an optimum length.
• Every you time you think about growing a goatee, slam your head in a car door. You’ll soon learn.
• It happens to most of us, don’t fight it too hard.
• It looks unnatural to reach a certain age without a grey hair and usually signposts a dye job. If you must dye your hair, do it so it looks natural.
• Don’t go for a full, all-over dye. Instead, apply dye with a comb. It won’t give you an all-over coating but will remove some of the grey leading to a more natural look.
• Get your hair cut more often: grey hair looks better shorter.