Sometimes the fashion world ruins things.
It happened to Chuck Taylors. It happened to the espadrille. And now, it’s happening to the slipper.
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“velvet”
Australian tailor Patrick Johnson made his name outfitting some of the most stylish gentlemen in Hong Kong, but as his latest crop of photos proves, he’s got plenty of style on his own.
It’s not a lookbook exactly—he only bothers with pictures every couple of years—but it’s a great reminder of what a sharp tailor can do. If you’re having a suit made any time soon, this is one to bookmark.
Here’s the work of the legendary P. Johnson, and what you can learn from it»
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We always respect white tie—but we respect it even more when a gentleman manages to leave his mark on the most formal, elegant vesting known to man.
In this case, the gentleman was designer Zang Toi, spotted at the opening night gala for the American Ballet Theater (a good scene for white tie if there ever was one).
It’s a given that he’s more dressed up than most of the other guests, but between the velvet jacket and the loosely knotted bow, he manages to settle into a kind of Bond Villain style that’s all his own. He looks as if he stepped in from another, better-dressed world.
Possibly one with box seats.
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Whether you’re wearing it or designing it, a velvet DB is a splashy way to make an entrance.
This one comes from Ramdane Touhami, who launched his eponymous label with a New York shop earlier this week. (Even splashier, the DB in question comes in under $400.) The rest of the stock is every bit as whimsical, with bright corduroys and over-buttoned coats filling up the stripped-down shop. Anyone looking for a more accessible twist on Band of Outsiders just hit the jackpot.
Touhami has been kicking around Europe for a while—collaborating with Marc Jacobs, making millions in the candle business; that sort of thing—but this is his first full-scale apparel brand in years. Judging by the early gear, it’s going to be quite a show.
We love fall, but it has a few drawbacks. For instance, it may be too chilly to spend Sunday afternoon barefoot. It’s a shame…but nothing a well-chosen slipper can’t solve.
Specifically, the most decadent piece of footwear known to man: the house shoe. If you’re indulgent enough to pick one up, it’s likely to be the most comfortable item you own—for the simple fact that it will never venture outside your house.
And naturally, we’ve got a few favorites.
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The Body Shop: Jesse Thorn takes on the varieties of the human body, and reveals Alan Flusser’s deep, Randy Newman-esque antipathy for short people. [Put This On]
The Great Outdoors: Outerwear gets sharper with Nanamica’s latest batch. [A Continuous Lean]
Slip Sliding Away: Against the velvet slipper…and the half slipper that will let you squeak by. [Esquire]
The Battle of the Bulge: The story of the fugitive Whitey Bulger and a decade’s worth of close calls. [The Atlantic]
You’ve probably heard the old card about not wearing white after Labor Day.
You’ve also probably heard that those old rules are made to be broken. But you probably haven’t heard exactly how.
This is how. It’s a double-breasted dinner jacket from the latest Billy Reid show, arriving in stores around Labor Day.
It might look like yachtwear from a distance, but it’s a good deal cozier than that. The fabric is undyed velvet, so it’s every bit as warm as your chunkiest sweater—cut to fit our own double-breasted rulebook and colored to match the snow.
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Over the next month, you’re going to be invited to a number of holiday functions. And, at the risk of wearing something with a snowman on it, you’re going to want to dress the part.
This, for future reference, is how it’s done.
That’s a velvet jacket, in case you can’t tell from the sheen, and it’s the most dignified holiday item you’ll find. The trick, as Clive Owen demonstrates here, is to keep the rest of your ensemble as toned down as possible. Here, he ends up with a seasonal twist on the tuxedo, which is just about perfect for a wintry red carpet jaunt. And if you can find a jacket with peak lapels, all the better.
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Along with all things mulled, fall brings a bit of an outerwear conundrum: to bundle or not to bundle? Our favored solution is the vintage tweed jacket, recognized worldwide as a staple of bookish gents. And as luck would have it, we’ve found a new source for them.
It’s called Tweedman’s Vintage, an online shop gathering together Harris Tweed blazers, velvet smoking jackets and skinny silk ties—in short, the best British vintage has to offer.
Based out of Cambridgeshire (naturally), the duo behind this online emporium has done a superb job of combing through charity shops and the closets of British grandfathers alike to maintain a variety of impeccably preserved woven relics. They’re the perfect transitional piece for fall—polished and, when paired with your knit of choice, just shy of winter weight.
We can neither confirm nor deny the residual scent of pipe tobacco.
With the Trad’s clout at an all-time high, we thought we’d check in with one of Manhattan’s most scrupulous dandies, Mordechai Rubenstein a.k.a. Mister Mort. His latest project is a line of velvet bowties in conjunction with fellow trad Baron Von Fancy, popping up soon for a cool $80. They’re pre-tied to spare you the near-impossible task of knotting velvet, but otherwise they’re as impeccable a throwback as you could want for a holiday party, especially if you’ve got an undersized suit handy.
The oxford has gotten a pretty thorough reworking lately, but leave it to Maison Martin Margiela to give the trend a classical twist. This velvet oxford wavers somewhere brown and gray thanks to its unusual texture, and while it might be a bit more brittle than the leather or even the canvas editions, it should be worth the care.
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The Japanese line Whereabouts just sent around pics of their F/W 09 collection, and they would appear to be fully in the grips of our favorite decade, the 1970s.
This woodsy look was what caught our eye most immediately, but there are also Bjorn Borg-ish v-necks, velvet blazers and something that looks an awful lot like a leisure suit. The look isn’t a full blown trend just yet, but with a few sunglasses and little help from Scott Sternberg, it will be soon enough.
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John Varvatos has made his name by channeling old school masculine icons, so it was only a matter of time before he worked his way around to the Hef.
We ran into velvet Lexington loafer at the designer’s SoHo outpost, and couldn’t help but notice Mr. Varvatos’ latest style obsession. Apparently Mickey Rourke picked up a pair during his most recent New York soujourn, and we can’t say we’re surprised. There’s a whole generation of men looking to Mr. Hefner as their sartorial guide, and these loafers might be the first time that impulse has served them well.
And if Mr. Varvatos ever feels like ditching rock photography for a more stirring kind of store dĂ©cor…let’s just say we know where to look.
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Velvet slippers have been venturing farther and farther outdoors lately. We’ve seen them come from sneaker companies and on the heels of a MOTH, but it’s always best to go to the source. And in this case, the source is England.
Shipton & Heneage’s only retail stores are across the sea (Paris and London, to be specific), but you can get these bespoke slippers well enough through the mail…even if that means you have to get measured stateside. They’ll even throw in the extra-British touch of sewing your family seal over the toes. (Judging by the two-headed eagle, this gentleman’s a Habsburg.)
