I found this slice of style cake hanging out with his model buddies at Spitalfields. OK, so he may not be pushing the boundaries of the avant garde but I was really impressed with the subtle impact of his outfit. Son we got chatting and I was fast-forwarded to the land of the green-eyed monster when he broke down the whys and how muches:
Old lady’s jacket (£4.99, charity shop in Kilburn)
Lady’s trousers (£14.99, Zara)
Shoes (£3, charity shop in Earls Court)
T-shirt/vest distressed by Chris (under £10)
Shades (£40, Retro, Notting Hill)
Bag (£2, charity shop Kilburn)
The secrets to Chris’ bargain look are plenty of time scouting charity and vintage shops and, judging by his breakdown, not being afraid to dig around the lady’s section while he’s there. Not that you’d have guessed it from the images. Far from looking feminine or giving him an overtly gay vibe, we’re left wondering if he picks up birds while skulking around the women’s clothing racks or pulls the male punters while pulling their pints at the bar where he works. Not even Chris’ dainty pearl bracelet are enough to give his game away.
Apart from having done one single job as a model, Chris has never worked in the fashion bizz. But he does have fashion in his blood: inspiration and an appreciation of male style began early with his father who had been a member of a style group proudly called The Central Posers. Other influences include early-days Andre 300 and Stuart Leslie Goddard (aka Adam from Adam and the Ants). So, while Chris may wear his look with effortless confidence, it’s actually the result of years of learning the subtleties of composing a successful male outfit from a line of icons from his dad downwards. Most of all though Chris learnt that, despite appearances, successful men’s outfits don’t just come together. To look good us blokes need to take care and take pride while dressing and then, if possible, leave all the appearance of effort at home. As Britain’s better version of Tom Ford, Hardy Amies, once said:
‘A man should look as if he has bought his clothes with intelligence, put them on with care and then forgotten all about them’
In any case, as far as this self-confessed label junky blogger is concerned, the fact that Chris can pull off such an effective look for loose change lands him my ‘Envy of the Week’ award hands down.
On the slate...
He's overall look is so effortless chic & easy on the pocket too! And look how the colours re accesories matches up i.e. belt/shoes/bag/shades?
ReplyDelete[TheSgViewWMsLim dress by the rule that there should always be 2 items with the same colour and not more than 3 colours on the overall outfit on a normal dayout.]
When a man takes pride in what he wears and not just slop anything up from the closet, it gives a certain level of consideration/respect to the lady who makes an effort to dress well and on that note, the tokyo peeps are tops in that dept. TheSgViewWMsLim had seen in '07 how the city folks (read: couples) in tokyo dress appropriately/ colour-matched when out on the streets and was v. impressed!
Think you're onto something there TheSgViewWMsLim! Perhaps there's something in Japanese culture that creates a different relationship around conformity/group camaradarie even sometimes in rebellious expression. Style rebel couples and Harajuku/Cosplay kids are both examples of same trait...
ReplyDeletethe look is pretty awesome, but the fit for the jacket doest seem right. the pants, shoes and shirt look really great though. fit in fashion is so crucial! only if men understood that more....
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