menswear

Mensday: Bugatti

1970s, Bugatti, david bailey, Mensday, menswear, Vintage Adverts, Vogue

Advert for Bugatti Men’s Pret a Porter of 59 Kensington Church Street, London W8.

Photographed by David Bailey.

Scanned from Vogue, March 15th 1977.

The Jean That Speaks For Itself

1970s, 1980s, art deco, Deco Inspired, jean harlow, jeans, menswear, Vintage Adverts

Advert for Gentle Folk Jeans.

Scanned from Men’s Wear, January 17th 1980.

Wallys

1970s, Mensday, menswear, mild sauce, Vintage Adverts, Wallys

Brilliant Wallys Leisurewear advert cover for the trade magazine ‘Men’s Wear’. Photographer uncredited, sadly.

Scanned from Men’s Wear, June 14th 1979.

WHO SAYS FASHION’S GOING TO THE DOGS?

19 magazine, 1970s, Ace, Adrian Mann, body shop, Charles Batten, Danny Noble, French Connection, johnson and johnson, Jousse, lloyd johnson, Marx, menswear, Michael Berkofsky, Midas, moss bros, Polaroid, Retro, Ricci Burns, strawberry studio, Vintage Editorials
Dark blue short-sleeve shirt with black flecks, £8.95. Bright blue three-piece suit with double-breasted waistcoat, £62. Blue satin tie with lady on front, from £2.50. All from Johnson & Johnson. Maroon hankie from Moss Bros., from £1.50. Gold chain in pocket by Adrien Mann, from £1.50.

Not many of us can afford to don designer outfits, so achieving a totally different look can he a problem. But go and have another look in your man’s wardrobe. Maybe you haven’t quite exhausted it yet! He may have some garments stashed away that would be perfect for you! Mix the fabrics, colours and looks. Take half a suit and team it with something else. The result, as you can see here, can be smart, sharp and clean—and nobody will be able to accuse you of going to the dogs, fashionwise!

Photographed at Walthamstow Greyhound Stadium.

Hair by Rocky at Ricci Burns.

Photographed by Mike Berkofsky.

Scanned from 19 Magazine, September 1978.

Black glazed cotton shirt by Strawberry Studio, £14-99. Black and white dogtooth check waistcoat, £30. Matching coat with black lapels, £95. Both by Daily Blue from Ace. Black peg-top trousers in wool gaberdine by Danny Noble, £50. Red and cream satin tie from a selection from Johnson & Johnson, £2.50. Red hankie from Moss Bros., £1.50.

Left: Pink, short-sleeved shirt, £8.95. Lilac trousers, £17. Mauve, three-piece suit (trousers not shown), £62. All from Johnson & Johnson. Trilby from Moss Bros., £10.50. Striped tie from Johnson & Johnson, £1.50. Right: Black glazed cotton shirt by Strawberry Studio, £14.99. Yellow trousers from Johnson & Johnson, £15.50. Black dinner jacket from Retro, f15. Trilby by Charles Batten £6.50. Sunglasses by Polaroid, from £5. Yellow and black tiger-print tie from The Body Shop, fl. Gold hankie from Moss Bros., £1.50. Black, mock-croc belt from Woolworth £1.50.

Left: Brown and black striped shirt from Johnson & Johnson, £11.95. Brown fleck waistcoat, £10.99. Matching trousers, £14.99. Beige jacket, £34.99. All by Strawberry Studio. Ankle boots by Midas, £25.50. Brown trilby from Moss Bros., £4.10. White tie by Strawberry Studio, £6.50. Right: Cream shirt by French Connection Menswear Range, £10.95. Grey waistcoat by Strawberry Studio, £10.99. Fleck trousers, £15. Cream jacket with multi-colour flecks, £15. Both by Marx. Shoes from Johnson & Johnson, £16.95. Cap by Charles Batten, £4.50. Tie from a selection from Johnson & Johnson, £2.50.

Left: Black and grey shirt from Johnson & Johnson, £11.95. Satin waistcoat by Strawberry Studio, £9.99. Fleck trousers from Marx, £15. Grey, white and gold jacket from Johnson & Johnson, £32.95. Shoes by Walkers from Midas, £33.50. Trilby from Moss Bros., £4.10. Satin tie from Marx, £3.50. Hankie from Moss Bros., £1.50. Mock croc belt from Woolworth, £1.50. Jewellery by Adrien Mann, from £1. Right: Black needlecord shirt by Jousse, £25. Fleck trousers from Marx, £15. Double-breasted jacket by Strawberry Studio, £34.99. Shoes from Johnson & Johnson, £16.95. Trilby by Charles Batten, £6.50. Tie from Johnson & Johnson, from £1.50.

Biba’s getting bigger

1960s, anello and davide, art nouveau, barbara hulanicki, Barbara Hulanicki, biba, chelsea cobbler, Deco Inspired, Inspirational Images, interior design, interiors, James Fox, kensington high street, Liz Smith, Mensday, menswear, observer magazine, Steve Hiett, steven hiett
Lampshade, 12gn. Small satin cushions, 16s. 11d. each; large, 27s. 11d. Tablecloth, 70in. diameter, 5gn. Ostrich feathers, 18s. each. Satin material, 36in. wide, 9s. 11d. a yd.; thick felt, 54in. wide, 53s. 6d. a yd ; thin felt, 70-72 in. wide, 27s. 6d. a yd. Fringing : plain cotton, 5s. 6d. a yd ; in Biba colours, 8s. 9d. a yd. Glass goblets, 21s. 6d. each. Steak knife, steak fork, dessert knife, 33s. 6d. each; soup spoon, dessert spoon, 37s. 6d. each; bread knife, £2 10s.; carving set, 1Ogn. Soup cup, 14s. 6d. ; egg cup, 3s. 9d.; 7-inch plate, 4s. 9d.; 81-inch plate, 7s. 6d.; 10-inch plate, 9s. 6d. Satin night-dress, £3 15s. 6d. Mock ivory bead necklace, 34s.; rings, 1s. 3d. each.

Now there’s hardware and haberdashery, furnishings and fabrics, cosmetics and mens-wear, all carrying the Biba label. Their brave transition from dolly boutique to department store was made last week when Biba opened in Kensington High Street. Although a baby store compared with neighbouring Barker’s, Biba does boast marble floors, a carved gallery from the old St Paul’s school, and a commissionaire at the huge glass doors.

Faithful customers can still find among the familiar palm fronds clothes to wear themselves or put on their children, but everything is on a much bigger scale. Colour-matched underwear and tights are on sale in a special conservatory-style department, and there’s a complete range of Biba makeup and cosmetics, and many more accessories.

But what’s really new, are the clothes for men, and the things for the house.

There’s nothing simple or austere about a Biba home life. The girl whose idea of some-thing comfortable to wear around the house is a slinky satin dress chooses a plush back-ground and hardware that’s softly elegant. Cutlery is rich-looking in gilt and mother of pearl, or silver and ebony. China is white and gold, glasses are chunky goblets. Specially printed wallpapers and furnishing fabrics, plain satins, felts, braids and trimmings, have carefully matched emulsion paints, lamp-shades and cushions, all in a range of 15 colours. Biba are selling the raw materials so that you can make what you want of them. The clue to their own style is Art Nouveau, but the way you choose to use them will be your own.

Biba men’s clothes are worn in these pictures by James Fox, who can currently be seen in ‘Isadora’ and whose new film, ‘Performance’, in which he co-stars with Mick Jagger, comes out next month.

Mr Fox is long and slender and can have little problem kitting himself out elegantly, but the clothes he wears here, plus others by Biba in velvets and tweeds, all come in a size range bigger than most. So fatter men can have fun with clothes too, and at a reasonable price.

By Liz Smith.

Photographed by Steve Hiett.

Scanned from The Observer Magazine, 21st September 1969.

Biba 3 is definitely the Biba I’m most captivated by, I think possibly because it was edged out so quickly by the much bigger (and more Deco) Big Biba and yet was, I think, the perfect encapsulation of the aesthetic and the first time the ‘department store’ ideal was manifested. Basically, I wish there were more photos so I do try and scan them when I find them! It’s also nice to see the menswear getting a bit of attention for once.

Pure wool herringbene tweed trousers cut to curve over the foot 6gn.; matching buttoned jerkin, £5 10s. Pure silk shirt and tie, 6gn. Art Nouveau statue, £7 10s.; necklace, 34s.; veiling, 2s. a yd. Marbled patent shoes, 12gn., from the Chelsea Cobbler, 33 Sackville Street, W1. Vanilla coloured Imperial Russian cigarettes by Sobranie, 11s. 3d. for 25. Carved ivory cigar holder, £21 ; ivory chess men, part of a set, £80; both from W. Barrett, 9 Old Bond Street, W1.
White worsted wool jacket with safari pockets and belt, 15gn.; matching trousers shaped over the foot, 8gn. Brown and cream printed rayon shirt, 5gn.; matching tie, 39s. 6d. Co-respondent shoes, £5 15s. from Anello & Davide, 30 Drury Lane, London, WC2. Teacup, 5s. 6d.; saucer, 3s. 3d.,2) All Biba prices here are approximate.

Made to measure by Edward Sexton for Esther De Deo

1970s, Edward Sexton, Esther DeDeo, menswear, Tommy Nutter, Vintage Adverts, Vogue
Made to measure by Edward Sexton for Esther De Deo at Nutters (Tommy Nutter). In oyster gabardine.
Shirt and stock, to measure, by H. W. Brettell.
Hair by Ann at Stafford & Frieda.

Scanned from Vogue, June 1977.

Diary of a Somebody

1970s, Browns, David Hockney, deborah and clare, harpers and queen, John Michael, Lakis, Mensday, menswear, mr fish, norman eales, Sheridan Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood
Lord Dufferin wears a linen cream suit by Walter Albini; £120, Browns, 25 South Molton St, W1. Orange crepe de chine shirt; £20, also from Browns. Brown silk ribbed tie; £5.95, John Michael, 62 Brompton Rd, SW3.

Sheridan Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, thirty-five-year-old Marquis of Dufferin and Ava, is a film producer, art collector, sportsman (`I’m practically always on the tennis court or something’), and financial consultant to an American investment fund. Supremely relaxed and the possessor of a wonderful throwaway wit, Lord Dufferin readily admits to being interested in clothes . . . ‘I can’t pretend I spend hours thinking about what I’m going to wear, but I do give it some thought. All men dress for effect. It’s very much like keeping a diary : you pretend the diary’s for yourself, but deep down you hope someone is going to read it some day.

`I find shirts and ties constricting and I seldom wear them unless I’m going to a business meeting. My favourite clothes for day and evening, if I’m going to a party where one can wear what one likes, are open-neck shirts, pullovers — I have about twenty-five — and sports jackets on top.’

He prefers his clothes close-fitting — ‘loose fit does nothing for one’s shape’. The fabrics he’s keenest on are corduroys, denim, velvet and lightweight wool — all the year round. Colour plays the most important part in his ward-robe. ‘I don’t usually wear checks or that sort of thing; I like solid colours in simple contrast —combinations like red, white and black — or different shades of the same colour. I like white very much for summer, I dislike yellow and am not really wild about green.’ Lord Dufferin sees himself as an impulse buyer with a touch of extravagance, but his formula sounds like a good one for guarding against mistakes.

`I feel that if something is right and you really like it and know you’re going to wear it a lot, then you should buy it. But if there’s any doubt at all, forget about it.’ He remains loyal to certain shops. Browns, which ‘saves one the trouble of having to shop abroad’, is his great source for trousers, sports jackets and pullovers, though he occasionally finds some he likes at the Village Gate shops. At John Michael he buys ready-to-wear suits and shoes.

What he refers to as his ‘ordered city suits’ come from Wealeson & Legate. His ties (`the few I buy’) and other accessories come from Harvie & Hudson. All of his shirts he buys ready made up. His conservative ones come from Harvie & Hudson; his others from Deborah & Clare — buy tons of shirts from them. I like their Swiss cottons and their silk shirts which I wear a lot in the evenings and for the summer.

`I honestly think that most people’s taste, including my own, is strongly suspect, so I stick to very straightforward clothes. They should make their effect effortlessly : you should be aware that someone’s wearing something nice without actually thinking about it.

Interview by Lendal Scott-Ellis.

It has been a while since I did a ‘Mensday’ post, but I thought the wonderfully elegant Marquess was very worthy of one. He very sadly died in 1988 of an AIDS related illness but his brief life left a legacy of supporting and promoting both modern art and film.

Photographed by Norman Eales.

Scanned from Harpers and Queen, April 1974.

Black satin tunic top embroidered with brocade butterflies; £28.50, to order from Deborah & Clare, 29 Beauchamp Place, SW3.
Black cotton shirt printed with leaves; £9, Lakis, 48 South Audley St, W1. White cable knit cashmere sweater; £68.20, Mr Fish, 100 Mount St, W1.

Get in the backseat baby…

1970s, Cerruti, harpers and queen, janice wainwright, Mensday, menswear, Rolls Royce, Vintage Adverts, Washington Tremlett
Clothes by Washington Tremlett. Tie by Cerruti. Janice Wainwright skirt and tabard. Rolls Royce from Jack Barclay Ltd of Berkeley Square.

Scanned from Harpers and Queen, December 1976.

A Peek at the Boutique: Howie

1970s, Boutiques, british boutique movement, harpers and queen, Howie, Howie Diffusion, Mensday, menswear, Mrs Howie, Steve Campbell

‘Casual clothes for men.’ The phrase used to mean T-shirts and jeans. But since Paul Howie opened his shop at 352 Fulham Road, SW10, the phrase has taken on a new meaning: ‘soft, comfy, easy-to-wear looks; clothes that you can just put on and look good in without trying’. That says it all. Nearly all the clothes are exclusive to Howie, but Paul (in the picture) wears a light brown tie-belted raincoat by Deardon & Fay; £68.

Photographed by Steve Campbell.

Scanned from Harpers and Queen, November 1974.

It’s what a man wears underneath that counts

1970s, interior design, interiors, Lyle and Scott, Mensday, menswear, telegraph magazine, The Sunday Telegraph Magazine, underwear, Vintage Adverts

One in my now very, very sporadic ‘Mensday’ series. This one doubles up as an interiors post as well, with Mr Freedom-influenced stars and stripes bedding (it might take you a while to focus properly).

Scanned from The Telegraph Magazine, March 17th 1972.