Tilda Swinton on Haider Ackermann

I love Tilda Swinton, she's a fantastic actress and on top of that she is a captivating model for some of the world's top designers as well as appearing in some of my favourite editorials. Here she talks about Ackermann and his mastery of the female form.

"Haider is not interested in just making a look that just hangs on the body or hides it. He’s really interested in the way the woman is going to be moving, her gestures, what kind of life she is going to be living. If he’s about form at all, he’s about form as an expression of spirit".

LN-CC SS12 Styled 4

LN-CC continue rolling out their looks for Spring Summer with the release of the 4th part of their Styled series featuring new pieces by Haider Ackermann, Maison Martin Margiela, Tim Coppens and Yohji Yamamoto, amongst others.

Emiliano Rinaldi Women's Maci Maglia Top

Peter Pilotto Women's Digital Print Zip Vest Top | Peter Pilotto Women's Digital Print Zip Shift Dress

Jil Sander Men's Python Print T-Shirt | Garrett Leight Brooks Sunglasses

Damir Doma Women's Peley Front Pleat Wide Leg Trousers | Maison Martin Margiela Defile Women's Sleeve less Bodice

Sunsea Short Sleeve T-shirt | Sunsea Short Pants

Yohji Yamamoto Pour Homme Men's Collarless Patterned Jacket

Tim Coppens Men's Band Collar Nubian Shirt

Haider Ackermann Women's Rollins Coat

Images courtesy of LN-CC

Mr Porter Behind the Brand - Grenson

Mr Porter goes behind the scenes at British footwear makers, Grenson. They have been making fantastic footwear since 1866 and is the first manufacturer to employ the Goodyear welting construction method which is now a hallmark of all well-made shoes. Behind the Brand is the first in an ongoing series and this edition aims to explore what has kept Grenson on top for almost a century and a half. Enjoy.

Tim Little, owner and creative director of Grenson.

Style Stands Alone x Senghye Yang

I am a big fan of fellow British menswear blog, Style Stands Alone. It's always great to see success when it's in your own backyard. This seems like the month that you guys get to learn about me and where my interests come from. I was an Art student at GCSE and during that time completed a number of different pieces, I found most comfort in using ink and watercolour on cartridge or watercolour paper. I liked the permanency of the ink and the fluidity of the watercolour, they're opposites which I like. Probably one of my favourite things is when fashion and art come together, for example at New York Fashion Week, Richard Haines did these great sketches in charcoal and his work has been featured in GQ Taiwan and Lab Magazine.

images via

Unionmade Lookbook

Feature in Lab Magazine

The guys over at Style Stands Alone have collaborated with Senghye Yang, a graphic artist who started her design education in Philadelphia, proceeded to attend the London College of Communication and then went onto Central St Martins where she completed her Masters in Communication Design. SSA stumbled upon this talented lady's work and a partnership formed. All the images are via Yang's website and feature the best looks the team saw during London Fashion Week. Illustrations include looks from Oliver Spencer and Agi&Sam. Check out the great work below.

Thrifting tips from Joshua Kissi & Travis Gumbs of Street Etiquette

Wanna know how to thrift successfully? Watch this video. It features a lot of useful tips such as 'pinching' to find out whether a jacket is canvased. I'm taking tips because I've got a lot of thrifting to do in South California when I move there.

Hope you guys enjoy it and gain some #knowledge

Street style dump

I thought I'd share with you some of my favourite street style shots that I've had on the tumblr these past months. Take a look at these stylish men. To be safe I've put the sources for each of the photos at the end of the post.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

Spring Essentials

It is upon us, Spring is here. You probably couldn't tell if you're a fellow Brit with all the wet and cold weather but it is going to warm up, I pray. The post I did about my fall essentials fared much better than I thought and a lot of people read it and I hope got some inspiration from it. I'm doing it again, but this time for Spring.

My idea for this Spring is to try some simple outfits but want to put some spin on them with some print and extra little bits here and there. To make the process quicker than it was last time I used my Svpply to put together a collection of my must haves for the upcoming season.

New Balance 574. I need a pair of casual runaround trainers that can take a beating. I'm not sure on the colour but I know that I want 574s. They're lightweight and they come in a number of colours and with a pair of rolled up jeans or chinos they'll look great.

Nike Free x Liberty. I'm not entirely sure (because I can't find it) but I think Raf Simons said that it's more radical to change your body that it is to change your style. Also you look better in clothes the fitter you are. That is why I'm investing in a pair of running shoes, and I've gone with Nike Frees. Not just any Frees though I'm talking about the recent collaboration with Liberty. I went into Liberty last week Saturday to try them on and despite the fact they're for women the biggest size fit me and I made the decision then and there to get them when I have money. The print is really great and it's an interesting spin on the classic shoe. I say that but there is still the possibility that I may just opt for a regular colourway.

Paul Smith Bicycle embroidered shorts. These are the only shorts I want for S/S, they're so awesome and upon closer inspection at Liberty they look really great up close.

Printed shirt: Wood Wood Paradiski, Gitman Vintage Union Jack. As you've probably seen there is a  wash of printed shirts out there but if I was choosing one it'd be a subtle pattern like these two shirts from Wood Wood and Gitman Vintage. With the Olympics coming around I would love to show my patriotic side with the Union Jack shirt, it is simple yet has a twist.

Monocle. I want to read more magazines, Monocle is a great one to start with.

Vans. My black vans have served me well but they are looking a bit worse for wear with the heel of one of them starting to collapse so I think a Spring wardrobe revamp calls for a new pair. I really like this red because it's not super bright but more deep and almost blood like.

Schott NYC Pioneer jacket. I think that his jacket is perfect for the cold nights you might encounter. The colour is versatile and will work well with my 508s.

Bass Weejun Penny Loafer. Everyone needs a good pair of loafers and at this price point they're probably the best you're going to find. In this burgundy colour I'll probably be pairing them again with my 508s and my chinos.

Uniqlo Perfect shape chinos. I have a pair of chinos, they're alright but I really want a pair that fit a bit looser. The colour of this pair from Uniqlo is light and can be paired with a number of different garments. I've tried them on before and they fit me well on the thigh and the rise is perfect but I'd certainly want to get them tapered so they fit a bit more snug around the ankle.

Yang Li

You may not know this but I am part Chinese, my dad's side of the family are pretty much exactly what you'd see if you were walking around Beijing or any Chinatown. My last name is Chow and my first name is Lee-Jean, this roughly translates to Zhōu Li Qióng (last name first and thank you Google Translate). I'm probably not alone in saying that I've been keeping an eagle eye on China both as an economist and as a follower of the industry and witnessing its monumental growth in the past 10 or 15 years has been staggering.

On the back of all that I present to you, my lovely readers, Yang Li.

via Dazed Digital

Yang was born in Beijing; raised in Western Australia and now based in London after finishing his studies at Central Saint Martins. In his 3 years of design Yang has held positions at Raf Simons and Gareth Pugh, and much like them he designs with a raw edge juxtaposed against hand-finished, tailored silhouettes. He looks to the future whilst having appreciation for the past and the results are fantastic.


Much of his tailoring work is done using double-faced wool that sits alongside sportier, technical fabrics which are on display in a number of his oversized tops. The same double-faced wool is seen across his current collection and is the product of much synthesising - the material is a blend of traditional virgin wool and mohair, this is then fused with man made fibres such as lycra and elastane which lends to the fluidity of movement rarely seen in pieces with such meticulous structure. The fabrications are sourced from a small number of factories in northern Italy where artisans work on them.


Yang Li heavily referenced the MA-1 bomber jacket for the Spring 2012 collection and you can see the influences in the colours that he used. Jet blacks and navy are prominent and as an accent as is orange, this is present on the interior layer of the double-faced wool. Apart from his snappy designs he also presents two pairs of bench-made, formal black derby shoes, one in full grain, textured leather and one in smooth black leather. These were made in collaboration with Northhamptonshire shoemakers Joseph Cheaney and Sons, who have been making footwear since 1886, so any buyer can rest assured that the shoes will endure wear after wear and still be mint. It's great to see a Chinese designer on the up and with his work doing the talking I'm sure he'll only go from strength to strength, perhaps we'll see him at the helm of a fashion house in the future, we'll have to wait and see. You can shop both the men's and women's collection at LN-CC.

Yang Li men's Oversized Sleeveless Box Top

Yang Li men's Bomber Jacket

Joseph Cheaney and Sons produced these shoes in collaboration with Yang Li

Yang Li men's Oversized Box Top Double faced fabric emphasised by the fin

Yang Li men's Tailored Slim Nikke Trousers

Yang Li women's Cropped Double Faced Bomber Jacket

Yang Li women's Cropped Double Faced Bomber Jacket detail, highlighting the orange double-wool interior

Yang Li women's Oversized Double Faced Box Top

Anthem Store SS12 Lookbook

Anthem is that new menswear store I told you all about a little while back, and I'm ashamed to say that I still haven't made my way over there to introduce myself, have a look around and have a chat with the guys. I've been waiting for the website to launch ever since the store opened last August and as I found out yesterday it has. The website is very clean and sophisticated very much like the store itself and reflects what Simon and Jeremy had in mind for what they wanted their store to represent. 

You'll find Junya and Margela mingling with Vlas Blomme and 45rpm. They have a really unique and awesome stocklist including Kapital, of which they are the only UK stockists. I'm really pleased that everything is falling into place for the guys and they're doing well. I hope they don't mind that I pinched their S/S lookbook for you guys to see. What I like the most about it is that they used an atypical model to wear the clothes, it's an honest representation of who you'd probably see wearing the clothes, I'm also very impressed with styling and how they were able to pair brands that usually you wouldn't see together.