The Full Monty

When I was at uni, one of my favourite books was Patricia Bosworth's brilliantly written biography of the actor Montgomery Clift. In the book, Clift comes across as something of a tortured genius, a mummy's boy with a consummate acting technique, developed on the stage and honed working alongside greats like Alfred Hitchcock, George Stevens and Howard Hawks. I read that book cover to cover at least four or five times. Yet the thing that I was most entranced with was the pictures. Clift in a crisp white button down Brooks Brothers shirt and sports jacket. Clift taking Liz Taylor to a premiere in a tux. In fact Clift looked great in anything from a leather jacket to a baggy tweed suit when the mood suited him. (When it didn't, according to Bosworth, he could often be seen slouching around in jackets full of holes looking generally unkempt and "like a bum", but that's another story.) Anyway, I thought I'd share with you some of the man's looks and wardrobe. Even today, 44 years after his death, he's still something of a style icon.

Chinos

Some of the best chinos around for the money have to be those made by Dockers. The great thing about this US based company is that they have every style around from the big baggy numbers favoured by large American gentlemen, right down to the pencil slim variety worn by thin teenaged boys and ageing rock stars. Not being particularly thin, teenaged or a rock star, I generally go for the D1 style, which is slim without being skinny. And a big plus is the fact they come in six colours and four different leg lengths. You can pick these up for as little as £49.99 on sites like buy-jeans.net

Eagerly awaiting: Oliver Spencer AW2010

The AW collection at Oliver Spencer is due to hit the shops in mid-August. I managed to get hold of one of their new catalogues a little while ago from Tom, their manager at the OS store on Lamb's Conduit Street, and got a sneak peek at what's in the collection. As usual it's a blend of traditional and modern tailoring, in medium to heavy weight fabrics for the cooler weather. I reckon I'm going to go for a Portland jacket and waistcoat in 'Beck Navy' herringbone fabric, funds permitting, as well as one of the check button down shirts. Can't wait.

btw, they're not dodgy scans, the catalogue photos are actually part black and white, part colour.

Nicely Broken In: Grenson Headingly Brogues

This handsome pair of Grenson Headingly brogues was bought last September as a splurge when I was visiting the seaside town of Aldeburgh in Suffolk. At first, these absolutely crippled me (not least financially) and I could only wear them for around 15 minutes before hobbling around in pain. But now they fit like the proverbial glove, and the leather has taken on a very pleasing patina.

How many watches should a man own?

Five, ten, twenty, or just one? For me, I guess the answer would be "as many as he can afford". Personally, I'm partial to divers' and military watches on 'Nato' straps. From L to R in the lower shot: Seiko SKX diver, Omega Seamaster 120, CWC Royal Navy diver, Seiko Diver 40mm, Stowa Airman, CWC automatic.

Margaret Howell MHL Pleat Pocket Jacket

Popped in to the Margaret Howell Sale on Wigmore Street yesterday. Found the Pleat Pocket Jacket from Howell's MHL diffusion line reduced from £255 to £175. It's a heavy-ish cotton twill jacket, unlined with a washed out mid-grey colour. Design-wise it feels like a cross between one of those sixties box jackets, slightly cropped with small lapels, and a piece of workwear. I'm going to throw it in the washing machine a few times to see if it softens up.

Update: 15th September 2010. I've worn the jacket for nearly two months now, and machine washed it twice during this time (turning it inside out first - a tip from one of the MH sales staff). The fabric has softened only slightly, but what's really nice is that it holds its shape when you air dry it afterwards, and there's no need to iron it. The creases and wrinkles that you're left with (see photo above) add even more character to the washed out nature of the fabric.