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Today’s links lead to Dirnelli’s Mises, whose Parisian writer has published three comprehensive reviews of all the shirtmakers, bootmakers and suitmakers the wares of which he has owned and tried.

http://dirnelli.tumblr.com/post/37980263280/review-shoes-i-own-and-some-i-dont

http://dirnelli.tumblr.com/post/49585372725/review-of-shirtmakers-shirts-ive-owned

http://dirnelli.tumblr.com/post/49814477662/review-of-tailors-and-suits-ive-owned

’48, Editor and publisher of The Chap Magazine. [I studied at] grammar School, then Liberation at age 17 with no qualifications whatsoever. I have two children and an ex-spouse. The children are enthusiastic about my style, though my son refuses to wear the brown brogues I bought him. I respect his right to individual expression. My five-year-old daughter is already showing an eccentric streak in her manner and dress, which I applaud. My son once thrashed me at Umbrella Jousting at the Chap Olympics, which I also applauded.

My father likes the whole Chap aesthetic, having grown up in the 1940s. My mother was very keen on the Chap and would read every issue and complain if any of them weren’t amusing enough. My brother is less impressed, for his idea of dressing up is to put on a wig and some flares. As soon as I hit my 30s I realised that I could not continue dressing like a young person. Back then I wore scruffy second hand suits, cravats and Chelsea boots, with occasional flashes of dandyism in the form of Artful Dodger-esque Victoriana. At 35 I decided to sort my wardrobe out so that I would enter middle age with dignity and style, without making a fool of myself, but without giving up on fashion.

That was how The Chap came into being – as a sort of clothing advice pamphlet for myself. Luckily others seemed to share this approach to age and clothing.Its founding was not just about spreading the word about retro style. Humour was also a big part of it; other men’s magazines seemed too dry and factual, with no particular point of view except to sell ad space. The Chap was always meant to have a strong manifesto that infused all the articles, and I hope it still does so. The ten point manifesto may be seen on our web site.

I hope that our content is pretty unique, though since we launched in 1999, a few other men’s retro fashion titles have appeared. The Chap is a bit like a club – there are lots of cosy in-jokes and references, though we also like to display affectionate disdain for some of the readers who send in their photos dressed as “Chaps”, merely to remind everyone that we actually believe in dressing properly or not at all. I recently conducted a reader survey and one of the questions was “Should we get rid of ‘Am I Chap?’” The response was unanimously against, in other words, despite the criticism, readers love that column. Other reasons for reading the Chap are that we have a very broad remit, so will cover everything from Regency rakes to 1960s bounders, and interview people as diverse as Sir Patrick Moore and Nick Cave.

All of [my knowledge of clothing comes] from vintage magazines of the 1930s-40s, books about fashion, eg. Today There are no Gentlemen by Nick Cohn, and watching 1930s, 40s and 50s films. Also from friends and acquaintances and writers on The Chap. My look is unspecific and uncultivated; it seems to evolve naturally according to whim, circumstance, age and climate. I have rarely used tailors except to adjust vintage items. I prefer the heavier fabrics of the 1940s to modern fabrics. I have one suit made by Cad & the Dandy, a copy of an original demob suit; but that was an identical copy. I have a few pieces from Old Town, whose jackets have a nice baggy workmanlike cut. Darcy Clothing provide all my trousers, which are always cut with a fishtail waist and worn with braces. Billy Childish is often someone I go to for requests for specific vintage items: he put me on to William Lennon Shoes, who made me a pair of reproduction First World War army boots. I live in the country, so I need to adapt to the terrain when the weather is bad. I still have all my city wear, which tends to be black suits worn with flashy waistcoats.

We are writing a cook book, Cooking For Chaps, published by Kyle Books in October 2014. This will be a celebration of English country house cuisine of the early 20^th century and will feature tips on etiquette and drinking, too. A few people I have met over the years through the Chap have inspired me: Billy Childish, Dave Vanian, Sebastian Horsley, Johnny Vercoutre, Michael Attree, to name but a few. I am still impressed by the fact that exciting new dandy types keep appearing. The Chap was recently joined by a brand new writer, Zack Pinsent, who has just turned 18 and already had over a hundred vintage waistcoats.

[My definition of style is] being true to oneself and using clothes as a form of artistic expression of one’s inner self. Using clothing to decorate the world and make it more interesting. I collect taxidermy and plaster busts, including a recent acquisition of a bust of Lord Byron, whose works I read a lot of, along with many other writers, but recently I have revisited the works of Knut Hamson, a writer I greatly admired when younger. I enjoy watching film noir films of the 1940s as well as Hitchcock and The Boulting Brothers. Musically I cover a lot of ground, being as enthused by the Dammed as I am by Chet Baker.

I wish more men would realise that they do not have to wear jeans every day. In fact they never need to wear jeans. When I was in my late teens, jeans were really hard to find and you had two choices: Levis or Wrangler. Obviously nobody cool wore Wrangler, so that made finding Levis in the right size even more of a challenge. These days every single shop sells jeans, in a bewildering array of (unstylish) styles. It is as if fashion has got stuck on denim and cannot move on. My theory is that young men are afraid that if they stop wearing jeans they will no longer be “cool” and their descent into middle age will have begun. Well, they only have to look around and see how many 50-year-old men are still wearing jeans, hoodies and trainers and not looking remotely cool.

Young men have the perfect opportunity to experiment with new, more flamboyant styles and, fortunately, many of them are doing so. Moustaches are appearing everywhere and they look much better on younger men than older ones. On the other hand, if everyone else dresses in drab, faded colours and scruffy styles, which seem to be the norm, then the few chaps who want to stand out can do so very easily. My simple advice is always: get an interesting pair of shoes, then arrange your whole outfit around those and see where your imagination takes you. Oh, and by interesting shoes, I don’t mean a silly pair of trainers.’

http://thechapmagazine.co.uk/

Pictures: © The Chap

Vitale Barberis Canonico-full length 15′ from Kid Dandy on Vimeo.

‘I’m in my mid-thirties, creator and editor of Clothes on Film, writer, broadcaster and consultant. I have an honours degree in Theatre and Film. I worked in fashion for a number of years, but have no academic qualifications in the subject. I’m married, but have no children. My wife, Gilly, sports a very individual look, kind of 1960s/70s fusion with touches of contemporary, so she’s interested in what I wear, too. Clothing and styling in general is probably what we talk about most of the time. Neither of us cares less what’s considered “on trend”; in fact, if anything, this would put us off.

Although I don’t come from a fashion background, my father (now 82, used to be a greengrocer) has always been into clothes. He understands classic style, but is far more daring than I. He mixes bright colours with the confidence of a man a quarter of his age. He is mine of information, too. Forget what fashion history books say; if you really want to know what people were wearing years ago, talk to the people who were actually there. I don’t think he or any member of my family was surprised when I took such an interest in clothing. It’s in the blood.

[My fascination comes] definitely from watching movies, especially period attire which in my youth fascinated me. Films such as Donnie Brasco, Carlito’s Way, then later Boogie Nights and Swingers caught my eye. For a more classic look I took my cues from Get Carter, Marlowe and The Italian Job. I ate up little details, like Steve McQueen’s rollneck sweaters in Bullitt and Michael Caine’s spectacles in Billion Dollar Brain. Books are useful. I own all the usual suspects (Flusser, Roetzel), yet there is no substitute for talking to people: tailors, those working in fashion, stylists, costume designers and my parents for trips down memory lane. When I worked in retail fashion it helped me to understand what people want, and how they perceive themselves. Studying books and magazines might teach you four different types of tweed or why Esquire says you should be wearing red trousers this Spring, but for most people clothes are far simpler than all that. Know your colour, your fabric and your fit – the rest is just PR bullshit.

I keep it simple, but try to have something different and interesting on every single day. More often than not this will be a vintage item, most likely a coat or jacket. I won’t wear anything trendy off the peg. If striped blazers are in I’ll find an actual club one rather than shell out £600 for the identikit version at Brooks Brothers. Also, I hate the idea of bumping into someone in the same jacket, probably because they’d be taller and more handsome. Really, though, we’d both look like a couple of idiots. It’s not that you’ll never see anyone in the same clothes as you, not unless you buy everything bespoke anyway, but spotting someone in the same John Smedley sweater is not nearly as mortifying as realising you’ve both been stupid enough to fall for the same pink candy striped blazer.

Fit is everything for me. All of my suits are vintage 60’s or early 70’s; I have short arms and I’m only 5’ 8” so they fit me far better. Brands I like for day to day wear are Ralph Lauren (knitwear), Pace (jeans), Richard James (shirts), RM Williams (boots) and M&S (underwear). If I had the money I’d get all my suits tailored at Douglas Hayward.

[My site began from] an everyday discussion with Gilly about how much we enjoy clothes in movies. Work was dry at the time and I had web experience so it just seemed like a logical step – talking to others about what I enjoy and know. I genuinely never expected it to become so popular, and I remain grateful to my readers for continuing to come back and spread the word. I have some expansion ideas for the future, but I’ve always been mindful of being focused on one specific subject and not becoming a sprawling mess of ideas. The site is at a transitional time so I’m keeping my goals close at the moment. Until people get sick of me, though, I’m not going anywhere just yet. Incidentally the title Clothes on Film comes from the Duran Duran song Girls on Film that was playing on the car radio when I was talking to Gilly. Like I said, I like to keep things simple.

People inspire me. Those who respond to what I write, positively or otherwise, prompt me to carry on. There is no point in having something to say if no-one is listening. Well, to quote James Bond, “I’m not what you call a passionate man.” That said, I do enjoy a drink. I’m an amateur cocktail maker; I like mixing for Gilly and friends in my spare time. It’s a hobby, definitely not a career. I’ve never set foot in a gym in my entire life, but I run outdoors and hold a first degree black belt in Karate. But what really makes me happy, apart from clothes, films and my wife? Honestly, I’m still searching.

There is no magic formula. If in any doubt, keep things as simple as possible, and for goodness sake, pay attention to fit. If I have one bugbear, it is gentlemen who wear their trousers too long – it can ruin a beautiful suit. George Clooney is often guilty of this; his trouser hems bunch around his ankles like pyjama bottoms. It’s not about money – it’s never about money. You can buy a suit off the peg for less than £100 – if it fits perfectly, it’ll look better than one five times the price that doesn’t.

My only other tip is to steer clear of sales; you’ll probably buy a terrible shirt that is too small and doesn’t go with anything. Remember, there is a reason it was left on the shelf in the first place. Actually, one more tip: consider context. Just because Ryan Gosling looks good in a white satin scorpion jacket does not mean you will too. That’s a movie; when you step out the front door wearing that thing it will be real life. Stick to Steve McQueen’s Harrington instead.’

http://clothesonfilm.com/

Picture: © David Wade