Kingsman: Mr Porter's first own menswear collection - Made in UK for spies of all ages (and film trailer video)

One of the highlights for me of London Collections:Men this week was the launch of Mr Porter's first menswear collection, Kingsman. I liked what I saw; not only because it's made in the UK and is linked to the film, Kingsman: The Secret Service, but because I would wear any of it.

Colin Firth in Kingsman: The Secret Service outside fictional Kingsman in The Secret Service.  Photograph: Allstar/20th Century Fox

The collection launch took place at Huntsman, Savile Row. The store had been transformed into a traditional London tailors as a set for the film. Early in the life of Kingsman: The Secret Service, the film's writer, Matthew Vaughn, and costume designer, Arianne Phillips, liaised with Mr Porter to produce the menswear collection. (Images below from Mr Porter).

The sixty-piece collection is inspired by the Savile Row tradition, and made by the best of British production including: Bremont timepieces; Cutler & Gross eyewear; Drakes ties and pocket squares; Corgi knitwear; George Cleverley footwear; Mackintosh outerwear, Swaine Adeney Brigg bags and Turnbull & Asser shirting.

Quality tailoring and British made

The film has its première today and is released by 20th Century Fox later this month. It stars Colin Firth, Samuel L Jackson, Michael Caine and emerging-actor Taron Egerton, is based on the comic book and directed by Matthew Vaughn (Kick Ass, X-Men First Class). It tells the story of a secret spy organisation that recruits an unrefined but promising street kid into the agency’s ultra-competitive training programme just as a global threat emerges from a twisted genius. 

The collection is being sold through Mr Porter online. And I can't resist including the trailer for the new film, enjoy it:

Kingsman - a new menswear collection from Mr Porter (video)

I'll tell you more about Kingsman tomorrow. Meanwhile, enjoy this video introducing Mr Porter;s first own menswear collection, all made in Britain. The film Kingsman: The Secret Service has its première tomorrow. The Kingsman popup shop is open today at 11, Savile Row, London. 

Book review: The Mr Porter Paperback - The Volume for a Stylish Life, Volume 3

Published just in time for Christmas, this is the third of Mr Porter's guides for men into the pleasures and intricacies and subtleties of style, ownership and living. I missed out on the first two volumes and have yet to catch up with them, but I see that all three are sold as a complete set (see Mr Porter to buy). 

This is a book to dip into to be entertained. From Stars in their Cars to How to Undress in Front of a Lady, here are light-hearted guides, reviews and interviews into many of the fascinating subjects that exercise the minds of the modern gentleman (and even those who aren't gentlemen) of whatever age. Often informative and well-written, it would make an excellent gift for any red or blue-blooded male.

The price is steep at £20 (this is a paperback after all) but, putting that in perspective, it compares well with the price of a round of drinks down the pub. From all bookshops, online or at Mr Porter. 

Cary Grant and classic simplicity - Recreating the Look

It's been a while since I added a post to the Recreating the Look series. Here's a very cool Cary Grant ordering a meal on a train in Hitchcock's North by Northwest. Naturally, he's dining with a beautiful woman (Eva Marie Saint). Grant's distinguished grey hair is echoed by the silver of his immaculate suit and tie. A plain white shirt helps keep the look clean. 

This photograph could have been taken at almost any time on the last fifty years; the look is a masterpiece of classic simplicity. The suit (which may or may not have been made by Kilgour of Savile Row) is generally reported to have been a subtle blue-grey Glen check (Prince of Wales check), a cloth that never shows up properly in photographs. The tie is said to have been grey with very fine polka dots, rather than plain.

As usual, I've found some products at different prices to enable you to recreate the look. The intention is not to exactly copy, but to give a similar style. You could finish it off with some brown Oxford or Derby brogues with burgundy socks and a subtle dove-grey textured silk pocket square that doesn't inject too much colour into this understated style.

The suits I've selected are off-the-peg, but you may prefer bespoke or made to measure for a perfect fit. I've spoken to Susannah Hall, tailor, who could make a suit for you from £850 depending on choice of cloth and style. Prices elsewhere for a tailored suit can rise to several thousand pounds, depending on the level of bespoke and the tailor you select

M&S Sartorial check suit £299

Richard James grey birdseye Hyde suit £795

Oliver Peoples Gregory Peck sunglasses

John Lewis Oxford shirt £35

Burberry £275 Mr Porter

M&S silk textured tie £17.50

Marwood tie and tie pin £280 - Mr Porter

For more in the Recreating the Look series click here. If you have any looks you would like me to recreate, please get in touch.

Suppliers

Marks & Spencer

Richard James

Oliver Peoples

John Lewis

Mr Porter

Marwood

Grey Fox features in 'The Grey Fox Issue' - Mr Porter Journal

I'd like to thank Mr Porter for featuring Grey Fox in today's Mr Porter Journal, ('The Grey Fox Issue'). In doing so they are recognising that the older man can be interested in style and that he has commercial clout and influence in the fashion world. For me this is a significant development as it confirms that the aims of this blog are slowly bearing fruit. See The Mr Porter Journal.

We had great fun on the shoot, in a huge, shabby-grand, Georgian house in Belgrave Square, London. The team was outstanding, but I'd like in particular to thank the photographer, Cat Garcia, for her wonderful work. The stylist, Scott Stephenson, allowed me to select the clothes from Mr Porter's astonishing collections; there is an emphasis on some favourite British brands. It was fun trying things I hadn't worn before.

While the use of the description 'cult' is a gross exaggeration, I'm pleased that Grey Fox has been recognised. This is acknowledgement that older men can be the specific target of fashion marketing - and that's one of the aims of this blog.

Many thanks also to the many of you who support Grey Fox, getting in touch with comments, ideas and suggestions; you have little idea how much I appreciate it: greyfoxblogATgmailDOTcom

If you're new to Grey Fox, please also follow on Twitter (@GreyFoxBlog), Instagram (GreyFoxBlog), Pinterest (Grey Fox) and Tumblr (Grey Fox). Thank you!

From Mr Porter - photographer Cat Garcia

Mr Porter launches the Paul Smith 531 cycle range

Last week I attended the launch with Mr Porter of a new cycle range by Paul Smith. The collection is named 531 after the Reynolds-made steel alloy that has formed the heart of the machines of millions of cyclists, from racing champions to shoppers. Sir Paul Smith is, of course, well-known for his love of cycling, as can be seen in this video.

At the heart of the collection is the beautiful, black, minimalist, limited-edition (two only, according to the video) fixed gear bike, hand-made by Mercian from steel in their Derby-based workshop. The bike, accessories and clothes are aimed at the commuter/weekend cyclist, rather than the carbon fibre and Lycra crowd. The shirts and jackets are made from Ventile, a water-resistant cotton fabric with an interesting history, which I've documented here on the blog before. 

I had a close look at the collection. The bike (see detail image below), clothes and accessories are all beautifully-designed and made; as you'd expect. The orange and black colour scheme is superb. The presence of a watch in a cycling collection is a novel idea, but why not? It's a chronometer, so you can time your daily commute or ride to the cafe.

Prices range from £60 for the socks pack to £4995 for the bike. See Mr Porter.

As you'd expect from a leading frame builder, the lugwork and construction are immaculate

Thom Sweeney - Mr Porter collaboration for SS14

Thom Whiddett and Luke Sweeney began as Savile Row apprentices and now work together as Thom Sweeney to produce classic British tailoring - David Beckham was wearing one of their suits when he sped down the River Thames to hand over the Olympic flame for the opening ceremony.

For SS14 they have produced an exclusive tailored ready-to-wear collection for Mr Porter - another of the online retailer's successful collaborations with a variety of designers.

A high standard of construction, classic tailoring with a contemporary twist seems to be order of the day. I haven't seen the collection in the flesh, but Thom Sweeney are not going to undermine a good name with poor quality. The suits and jackets look superb - I love the brown double-breasted picture below - well-balanced slimmish tailoring with lovely peak lapels and a dark brown Italian wool cloth.

Mr Porter introduces the collection with the strap-line 'Impeccable Construction - Ageless Suiting'. Indeed - such a classic designs are suitable for men of style of any age. Here is a selection of my favourites from the collection. Prices £345 to £1750. See more on Mr Porter.

Brown DB suit made from Italian wool cloth

Blue two-piece cut from high-twist pure wool cloth from Italian fabric mill Vitale Barberis Canonico - fully canvassed construction

Slim-fit basketweave wool

Slim-fit cotton twill trousers

Mr Porter sale - Grey Fox picks

The sales have hit the shops and Mr Porter's summer sale is now online with reductions up to 50% or so.

Here are a few Grey Fox picks - see Mr Porter Sale

Richard James Prince of Wales check wool suit £587.50

Richard James wool and linen blend blazer £397.50

Junya Watanabe slimfit blazer £812

Paul Smith navy evening suit (tuxedo) £442.50

Hartford Madras-check shirt £82.50

Folk tuck ribbed knitted pima cotton sweater £75

Mackintosh Dunoon handmade rain coat £390

Gitman vintage Hawaiian print shirt £82.50

Slowear Incotex lightweight chinos £97.50

Thom Browne pocket square £20

Car Shoe suede driving shoes £120

London Undercover umbrella £35

Pitti Uomo SS14 - what were they wearing on the streets? Mr Porter video

Pitti Uomo SS14 followed immediately on London Collections:Men. Here Mr Porter captures what was being worn over the last few days by visitors to this Florence menswear show.

I love the double-breasted jackets. Some details you may like, others not, but it's worth a look.

Five ways to wear a blazer - Mr Porter video

As is said in this video, every man should own a blazer. Extremely versatile, it can be worn formally with trousers or chinos, or less so with jeans or shorts. My favourite combination is with denims, chambray shirt and brogues. 

This video from Mr Porter gives some ideas.

You can do anything, but lay off of my... blue suede brogues from Mr Porter

I get the feeling that pushing the boundaries irritates some of my more staid readers, but I feel the older man has to keep experimenting.

Here's a good place to start - these Ami blue suede brogues from Mr Porter are just the thing to cut a dash in with shorts or that white linen suit - if the weather ever warms up.

Go on, give it a try! At Mr Porter here (but I wish Mr Porter would use British terms on its British site - please drop 'wingtips', 'tuxedo' etc).

How to choose your underwear - Mr Porter video

A nicely humorous video for those of us needing advice on choosing our underwear.

From Mr Porter.

Mr Porter x Brioni evening suit - dine and party in elegant style

With the festive season coming up, many of us will be looking for new evening wear. I love the midnight blue of this evening suit - an elegant change from all black. This will be a bit of a luxury purchase for most, but the family-owned Italian brand Brioni bring a touch of quality to this collaboration with Mr Porter.

Mr Porter have matched the suit with a pale blue shirt and deep blue bow tie and cummerbund. The old school may believe that 'black tie' means just that, worn with a white dress shirt and black dinner jacket/evening suit (tuxedo in US). However, the elegance of this suit shows why rules are made to be broken. For wear here in the UK, I'd use a white dress shirt to give it a crisper and more traditional feel, but US tastes are changing our British adherence to black and white.

This puts my old double-breasted evening suit to shame and I covet it! See Mr Porter here.

Jimmy Choo - Stepping Out with Mr Porter - video

Here's a nice video produced by Mr Porter in collaboration with Jimmy Choo, tracking the day of a well-shod gent in London - enjoy it!

Velvet slippers - have you got yours yet?

I remember many years ago going to see my cousin, an Eton music scholar, play in a concert at his school. One of the teachers tipped up wearing a suit with a pair of monogrammed velvet slippers - unfortunately, for me, this sight completely eclipsed the musical experience, about which I recall nothing.

Ever since I've needed a pair of velvet slippers, but have never quite got myself organised to buy some. It now seems I was ahead of my time, as slippers are now the must-have of the season. Here is what Mr Porter has to offer, made by Stubbs and Wootton.

No longer are slippers seen as a symbol of middle age, delivered by a faithful dog to warm one's feet in front of the fire while one puffs on a comforting pipe. I would probably pass on the pirate's pair and the camouflage slippers, but I suppose they're for the (richer) hipsters among us. I'd go for the carpet slippers or the blue Prince of Wales feathers - much classier.

What are we looking forward to in autumn?

...well maybe some good weather here in London would be welcome...

Here are the views on of a few fashion nuts on this autumn's trends as caught on video by Mr Porter. Hooray for tweed and denim and pocket squares. What else may influence your search for style?

London Collections, what they wore - Mr Porter video

This video from Mr Porter shows more of the colour and details seen at London Collections. For the older man there are a few ideas here - try bright colours and combinations, classic blazers set off with cheerful pocket squares and, yes, roll up those over-long trouser legs.

I'll probably be reserving the camo for fishing and birdwatching, but that's a middle age thing.

London Collections - trends as seen by the street snappers

What did the street photographers make of the styles and influences at the recent London Collections? A video by Mr Porter.

I'll put up another Mr Porter video shortly; they contain useful commentary on recent trends - always useful material in that elusive search for style ideas -

 

Ivy League Inspired - Mr Porter and Sir Paul Smith collaborate

Mr Porter are launching the first of several collections created in collaboration with leading designers. This one, "Ivy Inspired", was created by Sir Paul Smith and found its inspiration in 'Take Ivy', a book of photographs shot on US Ivy League campuses in the 1960s and originally published in Japan in 1965 (and still available in reprint). Here are some of the original shots from which the collection takes cues.

Sir Paul explains further,

 "In London the Ivy look was brought in by a lot of the GIs who were stationed out in places such as Cambridgeshire. They came into London at the weekends and went to clubs such as The Scene, in Soho. There was a quite an interest in the way these guys dressed, because they looked so cool and slick. The clothes are quite timeless, and there's always been a hard core of fans.  It's a look you can easily wear with your existing wardrobe"

There's something about the middle picture that reminds me of British mods of that time. Did they take inspiration from Ivy style?

And here are some of the clothes, all given the Paul Smith twist. Button-down collars, chinos, sweatshirt - all that we expect from Ivy-inspired clothes. I love the gingham shorts in particular. As you'd expect if you've followed my blog, I'd like to have seen a tweed jacket, but the Spring and Summer are not the time for such jackets. As a timeless style, there's something here for all ages and tastes.