Book review: Denim Dudes by Amy Leverton pub. Laurence King

The claim that older men shouldn't wear denim is, of course, nonsense. Denim has been around longer than any of us and no generation has exclusive right to it. A new book, Denim Dudes, by Amy Leverton and published by Laurence King this month, confirms this. Rarely have I seen so many stylish older men wearing double denim; the style police will be reaching for their smelling salts. 

The excellent portraits, shot by a team of photographers, show how widely denim appeals to men of all ages and world-wide: the book's coverage ranges from the US, through Europe, to Japan and Australia.

Denim styles too are diverse. Best battered, often vintage, generally blue, usually unpatterned and always found in a wide range garments and shapes. The attraction of the material is obvious, with links to work-wear, rebellion and informality, denim melds youth and age, appealing to a wide range of independent thinkers. This is style, not fashion. As such denim gets my vote and I highly recommend this book.

This book is for all who have ever worn a pair of jeans, or a denim shirt or jacket. The author, Amy Leverton, is a denim expert who is Director of Denim and Youth Culture at the trend-forecasting website, WGSN. See Laurence King for more information.

Jacamo - men's coats and jeans for the older man of style

Jacamo isn't a brand that's usually associated with the older menswear market and I wouldn't normally have considered it in my search for style in middle age. Older men have to search wider than younger men for suitable clothes, because the high street is generally better stocked with younger styles than the classics favoured by the 40 plus man. However, fun can be finding what you want in unexpected places.

Jacamo is a good place to look as it offers a wide range of choices, generally at reasonable prices. At the end of last year the company was reporting that brands for under-50s were strong, while those for over-50s were comparatively flat, but improving later in the year. So clearly Jacamo acknowledge the existence of an older market and, as such, is worth taking a look at.

I thought I'd look to see what outerwear Jacamo has on its online store. If you visit the Jacamo website you'll find a huge range of men's coats and jackets. Not everything will suit you, but there is bound to be something that does. Below I show a few of the men's coats that caught my eye - all reasonably priced and covering everything from genuine outdoor wear to fashion gilets and waxed and tweed jackets. Some men's coats are modelled by grey-haired men as well; something I always approve of.

I particularly liked this brown quilted gilet by Williams and Brown, excellent value at £20 and ideal for layering under a tweed coat as Winter struggles to become Spring.

One of Jacamo's strengths is that it offers a wide range of sizes. If you're looking for men's jeans, for example, they are available in many waist sizes and leg lengths, particularly at the larger end. As with men's coats, the wide choice in men's jeans means that many styles and shapes are available - particularly for the older man avoiding anything too skinny, with button flies, or anything that has been over-distressed. For men's jeans, see the Jacamo website here.

This post accords with my partnership policies here.