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Mark Powell
Sartorial Style on Saturday: Talking about The Face, in conversation with Mark Powell, Samurai rogues + merchant dandies, Adam Murray on North, Roy Strong’s wardrobe and real men DO wear pink!
Sartorial Style is on this Saturday at the V&A and looks to be a humdinger.
The day of talks, q&as and presentations considers centuries of male style and elegance and also explores contemporary men’s fashion, bringing together curators, academics, photographers, writers and designers.
Sartorial Style kicks off with Real Men DO Wear Pink!, an investigation into masculine style up until 1800 by Susan North, the V&A’s curator of 17th & 18th Century fashion.
Look sharp! In conversation with Mark Powell at Sartorial Style at the V&A, 2pm, Saturday, March 18
Later this month I will be in conversation with British menswear legend Mark Powell at the V&A’s Sartorial Style day.
À la mod: My piece for The Guardian on the enduring appeal of Mod
From the SS16 menswear collections to the people flocking to Somerset House’s current celebration of The Jam, the aesthetic of “clean living under difficult circumstances” (as summarised by The Who’s first manager, Pete Meaden) is at one with what’s happening now in fashion…
Read the rest of my piece – with quotes from Dylan Jones of GQ/London Collections: Men, Soho tailor Mark Powell and Man About Town’s Ben Reardon – on the enduring appeal of Mod here.
Scenes from the launch of The Look in Soho 2006: Boy George, Pippa Brooks, Mark Powell, Kevin Rowland et al
This film by Rik and Jane Gadsby of the May 2006 London launch of the second edition of my book The Look has just been posted online; it really evokes the good time that everyone had that night.
Pippa Brooks and her band All About Eve Babitz played and DJs included George O’Dowd.
The party was held at the premises of Raymond Revuebar, which by that time was Two II Much (dunno what it is these days). I was very touched when Kevin R. talked about how important he viewed the book and my work. “This is our culture,” he says in the clip above.
Enjoy.
Smiles all round at the Tommy Roberts book launch
There were big smiles for Tommy Roberts at the midsummer’s eve party to celebrate the publication of my new book Mr Freedom – Tommy Roberts: British Design Hero.
Continue reading Smiles all round at the Tommy Roberts book launch
SXSW installations: The look of music
If you’re in Austin TX – and there’s a chance you might be since hundreds of thousands of people have descended on the city for the annual SXSW film/music/interactive conflab taking place there this week – try and nip along to the Ray Ban Legendary Visions house at 78 Rainey Street on the eastside for a gander at the room collages/installations I have engineered to reflect my take on the look of music.
Interview for ARTE documentary on British music’s scenemakers
Yesterday I was visited by a camera crew for an interview about the behind-the-scenes individuals who have made the difference to British popular music over the years.
The team, from Kobalt Productions in Berlin, are producing the documentary for Franco-German arts channel ARTE. The director is Simon Witter, who has a fine pedigree in journalism and broadcasting.
Continue reading Interview for ARTE documentary on British music’s scenemakers
Blokes Of Britain: Kevin Rowland
NAME: Kevin Rowland
RESIDES: London
OCCUPATION: Dexys
Kevin Rowland is a very dapper gent. This is a truth acknowledged by all right-thinking people.
And Kevin is his own man. How many of us can say that?
He is also something of an artist, one whose connection to his muse is unadulterated by commercial concern or critical pressure. I can’t wait for the new Dexys record, which will be out in 2012.
I covered the stylistic changes Kevin rang through earlier Dexys incarnations – from stevedore to Ivy League – in THE LOOK.
Today Kevin answers the Blokes Of Britain questionnaire, providing an opportunity to present some of his looks – including rare and previously unpublished images – past and present:
Blokes Of Britain: Count Indigo
I am proud to count Bruce Marcus, the man who is Count Indigo, as a firm friend. We have known each other for many years but familiarity has not blunted my admiration for his singular style one whit.
A keen sports participant and observer, one of the first pieces of information Bruce imparted to me was that he always wore a suit to watch football (I can’t remember his team, but sure he continues to strike an imposing figure on the terraces whatever their fortunes).
Bruce also confided that one of his peccadilloes is to shave en route when taking a journey by train (in homage to Cary Grant in North By Northwest). Naturally.