Kaya, by the way, is on Alfreton Road, just around the corner from my daughter's trendy apartment, where she lives with her longtime boyfriend, nephew of the German-Nigerian cinematographer Roman Osin (triple brownie points for hipness: he has a son named after The Monk).  Once at the back of the store you can pretend that you're no longer in England, toto - the more so as hardly anyone speaks the language.  But they do smile a lot.  Great bread, cakes, olives.  A fine-looking Turkish eaterie right next door, which is next on my list of places to try.

I've always found Nottingham terrible for eating out, particularly in comparison to the far less fashionable and much maligned Leicester (where I lived for 17 years). So this info is very valuable.

AUS: I detest anything to do with indie so no wonder I have a bad memory of that shirt. I had the Melandi catalogue and used to waste my free time studying it as if it were a guidebook to paradise. Later I got the Carnaby Cavern catalogue, which I also gave considerable attention. The clothes in both shops were absolute tat. Mostly ugly too.

It took until some years later when I made some mod friends and eventually realised that they spent vast amounts of time searching in charity shops that I started to do the same and found original 60s mod/skin shirts, Gabicci tops and sweaters etc. For the first time in my life I started to look quite good.

I almost forgot: last time I was in Nottingham I actually found a place I loved: The Specialty Coffee Shop (Friar Lane). No idea what their meals are like but for coffee and cake it's perfect. Italian owned (hence they can actually serve an espresso without fucking it up - a rarity in the UK).

Next time I'm in the area we can turn it into Nottingham's Bar Italia i.e. a mod stronghold. All 3 of us should be enough.

Last edited by Yuca (2021-11-01 11:10:08)

Ah, Bar Italia, where TRS and I besported ourselves over the espresso too many moons ago.  He was in seerucker, I was in Pendleton and Burberrys'.  I remember it as if it were yesterday (which it wasn't).  We were, oddly, both in Levis and Clarks'.  TRS was in jeans, I in chinos.  TRS was in dessies, I in chukka (that Johnny Simons described as 'bloody nice').  Oh, that lovely stroll we had, from Soho to Chiltern Street, chatting about Christine Keeler, Stephen Ward and that bonny lass with the big hooters from 'Mad Men'.  I had my picture taken in the Chiltern Street basement.

Back to Jeans. I was out out Saturday night with my brother in law in Helsinki. We were both wearing jeans. I walked into our favourite bar and sitting on a bar stool by the door was a very curvaceous blond bird (45-50 and very well preserved). She scanned me and said out loud in Finnish 'Wow the best dressed men are out and about tonight' . I kid you not. For a milli second I thought she was talking the piss, but no she meant it. I quickly paid a compliment back (which I didn't mean because she was wearing a sparkly type top that emphasized her main assets) and moved to the bar. The point being that wearing jeans on a Saturday night is no longer considered badly dressed. Even for us older people.
I would point out that I had decent, well polished, leather burgundy shoes on and in my experience footwear is noticed by women.

I had a kedge style dark blue wool jacket, blue/light blue/white with burgundy over check Irish wool scarf, grey herringbone flat cap, button down shirt Madras check shirt in colours similar to scarf, mid blue merino wool jumper. White t shirt under the shirt and a burgundy knit belt. Uniqlo sky blue boxers.
I suppose she was referring to the overall composition but i didn't feel 'well dressed' in a traditional sense.
My brother in law said ' you're in there boy' but as I'm married to his younger sister I suggested  we move away into the other room.
She would have eaten me alive. Good for the ego and I reckon dressing ivy
works if you are in the market

Haha. Yes. I must wear ties again. I've still got some good knitted ones.

I own two ties.  Strictly for emergencies only.  Say I was hauled up before a Grand Jury on charges of, say, criminal conspiracy, after taking the Fifth I would retire to the mens room and put on a tie.  Always dress to impress.  That's my motto.

No, Robbie, when you sit on that park bench chugging the cheapest wine Waitrose can provide, wearing track suit bottoms...  give me a call...

Couldn't you have given your brother in law the slip ? Just saying........

I think it might be time to re evaluate my jeans wearing. I've been looking for decent 5 pocket cords for some time. Today I saw some in Ivory white in TKMaxx. Similar in styling to what JS has on offer but cheap as chips and the All Saints brand. What I liked was they looked high waisted. I also thought that if they looked iffy in off white I could dye them.

Thanks for the tip. I'll check them out. ' They look old fashioned' I like