https://ericbrightwell.com/2014/10/09/vive-les-minets-french-dandyism-in-the-1960s/
A blog write up on Les Minets I stumbled across.
"Chambray button downs, a brown JS herringbone jacket, cords or jeans, a Grenfell mac and Paraboots or dessies" - sounds ideal!
Never really found a chambray shirt that I've liked....I must try again to find one as that above look sounds perfect.
....and spotted the FB post. Who makes the scarf? Might get one myself - great!
I wore a Jake's chambray shirt today. I believe the expression is 'its the bollocks'. A seriously 'tasty' shirt. None of your slim fit nonsense as it is a baggy beauty.
My first ever Mercer was a chambray BD and it was a real beauty. I'm sure a Jake's would give it a run for its money though.
Colin ‘ ....and spotted the FB post. Who makes the scarf? Might get one myself - great!’
It’s navy blue with khaki spots and an ideal length for me, it’s not as poncy as a Paisley Tootal and has become my favourite scarf for spring/autumn. A random purchase, it came from Ted Baker in Richmond which is not a shop I would bother with as a rule, but Mrs Flat likes it in there and the scarf just jumped out at me. I don’t expect they make it any more.
Oh FlatSixC, less of the 'poncy Paisley Tootal'. HaHa, that's what I was wearing yesterday with my chambray shirt. I did take it off in the pub though because I suspect I might have been subjected to a bit of mickey taking from the resident 'functioning' alcoholics.
Worth a look on silk scarves: http://nicholsonandwalcot.co.uk/mens/
Nothing poncy about wearing a paisley rayon scarf to stop the scratchiness of a Shetland around my neck.
No, but silk scarves are a bit cold initially. Whereas as wool requires no warm up period.
Post COVID, I now wear those neck gaiters. Cheap and cheerful. Shove them in a pocket, no bother.
Best umbrella I've recently purchased - as I'm forever leaving them behind – was a small Uniqlo. Small enough to fit in my briefcase whilst being sturdy enough in the wind.
I strongly recommend searching out Brooks Madison fit chambray shirts. They're typically available in three different shades of blue. As with Mercer they're proper roomy fits.
On the subject of scarves I really like a college/regimental style in Saxony wool. The Regimental Shop or Smart Turnout are good for these.
Alvey - ‘ I strongly recommend searching out Brooks Madison fit chambray shirts.’
I could do with a new Chambray, how do you get to the Brooks US website? Every time I try to click on that my browser defaults to the Brooks EU site and there’s a limited range on there, not including Chambrays.
FSC
Sadly you can't direct access the USA website anymore.
I would call a USA store directly or get the USA customer services email.
Also look on Amazon. Brooks have a presence on there.
There were some NWT on Ebay recently too.
I bought mine earlier in the year whilst on holiday in the States.
I didn't think it worth starting a new thread as we have so few threads on the go these days..... But, I thought this might be of interest to some at least, a FB page ' The Mods' has cropped up a few times, I've taken a look and there is the usual stale comments from guys from the 60's ( we were all smart in suits etc), and the guys from the 80's with their Jam outfits, BUT, there is a guy called Patrick Uden (some of you might know of him, but a new-ish name to me), making some very good contributions, art school mod (dob 1946), and still very much forward thinking, I believe he's making a contribution to the magazine that recently carried an article about Chiltern St, ( interview with Sean ?), for me it's still fascinating to hear stories from guys from that period of 'mod' , the transition from 1950's modernists before it went public in 1964 , let's face it we might think of ourselves as ' Ivyists' but it all started from being a mod, or mod-wannabee in our younger lives,
Alvey - ‘Sadly you can't direct access the USA website anymore.’
I thought as much, perhaps I need one of those dynamic ISP proxy oohjamaflips!
I shall continue to pursue a French Ivy look this year. With spring/summer just around the corner, I have acquired one of John Simons stripey boating blazers and it will be one of the pillars of my SS24 wardrobe. To be worn in a louche manner with Lacoste polos, white jeans or chinos and plimsolls or loafers with no socks. I may even get a grandad collarless shirt. Am thinking of getting sunglasses with light coloured lenses like Bono wears.
My Brooks Brothers tropical wool blazer has not seen action for a couple of years, but all of a sudden I’m enthused by it. So, it will feature in the mix, along with a Brooks madras jacket , faded jeans and white bucks.
For good quality telescoping umbrellla — Fox umbrella — you can get them at Antoine in Paris. Though probably 50-60 GBP less direct from Fox.
Last edited by Horace (2024-03-22 01:22:09)
Stax
Surprisingly my journey here wasn’t through mod. I used to think of it as a bit backwards looking.Later the mods crossed over to our scene with acid jazz and we crossed over to the sixties stuff with Absolute Beginners and Blue Note. Must admit I loved the Style Council though. Wellers rebirth of mod schtik was just copying what was on the soul scene - white jeans, Burlington socks, LaCoste, Weejuns, gelled hair.
I was into the early eighties jazz funk and soul scene where there was a lot of interest in Americana. Loafers were good for dancing in, heavy sweatshirts looked different and varsity jackets were popular too.I hadn’t heard of Ivy
When my career took off I liked a lot of Ralph. That lead me to brushed shetlands, natural shoulder jackets, repo ties and surcingle belts and subsequently I found the relaunched John Simons in Chiltern Street.
I’m really grateful that Talk Ivy has opened my eyes to a lot of Sixties influences and the wider concept of Ivy - new wave films, Italian design, mid century furniture to name but a few.
Ironically Mod didn't lead me to any of the wider design, style etc influences back in the 1980s - it was Northern Soul and pictures of people at Twisted Wheel, Golden Torch, Va Vas, Catacombs etc looking absolutely immaculate around 68-71 that took me back to Ivy and then onto the wider (lower case) modernism. There was a light bulb moment I recall and never looked back then.
I found another Old England shirt on eBay. This one is a button down floral design in a rather challenging lilac colour. However, I will release my inner Jacques Dutronc this autumn by pairing it with a navy blue Keydge, Levis and some dark brown suede JM Weston loafers I netted from a charity shop in Marylebone.
FSC - you're running a parallel here with Andy Wagon ( AKA Woofboxer) who has posted something very similar over on the ILG on FB, seems Old England floral shirts are in abundance on ebay , maybe I need to check them out !
@Stax They are the same person.
Last edited by Runninggeez (2024-08-14 08:56:47)
Really.? We learn something new every day , haha
I've recently had an itch that won't go away re floral BD shirts. As FlatSixC points out some colours can be challenging, to say the least. I had a great one in blue and white back in 1970/71 and if I could find a similar one I would buy it but I'm doubtful if I will and that's probably a good thing. Eventually the itch will go away and normal service will resume.