It seems that hats decided to go “for a walk” these days. During London Fashion Week there were so many men using them – particularly brim hats like the Porkpie and the Trilby models.

Some examples of the classic Bowler hat were also seen. But as the designer and expert Sir Hardy Amies taught us on his book “ABC of Men’s Fashion”, only British man should wear Bowler hats (and in London). I always thought it was a very strict advice to be taken serious. But when you see a Bowler hat out of this context most of the times it looks costume. So be careful.

If you are looking for a new hat, one Londoner shop to consider is Bates (73 Jermyn Street, Mayfair). There you will find classic and elegant ones. But if you are looking for something fresher, don’t miss the opportunity to check the provocative creations of Justin Smith at his on-line shop. If you are in São Paulo, Brazil, it would worth to visit the charming shop of the french milliner Maurice Plas (Rua Augusta, 724).

Photos: Hermano Silva

London Fashion Week started on 19th of February showing the collections for Autumn/Winter 2010. On its last day, Wednesday 24th, the event will dedicate for the second time a whole day to show the work of menswear brands.

New British designers like Carolyn Massey, Christopher Shannon and Lou Dalton will be presenting beside names of Saville Row, like E. Tautz or big brands like TopShop.

The Gentleman will be there at Somerset House on this particular date following the men’s collections and giving quick up-dates from our profile on Twitter: @gentlemanworld. Follow us!

Photo: Hermano Silva

Here the gentleman Dean shows us how to make a stripe t-shirt look even better.

Just keep the hat add a military jacket and… Voilà!

Photos: Hermano Silva

I was never very keen on the idea of using Twitter. Why one more layer of communication on the top of so many other tools we use? Shouldn’t RSS, Google Reader, Skype, Facebook, MSN, Google Talk, etc be enough?

Thinking a bit more about it I thought it would be fair with the readers of this blog give them a more quick, fast and personal channel to inform about things I am looking at on a everyday basis.

Of course that when I got in contact with the Twitter pages of people I admire – such as the singer Billy Corgan, the artist Jenny Holzer and the “NY Times” critic Cathy Horyn - I was a bit more convinced.

The main vocation of The Gentleman will keep being to look at some subjects like a virtual magazine is supposed to do. I hope you are enjoying it by the way.

For those who want more speed I hope to meet you there: @gentlemanworld

Photo: Sunny day with birds at Hollywood beach in Chicago by Hermano Silva

Photos: Hermano Silva

Model: Dom O’Keefe (M&P Model Agency)

Styling: Daniel Dias

Make up and Hair: Drew Krake

Driver: Rob Watt

Location: Dalston, London, UK

Credit for the clothes:

Look 1: White shirt by All Saints, black jumper by Atmosphere, bow tie by Dior Homme, velvet trousers by Roberto Cavalli for H&M and shoes by Office. Look 2: Scarf with Indian print by Topman. Look 3: T-shirt by Adriano Costa, bag by Dolce & Gabbana, belt by Iódice,  short by Lee and sunglasses from personal archive. Look 4: White t-shirt second hand from ‘Juicy by Liquor’, jeans and shoes by All Saints, gloves by Zara. Look 5: Grey knitwear by All Saints. Look 6: Brown jacket with embroidery by Iódice, necklace by Beto Guilger, shoes by All Saints and jeans by Topman. Look 7: Hat from personal archive. Look 8: Shirt with Liberty print by Comme des Garçons and flower from Columbia Road market.

Special thanks to:

Karin Askham, M&P Model Agency and Wicked Campers.

1. WIDER TROUSERS

Lanvin, Dior Homme and Yves Saint Laurent

It’s maybe too early to say that the skinny trousers will be completely gone. But this season it seems that the desire for more straight and even loose pants is growing.

2. LAYERING

Viktor & Rolf, Comme des Garçons and Louis Vuitton

Maybe this was the strongest statement from the shows.  Men seem to be more and more free from the cut and the design of clothes to finally embody the Styling. The shows suggested very unusual layerings and proved that there are (still) so many possibilities to experiment.

3. LAYERING PART 2 – DOUBLE COLLAR NECKS

Salvatore Ferragamo, Prada and Burberry

Stronger in Milan than in Paris, this trend is another example of how to make layers with your clothes. The variation of temperature that one day can have is also influencing on how we all want to dress. Layering seems to be the key.

4. DARK GREEN

Raf Simons, Lanvin and Salvatore Ferragamo

Between all the shades of green this is the most masculine one. In general the clothes for the season will have a strong and rigid aspect. Apart from black, dark green is the colour that matches better within this principle.

5. MONASTICAL

Jil Sander, Givenchy and Dior Homme

This is a trend more evident on the collection that the designer Riccardo Tisci created for Givenchy. He was inspired by the sobriety of priest’s clothes and the result was amazing with nice white shirts used with black jackets. The concept is a more hermetic body that doesn’t reveal almost anything.

6. SOLDIERS

Prada, Burberry and Lanvin

A very recurrent theme in men’s fashion, the army uniforms are frequently explored by designers. This season it comes in a more fetishized way as seen in Lanvin’s influential show.

7. CHEKED PATTERN

Dries Van Noten, Raf Simons and Margiela

Another classic from menswear, the checked pattern is adored by a certain group of men. The good thing is that you can always can use it in your way: mixing with other patterns (but with know-how please) or using them in a maxi-sized version as Margiela and Raf Simons presented.

8. FURRY HATS

Vivienne Westwood, Comme des Garçons and D&G

As we reported here before, the Russian hat is in vogue in Europe at the moment. For the next Fall it seems that they will keep existing but in other shapes and also in other types of furry materials.

9. FUR

Alexis Mabille, Rick Owens and Gucci

Other day the owner of a vintage shop in Portobello Road in London told me that is rising the number of men wearing fur. At least on that area. It made me think if this is something that could really be back to fashion or not. No matter which is the outcome of an ecological discussion behind it, if the furs used should be fake or real… The fact is that there are brands using the material in small details now as an excuse to add value (aka to double the price of the clothes). In case you are a fan, prepare your pockets.

10. SKULLS

Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen and Dsquared2

The best collection exploring skulls and death actually didn’t come from Europe. It would be unfair if I didn’t mention the brilliant menswear collection from the Brazilian designer Alexandre Herchcovitch. He presented it also in January but at São Paulo Fashion Week in Brazil. It’s worth to have a look at it.

11. VIOLENCE

Dsquared2, John Galliano and Jean Paul Gaultier

A very evident trend on the make-up sector seemed to came up this season. I think the point here is the discussion if men these days are looking for their lost masculinity after  all the metrossexuals and Beckhams along the last decade. I believe that we are going to see more examples of this new emerging “manly men” along the next years. A video that captured my attention these days and it’s somehow related to this topic is the very British “Enter Achilles” from DV8 Dance Theatre.

12. THE BEST LOOKS FROM THE TOP 3 COLLECTIONS

Junya Watanabe, Prada and Kris Van Assche

In our opinion Junya Watanabe, Prada and Kris Van Assche were those who did the most interesting collections this season. Those three brands combined very well a smart and fresh image of men with desirable itens.

Photos from GQ.com and The Fashionisto blog

February is time:

- TO EXPERIMENT;

- TO ENJOY the Carnival in Rio. But if Brazil is too far for you, Carnival in Cologne/Germany is also fun;

- TO WATCH “A Single Man” in the cinema (February 12). It’s the first movie of designer-turned-into-director Tom Ford. We cannot wait any longer to watch it;

- TO DEVELOP a strategy for what to buy for the next season. Prioritize carefully: what you have to buy now and what can wait until things are much cheaper on next sales;

- TO VISIT the retrospective exhibition of the photographer Irving Penn at National Portrait Gallery in London (February 18). Irving died last year at the age of 90 years leaving an incredible legacy to the history of photography;

- TO DRINK a new type of tea while you wait for spring to come. But in case you’re in the Southern Hemisphere it’s time to enjoy a bit more the sun.  Summer is a season that always leaves unforgettable moments;

- TO READ a short book while taking the subway instead of getting stressed in traffic jams while your car is polluting the atmosphere;

- TO DOWNLOAD a good podcast of stand-up comedy;

- TO GO fast since February is the shortest month of the year…

Collage above: image of a João Pessoa beach by Hermano Silva; image from the poster movie “A Single Man”;  iconic photo “Cuzco Children” by Irving Penn from 1948 and results of Google Images after a research for “Aaa Ki tea” and “Carnival Rio” words.

Daniel Dias and Rob Watt photographed by Hermano Silva

Some of these images are part of an exhibition that reunites the work of students of the MA Fashion Photography course at London College of Fashion. They are being shown at Everyman Cinema Belsize Park in London until 3rd February 2010.

Everyman Cinema Belsize Park: 203 Haverstock Hill, London, NW3 4QG

Eine g… grosse Sau

Berlin Wall at the Mauerpark

Siegessäule

I couldn’t move foward to another topic without posting here some considerations about the museums of Berlin. It happens that this is the European city with more museums than any other in the continent. So to visit some of them is part of any tour when in Berlin.

Of course I haven’t been to all of them, but from the few I have seen I though would be fun to make a short selection and to dedicate to those who will be visiting the city in the next months. Here we go:

1. BEST MUSEUM SHOP: BAUHAUS -ARCHIV

Who didn’t copy Bauhaus designs? Well, in Bauhaus Archiv  Museum you will have the chance to know some of the original sketches, projects and objects that this school-turned-into-movement had created. Nothing as going straight to the source, isn’t it? At the end of the tour you will find the coolest objects to buy from watches to posters in a small shop.

2. BEST PERMANENT COLLECTION: ALTE NATIONALGALERIE AT THE MUSEUM ISLAND

If you are fascinated by 19th Century painting like I am, this is a place for you. The collection started in 1862 with 262 paintings – a present from the banker Joachim Wagener to the Prince Regent of Prussia. Germany wasn’t unified yet, but the Nationalgalerie started not with a state decree but  pushed by a spirit of civic patronage. The main works of the German painter Caspar David Friedrich (my favourite) are there along with paintings of Carus, Schinkel, Monet, Coubert and Rodin.

3. BEST PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION: GUNDLACH AT MARTIN-GROPIUS-BAU MUSEUM

The fashion photographer F. C. Gundlach fairly receives an homage from this museum with a retrospective of all his work. Between 1950’s to 1990’s Gundlach worked for the main fashion magazines in Germany and created an extensive photographic work. With a root on photojournalism, his pictures are honest, real, positive and elegant. It’s also remarkable his portraits of movie stars and film-directors. The exhibition runs until 14th of March.

4. BEST ARCHIVE SURPRISE: HELMUT NEWTON AT MUSEUM FÜR FOTOGRAFIE

The most interesting thing here is the possibility to “jump” inside Helmut Newton’s world. His cameras, his clothes, notebooks, objects used in his shoots and even a car are revealed for the public in a permanent exhibition. Permanent because The Helmut Newton Foundation is based on the Museum Für Fotografie. The main exhibition is showing at the moment the 394 images of the most expansive photography book of all times: “Sumo” by Newton published by Taschen.

More about Berlin here

Photos: Hermano Silva

1 – THE RUSSIAN HAT

Made of fur (usually rabbit fur) these hats are on the streets of London and Berlin – a city where the Russian influence still seems to remain in the air. They also appeared on the catwalks of Fashion Rio in Brazil (at TNG fashion show) earlier this week. Take yours before it becomes a mass trend.

2 – THE CUSTOMIZED SWISS ARMY KNIFE

A classic that should never be out of a pocket, the original Swiss Army Knife was one of my best acquisitions lately… I was visiting Switzerland when I figured out that some of their shops do the record of your name on the knife with no extra charge. But for sure some extra fun when you are opening a wine bottle to your friends.

3 – THE POINTING UP LAPEL

The ideal winter jacket has its lapel pointing upwards. This is not for the conservatives its true. The German designer Jil Sander was one of those who brought this cut from the gangsters back to fashion on her winter collection for +J at Uniqlo. By the way, her new spring collection just arrived in Uniqlo stores and it is as amazing as the first one.

4 – THE CITIZEN’S KANE ROSEBUD

With the huge amount of snow in Berlin the transportation became an issue. It is very popular between the cool families of Prenzlauer Berg district to transport their kids on sleds at the moment. They are everywhere, especially around the Mauerpark during the weekends. I am sure that Sr. Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles) would love to see it. As seen in “Citzen Kane” movie, Rosebud was the name of the sled from Kane’s childhood.

5 – THE “CULT” BEER

It’s not only interesting men that come from the South of Germany but also beers. Rothaus Tannenzäpfle comes from the Black Forrest and has a very unique taste – neither too light nor too strong. They don’t advertise but are very popular between students, artists and the cool crowd. Their label is a funny illustration of a blond girl holding not one, but TWO glasses of beer. “Zäpfle” became very popular in Berlin more or less four years ago and since then it’s a hit that doesn’t go out of fashion.

Photos: Hermano Silva

One little thing more here and something else about Berlin here.