The London Lounge

having read the politician thread it got me thinking that there are stirrings of recognition that there is an alternative to the unremittingly scruffy in the media. To wit I (in the interests of family harmony, the alternative being to absent myself from the room) get to watch X Factor each week and the presenter Dermot O'Leary seems to have decided that well cut suit white shirt and tie is preferable to open neck jacket and jeans (ala J. Clarkson).

What with Jonathon Ross appearing suited and booted each week perhaps the tide is beginning to turn.

Put that alongside the recent documentaries that have featured savile Row and who knows the mood may be beginning to change.

Thoughts?

Perhaps the mood is starting to change towards a more careful dress style, indeed, if only designers and label owners did not do their best to hijack the interest for authentic products made made by genuine artisans towards industrial modern reinterpretations whose quality resemble that of a theatre scenery in comparison to the real life model. Attitudes a la Karl Lagerfeld and Tom Ford (apropos a parallel thread) who want suits of English cut, but made tight of flimsy cloth "in Italy" (read "in Italian factories"), because the real bespoke English suits made the traditional way of substantial cloth give the wearer... a bad back!

Did you see the programme about British style on BBC2 last week, to me it was a travesty when the looser less defined fit came in. It may look good with a good suit when it is brand new on the right frame, but on most it just looked ill fitting and scruffy.

The funny thing is that may people equate the suit to something stuffy and restricting. In actual fact i find it the absolute opposite, when i am wearing a correctly fitted suit I find that I am far more liberated as I never think am I appropriately/inappropriately dressed as it works anywhere.

Life works in cycles and perhaps now we will see men realising once again that smart is good.

Today I saw on tv a report about Oscar de la Renta who is here in Madrid to open a new shop. It included a very interesting interview with him giving his thoughts about the direction fashion has taken and where it's going to, and he thought it's on an endless spiral and it won't advance if the new and young desingers try to keep innovating for the sake of it. I think he's probably the last fashion designer left to be a gentleman, the rest are gone or retired.

Good point about O'Leary - in recent weeks he seems to be styled by Kilgour - grey one button DB collar suit, black tie and white shirt.

Jonathan Ross on Film 2008 this week seemed to have modelled his POW jacket and blue & white repp stripe tie on the classic Fred Astaire photo wearing Anderson & Sheppard. Makes a nice change from his overly stuffed shoulders and penchant for garish Westwood & Duchamp patterns..