Some of us collect stamps, old coins, watches... cars. I collect fragrances, clothes, memories and design magazines. The current circulation of glossy mags contain some of the best work of I have seen in well over a year.
My issues of Another, Vogue, Esquire, Gentlewoman, Fantastic Man, Dazed and Confused, Another Man, Wonderland, Wallpaper have some hefty dog earage throughout their Editorials but currently it is the work of Juergen Tellers for Marc Jacobs and Céline thats pleasing my eyes.
Ever the lens-smith Teller has over the years captured the essence of brands beautifully and simply. He is quite possibly the most realistic and recognizable fashion photographer working today.
The recipe; Shoot naturally beautiful people in unpretentious surroundings and let the products speak for themselves, leave the images as raw as possible and apply tasteful amounts of
overexposure.... simples! (oh, and a slight obsession with Le Nu)
As the nights draw in, the streets darken, the faces become more obscured, visible living suspended in frozen air. As the temperature drops everything seems more alive.
On a blustery Edinburgh night walking home I steadily approach George IV bridge, the Bank of Scotland with its grand oxygenised copper hat looms above me. Im wearily stalking the streets on autopilot, drenched in L'Artisan Parfumeur's Patchouli Patch, neck to foot in Black ala Hedi Slimane for Dior homme. My ears are haunted by this music.... music that disturbs, freaks but strikes an unusual balance within me, almost comforting.
The track is a remix of Trentemoller's Moan, remixed by Trentemoller. The ostinato rolls on becoming more and more embellished, beautifully driving its harmonic simplicity further into the mind of the listener. The polyrhythms intertwine gracefully like snakes mating. Ane Trolle's vocal melody dropping in and out with a timbre like porcelain, aged porcelain on the verge of cracking.
Dark, muted shades of phthalo green flood the brain. A sense of being stalked by an aloof beauty, of being watched.... loved from afar.
Anders Trentemoller is a musical behemoth. Check out his work even if you are not an electronic music lover you may find yourself being moved, I did.
I felt the need to blog on this piece as it has been playing on my mind for the past few weeks. I needed to bring it to life and make it my own. I needed to scent it, I needed to give it an image and a place or season. Trolle's voice was moaning for me to become more attached, begging me to allocate a well selected fragrance and clad it in a "look" or "Feel". Funny how a new fragrance can strike a chord and bring things together.
Those who know me will know that my favorite menswear stylist is Mr Thomas Stubbs, master of the "Landan" look.
His blog STYLE & ERROR is the best menswear blog in the country, witty, stylish, informative and regular in its postings. Spiffing
Over at oki-ni have a gander at Mr Stubbs latest work for the styled by column rather dashing I say.
Here in the UK you can see Tom's work all over the place without even knowing it. Stylist for Dermot O'Leary on the X-Factor (Gary Barlow's stylist is Luke Day, very similar but using international labels) If like me you have a keen eye you can see his styling efforts on the red carpet.... Film premieres, charity balls, fashion events and even leaking onto the london fashion week menswear runways.
One of the aspect I respect most about his work is his use of British houses almost exclusively. Combining high end retail, Bespoke and when needed a little help from our stylish neighbors from Italy, France and the US.
My top 5 stylish gents in British fashion consists of (in no particular order)
William Gilchrist
Adrien Sauvage
Thomas Stubbs
Patrick Grant
Gordon Richardson
Stubbs currently contributes towards the Financial Times 'How to spend it.', The Sunday Times style, GQ, The Rake magazine and a regular for Finch's Quarterly Review.
Its a novel idea. A capsule that works with your own excretory system to provide pleasantly scented perspiration. At the end of the day we are just chemicals made up in different ways so this should work, no? Im skeptical of this new creation. Until I actually try it out my opinion is open ended. Technically this is possible but for me, perfumery is more than just chemistry. Its art.
The beauty of perfumery in the classical sense is the use of natural raw ingredients working in harmony on the skin revealing themselves seductively over time (drydown), stripping back layers as the accords warm and develop, each evaporating at different rates due to molecular mass thus plunging the wearer in a changing scented atmosphere. For me its this mingling of natural (or synthetic) materials and the chemical makeup of the wearing working in unison thats so intriguing. The Alchemy of fragrance!
Personally I prefer designs artfully combining ingredients which hint at bodily secretions... ala Etat Libre d'Orange Secretions Magnifiques created by Etat favorite Mr Antoine Lie.
