BASICS: SOME CHEAP IDEAS. PART 1 OF A SERIES

Today I got lots of positive comments on two things I was wearing; one was a £5 satchel, the other a pair of £10 boots, both from a military surplus store. All whilst wearing the priciest jacket I own on the top.

It reminded me of that shot in the current FANTASTIC MAN I wrote about below. A picture of the stylist Elgar Johnson looking mighty damn fine in nothing but a cheap boiler suit, UNIQLO tee and battered REEBOK shoots.

In THE CRUNCH, re-appropriating clothes like this is a clever way of getting dressed and buying quality on the cheap. Instead of automatically reaching for the high street as I usually do, I’ve found a wealth of excellent ‘classics’ (or what I think are modern classics, useful in any gentleman’s wardrobe) on the cheap from unexpected sources. Labels like DICKIES, producers of excellent value functional clothing with an intrinsic stylishness, sold on badly-designed but bargainous websites. It’s time for a revival of these refreshing labels and under-explored avenues in what I’m tentatively calling ‘MENSWEAR’S guide to the basics’, part one in an occasional series.

AN ALL-IN-ONE?

Perhaps it’s not on everyone’s ‘classics’ list, but MENSWEAR urges you to stop, consider, re-asses. A jumpsuit is a practical, versatile and flattering option for men, and DICKIES versions come in at under twenty quid. UNDER TWENTY QUID! Check the functional details and choice of colourways:

A BAG.

Left: an unbranded polyester bag with excellent BONDAGE-STYLE STRAPS. ‘Maximum safe loading capacity 20kg.’ £7.15, including VAT from Screwfix.com.

Right: an even cheaper canvas option for those who prefer natural fibres (very military surplus), coming in at £2.49 from 1st-Harrison

An excellent, if unglamorous website I am now addicted to for buying all this is the lovely SURPLUS AND OUTDOORS. They sell military surplus online, plus every colour and style of all-in-one you could hope for. Better still, checking out your local military surplus store… something I’ll be doing tomorrow on nearby Walworth Road.

A DESERT BOOT.

Intrinsically a cheap type of shoe, they’ve become hugely popular again and I’m desperate for a pair. Clarks Originals are an eye-watering £70; but let me introduce you to a little friend called ROAMERS. Priced around £15-£25 depending where you go; a solid-looking sole, nice colours and you could always put white/contrast laces on if you wanted them to look really luxey.

Generally, shopping out of London and avoiding buying these ‘classics’ from the big stores is the best idea; a bit like buying your Kellog’s-branded cornflakes from Lidl instead of Fortnum’s. Whilst Loake etc might produce fashion ranges sold in Selfridges, they also do big business in everyday shoes that are made in the same way; it’s worth catching up, choosing the economy tin, as it were, and using the money to buy highly expensive designer blazers that nobody notices (though I’m happy having Lanvin on my inside jacket pocket).