OKI-NI’S MARGIELA ARCHIVE.

oki-ni’s archive feature is one of the most exciting ideas happening online right now. Why can’t designers and labels archive their own clothes properly? Pieces of Raf Simons, Levi’s and Nike have been lovingly photographed, beautifully styled and catalogued by the website, showing creative director and buyer John Skelton’s passion for these brands.

Next up is a Margiela archive, property of the lovely Mr. Craig Borthwick, a man who perhaps knows more (and has more) Margiela than anyone else I can think of. I once ended up at Craig’s for a dinner party where I found out that he owned some legendary vintage pieces, such as the patchworked Levi’s that I have often fantasized and admired. Whether Margiela really is still at the helm or not, the men’s brand finally seems to be really getting the attention it deserves. With oki-ni having one of the best buys of any store, I couldn’t resist asking John more about this unique project.

MENSWEAR: You must have been working with and buying the brand for some time now. What keeps you coming back for more?

John Skelton: It’s a bit of a weird one really. Every season I go into the showroom and just end up selecting so many more options than when I’m in other showrooms. I have a real thing about trying everything on before I write it and when you put this stuff on it just fits so well that I end up with loads of it. The tailoring and the knitwear is timeless. Im still wearing Margiela I bought ten years ago.

MENSWEAR: What have been your Margiela ‘highlights’ throughout the men’s collection, the pieces that have really made you go ‘wow’ or fall in love with the brand perhaps?

JS: There’s loads of them. I really fell for the tailoring in a collection around seven years ago which had the mix up waistcoats in it, still remember it like yesterday. Also nearly died when I seen the first cut’n'sew vintage Levi’s in Harvey Nichols around 1998. That’s actually the first thing that got me into Margiela when I think about it, they we’re like nothing else I’d ever seen at that point.

MENSWEAR: People seem ignorant or less aware of Margiela menswear compared to womenswear. What would you personally recommend about it?

JS: I’m not going to recommend anything about it. If people want to be ignorant about it then that means there’s less of us wearing it!!

A Margiela water bottle…

MENSWEAR: The archive series on oki-ni is really exciting, any dream archives or people with huge clothing collections you’d like to delve into?

JS: Yeah actually. I’ve got some really exciting meetings with some people in Japan that I am really enthused about but I cant give any names away at the moment. Also another Geordie boy who we’re going to be featuring soon which is going to be a new and interesting angle for us.

Also can I just finish by saying a huge thank you to Craig Borthwick whose Margiela archive this is. He not only provided the product but styled the whole thing himself and I think it’s the strongest, most authentic archive styling wise we have up. Thanks bro x

PART 4: MENSWEAR’S TOP 100 FAVOURITE THINGS FOR A/W 09

41.Badges

Hopefully back in a BIG way, but definitely huge ones and definitely not band themed ones– nil point for deftones or a hummus brothers “give peas a chance” number. Why does nobody make good badges anymore? How much do you want to go out and just do this look? How much would it even cost? About 50p probably

I used to have one as big as a plate, yellow and red, with EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH on it that I bought in Miami. Then lost in Hampstead.

via stylisightings

42. Roberta from Spotify

“SHE’S BACK”

Does she sound the same – can we remember what she used to sound like?– just having her back is ENOUGH, enough after that dreadful, cockney inflected Mark Kermode soundalike who I actually thought was Mark Kermode for a long while.

43. Sixpack’s patchwork sweater

Key component for new look – crew neck sweaters, washed out polo shirts, looser tracksuit trousers, sneakers, aviator spectacles and belt loop, inspired by Christopher Shannon. Another fantastic piece from Sixpack, by French artist Akroe.

44. Damir Doma front zip boots at oki-ni

We saw these backstage at the show in February, I wasn’t sure if they’d go into production:

Now they’re available in grey at oki-ni.com

45. SALLY SHAPIRO’S NEW ALBUM, “my guilty pleasure”

Not technically the girl on the cover, “Sally Shapiro” is merely the given name of the group which includes instrumentalist Johan Agebjorn and the nameless girl below. Not heard this second record yet in full but if first single “Miracle” and the last album are anything to go by it should be the best of the year. Not really Italo-disco after all, more like a 21st century Saint Etienne.

46. RAF sleeve jackets, as seen in V MAN- yes I know Raf’s been on this list before but these are a bit different

Five things MENSWEAR would endure to get one of these Raf Simons outfits

1. Listen to the entire new Jamie T album
2. Listen to the entire new Black Eyed Peas album
3. Eat a soggy cardboard box
4. Do the Derren Brown ‘knife foot polystyrene cup’ task
5. Can’t think of a fifth thing

47. Carolyn Massey fingerless gloves/mittens

Fact: best gloves of the season.

They fit like a glove (of course) but have an elongated ribbed cuff that makes them almost gauntlet-shaped. That, plus the fact they are very usefully joined on a long knitted cord makes them feel curiously military-ish. It’s something that you can’t quite put your finger on (no pun intended), how nice and sculpted and masculine these gloves feel, and that’s probably down to the archive research that went into all these pieces for A/W 09.

I just wish my camera was good enough to take a decent picture of them.

48. CAN, Bel Air

One of the best 20 minute long, early 70s polyrhythmic synth ballads ever recorded, and literally not a single minute doesn’t sound like it could have been recorded recently. From their spectacular “Future Days” album.

49. Chunky patterned cardigans

Got this one in Beyond Retro the other week, £15, thrown over a t-shirt, gets the job done

50. Lanvin felt-collared shirt

Lanvin update their silk and ribbon-collared shirts with one made of felt. Sounds unremarkable until you see it in real life; dressy enough not to need a tie but never scruffy. Available at Browns.

51. Radishes with salt and butter

Party snack du jour, as eaten at the Acne Spring/Summer 2010 afterparty at Rochelle School in Arnold Circus, Shoreditch; home not only of Celia but also of the crazy trendy restaurant Rochelle Canteen. Surprisingly addictive combo.

52. Digby & Iona “Lusca” ring

Yup, it’s mini OCTOPUS for your fingers! Available at Kabiri, talking of which…

53. Kabiri’s new website

Packed full of beautiful “investment” buys, the excellent Nathalie Kabiri’s online jewellery store has relaunched with some great picks and a constant flow of exclusive pieces and new names to add to your wish lists. It seems like the only store in London that really makes the most of directional men’s jewellery and treats it with the seriousness it deserves.

Screw earring by Victoria Archer

Babylon key necklace by Scosha

Triangle necklace by Alex & Chloe

54. Dover Street Market‘s 5th Anniversary

The alternative sign of a good anniversary must be surprising people with how short something has been established. DSM feels like it’s been around forever – in the best possible way. The basement has also been completely changed to mark the event, bringing in Supreme, Visvim and Original Fake to haul it up to date.

55. India Knight’s Aspirin mask

India Knight– chic-lit writer turned writer of amazing shopping/thrift based books to read in the bath, literary genius

Aspirin– a painkiller.

Put the two together and you have the ultimate quick fix, chips-cheap skin clear/facial that means goodbye to expensive, uhm, other stuff.

The full method is here, via The Times – I’m not going to put it here in case someone does it and it goes wrong. Better to blame it on them.

56. Twat Boutique

Officially the best lesbian night in East London– don’t all rush at once– taking place in Dalston Superstore. Music is excellent, vibe is excellent, everyone is very, very nice, did I say the music was excellent? Here’s me and the Celia– courtesy of Holly Falconer via the amazing online magazine The Most Cake: “cherry picking the best of lesbian London and frosting it with our own buttercream of cool”.

57. Topman Design parka

The new Topman collection launches Thursday in the UK, but in New York it’s already hit the shop floor. After a few somewhat ropey seasons this is the most wearable, wantable Topman Design collection for a long time. First up is this jacket:

58. And this wadded jacket

59. And this amazing (and very heavy) ‘landscape’ knit

60. And this Dexter Wong for Topman trenchcoat

Nice layers. Fake fur collar? I don’t completely understand it, but one of those throw-on pieces that you know would go with anything:

CAKE AND ROSES…

So… LET THEM EAT CAKE ISSUE 13 is out THIS WEEK, and for this issue yours truly came in and worked as the magazine’s Features Editor. And I have to say I’m very very proud of the magazine and absolutely blown away at what everyone has achieved.

Here’s a little sneak preview, an out-take from my New Designers feature, focusing on the very talented Martine Rose:

Photographer: Junichi Kikuchi. Stylist: Elliott James Sainsbury. Model: Samuel Slaughter at Storm.
Shirt by Martine Rose available at oki-ni, shorts by Christopher Shannon.

I interviewed Martine about her post-LFW success and her plans for SS 10. Elsewhere in the issue some of London’s best young fashion writers, bloggers, photographers and stylists come together for a creative showcase of all that’s amazing right now– featuring the lovely Steve from Style Salvage speaking to James Long about why menswear gets such a hard time editorially and the very talented Laura Clayton exploring the world of trashy jewellery. Best of all, I spoke to the legendary Sarah Mower about London Fashion Week’s 25th anniversary, which was one of my dream interviews ticked off the list….

Visit www.cakeit.net for more information, buying online and physical stockists.

PART 3: MENSWEAR’S TOP 100 FAVOURITE THINGS FOR A/W 09

30. J W Anderson for ASOS toothbrush

Actually amazing, because most toothbrushes aren’t very cool, and actually makes sense; J W’s A/W 09 collection includes all kinds of gentlemanly ephemera from compasses to cuffs and rings.

31.The return of photorealism, part deux

I’ve got a very unhealthy obssession with Sixpack, especially since they get some of the best designers, artists and so forth to collaborate with them, and aren’t shy about letting the work speak for itself.

Expect to see Sixpack a few times on this list but for now, it’s these awesome marbled pieces I’m hand-wrangling over.

32. Gordon Richardson and Topman’s new floor

This is the average contents of Gordon Richardson’s manbag, courtesy of the Guardian:

Perhaps he forgot to mention the large side order of GENIUS he must carry around everywhere. I recently was asked to come up with a list of people I celebrities or men in the public eye who I thought were well dressed and couldn’t think of anyone apart from Topman’s Design Director.

Next week, a project he must have been working on for some time comes to fruition; Topman’s Oxford Circus opens an extra floor, a doubling of the space and a stepping up of the game that should renew it for guys who have maybe moved on and grown up. It also intriguingly highlights what other highstreet stores must do to draw our attention rightly back to the physical after the lure of internet shopping. Rumours are there will be a Rough Trade store, a long-deserved Ksubi concession, some kind of bar, a permanent Lens section plus the collections from James Long and Christopher Shannon.

33. LD Tuttle men’s boots

Well, unisex, not strictly men’s; but as Rachel Zoe might write, ‘AMAHZING’ and destined to end up on Jak & Jil blog in some form. Clear-cut, military flecked but so well made as to invoke classicism at the same time.

34. Jim Stoten for Habitat

Jim’s an excellent, amazing illustrator and he’s made some lovely textiles for Habitat, including this street scene. Never a massive one for cushions before, but to be honest Jim could illustrate a slice of bread and I’d want to buy it.

35. Carolyn Massey at Daniel Jenkins

Carolyn Massey, now ready to buy at Daniel Jenkins! What more could you want?

36. Lou Dalton and Full Circle

Truth be told, I heard a rumour about this a few months back; and yes, it’s true. London Fashion Week star and creator of “rebellious English sportswear” Lou Dalton is also the new accessories designer for Full Circle.

If you’ve noticed a shift in the brand, then it’s no surprise as it aims to become sharper, cleaner, neater and seems to be headed into the right territory. But it’s Lou’s accessories that really shine; panelled satchels that turn into backpacks, sturdy leather holdalls, jelly belts, gloves and squashable totes. Full Circle will be sponsoring Lou’s LFW show in return; and following last season’s fantastic cake and catwalk affair at Kettner’s in Soho, it looks to be another definite highlight.

37. PRESENT

New, beautifully-formed men’s store just opened in Shoreditch- selling not only the obvious brands like Raf by Raf and Nigel Cabourn, but some beautiful Trickers colourways, vintage spectacles and coffee which is meant to be very nice. Beautiful old signage too.

PRESENT, 140 Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6JE

38. No more NUMBER (N)INE!

Another excellent show, another Beth Gibbons soundtrack (this time her brilliant solo record, Out of Season). Japanese brands that use layering to impress their sense of modernity are everywhere; but few have trod such a diverse and colourful path, and few make the layers of crystals, leggings, jacquard and loose threads look so MASCULINE.

39. Kolor

Often referred to as the ‘Japanese Dries van Noten’, Kolor has built up from its signature washed, crumpled and organic-looking tailoring into a full-bodied collection of muted colours and wantable seperates. Currently stocked at Browns and the Library in the UK, the grapevine tells me there might be a few more accounts to add over the next season or two…

40. Komakino

London’s answer to Rick Owens? The many-belted biker jacket, the detailing, the fact it’s all black… fantastic. Did I mention they’ll be showing at London Fashion Week’s menswear day, too?

IT’S NOT JUST MENSWEAR, IT’S…

There is – to my mind, a deliberate – tang of the unlikely about a lot of this year’s high street collaborations. They’re so unlikely that a year ago they might have sounded like high-minded fashion jokes; the likes of Beth Ditto at Evans, Jimmy Choo menswear for H&M, Jil Sander for Uniqlo – even that fake story about Alison Mossheart designing for New Look.

But, before I even had time to put it in my top 100 for the season, here comes the even more unlikely Jsen Wintle for Marks & Spencer Autograph.

2009 should be a good year for Wintle, with Evgeny Lebedev buying a stake in the label, an upcoming show at London Fashion Week, and a rumoured store opening in central-west London (perhaps even Savile Row). M&S menswear is incredibly hard to love, but this is the kind of thing they need to be doing. What appeals about Wintle is how difficult it is to pigeonhole the label – it’s young, but not club-kid wear. International-feeling but with a very targeted aesthetic. Directional enough to sit alongside Raf Simons or Comme shirt on the rails at Dover Street Market, but so luxe in the make and construction that it feels ‘grown up’, proper clothes, timeless.

As Male Mode just mentioned, the line is a range of very basic basics, but that mirrors Wintle’s A/W 09 show neatly. I’ve heard good things about the biker jacket when it’s on and can see the bigger cable-knit scarves in the campaign being hugely successful. I managed to get a Wintle sample sale earlier this year and walked out with, for about £45, the following: one of the DSM shirts with a grey silk pleated bib; another grey shirt with a huge, sculptural grey bib; a silk scarf, deep v-neck with skinny sleeves and a belted military coat with a huge concertina running through the back. The grey shirt gets a lot of attention wherever it goes, except at one party where a very well-dressed Ann Demeuelemeester obsessive I met was like, ‘Wintle, eurgh!’. More fool him.

It’s these subverted-luxe touches – the pleats and bibs and plush fabrics – that seem to be a bit missing. But the smaller details, the fine-looking cut of the trousers could be a good entry point for many who have the same mindset as that Ann D fan, a good entry point into discovering the mainstay of this fantastic label.

Put together well, these could look great and you might never know they were a collaboration- I’m liking the look of the polo neck under the double blazer.

LAVENHAM Spring/Summer 2010.

Lavenham is a traditional British horse-rug and quilted jacket company. They have recently collaborated with the likes of ASOS and D.I.E. and have recently celebrated their 40th anniversary. Their jackets are incredibly warm, snug and the colourways are a big notch above the usual quilted jacket, taking it to a new level. I’m very happy to say I also recently styled the SS 10 lookbook, which brings this heritage brand up to date for a new generation.

Photography: Ross Trevail
Styling: Elliott James Sainsbury
Hair & grooming: Sally Tooth
Model: Gabriel at M&P models