MISTER MORT

London Part IX: My Last Day

I found it interesting to see so many guys in this tight cuffed pant look, here paired with dress shoes and an overcoat. Another thing Id like to add, the american slob look of having your shirt untucked has also been spreading rapidly... fortunately not as fast as the skinny tie paired with untucked shirt. 

Dont get me wrong- I like this guys kit. Alot. He was traveling and visiting London. (if he wasnt  working, who cares that his shirts untucked! ) That unconstructed briefcase is killer ! Also noticed these brooks brothers RL sorta frames have been making a huge comeback in Europe (hopefully replacing the other plastic frames that have spread too far and wide...

By BACKYARD BILL

I was honoured when shutterbug William Gentle wrote me asking if we could work together. I was not yet familiar with his website and after checking it out,i obliged. He choses people for their individual style and has them chose looks and heads to a location he seeks out. I have worked with other shooters and have never felt so at ease with a photographer. Lets not kid, Im no model; but I like the way these turned out. Check out his work after i toot my own horn below http://backyardbill.blogspot.com/

PLEASE WILL YOU OPEN ME UP BIGGGGG ~ 4 The Love of Khaki Bucket Hats

THIS ONE BELOW PLEASE BE SURE TO CLICK ON BIGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG He told me he was an engineer and that the bldg we were standing outside of , 1411 Broadway was an opera house ! I'll have to research this one.. He was so rad though, with his pocket protector, dotted tie with checked shirt and a tan seersucker coat.. that pins does me in though! Every time!

Some they got, some got away..

This salmon colored anorak from WWII surprisingly wasn't snatched up by anyone ! This is one of the best Brooks Brothers shirts I have ever seen. I already own a few variations of this shirt by them, but thats not why I didnt buy it. I was beaten to it by the boys who were shopping for Ralph Lauren inspiration. I felt better when i saw that it was priced at $145. To make it worse, it was 14.5 (my size) and if all goes as it should, will be seen in a Rugby store near you. We can only hope and pray it wont be embroidered with skulls and flags all over it. These dealers make it way too easy, I cant blame these designers for not bothering to really dig, wether it be on ebay or our nations thrift shops. And by thrift shops, I dont mean WCGA or Stock.. I really liked the pockets on this guys pants and sweatshirt. Interesting how its not a full zip. Cant tell whats going on with the bottom of his pants, were they cut short? gathered? dont know, but they look good! His bag was super cool as well, but this is all you're getting. I like this shot of jewelry designer Phillip Crangi "shopping" in his green cuffed pants and green rod lavers Dude from 45 RPM shoping.. I love sweatpants, I dont own a pair but have always wanted a pair. I really like how he paired them with rust New Balance, a flannel shirt and down vest ! Here with a trophy purchase ! I was watching forever to see who would become the lucky owner of this stripe painted oar. Not sure if you can tell from this photo, but this man here is in all classics- barracuda drizzler, smedley knit, oxford shirt, dungarees and moccasins. I love a chamois shirt. Have never seen an orange one. Great way to layer in the winter and I find they especially come in handy in the Spring time. Check out his monocle. And as if the orange isnt enough, Check out this turquoise one. I saw this fella carrying this here horse and asked if I could photograph it, He paid $400 and was "told" it was Pendleton. I didnt see a label anywhere, there was a tag on its tush, didnt say Pendleton or any company, just fabric contents and made in taiwan i believe. I hope it was at least made using Pendleton fabric but Ill never be sure.. Cool piece none the less.some more color out there in the fields. Below are some personal scores

Drake's Of London Ties & Squares

I love this tie and the kind folks over at Drake's taught me about madder and referred me to a piece by G. Bruce Boyer  If you dont know him, look him up asap.  madder- a natural dye from a Eurasian herbaceous plant, Rubia tinctoria, the root of which was used since ancient times as a regal dyestuff. Thus “ancient” madder. Since the 19th Century the dye has primarily been used on silk, producing beautifully deep, muted and soft colorations of red, green, chocolate, medium blue, and yellow. Silk dyed in this manner is characterized by a dusty-looking finish and a feel (referred to as a chalk hand by the experts) very much like a fine suede, and a matte finish. And not just any silk. A special “gum” silk, is used. The silk is first boiled to remove its natural gum (an organic resin), dyed, and then the fabric is bathed in a new gum-based solution that gives it its characteristic soft handle and heft. 

Today the process is employed mainly for neckwear printed in England in a paisley or small geometric pattern. The coloring agent in madder root – called alizarin — was in fact first chemically extracted and then synthesized in 1869 by two English chemists. Although the dyeing process, even today, requires a variety of painstaking steps, synthesized alizarin brought the price within the reach of commercial producers, and paisley-designed silks of ancient madder became popular in the second-half of Victoria’s reign for neckwear and scarves. 

Paisley madder ties have been a status symbol on college campuses since the 1930s, as a natty alternative to the traditional striped tie. Paired with a tweed sports jacket, they’re as conservatively colorful and slightly idiosyncratic today as ever.

This next group of ties are in the crystal weave, a very old fashioned cloth that was originally done for college reppe stripe ties. The smart folks at Drake's thought they'd give it a nice little twist to quote Michael Hill. The plaid is five colored special warp so very unusual and not easy to weave. The gingham is also an end on end warp (woven with both black and white in the warp