Menswear

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Sun 10 May 2009

Happy Birthday Fred

Posted by Nicole under Menswear, Style icon
[2] Comments

Were we still fortunate enough to have him with us, Fred Astaire would be 110 years old today.

A true gentleman and always immaculately dressed, Fred was an entertainer from the old world – a professional dancer from the age of 6, he sang, danced and acted his way into the hearts of movie lovers around the world during the ’30s to the ’70s.

I once saw him on Parkinson: he sat at the piano and pulled out sheets of music handwritten for him by Ira Gershwin. Many of the songs we now consider “standards” were originally written for Fred to sing – “Night and Day” by Cole Porter, “Top Hat” by Irving Berlin and of course the Gershwin brothers with “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” and others.

We play a lot of Fred’s music at Circa – not bad for a man who claimed that he “couldn’t sing”. By the back door is a life-sized poster of Fred and Ginger Rogers. Every morning I open up, I meet his gleaming eye and glance at Ginger, reclining in his arms – she looks like the luckiest woman in the world. Yep, they sure don’t make them like they used to.

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Happy birthday Fred!

Fred and Ginger: Too Hot to Handle (1935).

Fred: Puttin’ On the Ritz (Blue Skies 1946).

 

Tue 24 Mar 2009

London Tweed Run

Posted by Nicole under Menswear, events
[8] Comments

At Circa, we love our tweeds and the stylish chaps who wear them – so for like minded folk, may I present the London Tweed Run, held in a suitably cold English January.

Now why can’t we have wonderful events like this here? Trust the Brits to start something like this. Here are the details taken from the London Fixed-Gear and Single Speed:

Ladies. Gentlemen. Announcing the first LFGSS Winter Dress Club Run: a social ride with a bit of style.

We will be gathering for 2pm in Hanover Square. Please be prompt; at 2, we’ll head down to H Huntsman & Sons, 11 Saville Row to begin the ride. The route will be a fairly leisurely ride through London. No need to pack Kendal Mint Cakes, the ride will include a stop at a tea shop at Tour de Ville for mid-ride fortitude, and will finish at the Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club for refreshments and cheer.

Proper attire will of course be expected, so dapper gents and elegant ladies, polish off your lugged steel beasts and prepare your best outfits. Suggested attire: woolen plus fours, harris tweed jackets, flat caps, fair isle jumpers, alpaca coats, merino wool team jerseys, cycling skirts and perhaps a jaunty cape for the ladies, cravats or ties for gentlemen, and of course a hip flask of brandy.

Be sure to dress with a bit of panache, there will be prizes awarded.
Tally ho!

 

Tue 3 Feb 2009

Dandy vintage in Cherrie magazine

Posted by Nicole under Media, Menswear
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Circa’s menswear and a nice frilly blouse worn Dandy style, was highlighted recently in an article in Cherrie Mag:

cherriemag cherriemag2
Photos courtesy Cherrie Magazine.

Bianca Christoff writes:
It is simply not necessary to spend a fortune on looking fantastic if you have the right awareness of style, rather than fashion. With an ever increasing demand by the consumer, as well as designers, to create ethically, it is no surprise that the resurgence of vintage and recycled clothing is more evident now than ever before.

For the style conscious, vintage and second-hand clothing stores are quickly becoming the Mecca of fashion shopping.

You can read the full article here.