You can't buy style but you can make it

This was the title of a recent entry on the sartorialist and upon reading this it made me feel guilty that I do not make/personalise enough of my clothes or accessories. I have a long list of accessory and garment ideas that i have penned into my trusty notebook but these ideas have never been realised and that is a little shameful. I thought about trying to hide behind the excuse that maybe it is because of my gender (it is true in the sense that I know countless girls who are thrifty and make their own clothes and no guys) but I had sewing classes back at primary school. I am just lazy. But I want to change! Is there anyone out there who regularly makes items of clothing? Are there any keen male knitters out there? I am going to see EJ this weekend and part of that weekend will be spent in her teaching me the difference between the knit and the purl. Photos will follow....

Hand to hand combat with a ball of wool

Oh my, am I rubbish. But less of that and more posting!

Although you may not consider this post to be strictly about style, it is a topic close to my heart. I want to write today about knitting, and specifically men who knit. I learnt to knit late last year and was pleasantly surprised by how easy (not that I can knit anything more complicated than a square or scarf yet) and relaxing it is. I've found it to be the ideal thing to do while listening to music or watching rubbishy tv (I have great difficulty doing just one thing at once) and making things yourself is the ultimate in bespoke.

I keep hearing about a rise not just in women knitting (the so-called craft revolution has done wonders for wool shops) but also a subsection of cool male knitters.

All over the web there are brilliant knitting sites, and some really great ones dedicated to male knitters.

Men who Knit

Men Knit (ok, maybe they're not very creative when it comes to naming.. though I love that there's a men's knitting group called 'Dicks with Sticks')

A great issue for men from Knitty.com

That last link has some great patterns including a brilliant baggy sleeved cardigan. The way I see it though is even if you're not ever going to get to the level where you can knit cool stuff like that, how great is it to be able even to make your own scarves in the colours you love the most?

If you don't know how to knit yet, you may want to check out the following link for some helpful videos.

How to knit a scarf courtesy of VideoJug

Hello there.

Oh why is Russell Crowe on our blog? Damn that neanderthal and his poor sense of style. other than that I love the post. You need to teach me how to knit. I want some arm-warmers because I've seen them worn really well under coats and want to emulate the look. Next time I visit you in Manchester you have to teach me the basics. I could learn from online videos or by abducting an old lady but I would prefer to have your wise words and demonstrations rather than from someone who smells funny. I stumbled across the look on luisaviaroma and even I wouldn't spend that kind of money on a pair of arm-warmers so why not make them. If I fail I can always buy a cheaper version but I want to try. What fun we will have in Manchester!

Made for each other

While I'm aware that it's about time I did proper post for this place, I'm afraid that birthday fever has taken over and my tiny attention span is even shorter than normal. I thought that I'd just post quickly about a couple of articles that have caught my eye lately: this one about bespoke shirts and this one about bespoke shoes.

I love the idea of having all my clothes made just for me, but have reconciled myself to the fact that this is not possible just yet. I think what is interesting about the first article particularly is what he discovers about how clothes are meant to fit (as well as learning the terminology). It is shocking how many men you see walking around wearing clothes that are completely the wrong size. A friend of ours thought that- despite being extremely skinny- he was a size large or extra large simply because he was slightly taller than average. The fact that the shoulders of his t shirts hung close to his elbows and that his body was just swamped with excess fabric (and not in a trendy, deliberate way) did not trigger off any thoughts in his head that maybe- just maybe- these clothes were 3 sizes too big. So many people, myself included, will also sacrifice decent fit because they like something so much they're desperate to MAKE it fit. With me this just means I wear the item a couple of times, feel incredibly uncomfortable because it doesn't look or hang right, then shove it in the bottom of a drawer with a vague sense of guilt until the next charity shop clear out. Well no more! I say.

Don't worry, I'm not about to say we should all sacrifice our social lives and food budgets for half the year to afford four bespoke shirts (£700 seems indecent, but then I'm not wealthy) but it's time we stopped compromising on fit. Do it today! Go to that wardrobe and drag out anything that doesn't fit quite right. Trousers particularly are easy to fix- I would hope that the waist is right or, really, what were you thinking? If they're too loose, make sure you have a good belt that suits them, if they're too tight, chuck them, they look crap anyway. Look at the length: if they're too long, seriously consider getting them shortened. By and large trousers should break once on the shoe, not pool around your ankles- I'm sure you all know that by now, so why are we putting up with anything but perfection when it is so easy (and relatively cheap) to get them altered? Be ruthless too with your tops. I am aware that it's not so easy to get these altered and I know that a man's bond with his favourite shirt or his favourite t shirt is sacred but call me sacrilegious, looking really good is more important than a material posession if said material posession just isn't working. If you love the fabric of a shirt too much to get rid of it entirely, try using it in a different way, perhaps tearing it up to make hankies (sorry, pocket squares), patches or if you're really handy with a needle and thread, to line the inside of another shirt's collar and cuffs.

Hmm, I seem to have gone off topic a little here. I did warn you about birthday fever though.

The glory that is my 21st birthday cake- check out the long hair!

Fighting in the streets - The style of The Clash

Having changed my mind over who to blog about first countless times over the last two days (actually weeks) the tossing and turning is over. In the end it had to combine my two favourite things: music and fashion. So let's start with the Clash.

Bernie Rhodes (the manager) said "There's gonna be a lot of fighting in the streets. Things are going to get rough so we're going to need clothes which are tough." Rhodes approached a number of fashion students to realise his vision of tough streetwear that looked great on stage. Rhodes chose Alex Michon (pictured left in a Clash shirt) who at the time was a 19 year old art student. Her successive waves of militaristic designs have ultimately defined the look of one of the most visually exciting bands. We can also see the influence contemporary influence with brands such as April 77 exploring similar ideas.

You would be misinformed to say that the Clash just wore what they were told to (never a good thing because you have to wear the clothes, not the other way around!). A key facet of their style was the individual inputs from the band members. Simonon (pictured left, and looking awesome!) for example during the early days designed Pollock influenced paint splashes on the clothes and shoes. It is unlikely that I would do that a whole outfit but splattering your accessories, such as tie/pocketsquare/bag would look great. Another example is Joe Strummer adapting the zip jacket designed by Michon and worn at their famous Rainbow gig (April 1977) by stitching a ripped up photo from the Notting Hill carnival onto the side. (I have hunted for images to illustrate these two points but alas i am empty handed so please just imagine it, or better still send me what you find!). What we can take from these examples is; be creative. Look at the clothes you buy and wear, make them yours. Rather than just buying a new item of clothing look at what you already have, can you adapt an old piece that has been sitting in the wardrobe unworn and give it a new lease of life? Currently my to do list involves tapering trousers, adding zips to jumpers and pockets and of course this will all be blogged about no matter how successful or otherwise.

Another part of their style mentality we like is the fact that the individual needs were taken into account for example Strummer had to have a little plectrum pocket inhis trousers and an inside pocket for the books that he always carried with him. At times too many people neglect their individual needs when thinking about the clothes they buy and wear. Granted, not everyone needs special pockets (even though they are cool) but thought about what we do in the clothes we wear has to have an influence on what we actually wear.

Overall when we think about what The Clash wore, we think of primary colours (with plenty of black), stencilled slogans/phrases and of course zips! I currently love black vintage leather biker jackets with a number of chunky zips but the hunt for one that fits as I want it to is proving hard. At the moment House of Holland-esque slogans (especially the typeface) are everywhere and to be honest I am a little tired of them but if witty and or interesting why not add one to an old t-shirt.

We have only really touched on some of things we like, we don't want to bore you this early but it means we will return to this band! For us at Style Salvage clothes (although extremely important) are only one aspect of style. The Clash and in particular Joe Strummer provide ample material in discussions regarding how to style hair...but you will have to wait for that.