The Staple: A Fresh Challenge

I do not wear shirts. Since being forced to iron them for school some years ago, and then forced to wear them while working at a job I despised in the City, I've been off the collar and cuffs look. Aside from weddings, funerals, posh parties, interviews and the occasional fashion week, they hang forlornly in my wardrobe, complementing the colour-coded system, but never used.

Wearing a tie is just not for me (hence my hilarious attempts to be sartorial in the recent Hackett #10Men1City campaign). I loathe ironing shirts. The air tie (or as one friend once commented many years ago "the emperor's new clothes of styling") thing is just not me. Above all, I am not good with authority (if my last post wasn't clear enough), and kowtowing to the shirted authority is something I have, in my own small way, attempted to rebel against.

However, I also realise that this may sound a little childish. I am lucky enough to own quite a few rather nice shirts from posho places like Prada, Miu Miu, Paul & Joe and Liberty. Somehow I even have a custom-made one from Savile Row's Norton & Sons. Strange for an eschewer of the form.

When I rebooted this blog a couple of months ago, I posted the following onto Facebook: "It's been a while but I'm kinda bringing The Staple back! Ish. Still working out what I might do with it... suggestions/ criticism/ LOLZ welcome".

Brilliantly, one of my friends loves this sort of thing. Catherine Sweeney is a woman I have known since I was about nine years old, and she's a part of my awesome group of nine of us that are still fantastic friends since school. Probably, in fact, my most important friends in the world - even though I don't see them that often. Ms Sweeney though, loves an adventure, and a challenge (and is currently in Kenya, sporadically - and BRILLIANTLY - blogging at Twendevso), so she read this as a challenge. Luckily for me, she didn't really set any parameters, so I'm setting them for myself.

So, I'm going take her up on the challenge, and start wearing shirts again. It might not sound like a big thing to anyone that doesn't know me, but to those that do: when was the last time you saw me in a shirt?! Anyway, I've just counted in my wardrobe, and I have 20 - though the spangly Prada one may have to wait. The aim will be to wear a different shirt every week, and see how it goes. Will I become a committed shirt-wearer, or leave them gladly behind? Will anyone aside from Catherine care?

Don't worry btw, this isn't for charity (I'm more of a believer in giving money regularly to charity); there's no participation required. I'm going to do a thing, and then write about it. Hopefully it'll be vaguely interesting...

A disclaimer: Apologies if you find this deathly dull. I'm sure there's plenty happening on Buzzfeed.

...of B Store magic

So there I was, rifling through a basement of beautiful clothes and shoes, working out if Siv Stoldal sheer white trousers would be practical in the rain (guess what? No.) when I was directed by the lovely girl working down there to a black, double-breasted jacket. Immaculately-tailored and with only one set of buttons, this will fulfil my need for a smarter autumnal jacket. I can already see it lending a sense of occasion to going out as the weeks roll past. My final purchase was again in the shoe department. Having waxed lyrical about getting some hi-tops last week, these Bernard Wilhelm beauties bring out my inner Klingon. K'avok ch'a! They, like the silver ones, are the softest leather, and unlike all my cheap canvas shoes, actually provide some foot support, so I expect them to be good for some street-pounding in the rain. For only 35 quid! Also, they are not too over-the-top, despite the typically Belgian detailing, which means I can wear them without the ceremony which would be required of a pair of electricc-blue patent ones. In these credit-crunch times, such conspicuous elements will be frowned upon, and here I have the ultimate boots, comfy, luxurious, but also understated. Not a word used often about Bernard Wilhelm...As if I needed more love for bstore, it's now a definite Staple - coupled with the lovely staff (Matthew Murphy, if you're reading - Tesco is not the best supermarket!) and delightful feel of civility. Now to this week's other Staples:
Bstore sale shoes
A lovely garden party in Honor Oak (courtesy of Jasper)
The Churchill Arms in Notting Hill
Peter Moren's brilliant performance at the Fly this weekend
Bestival planning
A morning glass of cranberry juice
Douglas Coupland's novel JPod

Pressing Matters

It's good when there's nothing on the telly. It gives me a little bit of space and time to finally attack that pile of ironing. I usually leave it until there's enough to do that it warrants me setting up and spending a couple of hours sorting. And though I put it off repeatedly, after running the iron across a couple of items, I remember how therapeutic and pleasant it is to have well-pressed clothes. It also gives you a chance to appreciate the detail in your wardrobe, particularly the cut and details of shirts. The placing of the darts, the shape of the collar, the differing widths of yokes and plackets, the epaulettes, sleeve creases and flare at the hem. Menswear is all in the detail, and nowhere can such a variety of detail be found as when ironing your shirts. I was taught to do this at a young age, more or less as soon as I went to school as my Dad was sick of ironing mine as well as his. Collar first, then the yoke, then arms, back (taking care to iron the creases correctly, then front and between the buttons. For a man, a well-pressed shirt is so important, not just for work, but to truly appreciate the clothes he has. Clothes look at their best when they've just been correctly pressed, and then slipped on. That morning perfection, that rarely even reaches the office, is mostly hidden underneath coats, scarves and jumpers (at least at this time of year). Relish it in the mirror as you leave for work tomorrow morning. If not, invest in an iron and a board. I guarantee you'll see the benefit. It's not necessarily about smartness, it's about getting it just right, starting the day as you mean to continue (whether that be in a t-shirt or in a suit) and looking your best. Other Staples this week:
Well-pressed clothes
Cat Power's new album 'Jukebox'
Coloured denim (maroon specifically)
'The Virgin Suicides' by Jeffrey Eugenides
Black Books on DVD
Green & Black's chocolate-covered shortbread
The Marquis of Cornwallis pub on Marchmont St.