($275, Tricia Fix, Couturecandy.com)
($330, Tricia Fix, Couturecandy.com)
($259, Milly, Neiman Marcus)
A bearded George Clooney one of a growing number of celebrities flirting with facial hair. I can see Leitch's point where he says "Stubble was for pouting, knitwear-sporting continentals, while an unfettered facial flourishing was for ecological protestors and other antisocial elements" as in recent years facial hair has been up against it. How different from the Victorian era, when beards - a mark of wisdom, gravitas, moral rigour, imperial paternalism, you name it - were de rigueur in England. The emergence of a number of celebrities opting to grow bards has reassured the general public that it is again fine to put down that razor. No longer is the beard an object of feminine disgust, masculine ridicule and universal suspicion. That said in some circles full beards have been seen as an emblem of masculinity, an advertisement of one's importance, competence or integrity. Sir William Golding without his beard looked like an awkward chemistry teacher; with it, he was King Lear. An aged Sean Connery without facial hair would still be a good-looking man, but his pointy white chin makes him regal, noble, a grizzled knight worthy of respect.
This is the beard Bond would have grown had he retired from the service. Neat and tidy but not obsessively so, it has charm, maturity and manliness written all over it.World Beard Championships, Beard Community, 10 Most inspiring beards of all time,
all about beards
I was fortunate to visit bStore yesterday and ventured downstairs into the basement to peruse through the delights on offer during their sample sale. I walked away with an unexpected buy...a sheer shirt by U - Handmade in England. Such a buy was far from my mind when I set off for the day (although I did want to get something from the label as I've been an admirer for some time) but I fell in love with it, in my mind it is one of the best buys I could make for the upcoming Summer season and what a bargain!
One of my favourite looks of the season - Jill Sander s/s 08
Image from the recent fashion156 issue - The Sheer Issue - check it out if you can, the editorials are pretty awesome! 
Click for bigger! Background found hereSo Spring is here, even if it is colder now than it was in February (or at least feels that way). I always find in Spring that I'm suddenly aware of the new year and start really thinking about what to do with my life/year/wardrobe, but in an excited way, rather than the 'ohmygodit's2008whatthehellamIdoing' real new year way.
Of course, this is just my way of leading up to my Spring 'if I was a boy' wishlist/inspiration boards. I realise that I'm doing a lot of inspiration board type things at the moment but... well, it's been raining pretty much constantly for a week and it doesn't look like stopping so these have been a welcome distraction. So here we go:
1. This chap, courtesy of the Sartorialist, I'm sure you must've seen... he's wonderful. If I were you I'd be scouring second hand shops for a similar jacket and swearing off skinny jeans and trousers forever.
2. Umbrella from Fulton Umbrellas. I would've thought this was a pretty obvious one. This is tiny and would probably fit in the pockets of a decent sized overcoat, or in that manbag you should be carrying. I know some men don't like carrying umbrellas (more on that at a later date) but frankly, if it's pouring down with rain it's better to carry an umbrella than to get soaked.
3. Slim wallet from QuietDoing (another Etsy find!). I've never been one to have a 'long term' wallet. You know what I mean: leather, expensive, faaaahbulous stichwork. So Spring is the right time for me to get a new, fun wallet and mix it up a bit with my accessories. Plus you've been carrying that hideous wallet you got for Christmas for 3 months now, you're not obliged to use it any more.
4. Adidas Grey Marl trainers. I know, I know, get over the Adidas already but I really like these. The look really fresh and I think you could dress them up a bit or just wear them with jeans. Plus, I'm blatently going to get them as soon as they're in the sale.
5. Another Sartorialist chap. Aside from the fact that this man is godDAMN gorgeous, I really love this look. His shirt is absolutely fantastic; the little flecks of colour in it look fantastic against the plainness of his coat... and what a coat! Also, if someone could arrange for me to have his hair, that would be great.
6. Mjolk Stone trench coat, for obvious reasons. Trench coats are everywhere at the moment, but I especially like this one which is part of Topman's new season LENS collection.
7. Blue Fairtrade cotton hoody. This is a bit of an odd one out, but I love the colour, it's in the sale and I love the buttons. Plus it's Fairtrade if you're bothered about that sort of thing.
8. Engineered Garments Overnighter bag. I know it's a bit pricey, but it's also beautiful, and handy if you go visiting a lot.
9. Silver Converse. I could say I'm influenced by the Converse worn by 1., I could say I'm influenced by the reflections in the puddles, but really I just like shiny things. I'm a simple soul.
