Menswear Label To Know Chateau Orlando
New fashion and home label, under the creative direction of Luke Edward Hall, Chateau Orlando's first collection is called 'Postcards From The Castle', and consists of a selection of fun knitwear pieces (sweaters, cardigans and sweater vests) that are heavily inspired by Luke's core set of influences - contemporary art, 1980s pop music, folklore, the English countryside.
Known for an output that extends across art, interior and product design, fashion and writing, Hall presents an optimistic new chapter: introducing itself with a knitwear collection. Chateau Orlando marries equal measures hazy romanticism and vivid storytelling with a bold and playful approach to colour and pattern. The knitwear is made responsibly in the Veneto region of Italy.
Alongside these, Luke has also collaborated with L'Uniform to offer an exclusive capsule of canvas tote bags, backpacks and pouches.
TheChicGeek says, "Due to his popularity, Luke Edward Hall has done so many collaborations, both home and fashion, it was almost inevitable that an investor - the Milanese Wemanage Group - would come along and suggest starting his own brand.
No doubt named after Virginia Woolf's Orlando, I recently visited the Bloomsbury Group house of Charleston in East Sussex, and you can see how Hall's romantic update of its colourful and romantic look has gained many fans. The Chateau Orlando campaign, shot against the backdrop of a romantic gothic Georgian pile, make for an attractive escape.
Starting with one product and doing it well is the best approach to a new label. Hopefully, it won't be long before we see his discerning eye on other products."
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Menswear Product Of The Week The Art Sock
If you've been enjoying The Andy Warhol Diaries on Netflix, you'd have noticed Keith Haring appear as we hit the graffiti strewn, money hungry 1980s. Seemingly, a fan of the limelight, Haring had a quirky sense of style with his round glasses and curly hair which matched his energetic doodles.
The Swedish fashion giant, H&M, has just released a fun collection in collaboration with the Keith Haring Foundation. His famous stick men adorn everything from fleeces to T-Shirts. These socks are a pocket money addition to any footwear and literally radiate LOVE!
Left & Below - H&M - Motif-detail socks - £2.99
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Menswear Product Of The Week The Operatic Trouser
Like great operatic drapes about to cement the final act of a production, these wide leg trousers are anything if not dramatic. Pleats so sharp you could cut yourself, these high waisted trousers are cut from heavyweight cotton drill and finished with front slant pockets.
Wear something short sleeved and tucked in, to balance out the proportions, and also to show off these monumental pleats. Fin!
Left & Below - King & Tuckfield - Wide Leg Trouser - £325
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Get The Look The Power Of The Dog
Set on a ranch in Montana in the 1920s, The Power of the Dog is a new Western film by director Jane Campion following two vastly differently brothers: Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch) and George Burbank (Jesse Plemons).
Phil develops an unlikely friendship with his brother’s stepson, Peter Gordon (Kodi Smit-McPhee). While the film has East of Eden vibes, it's no Brokeback Mountain and Cumberbatch isn't convincing as a menacing and bullying character. The 
mountainous backdrop of Montana is stunning though.
Stylistically, it's Smit-McPhee who steals the film in a puritan type of western wear. His natural cotton shirt and raw denim on his willowy frame makes a memorable look. It has something of Raf Simons' Americana when he did his short lived label for Calvin Klein.
This simple look is easily replicated. Look for raw selvedge denim, an off-white/cream/natural shirt and light felt cowboy hat. Just add any dramatic landscape.
Right - Lee - 101 Rider In Dry - £160
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Exhibition Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear
Hoping to take the toxicity out of masculinity and give a fresh lens onto the world of menswear is the Victoria & Albert Museum’s latest show, Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear.
Unbelievably, it is the first major V&A exhibition to celebrate ‘the power, artistry and diversity of masculine attire and appearance'. Presenting around 100 looks and 100 artworks, displayed thematically across three galleries, it features the extravagance of the European courts, to the subtle elegance of bespoke tailoring, to the vitality of today’s international fashion scene, all fashioned and refashioned over the centuries. Contemporary looks by established designers and rising stars sit alongside historical treasures from the V&A’s collections and landmark loans: classical sculptures, Renaissance paintings, iconic photographs, and powerful film and performance.
Left - 'Undressed' room welcomes you to the exhibition
Gender is like night and day or light and dark, it changes all the time. It is pretty much established that men can wear pink nowadays. Even Niccolò Machiavelli recorded a quip by Cosimo the Elder “in his Istorie back in 1526 that 'two yards of pink cloth can make a gentleman’”.
This is such a big subject that it is hard to focus. What are you supposed to take away?
With an exhibition like Dior, for example, the subject line is already established and the curators simply have to flesh it out and select the best examples. This is a subject that could go in any direction.
There is plenty of decoration here, it could do with focusing on a few key characters or historical influencers. There is a portrait and suit of Edward VIII's, and, Cecil Beaton’s fancy dress bunny outfit, that could easily have an exhibition on their own. The exhibition could have been called ‘Influencers in Menswear’ or ‘Menswear in Art’ and had more detail. It’s usually the people that make clothes more interesting.
Masculine energy, good or bad, is missing. The first room ‘Undressed’ feels confused and flat and doesn’t really inject anything sexual into the proceedings. There is no desire here and little objectification. It the difference between male beauty and masculinity. One is much easier to visualise than the other.
Where the exhibition did get stronger was with the portraiture. Historical portraits mixed with doublets, gloves and the most fantastic Grinling Gibbons carved cravat once owned by Horace Walpole. The rest of the exhibition was a kind of greatest hits, but with a few B-sides and modern remixes thrown in.
Sponsored by Gucci there is an expectation of an over-the-top wowness from the Italian brand which is missing here. The V&A should have been Guccified and made over like Oscar Wilde’s velvet lined panic room, but it just feels a little flat.
These blockbuster exhibitions need to feel like the best retail, just with the world’s finest objects, where you are seduced and bounced along the show.
Right - A billiard table houses the rainbow of men's pieces both contemporary & historical
Ironically, the room with the most masculine energy was the final room which houses Billy Porter’s, Harry Styles’ and Bimini’s dresses with a black glossy floor and film projection. It felt contemporary, confident and uplifting while spilling the beans that Anna Wintour made the final decision to add a tailored jacket to Harry's American Vogue cover look. Now, that is fashioning masculinity.
Open until 6th November 2022
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Menswear Product Of The Week The Colour Block Jumper
There's a bit of a buzz around the Jil Sander label at the moment. The label has had more comebacks than Cher, so I usually reserve judgement until I actually see it in a store. Now under the umbrella of Diesel's Only The Brave fashion conglomerate since 2021 (They usually ruin most brands FYI), this jumper was in Harvey Nichols and I liked the strict nautical feeling that makes this feel like something from the '90s and, as such, timeless.
A simple, oversized knit will bold blocks of colour, it reminds me of what Raf Simons did at Calvin Klein not so long ago and feels clean yet designed. There's a movement towards simpler and cleaner styles of fashion, so team this with a plain trousers and simple leather shoes or trainers.
Left & Below - Jil Sander - Colour-blocked cotton-blend jumper - £900
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Menswear Product Of The Week The Cactus Jacket
I'm crazy about cactus and a sucker for a succulent. You only have to look at my super-fun plant business - Fabulous Plants - to see that. Cacti are like living sculptures and they take us to warmer climes and feel exotic especially in a cold, dark and wet UK.
Amsterdamers, Scotch & Soda, has gone all Americana, this season, taking us to the great American desert and decorating this casual trucker jacket with a plethora of cactus varieties. These embroidered motifs standout on the neutral background and will look great whether you are potting up your latest specimen or slamming tequila - another desert crop.
Wear with light wash jeans - like here - or team with sportswear and a simple T-shirt. Just don't be a prick!
Left & Below - Scotch & Soda - Cotton Trucker Jacket - £215
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