Magazines in the Spotlight: Encens

Regular readers may have noticed that it has been quite some time since our last 'Magazine In The Spotlight' post but this is not want of trying. I have been frequently and somewhat furiously finger flicking my way through the racks at newsagents and bookstores far and wide before leaving empty handed. Of course, I have encountered the usual suspects but for one reason or another these have failed to truly excite me and therefore warrant a post. I relayed my woes during a recent shopping jaunt at b Store and thankfully proprietor Matthew Murphy stepped in and offered the name of a title that had previously been unknown to me, Encens. His enthusiasm for the title was infectious. As I left the store with my purchases I instantly began my search of Soho for the publication which came to fruition at the ever reliable Compton News. Since finding it I have struggled to put it down which is no easy task given the weight of this style beast.

Encens number twenty six stands apart from previous issues as it signals their departure from the bi-annual format. Now published once yearly, the publication has taken on several properties which would classify it closer to a book. Firstly, the thickness and hardcover bound, its qualities as an object are just as powerful as the visual stories inside. During his Fashion Pioneers talk with Imran Ahmed, Jefferson Hack highlighted the growing importance of specialisation and what visionary science fiction author and futurist William Gibson terms mooks: "a hybrid of a book and a magazine where stories can be told in depth with beautiful photography." Encens is undoubtedly more 'mook' than magazine. It is an exploration of the two editors, Samuel Drira and Sybille Walter, aesthetics and something of a manifesto against disposable fashion. Stylist Drira and photographer Walter share a passion for the drape and fall of clothing, a subtle tailoring and a softness of finish and form. Throughout this weighty hardback, there is an incessant delivery of their vision as opposed to a summation of the trends or season based investigations that we have come to expect from style magazines. This vision is contained is shared within everything from an interview with Yves Saint Laurent taken from Vogue in November 1983 to a celebration of the menswear design talent of Damir Doma and Kris Van Assche. Despite the temptation to scan every single page for you, I've decided to pick out a few highlights. Let the images inspire...

Moving back and forth from the present to the past, the editorials and features have a timeless quality. Fashion magazines tend to constantly strive forward. Even though the latest collections may have been influenced by styles or characters from yesteryear, these influences tend to be ignored. Magazines are blinkered to the past. Encens however, takes a fond gaze at the aesthetics of the past which still should have clout today. The publications stands for an independent and long terms approach. Neither Dirra nor Walter are obsessed with clothes of the moment. For them, the best fashion has three common denominators - simplicity and style but also a sense of timelessness, the capacity to either be or become a classic. In one feature they celebrate Kris Van Assche and Damir Doma, declaring their designs to be menswear at its best. A fluid silhouette, void of the typical restriction of menswear, stripped of the 'for men only' labels. Both have a desire to render the ready made boxes of menswear, sharing ideals of versatility and a nomadic existence. The following quote from Per Spook in another feature echoes these ideal...

"One of my golden rules is to be at ease in a garment. Men hate feeling confined. Likewise, discretion, rather than disguise. A man's wardrobe must have its own personality, yet not be recognisable. I have always preferred the classicism of a great simplicity, natural materials, cuts that are worn loose, and since my clothes do not have linings, they remain light and supple." Per Spook.

Encens' relevance exists in the very fact that it is not grounded in any sort of fast fashion, instead quite the opposite. Although seasonality is expected in fashion, I respect and admire anyone who turns against those implemented measures of time. I heartily recommend that you add this publication to your reading list, consider it pleasurable homework.

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STYLING| How Robert Pattinson preserves his handsomeness on the road.

Male vanity has long been stigmatised and even 7 years after David Beckham, the epitomizer of male vanity, opened gates to narcissism and made it acceptable for men to wear V-neck t-shirts with deep cleavage – talking publically about your beauty morning regimen is still controversial in the lightest sense.







Pastime boardroom discussions rarely extend beyond the borders of shaving hardware about who uses Braun, Philips or who is a Gillette loyalists, not to mention the obligatory dick measuring contest over whose shaver has the most number of blades or rotaries. Channelling the discussion down the path of anti-ageing crèmes, fruity bath oils and conditioners will have fellow comrades spitting coffee out of their noses in bewilderment over when the estranged topic will be cut short by a mention of yesterday's football games.



Despite the influx of dedicated concessions for men in cosmetic shops to lure hesitant and deferring customers half way – there is one area of grooming that still belongs to women, the makeup bag.

Pragmatism dictates that one should not be in possession of something they do not need. Men do not wear makeup and thus do not need to waste energy carrying a makeup bag. Nevertheless, it doesn't mean that we occasionally don't need to "freshen up" like the opposite sex. But it's a touch up not involving foundation, eyeliners and lipstick and is done in a different context. Ever wondered how Robert Pattinson keeps his spikey hair alive and magnetic to hordes of girls whose lust for him is equal to a vampire's thirst for blood? He has a freshening-up kit at hand, though it's most certainly doesn't held in Twilight star's coat pocket but in the hands of his hair and makeup stylists.



The reason why it's a good idea for us other mortals hold a trio of 50ml and 75ml bottles unsuspectedly hidden away in drawers at work is for days when the time gap between work and leisure is not wide enough for a quick pit stop at home for fixing the hair and possibly taking a shower. A starter kit consisting of facial moisturizer, body spray and hair clay/wax suffice most needs for clearing the face of fatigue, camouflaging odours and quickly touching up the hair using a palm of water and clay. The tiny bottles fit discretely into most briefcases and as an added bonus, they fit into the useless transparent bags given to airport travellers to put liquids into.

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MOTOR| Pininfarina keeps coach building rolling on its four wheels.

Coach building is a virtue, which dates back several centuries to a time when man and machine were in the early stages of becoming truly engaged. Names such as Rippon, Barker, Carrozzeria Ghia and Chapron decked the lime light in the era of peace and love. In essence each firm wildly exhibited a unique style, grace and a forthcoming character in the automobile industry.







However, just like with most things in life. All good things in due course come to end and the scent of death and gloom prayed heavily on world of automobiles and coach building. As Picassco quoted "Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction." The death Chapron and the prostitution of Carrozzeria Ghia was not in vain. It paved the way for renowned firms such Pininfarina. The matrimony consequently was truly never salvaged during the purge. However today, the spirit of coach building is kept alive by keepers such as Rolls-Royce, Ferrari and Bentley.

The image and dream of Ferrari embedded in my mind, usually consists of me and Gabriela Sabatini and her beautiful long black hair blowing in the wind, cursing through the Italian coastline in a 355. However we live in Modern-day and Pininfarina have angled a new approach to the tackling design manifestation and asked clients -- specific clients -- to envision their ideal Ferrari, as one lucky customer put it "My Ferrari". This lead to the birth of the 'Ferrari P540 Superfast Aperta which is a one off creation conceived over a 11 month period. In essence however, owning this car, would probably give one the same detained honor as being married to Cindy Crawford and Monica Bellucci's daughter if females could mate with one another.



Rolls-Royce has also bestowed themselves to give Pininfarina a Drophead coupe to use as a donor car for the amazing Pininfarina Hyperion. The car itself looks like it has been crafted by the ancient sea monster Leviathan. The Catholic Pope would probably consider an automobile this immaculate to be his method of transportation to heavens. However, it is certain, that one having the option to experience the joyful – ceramic like beauty of this car would feel like being of the oceans.

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MOTOR| The sun and GQbyCitroen concept car shines in London.

Although petrol-headed car enthusiast, Berkley Magazine decided to forgo attendance of the hybrid bonanza at the annual Geneva auto show that took place last week. The consolation is owed to GQ Magazine and Citroen who knocked their heads together and held a private auto show of their own in trendy and vibrant Covent Garden, where the Hospital Club played host to an unveiling party for an electrifying concept on Thursday the 4th of March.







In a deep and lustrous shade of red the car was the centre of attention in a small sized hall with curious eyes orbiting around it while mesmerising over the muscular rear flanks and seductive lines stretching beautifully across the doors. Named GQbyCitroen, the car is a gentleman transformed into a vehicle of independence and sophistication. The self-assurance is expressed through the revival the fastback body shape that drifted into oblivion at the end of the 1970s. It is a crossover between a wagon and a coupé, fostering otherwise contradictory versatility of being spectacular enough for Park Lane but practical enough for days when a mate needs a gentleman's helping hand, and car, for a lift to the airport.

Patrick Grant, head of design at E.Tautz - a Savile Row tailor, took the inside job of treating the car with an interior fit for a gentleman. Inside the cabin, driver and passenger will be engulfed in black and red leather caringly stitched together by one of Savile Row's rising stars. Unfortunately the Concept car at the unveiling was a clay model and thus, getting personal with the car remains in our dreams. However, a fully functioning prototype should not be ruled out as Citroen's previous partnership, with the Gran Turismo 5 racing game, climaxed with a physical entity parading the streets of London in June 2009. Both GQ and Citroen remain coy over details about what is to follow, but if the vision is to be turned into reality, it will be powered by a 1.6 litre hybrid engine thrusting the car from 0-60mph in 4.5 and the driver from chap to gentleman in zero seconds flat.

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Diamonds and Dalmatians remain women's best friends – Thom Browne makes raccoon man’s favorite mammal.

Animal friends in ever house and jungle tent in the world must be in horror shock over the sight of raccoon tails dangling below the waist of straight faced models during New York fashion week. It's like a Disney nightmare come true – Thom Browne, a living male Cruella de Ville skinning animals for shopping pleasure of the elite.





Before we all fly to JFK with buckets of red paint in hand, it is worth noting that raccoon tails may or may not be real and most likely aren't. Regardless of the convincing imitation of the tails, they attest the outlandishness of high fashion – more correctly referred to as haute couture. It's a category of one-off, sumptuous and labour intensive fashion creations with prices exceeding most people's bank account balance. As of now the category is reserved for women, though Thom Brown is giving haute couture a reason to extend itself to menswear.

His New York Fall/Winter 2010 men's collection stands true to the ethos of Thom Brown: cement-grey coloured tailoring spiked with unconventional attitude and finishing touches. The chequered knee socks made visible by trousers reaching a few inches above the ankle are well familiar sights. Pleasures we can see in falling leafs and windy autumns is that whatever we have in the clothes can be put to good use unlike during summers when stinging sunrays prevent us to wear any more than one layers on our bodies. Dressing up is fun, and Thom Browne wants us to have even more fun wearing inconceivably unrestrained clothing that are guaranteed to turn the heads of men, children, women and raccoons.

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Men's military coat, London

We've seen many instances of the

women's military fashion trend on the streets; and while good men's military looks are to die for, they're seemingly not as frequently spotted. This London street style shot shows just how effective a good military piece can be, the young male model's otherwise unexciting ensemble of black skinny jeans and a grey tee completely transformed by a navy military coat with gold buttons.

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2(x)ist SLIQ: Steaming new video

So, the new 2(x)ist SLIQ range is about to launch and a few days ago a new promo video hit the web. You can see it at the bottom of the post.

For those of you not in the know, the SLIQ promotion campaign caused quite the stir a few months ago. Major magazines like Details and Men's Health refused to run SLIQ ads featuring the y-back thong style. See the heavily debated promotion pic below.

Instead, 2(x)ist was forced to run less "offensive" ads that the magazines meant appealed better to their audience. Being a 2(x)ist underwear item, however, this ad, featuring the brief style, was just as just as eye-catching as the original choice. See the brief pic below as well.

Other, less conservative magazines – like Out – had no problem running the original ad.

One final note, the SLIQ range will also feature a trunk style. Here's what 2(x)ist has to say about it, "Engineered for optimal fit, performance, and comfort, the SLIQ Trunk boasts the innovative (X)-treme Contoured Pouch Technology which increases support and visually enhances the male form. Crafted in streamlined cotton spandex, SLIQ will ship in four colorways: Black, White, Sangria, and Charcoal."

Sounds exciting!

I hope to bring you a review of this fresh new range soon.

Don't forget to watch the video below the pics. It's hawt (the underwear, of course)!

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PUMP! New men’s underwear brand. Watch the hot pics.

Canada seems to be well on its way to joining major men's underwear nations like Australia, the U.S, and Columbia.

We already know brands like Bon Bon and Dylan Ribkoff, and now Montreal-based PUMP! wants a piece of the action.







I do like what PUMP! brings to the table. Their Paint-Splash and Graffiti series are all about fun bright flashy urban coloured graffiti men's underwear.

PUMP! has researched and developed its own cuts and claims the result is form-fitting men's underwear that accentuates the body.

From the looks of the promo pics I'd have to agree. At least it looks amazing when worn by the underwear models

A pair of PUMP! boxer briefs is typically $36. Regular briefs are $24,50.

Check out all PUMP!'s collections at www.wantpump.com.

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Guys in underwear (well, swimwear) – Teamm8

So, Teamm8 continue to spawn a tremendous reaction to their latest porn spoof video.

The video was a mock Audition and what they set out to do was a spoof of the amateur porn that is all over the Internet. And yes, sources over at Teamm8 tell me it was meant to be creepy…







Anyway, here is part one of the photo shoot of Ryan Keven Goodman who played the role of Joey in the video. Ryan is a 24 year old Personal trainer from Sydney Australia.

(Well, who cares who he is… as long as the underwear – or swimwear in this case – is hot. And it is!)

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Review: Matthew Williamson for H&M

Psychedelic colours, ethnic patterns, and bohemian details. That's what Matthew Williamson splashed out for his summer H&M line for men. It was a literal kaleidoscope that spoke to the past, present, and future of menswear in an extremely wearable context. At the least, I had a rough idea that Williamson would stick to his vibrant best and deliver a piña coladaesque collection that epitomized his signature aesthetic of sprightly prints and colours atop relaxed yet structured feminine pieces.







However, I wasn't sure how that would translate into menswear. It's rumoured that the designer is to launch a menswear collection in the near future. Let's just say if his H&M line is a reflection of what's to come from Williamson in menswear, then we have a lot to be encouraged by.

It's a known fact that for affordability sake, the materials used for these capsule collections may not be as choice as what these designers have at their disposal for their primary collection. Even at that, pluses go to Williamson for not watering down his aesthetic (which is exactly what the customer is after from these diffuse collections–no adulteration). For instance, the vibrancy of Williamson shone through in the pink and blue tie-dyed knit sweater that was complemented with a pair of studded jeans in a hot pink hue. To cool things down a notch, Williamson traversed to the other end of the colour wheel and served up some lime green shorts, a summer must-have.

However, Williamson's strong point was the diverse characters that were reflected in the garments. The neon bright pieces were fit for experimental cool kids strung out on colourful matching; the studded biker detail seen on the navy blue leather jacket brings out the rocker in anyone; and the Copacabana-themed shirt and cream seersucker suit is quintessential rico suave. Interestingly, my earlier comment towards the temporal consonance in the collection can be summed through these three looks. Each speaks to an era that has relatively come, gone or still hanging around on the terraces of what's in vogue. In that, Williamson allows us to time travel in a sense and easily relive distant personalities that our parents may have embodied in the 60s. Or he provides a presentist escape route to keep things funky fresh with a short-suit or a black blazer with technicolor piping. Following on from the Commes des Garcon's much raved line for H&M, Williamson, personally, had big shoes to fill and I think he's done just that with this seminal diffuse line.

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Dressed for Success: Sir Paul Smith Unites with Manchester United

If you fancy yourself a football loyalist, you would know today is a monumental day in football as England's Manchester United and Spain's F.C. Barcelona square off to decide who is the European champion.







A time-tested Manchester United fan, I'm confident that United is bagging the silverware. However, I'm also comforted in the fact that, win or lose, the Manchester United lads will be well decked out in Sir Paul Smith's awfully dapper light grey Prince of Wales suits.

Recently billed as the victors of the English Premiership, it was only natural that Manchester United would be in league with the iconic British designer. For the last year, Sir Smith has been at the helm of the football club's formal wear and accessories, designing and supplying the United players, coaching staff and club officials with suits, raincoats and baggage. The union is meant to span for another two years.



On the eve of the 2009 Champions League match in Rome, the United squad and manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, were snapped alongside Sir Smith in their aplomb ensemble for the footballing fiesta. Coincidentally, United wore Sir Smith's suits last year at the 2008 finals in Moscow and the Red Devils went on to win on penalties against Chelsea. Formulaic or not, but United are headed to Rome in Smith's specially customized suits hoping that two times a charm pips the original idiom! Not much has changed in terms of last year's design; the two-button suit is in a lightweight wool/mohair blend and rounded out with special red paneled lining and striped piping.

To my chagrin, Carlos Tevez had to go Michael Jackson on us and wear white socks with his dark brown brogues. Maybe he should have left that to Nani as the Portuguese winger strangely favors a young Michael Jackson! On that jovial note, do England proud lads and bring home the treble! GO UNITED!!!

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