Craig David at Roberto Cavalli 40th anniversary party in Roberto Cavalli

craig david / ph: pascal le segretain, getty images

how strange/cosmic. one minute i was watching the documentary "fearn cotton with craig david", and the next i see him at paris fashion week attending roberto cavalli's 40th anniversary party. the southampton raised now miami based british crooner, who has an amazing bachelor penthouse suite (well, as featured in the documentary) attended last night's party in a military style wool pea coat with gold crested buttons. the coat, which also comes with a detachable wool/fur collar, is from roberto cavalli fall winter 2010.

model clément chabernaud for roberto cavalli fall winter 2010 / gq,firstview

i think it's safe to say the house of cavalli dressed mr david for the occasion. i like the coat and his choice of footwear (again from the documentary you would have seen that he's a sneakers freak fan!), but i think the look would have been miles better if he opted for better and more exciting trousers.

ph: pascal le segretain, getty images

the facade of cavalli's party look amazing. looks like a fun party!



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My "new" old watch: vintage LeCoultre Futurematic

on my recent travels, my friend took me to a vintage watch shop in singapore. tucked away in a quiet little corner of town, that shop really is a treasure trove. rows upon rows of vintage watches, the first watch that caught my eye was the above lecoultre "futurematic".

we spent an hour in the shop last thursday, then went home to do some research. friday i went back, decided that's the piece for me. first manufactured in 1953, it is widely reported that this is one of the very first automatic watches to be produced universally. boldly named "futurematic", because they believed that watches were going to be made this way from then on. apparently the project was loss making as the watch was overly complicated to make at that time. jaeger lecoultre only produced this watch for 5 years. despite jaeger and lecoultre coming together to form jaeger lecoultre in 1937, my watch was still branded "lecoultre" as they were manufacturing it for the US market.

so this watch was made for the US market, somehow found it's way to the vintage shop in singapore, and it's now half way round the globe with me in london.

a little birthday treat for myself, or any excuse/reason for it. it's a little blemished, a little scratched, a little dirty but i wouldn't want it any other way.

and the wonders of the internet: someone scanned a copy of the repair manual and put it online. not that i know how to repair the watch, but i am loving the scan and typography. and little did i know that vacheron constantin, jaeger lecoultre and longines were all interlinked in those days.

i l00o00ve my "new" old watch.




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Hidetoshi Nakata [中田英寿] at Dsquared2 Spring 2011 show in 3.1 Phillip Lim

hidetoshi nakata / ph: tullio m. puglia, getty images

japanese footballer / calvin klein underwear model hidetoshi nakata [中田英寿] attended the dsquared2 womenswear spring summer 2011 show in milan on monday. the lanky clotheshorse wore a brown lambs leather biker jacket from 3.1 phillip lim fall winter 2010.

perfect occasion for the house of dsquared2 to dress nakata but for some reason they did not.

3.1 phillip lim fall winter 2010 / gq, firstview

i really like the color and fit of the jacket on nakata, i think it's a great piece for him. however if i can nitpick, i really dislike the belt. it's just one too many feature for the jacket.

the fully lined lambs leather jacket also comes in black, and is available online here. i actually preferred the version in black. what about you?




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Loewe Menswear Spring Summer 2011

here is a first look at spanish luxury firm loewe's spring summer 2011 menswear collection. the classic amazona weekender gets reinterpreted next season in a muted shade of grey, paired with what appeared to be a lilac zipper.

model simon nessman starred in their lookbook pics.

i am loving the overall style direction, very clean, not overly fussy, real and wearable. however loewe menswear has a very very limited stocklist, i am hoping more of these pieces will be available in london next year.

favourite pieces: the purple briefcase, the gold suede weekender and the sumptuous taupe leather jacket with the ruched waist and cuffs detailing. stunning!

pics: loewe




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Neil Barrett at Spring 2011 Milan Fashion Week in Neil Barrett

helena seger ibrahimovic and neil barrett / ph: tullio m. puglia, getty images

designer neil barrett attended several events in the past week in his own designs. on monday's dsquared2 spring 2011 womenswear show in milan, mr barrett wore a dual collared pea coat with leather inserts and sleeve detailing from the current fall winter 2010 collection.

neil barrett fall winter 2010 / gq, firstview

to be honest, i didn't like the way it was styled on the runway. the fit doesn't feel right, and it just seems a little too busy with everything going on. i couldn't find a standing shot of neil, but the jacket seemed to fit him fine. when i attended the neil barrett show back in january, dean and dan caten from dsquared2 were also in attendance. it's nice to see designers showing support for each other

back to the peacoat: with the leather detailing, i am somewhat surprised that the jacket retailed for much less than i expected: about £620. the jacket is available online here.

neil barrett / ph: tullio m. puglia, getty images

later on monday evening, mr barrett changed into something more formal when he attended the amfAR milano event. easily my favourite look, it's clean, simple and stylish. the dinner jacket was from his fall winter 2010 collection, also available online here.

neil barrett fall winter 2010 / ph: stefania d'alessandro, getty images


neil barrett / ph: vittorio zunino celotto, getty images

sometime last week, neil also attended "an italian dream: tod's and teatro alla scala cocktail party". the milan based british designer wore a leather bomber jacket, also from the current fall winter 2010 collection. i don't recall seeing this piece on the runway, but the jacket is available online here.

neil barrett fall winter 2010 / oki-ni.com

having attended his shows and the pleasure of speaking to him twice backstage, i must say he is a really nice and warm person. my most memorable experience, was him obliging to my request for a group photo with his models backstage. by the time the models were ready, there were several professional photographers there also waiting for the group shot opportunity. but he just looked straight into my tiny point and shoot camera, not posing for the other cameras. in this industry, it's very rare that someone gives you the time, space and recognition.

and a designer who believes in his own collections by wearing his creations. that really does speak volumes. i really like that.

Jefferson Hack at Versace Spring 2011 show in Mr Hare

jefferson hack at versace spring 2011, milan / ph: vittorio zunino celotto, getty images

"dazed & confused" magazine founder jefferson hack attended last saturday's versace spring 2011 womenswear show in milan. on that occasion, he wore a pair of mr hare's "jerry lee" saddled oxford shoes. we've previously also seen mr hack wore mr hare at a charity function back in june.

love the shoes, but can't help thinking if block colored socks would be better.

the beautiful pair of shoes is named after jerry lee lewis, an american rock & roll and country music singer, songwriter, and pianist.

beautiful.




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A little travel diary

it's never just a holiday.
i think about what's happening at work, did i really hand over that stuff?
what more can i offer, how can i do better when i get back

it's never just a holiday.
the folks appear a little older everytime i see them
but my behaviour towards them ever more childlike
the things i should have done, the words i should have said
the words i shouldn't have said

the things you think about
when you are squashed towards a window thousands of feet up in the air
wondering wondering
just, where am i going
is it my turn yet?

it's so emotionally and mentally draining
it's never just a holiday.



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be right back...

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Viktor & Rolf at Flowerbomb 5th anniversary celebration in Viktor & Rolf

viktor horsting and rolf snoeren / ph: jamie mccarthy, getty images

it is so nice to see designers wearing clothes from their own collections. there are a lot of designers out there, who just doesn't embrace their own work, says a lot doesn't it. dynamic dutch duo viktor & rolf was in new york this week to celebrate the 5th anniversary of their debut fragrance: flowerbomb.

championing their own work, viktor wore a spots painted shirt with 'spectacles' jeans, both from the current fall winter 2010 collection. rolf wore a really nice blazer, with a printed shirt from spring 2010.

(left) viktor & rolf fall winter 2010 / (right) spring 2010

viktor's spots painted shirt actually has a very nice quirky detail at the back of the collar. it is slightly raised in dark fabric to create a shadow/layered effect. that's the interesting thing about their clothes: it's full of fun little surprises. the shirt is also available online here.

totally spot on.




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Jeremy Renner at the Venice Film Festival in Jaeger Le-Coultre "Reverso Duo"

jeremy renner at 67th venice film festival / ph: pascal le segretain, getty images

i realise i featured a lot of jaeger le-coultre watches recently. with the swiss watchmaker sponsoring the event and loaning out intricate timepieces to the accomplished artistes, it's like a boy in a candy shop for me. i hazarded a guess yesterday, that "hurt locker" and upcoming "mission impossible 4" actor jeremy renner wore a jaeger le-coultre "reverso duo" to the dinner party on tuesday evening. as if to tell me i was right, mr renner flipped the watch to the black dial when he attended the premiere of "the town" on wednesday night.

as the name suggests, "reverso duo" comes with two watch dials, powered by a single mechanical movement. jeremy wore the white dial on tuesday's party, and switched to the black for his film's premiere. amazing amazing timepiece, but i wished jeremy wore the watch with a black strap to match his black tux. the brown just doesn't quite match.

great pic nonetheless.



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