When I sat down two months ago with Rocco Fazzari to talk about illustrations for the blog the initial hope was to discuss illustrations of contemporary style icons. It seemed an easy enough topic to consider - find men of iconic status in the contemporary world of art, film, music, architecture or even politics, then let's celebrate them. But as we scratched our heads, the list was sparse. Pharell Williams, okay. Ryan Gosling, maybe. George Clooney, over-baked and over endorsed by popular brands. Jared Leto? Yes, but he was being too groomed by the avant-garde labels. The only one I could think of that was still alive was Bryan Ferry. The others had all passed, including my great rockstar inspiration below.
Finding a style icon these days is easily enough done if you are looking for streetwear inspiration, but how often do you find one who knows how to wear pleated trousers or knows a different way to tie a tie knot. As I grow older, these things which were once reported on by the likes of William Boehlke and Hugo Jacomet when the web was first flourishing with fresh content, when we seemed to be on the cusp of a sartorial renaissance, seemed to have been set aside yet again.
I do hope the younger set that are coming through take an interest in menswear again, and not just from the prism of the peacock, but a genuine interest in all things in cloth and cut. Otherwise a business like ours may not survive on an ageing population of men who are ready to retire and do away with neck wear as they head toward the golf course. Eventually, so it seems, the t-shirt will one day soon become the shirt, and jeans the new pleated trousers. Let us hope that it doesn't come to that....
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