Quirky looks always trump classic
Check it out; why Britain has always had the sharpest style icons, says Stephen Doig
Here’s a tale of two cities; in New York earlier this week, fashion provocateur Tom Ford unveiled a series of high-voltage, Seventiestinged suits in shimmering metallics, spliced with playboy snakeskins and leopard print pants. Very Boogie
Nights, and very New York in its unabashed glamour and wealth. By contrast, tomorrow in London Christopher Bailey, designer and chief executive of Burberry, will bid farewell to the house he is credited with putting on the map when he joined 17 years ago.
And as we head into awards season, Bailey’s nuanced interpretation of British style has shone a light on the fact that – despite best-dressed lists full of Hollywood actors in their blandest threads – some of the world’s most innovative dressers have been British. Bailey – who has revealed that his final collection will incorporate a rainbow colour scheme into the classic Burberry check to support the LGBTQ community – has always mined the particularly left-of-centre British style leaders; previous collections have nodded to David Bowie, David Hockney, Lucian Freud and the Bloomsbury boys.
Elton John, that poster boy for renegade showman style, has collaborated with Gucci this month on a series of bags that depict his album artwork, while last month Matt Smith was named by GQ magazine as the most stylish man in the world. You can take your American flash and theatrics; British men have always had a way with style that’s unique, left-of-centre and full of character. From Bryan Ferry to Hockney et al, we’ve always flown the flag for style that doesn’t take itself too seriously. So, with Bailey’s swansong in the offing, what can we take away from Britain’s most informed dressers?
Find your style and stick with it
Another 20th-century artist certainly knew the power of a shock of white hair and dark glasses, but Hockney made it his own with rugby shirting and loose cords. Nothing daring, but the full effect worn steadfastly over the decades has helped cement him in the public conscience (and showed how well a rugby shirt can work out of context).
Tweak the standard suit formula
Bryan Ferry knew how to modernise his tailoring; he eschewed standard blues and navies in favour of taupes and neutral tones, and also updated classic blazers with denim shirts.
Know your proportions
No one is suggesting you hit the streets in Mick Jagger’s stage attire, but one point about Jagger is that he knows what works with his reed-like frame; large lapels to broaden his waist and shoulders and nipped-in waists to make the most of his narrow silhouette.
Black tie never fails
While the ceremonial formality of black tie is eroding, many of Britain’s most successful exports still know the power of a slick tuxedo; everyone from Eddie Redmayne to Tinie Tempah prove that black tie doesn’t have to be tired.