FT How to Spend It: White rider

Apologies for the dodgy quality of images; have time enough to take photos and not scan. Besides, don't you think that the semi-sepia quality the light gives this editorial enhances period feel? I don't know why, but I get the vibe of the depressing 30s. Is it the bikes?


Theo wears embroidered evening Dylan jacket by Gucci; jeans by Kilgour; t-shirt (just seen) by Homino Emerito by Mango; silk Fabio scarf by Dries Van Noten; leather belt and leather shoes by Ermenegildo Zegna. Madeleine wears linen Metador Bolero with ruffles on the back and silk Cuff trousers, both by Phillip Lim; silk top by Roberto Cavalli; chiffon flower jabot by Maria Grachvogel; leather brogues by Church's

Photographs by Carl Bengtsson, Styling by Damian Foxe

Extremes have always appealed to me: from all black to all white, even all beige and gray. There's just an unavoidably dashing air to the neutral monochrome.


Wiktor (left) wears Jacquard cotton Dylan jacket, Jacquard cotton Havana trousers, and white leather belt with brown occhio di tigre stone buckle: all by Gucci; cotton shirt by Thomas Pink; leather snake-effect ankle boots by Paul Smith. Hampus wears Jacquard cotton evening Dylan jacket and Jacquard evening Havana trousers, both by Gucci; leather loafers by J by J Jasper Conran from Debenhams

And did I mention how I just adore the hairstyles and the hint of androgyny? I wonder if all the models are blondes, or have they been bleached?

Madeleine wears cotton Catrin shirt by Thomas Pink; cotton trousers by Paul Smith; leather brogues by Church's

The tailoring is of course impeccable. After white pants, I certainly intend to wear white jackets and blazers.


Wiktor (leftmost) wears cashmere blazer from Brioni; jeans by Kilgour; cotton shirt by Versace; leather shoes by Ermenegildo Zegna. Hampus (centre) wears cotton and cashmere three-piece suit by Ermenegildo Zegna; knitted silk scarf by Kilgour; leather Nobel brogues by Grenson from Matches. Theo wears cotton and cashmere suit and cotton and silk blend shirt, both by Ermenegildo Zegna; leather shoes by Camper

Can it just be the romance of the Old World, of past eras?

Madeleine wears cotton organza blouse with jabot by Gianfranco Ferré; cotton trousers (just seen) by Paul Smith

Or the glamour of previous decades translated for the present one?

Theo wears cotton jacket, cotton trousers, white and navy jersey (just seen), and suede shoes: all by Bottega Veneta; silk Fabio scarf by Dries Van Noten

It's amazing how men's shoes like brogues work so well when appropriated by womenswear.

Madeleine wear cotton sweater by John Smedley; silk trousers by Salvatore Ferragamo; cotton embroidered cravat by Paul Smith; leather brogues by Church's

Theo (left) wears silk suit jacket, matching trousers, and silk sweater: all by Dolce & Gabbana. Wiktor wears silk suit jacket and silk suit trousers, both by Dolce & Gabbana; silk and cotton Joery sweater by Dries Van Noten; leather belt with brown occhio di tigre stone buckle by Gucci

Silk, jacquard, jersey, cashmere, leather, mohair, hemp, satin, suede: they're all here in one wonderful mix. How can you not love the power of monochrome to bring them all together?


Hampus (far left) wears mohair and wool jacket and cashmere waistcoat, both by Kilgour; ribbed cotton long-sleeve t-shirt and hemp trousers, both by Ann Demeulemeester; leather shoes by Giorgio Armani. Madeleine wears viscose vest by Burberry; satin trousers by Chanel; silks carf (around hips) by Dolce & Gabbana; leather brogues by Church's. Wiktor wears cotton jacket, hemp waistcoat, and cotton trousers: all by Ann Demeulemeester; cotton sweater by John Smedley; leather and suede trainers by Tim Little

Hampus wears cotton suit by Emporio Armani; cotton-mix Jartha cardigan by Dries Van Noten; chiffon flower jabot by Maria Grachvogel

Only thing is, of course, I don't think you can ride your bike on any street wearing these outifts if you want to keep your single-colored ensemble until you get home.


Madeleine wears silk shantung waistcoat by Stella McCartney; silk crepe trousers by Maria Grachvogel; silk scarf scarf by Dolce & Gabbana; leather brogues by Church's

L'Uomo Vogue: Exuberant excess

I find it silly how the financial crisis has given people excuses to tone down "excess" for the sake of appearing sympathetic. I mean, you only should if your existing level of compensation and incentives have been part of the vehicle that drove economies to hardship. If not, why pretend?

White tuxedo, Ermenegildo Zegna; smoking nero, Hugo Boss Black; giacca bianca con collo a scialle, Brioni; camicia, Del Siena; smoking con camicia, Gianfranco Ferré; cappa dorata, Norma Kamali @ Resurrection

Besides, how can you miss out on such a lovely scarf?

From L'Uomo Vogue, January 2006
Photos by Greg Kadel

Drawn home

Drawn home
By Miguel Paolo Celestial
Published in WestEast Magazine 25: Home, Fall 2008

A bed, a chair, and a window. Home is where we rest and where we dream even without mattresses and pillows. It is where our thoughts dwell, where days are measured by shadows, movement by rooms, and resolve by pauses between supper. Home is where the night dwindles, shaking the thick smell of dusk that glistens in our vision. There is no frame for our gaze towards tomorrow; home is wherever hope is nailed to our heart’s rafters.


"Remains of the Day" editorial from GQ Style 7: The Great British Male, Fall/Winter 2008. Photographed by Nathaniel Goldberg, styled by David Bradshaw.

Silk pajamas, Prada



Home. There must be more to it than the yearning for a place or a moment that could seal us off from the hectic demands of life, where we can shut out problems and curl into a long-sought sense of quiet. There must be more to it than the appeal of bearable routine and the safety of predictability. What is it about the concept of home that drives us on journeys just to find it? What makes it the sum of all our goals if not their reason?

Silk pajama top from a selection, Lanvin



At first mention, we think of home as a tin full of tokens we have brought back from our travels. A collection of little things like randomly pocketed pebbles, together with furniture and art, novelties and design pieces. It is a wall where we pin maps of past voyages and plot succeeding conquests, a den stashed with memories to be relived and shared.

Striped cotton pajamas, Ermenegildo Zegna



Home is waking up to smooth out rumpled sheets, clear our minds with coffee or tea, and listen to the first rustlings of the morning. Home is rising beside your loved one. In the evening, it is that glance around your neighborhood right before you turn your back, bolt the gate, and retreat into private living.

Silk pajamas from a selection, Giorgio Armani



Home is the entire length of an afternoon; to it we surrender the loose ends of our days. It is every part of a house and its surroundings as well as any place that our laughter and sighs inhabit. No matter how long and involving our adventures have been, there’s no place quite like it...

Cotton pajamas, Hawes & Curtis



Silk pajamas, Tom Ford

This editorial takes off from Dolce and Gabbana's pajama suits presented for Spring/Summer 2009. Read the full article

Z Zegna SS 09: Details to another level

Some color combinations remind me of Etro, but more youthful and less calculated. The round white collar makes the oufits more preppy than dandy.



The eyes are first drawn to the color of the pants, which I think are in dark cerulean. Then you notice the folds and discover that these are actually leggings, but with a more relaxed fit.

Not bad at all. These are the best leggings I've seen on men, unobtrusive.

The sharp collar makes the outfit more sophisticated. Notice the semi-transparent vest.



Another shade of blue. Whoever said it doesn't go with brown and other earth tones?



The jackets look as if paint spilled then dried on cement pavement. Or blue furniture severely sandpapered. I would definitely want to see these with jeans.



Technology does wonders with proportions. Also with sheen. I wonder how they'll look out of context.



Shirt laces + hood + wide cuffs + beanie = preppy warfare.



Bottega Veneta and Burberry Prorsum meet on the beach.



Buttons, cardigans, synthetic Lanvin, gartered shoulders, a nice top and a tie:



another great Spring collection.



Photos from men.style.com

Shrug-off: Z Zegna vs Prada

Imposing shoulders and large coats make these men from Z Zegna's Fall 2009 show look like detectives or sentries from a few decades hence.



Just look at that belt - seems good enough to fasten a convict to his final seat.



The hats are a nostalgic touch, given all the futuristic fabric.



These coats from Prada's Fall 2009 collection don't seem to come from a happier place.



Could they be the era's bank barons who just experienced the world's next financial meltdown?



Even the shirts are all somber. These two look like gravediggers.



While these next four look like crestfallen surgeons.



Couldn't save the doomed economy?



The shoulders are less pronounced for these bullet-ridden but unscathed prophets. The future's priests or poets?

This post is part of a set in reply to a query by Nihaal Faizal from India on the topic of his sketches and on science fiction

Hair today...

No, I'm not going bald. I could have said not bald yet, but I don't think that will be soon or even in the distant future, based on my fifty-year-old father's tousles.

Here are studio images by photographer Ari Marcopolous, which in the magazine editorial are accompanied by photos of West Coast youth, celebrities, portraits, and others taken from his portfolio.


Wool oversized pea-coat, Burberry Prorsum; wool poloneck, Jil Sander

'My step was light and I could feel the ball of each foot pushing the earth down from me as I walk', Arena Homme Plus 31 Summer-Autumn 2009
Photography by Ari Marcopolous, Fashion by Olivier Rizzo

What I am more concerned about is impossible, impossible locks, the sheer torture of trying to look decent and at the same time not be totally bored with this most neglected of bodily accessories, which in my case is often a mess. Now partially the reason why I want to try out different hats and look for more beanies.


Wool oversized pea-coat and poloneck: both Trussardi 1991

I have had the same barber's haircut since I was a kid up till a few years ago. Only fairly recently have I ventured to seek the help of hairstylists. Still, the only difference they have made is to add layers, which have to be kept in place by hard-to-remove wax.


Cotton and cashmere reversible trench coat, wool double-breasted coat and wool poloneck: all Dolce & Gabbana

I admit I am drawn to the familiar short crop, but I wish I could go with something else.


Cotton waxed and oversized shirt-jacket, Vivienne Westwood; cashmere coat and cashmere poloneck: both Ralph Lauren Purple Label

Before I was jealous of schoolmates who had wavy hair, who at certain times were allowed to keep them long (like for stage productions). They would have manes like magnificent lions, with minimum maintenance needed.


Jacket and wool poloneck: both Cerruti; denim shirt, Maison Martin Margiela

The recent trend for miltiary-looking dos (short and almost white at the back and sides) never really did it for me.


Cashmere double-breasted coat, Prada; plaid wool shirt-jacket with leather details, Junya Watanabe; wool turtleneck, Jil Sander; wool captain's cap, model's own

And the faux mohawk would taunt me.

Cashmere coat and wool jacket: both Raf Simons; wool poloneck, Jil Sander

I know not everything would suit me, given my features and facial structure.


Wool coat, silk printed surf shorts, and wool trousers (worn underneath): all Yohji Yamamoto; wool poloneck, Jil Sander

Like this one, for example.

Wool oversized pea-coat, Burberry Prorsum; wool poloneck, Jil Sander

Or this one.

Cashmere coat, cashmere jacket, and cashmere poloneck: all Ermenegildo Zegna

Maybe I just want my hair, at least for once, to be my defining feature, like perhaps Bernard Madoff, Albert Einstein, hell, even George Clooney.


Wool jacket, Dior Homme; wool turtleneck, Jil Sander

Tee, Bench; pants, Gas; beanie, thrifted; stainless steel watch, Tissot