No. 44 a Fashion Experiment

We all the know the respected heritage brands that have established their place in today's menswear market, the Hackett's, Barbour's and Belstaff's of this world, but what credence is given to those at the other end of the spectrum those making the first steps into a market that doesn't seem to see much in the way of introductions too often.

No. 44 curated by Katrin Salem and Samuel Rook aims to appeal to the creative, the dandy and the gent with a clean cut silhouette and a classic tailoring basis.

Katrin, a bespoke tailoring graduate of UAL has experience at Elizabeth Radcliffe, Sir Tom Baker, and E Tautz whilst Samuel a graduate of LCF has most recently spent time as head of premium suiting at Topman.

Both a bespoke service and a ready to wear range are available and the collection is a mix of sharp tailoring with a dandyish air and casual pieces made from high quality fabrics. Drawing on a mixed heritage, and an array of experience in high street and high end tailoring it seems all bases are covered.

We were grateful to be invited along to the launch of a residency at the nautically named Port of Entry a space for aspiring creatives under the sure footed Shoreditch bar El Paso and enjoyed an interesting evening with the chance to meet and talk with Katrin who was as amiable a host as you could wish for and very informative to boot.

Here's too a successful season and hopefully we'll be mentioning No. 44 in the same breath as our most loved British brands in time to come.

You can see more pictures of the event on the Facebook page here.

Tee in Milano

A short break in the capital of sartorial splendor:

The first thing I always notice about Milanese people and Italians in general for that matter is that they really do enjoy looking the part, a narrow and cut look with lots of beautiful variations to that classic Italian fit.

Menswear - The thing that struck me most about Milan's menswear shops in particular is the amount of choice you have in 'off the peg' suits. I'm not a massive fan of designer label suits and for the vast majority of people going down to Savile Row and purchasing a bespoke suit is not a financially viable option anymore. So to find quite a few stand alone Italian abbigliamento shops dotted in and around the city centre selling well cut suits made from very good quality materials at an affordable price was great considering the corporate age in which we live.

Food - Would definitely recommend the restaurants Pisacco and Aquarius, both fantastic food and both reasonably priced. Pisacco being the more hip out of the two, presenting itself with a younger vibe and more modern Italian dishes. Aquarius on the other hand is the more conservative classic Italian restaurant with a more establishment feel to it but both equally as good.

Obviously being the sartorially inclined creature that I am, I made the men's style bloggers pilgrimage to Al Bazar. Met up with the almost legendary Lino and Gianpaolo of the shop, they were both fantastically friendly and my appreciation goes to Gianpaolo in particular. Due to him being able to speak near enough perfect English, we spoke for almost an hour about the shop, the meticulous buying of their fabrics and where the clothes are made in Italy.

A shout also to Fabio Attanasio of the thebespokedudes.com who I met up with whilst out there. A very decent chap with a solid blog and classic look, we discussed men's style and the direction we think it's heading. He was also very helpful with advice on places to go and see. Check out his blog!

Fabio's Picture Source: thebespokedudes.com

Mark McNairy FW13

This man is on a high right now and this first venture into RTW is just the right mix of all the Americana we know and love.

Some of the best bits of the lookbook and runway shots:

Source: Complex.com

Nutters of Savile Row x Peter Werth

Very excited about this for F/W 13

The renewed interest in British brands at the moment is palpable and great to see.

Also one of the most stylistic presentations of any collection. The quality of the tailoring really showing in how the garments keep their structure during the performances.

MAN 1924 FW12

More admiration for Carlos Castillo:

A fantastic example how to mix patterns and textures with effortless elegance!

Source: MAN 1924

GANT Rugger SS13

GANT Rugger is doing it right now!

The Spanish Contingent

Proper men's men, Jorge & Carlos Castillo of Man 1924.

This is my inspiration for winter from everything I've seen at Pitti Uomo and all the ensuing fashion events around the world.

Source: thesartorialist.com