Happy Halloween!

Roberto Cavalli channeling Karl Lagerfeld- A genius Halloween Costume if we ever saw one!

The Birthday Celebrations Continue...

Celebrating your 50th birthday is quite the achievement, especially if you're a fashion label. So naturally Dr. Martens has been making the most of this milestone year and has been consistently been pulling out the punches in its honor. Its most recent escapade was a celebratory gig at Shoreditch hotspot Village Underground this weekend, where acts such as French Kissing, Flats and Mazes attracted a heaving crowd of trendsetters donning their DMs. However it must be said that it was headline act Black Lips that really stole the show, as iconic melodies such as Bad Kids prompted a signature stage invasion and band members hurtling off speakers. An eventful birthday party in all!

Gucci Get 3D

With the onslaught of 3D films currently infiltrating the cinema screens, this is definitely one trend that won't be going out of fashion any time soon. Realising a niche in the market whereby 3D glasses are now a massively ubiquitous form of eye wear yet highly unflattering, Italian fashion powerhouse Gucci have taken the cardboard glasses and wiry frames of late and transformed them into sleek and sophisticated designer shades.

The new Gucci 3D glasses feature "optically-correct" 6-base curved lenses, which should decrease or "virtually eliminate" the crosstalk from the screen to your eyes making your movie as clear and enjoyable as possible. Sporting a retro, 80's look design, Frida Giannini's brand new offering also incorporates a mirror coating that allows wearers to look at themselves in a mirror without distortion. Shades to be worn in darkness? Allows a clearer view to check yourself out? Kanye West shall no doubt be queuing up for a pair this season...

Up Close and Personal

Taken from Raf Simons latest campaign in honor of the brand's AW 10-11 collection, the designer continues his collaborative relationship with photographer Willy Vanderperre with this intimate short. Capturing models Aiden Andrews and Yannick Abrath staring intensely at the camera, with just a flicker of the clothing on show, the film unveils a conceptual vision of the new collection while at the same time adding to the anticipation of the new line.

Get Wound Up

Check out our new 7th Man film in the sidebar!

New Westwood Experience

On the 1st of November, the world of Vivienne Westwood will be relaunching online with a brand new website at www.viviennewestwood.com. Incorporating new e-commere facilities, the new site will allow visitors to purchase a variety of clothing and accessories from Red Label, Anglomania and of course MAN. What's more, the site will offer a deeper insight into the life of the iconic designer with a brand new section devoted to her history as well as revealing the inspirations behind some of her greatest collections through some sublime archive footage.

For the re-launch on 1st November, Vivienne Westwood will offer a special promotion for those purchasing on the night. The first 100 customers to spend over £100 will each receive the latest Vivienne Westwood designed, aluminium SIGG bottle valued at £18. In addition, all customers purchasing before 7th November will receive free shipping on their purchase.

Be sure to check it out.

High Art Gets High Fashion

Jason Alper has quite the resume. As a stylist and costume designer he first gained attention; but through collaborating with Sacha Baron Cohen he really started to gain notoriety. Now he's revealed his talents extend further as an artist with his latest exhibition Proletarian Drift and The Enfranchisement of the Bourgeoise at the Guy Hepner Gallery in West Hollywood. Taking luxurious fine art oil paintings and splattering them with the iconic Louis Vuitton Logo, Alper's creations are a nod to past representations of status, while at the same time reflecting how the perceptions of labels have now changed in modern society. With such fearless humor, is it any wonder that this is the man behind the infamous Borat man-kini?

Take notes on Ivy.

Photo: Giovanni Giannoni

Second from right epitomizes casual luxury.

Feeding time at the sharpest school of all.

The Social Network has been topping many a chart and splitting many an opinion - due it's controversial story line and the fact that it is about the birth of Facebook - the most powerful website in the world, bar none.

But before I went to watch it I was in no way prepared to be dazzled by some of the attire that was on display in this motion picture - not so much Mark Zuckerberg: he dressed exactly as you would think the creator of Facebook would dress, in a way that suggests he doesn not often leave the comfort of his dormitory bedroom and so dresses in appropriate comfort ie: shabby.

It was the Winklevoss twins and their affluent clan that truly caught my sartorial eye, to the point that the following morning I googled them and the Ivy League schools in order to ascertain as to whether they were merely a fluke of fashion or whether it is something that regularly happens in these prestigious American schools: it came as a shock as modern day Ivy League schools have always been synonomous with khaki and ill fitting jeans in my mind.

It was then that I stumbled across this book Take Ivy the product of an innovative Japanese photographer: Teruyoshi Hayashida, who toured the Ivy League Schools in the late sixties visually documenting the students and their attire - at the time it was a phenomenon among Japanese boys to dress like Ivy Leaguers [as I like to call them] but it never really appealed to anyone else.

Now, Take Ivy, is fashion gold dust.

The images depict a time when tracksuits were never even considered let alone worn (even when partaking in sport), trousers always allowed the socks or ankles to show, hair was never allowed to stray, the only logos were College emblems and the boys - geniunely were Gentlemen.

The Ivy League Men represent a traditional, affluent, ambitious Gentleman who is more than capable of controlling himself, his career, and his mind - all whilst roaming around in the stiffest of collars, the shiniest of loafers and the sharpest of jackets.

Now that's a man.

Thom Browne does the look in a vicariously quirky way - contrasting sleeve letterman jackets, crisp chinos, thick woven white shirts - add a diagonally striped slim tie and you have the ultimate collegiate look without looking too retro.

Leviʼs® launches the 519 Skinny Jean with The Gaslight Anthem

Leviʼs® - The original and definitive denim brand - launches their new menʼs skinny fit jean with the help of US rock band The Gaslight Anthem.

The Leviʼs® 519 jean is slim in the leg, with a gentle taper down to the ankle for a clean and effortless skinny fit. Produced from premium denim with a touch of stretch, the 519 jean gives a sharp but ultra comfortable feel. Highlight finishes for the season include indigo based ʻBlack Driftʼ as well as ʻKill City Blackʼ for the iconic rock look.

Leviʼs® has always supported contemporary talents. Following from last season's advertising campaign supporting emerging craftsmen and artists, for the 519 launch Leviʼs® is supporting rapidly rising American rock band The Gaslight Anthem. The "Origins" exhibit space in London's Regents Street has been transformed into a loading bay of a Gaslight Anthem concert, complete with big black flight cases on wheels, concert scaffolding and spotlights.

The Gaslight Anthem's European tour kicked off in the UK earlier this month. The band wears the 519 jeans throughout their tour and is also featured in Leviʼs® new campaign wearing the skinny jeans. Signed to Side One Dummy Records The Gaslight Anthemʼs recently released album ʻAmerican Slangʼ was tipped as one of the most highly anticipated albums for 2010 by Rolling Stone Magazine.

Leviʼs® new 519 skinny jeans is now available in store and online.

Check out Leviʼs® facebook page for further information http://www.facebook.com/levisuk

Collection 5

Sibling is an East London based collective with a progressive philosophy in mind when it comes to the men's knitwear they produce. Shunning dowdy and shapeless knitted garments in favour of more contemporary, stylized pieces; their collections possess a delightfully colouful and embellished feel. Past creations have included a fully knitted Biker jacket in black cotton, laminated to mimic worn leather, while show stopping pieces like the Ram's head sweater, the Knit Monster, Swarovski Kurt Grunge Beano and the Skull, have satisfied fashion hungry appetite of followers of this decidedly cult label.

To promote their latest eclectic collection, the Sibling team of Joe Bates, Sid Bryan and Cozette McCreery have enlisted the helping hand of visionary photographer Alasdair McLellan to produce a short film. Featuring British model Darryl Sharp, the film is visual kaleidoscope of flitting imagery set to a jagged soundtrack. Short and captivating, the dreamy vintage scenes of Sharp wandering around gritty urban backdrops, bring to life Sibling's signature new designs on a cool, refreshing level.

What Your Winter Outfit Has Been Missing....

London Undercover, despite only launching last month, have garnered a large following for their luxury hats, scarves and umbrellas. Stocked in Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason and Liberty, the brand is already proving very popular in the US and Japan.

A/W 2010 sees the launch of London Undercover's "Made in England" range, which will feature luxury accessories (bags, hats & scarves) which are all made exclusively in England from the finest English materials. After previously working with Basso & Brook and Manolo Blahnik, this latest venture features a limited edition collaboration with Michael Williams' A Continuous Lean, and this double-act have produced two beautiful English Gentleman's scarves.

The featured scarf is a traditional Black Watch plaid scarf, made from the softest two-ply cashmere and with a very functional yet elegant reversible side. Made in England, this limited-edition Black Watch scarf retails for £165 at Selfridges and is sure to compliment any of this seasons "It" coats; camel, aviator or time-honoured mac.

The second scarf in the collection is more traditional and subdued than the first. Created from the best English cashmere, each scarf has been combed by hand to ensure the softest feel possible. Colours vary from soft shades of brown with hints of khaki green to plain Winter block-colours. Available for £135 from Selfridges, this is a quality investment buy.

As mentioned above this London Undercover and ACL collaboration is available at Selfridges, The Garbstore and online at londonundercover.co.uk. Remember that this is a limited collection and stocks are sure to fly off the shelves!

Wrap up in style this Winter!

Words By Ann McLaughlin

Style By The Book

The most recent (and of course stylish) addition to the book shelves at Harrods is "Couture In The 21st Century", a fashion bible compiled by the British retail institution and leading fashion photographer Rankin. A snapshot of contemporary design, this is the reference book of all reference books, with a selection of the world's top designers expressing in their own words the importance of the past in the shaping of the fashion world as we currently know it. Featuring iconic style maestros as Giorgio Armani, Oscar de la Renta and Paul Smith as well as emerging design talent like Erdem and Hannh Marshall, the beautifully designed compendium of insights is accompanied by a stunning series of portraits courtesy of Rankin.

Charity Begins At Topman

Topman is synonymous for supporting external projects, its most prolific being its collaboration with Fashion East in the promotion of young designers through the MAN Show during London Fashion Week. Its latest initiative however is in support of the Teenage Cancer Trust, whereby three designs will be sold nationwide at Topman with the proceeds going to charity. Taking into account the input by recovering cancer patients, the Topman in-house design team have created a three-piece accessory collection that includes a hooded scarf, snood and bobble hat. The graphics on each design bear an exclusive fairisle print in a fresh a neutral palette that is instantly wearable.

Sunday, Sunday

Having secured his training in Jewellery design at Epsom School of Art and Middlesex University, Hampshire boy Craig Issac first gained attention for his innovative creations thanks to his rather obscure final year project. Inspired by orthodontic braces, the collection consisted of elaborate mouth jewellery which he designed using dental mold making processes that allowed him to make bespoke removable tooth decoration. Needless to say, once his designs caught the attention of stylist Katie England and were shot by Rankin, he was well and truly propelled to the fore-front as one of the greatest emerging jewellery designers.

His latest range for men and women once again sees him encapsulate his fascination with random objects whereby 'The Wishbone' from family Sunday lunch has become the centre-point of a collection which rejuvenates all the associations of this traditional dinner ritual. Entitled 'Furcula Repair', the collection is formed by polished and blackened silver necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings that re-introduces and restores value to this forgotten ritual.

Available exclusively from East London design hub Luna And Curious, The Wishbones have been cast from the furcula of a real roast chicken and provides a wonderful Good Luck charm that harks back to the Aaaah Bisto! days of our childhood!

"Prada Milano, made in......."

Prada, one of Italy's largest fashion houses, recently announced that its legendary "made in Milan" labels will henceforth be more geographically correct to the inspiration behind each particular garment.

A special Dova denim jeans collection is now "Made in Japan" while "Made in Peru" features beautiful woollen pieces, spun in the time-honoured tradition from South-American alpulca wool. These new tags accrediting the inspiration and ethnic backgrounds of several Prada pieces are the brain child of creative director Miuccia Prada. Directing the company since 1978, Miuccia has headed many new initiatives and Prada has clearly benefited from her ideas. In today's world, where everything is either fair-trade, organic or else ignored, Prada is keeping up with the Joneses by giving their brand an ethnically accredited tag. Miuccia stated that it's "taking away the hypocrisy.... mine is an original statement and it comes from a personal appreciation of originality".

Fair-trade Prada? Yes please.

Words by Ann McLaughlin

Style Island

Karl Lagerfeld, the be-gloved, ponytail touting figurehead behind the Chanel empire has now extended his resume beyond being just a designer/film-maker/photographer/model (if that wasn't already an impressive list of credentials). No, this man is going one step further and is now dabbling in terraforming. That's right, Mr. Lagerfeld has decided to create an island.

Joining forces with Miami-based architecture firm Oppenheim and the KOR hotel group to create the man-made land form dubbed the world's first ever "Fashion Island", it will be situated 20km off the coast of Dubai. Christened "Isla Moda", the island will be the chic location for high-end boutiques, three five-star hotels and 150 luxury properties and should be up and running by 2014. The island is expected to host a variety of fashion-related events and shows and shall no doubt become a mecca for stylish individuals world-over. Of the elite project, Lagerfeld said, 'Dubai is a fashion bud on the verge of blossoming into the next fashion hub of the world. The city is alive with culture and rich in personality, making it a perfect place for aesthetic fashion and design to flourish'.

Staying In?

After the unrivalled success of "Fashions Night Out" during A/W fashion weeks in London, Paris, Milan and New York, Vogue.com have launched a new initiative for those who would rather shop from the comfort of their own home rather than battle through the masses for a bargain!

From 5pm on November 1st your favourite designer websites will be offering online discounts for one and all for "Fashions Night In". Not only will you be securing the best deal possible on that camel coat/ those leather boots or that little gem that you've had your eye on for some time, but you will be aiding a very worthy cause. KidsCompany provides valuable support and help to over 14,000 vulnerable inner-city children across London. Founded by Camila Batmanghelidjh in 1996 and has gone from strength to strength since, having been awarded the "Child Poverty Champion" by the End Child Poverty Project this year. KidsCompany is the chosen charity that will benefit from Fashions Night In so get spending!

Websites associated with this wonderful project include luxury etailers including Brownsfashion.com, Matchesfashion.com and Net-a-porter.com amongst others, who will be each offering fantastic discounts, freebies and donations of sales to KidsCo. It appears that staying in really is the new going out!

Words by Ann McLaughlin

Soundtrack To The Season

In celebration of heritage boot brand Dr. Martens' 50th Anniversary, the label has been releasing one-by-one a series of tracks by some of the leading musicians shaking up the current music scene. From Black Rebel Motorcycle Club to N.A.S.A, the album revisits iconic anthems of the past and has reworked them with a cool, contemporary twist. Having completed the full track list, the punk footwear pioneers have now made the album available to download which can be done here. We've had the album on repeat here at the 7th Man offices and would definitely recommend it!

The Wanderer

Uploading a film onto YouTube as an inventive exhibition of their clothing has now become the usual port-of-call for contemporary creatives, with Caroyln Massey being the latest designer to make good use of the social networking site. Masterfully shot by director Chris Brooks, the poignant short depicts Elite model Abiah Hostvedt wandering around the dramatic British countryside sporting Massey's elegant S/S 11 collection to the haunting melody of Tiago La Is Losing The Plot's "Lucien Guide".

Scent Stories

Founded in 2008, design duo Magda Katek and Kamil Jerzykowski are the fiercely creative minds behind Ah&Oh Studios, the imaginative hub based somewhere in between Berlin and Warsaw, in the old Poznan district Jezyce. Katek (aka Ah) is the Head of Art and is responsible for the visionary productions the studios unveil; meanwhile her cohort Jerzykowski (AKA Oh) possesses the rather humorous title of Head of Head and is the mastermind behind producing the emerging projects within the company.

The studio's latest conception is entitled "Scent Stories" and was developed on the basis that perfume packaging design had been the twosome's dream project, hence they delved right into the challenge and decided to explore the world of men's fragrance. Their initial tact was to first concentrate on the idea of the scent itself and sought inspiration in the "great, dark literature and distinctive, strong characters". Through such a process, they then set about describing the dark sides of men's nature with a line of scents named after famed writers throughout history. Brandishing the names of literary greats Orwell, Poe, De Sade and Laclos, the artfully constructed bottles resemble the classic shape of the inkwell and have become the new home of the heady scents that they developed. With distinctive black and white colouring and featuring strong, bold lettering, the Pièce de résistance of their designs are heads of characters which loosely recall each author's respective masterpiece.

One To Watch

Swiss watch makers Oris have surpassed themselves with their new collection comprising of several new pieces in various shapes and styles. The company, which is over 100 years old, have released a new set of iconic watches including the "Oris Artix Complication", "Oris RAID Chronograph Limited Edition", "Oris BC3 Sportsman" and the "Oris Oscar Petersen".

Oris has, over the years, garnered a reputation as a quality watchmaker and these latest offerings only serve to cement this image. The Oris Artix Complication boasts many new features including a weekday and month display, a pointer calendar and even a moonphase! This functional watch is also very stylish with a sapphire-domed face and your personal choice of watchstrap (in black calfskin leather or a stainless steel bracelet).

Oris has been recently appointed as the official Watch partner and time keeper of the classic RAID rallies. Only 500 of these limited edition Oris watches have been designed to mark the 20th RAID Suisse-Paris and they are sure to sell out quickly! The design dial of the watch has been inspired by the rev counter of a 1952 Jaguar XK 120. Mirroring a Jaguars danger zone the hour and minute counters on the watch face are a vibrant red. Crafted with some of the world's finest drivers in mind, this Oris RAID is a sensational timepiece, both on and off the track!




Words By Ann McLaughlin

Young Patriots

Hedi Slimane is somewhat of a Jack of all trades. Born in Paris in 1968, Slimane grew up to be one the industry's most influential designers through his seven years at the creative helm of Dior Homme. Since parting ways with the label three years ago, Slimane has pursued a rather nomadic existence, primarily focusing his attention on his photography whilst at the same time dabbling in film. Joining forces with revered director Gus Van Sant their project "Young American" was unveiled in 2007 and captured the unmistakable beauty of male youth. The series received critical acclaim and so Slimane's idolization of youth continued with a cacophony of his trademark stylized black and white imagery portraying the rising young stars of today. With an eye for talent like no other, Slimane is responsible for propelling the fledgling careers of young creatives to the fore-front. Having selected indie-synth collective These New Puritans to record a 15 minute track to accompany a Dior Runway show, a swift rise in their fanbase ensued. Meanwhile his depictions of previously unknown models Anna Selezneva and Petey Wright has added to their credentials to no end.

Slimane's latest escapade is once again a foray into film in collaboration with designer shopping site The Corner. "I Love USA" is their second film and features two teenagers Sydney and Wolf who Slimane discovered at both the Coachella 2009 & 2010 festivals. Short yet utterly poignant, the stylish visuals is an obscure retelling of the classic Romeo and Juliet yarn. With swift cutting images of the pair frolicking on a beach, to powerful shots of a cheerleading outfitted Sydney dancing alongside a cello playing Wolf, the film is beautiful collision of art, fashion and culture.

Ally Capellino For The Apple iPad

This November sees the launch of the Ally Capellino iPad Satchel, a further extension of the bag designer's luxury line. Developed specifically for the Apple iPad, the satchel incorporates Capellino's signature relaxed style and is as protective and functional as it is fashionable.

The bag will be available in four distinct colourways. Three canvas styles; khaki with a brown base, navy with a black base and a limited edition khaki with a contrast orange base. All canvas styles have a green cotton lining. At the centre of the collection however, is the much anticipated full leather satchel; dark brown leather with contrast black leather closing straps and a dove-grey cotton canvas lining with the same spaces for your iPad and iPhone.

Speaking about the collaboration, Capellino gushed, "As soon as the iPad came out I was keen to work on a bag to hold it. The satchel felt just right and it works for both men and women. I hope the bag will be just as indispensable as the iPad itself".