Designer Musings

Be it a muse's most effortless style gestures proving most inspiring or a lifetime of work which requires repeated scrutiny, there can be little doubt that muses play a vital role in the evolution of male fashion. The intricate relationship between designers and their muses and inspirations more generally is what drives the makers of menswear and also our own sartorial choices. After picking up a copy of 'Man About Town' in Borders I was allowed into the minds of a number of designers, from Duckie Brown to Yohji Yamamoto and their muses ranged from architects, to music artists to family members. Below is a summary of the article, in case you missed it or can't get hold of a copy

Thom Browne - David Biscaye (close friend, architect) - "He is interesting simply because he is smart, with an individual sense of style."

Luca Missoni - Octavio Missoni - "He is a refined, masculine, unconventional, contemporary man.

Yohji Yamamoto - Bob Dylan - "He has always represented a rock'n'roll attitude - in his words, songs and his imagination"

Yamamoto used the following Dylan tracks during his mne's Spring/Summer08 show - It's Alright Ma (I'm only Bleeding), Love Sick, The Times They are A Changing.

Paul Smith - Daniel Day Lewis -"He has a confidence in the way he dresses, so whenever he puts an outfit together it looks effrotless"

Daniel Silver and Stephen Cox for Duckie Browne - Charlie Chaplin - "There's an incredible intensity to Chaplin without him even saying a word."

Away from the inspirations of designers, there are certainly iconic figures which exude an influence on my own aesthetics and sartorial choices. Fred Astaire and Cecil Beaton have shown me the way in terms of creative elegance (although I've not yet grown in to this, I aspire to be one day). I would love to say that a male family member has inspired me but only in the sense of 'not wanting to dress like that' although I do like my Grandad's collection of cravats! In terms of modern day icons, my tastes change too frequently and I am more inspired more by images on the Sartorialist or the pages of Fantastic Man or Monocle (I'm particularly liking the style of architects shown within this magazine - when I grow up I don't want to be an astronaut, I want to be a architect) than on the red carpet or silver screen.