Celebrity Styles and Fashion Trends

Magazines in the Spotlight: Oily Boy

OilyBoy is produced by the same people who produce a magazine called Popeye.

The name surely makes us all chuckle and raises a few eyebrows when mentioned in conversation. This point is best highlighted by my message to twitter following picking up this magazine for Elder Boys at the Japan Centre yesterday afternoon: 'Finally, I have Oily Boy in my grasp!' was met with a combination of of laughter and puzzled replies. As the reaction to the name subsides, we are left with a strong magazine which offers fashion and style guidance to the older variety of Japanese 'boy'. Japan has an ageing population. Twenty two per cent of the population are over 65 and therefore Japanese retailers, marketers and publishers need to tease more purchases from the grey pound. Oily Boy is designed to excite consumption among the 'elder boys' and in the process has excited me. As I flick through the issue and munch on my Wasabi Peas (another Japan Centre purchase) I want to be an oily boy. It is clear that the Japanese do everything better, including never really growing up.

There are a number of theories regarding the meaning of the name but only one is correct. The Washington Post ran a great piece on the launch of the magazine and helped answer a few questions in the process. "Oily Boy" is the nickname of the late Jiro Shirasu who was once the coolest guy in Japan. Shirasu was one of the first Japanese men of substance to allow himself to be photographed whilst wearing jeans. He owned and often tinkered with his Bentley. On social occasions, his trousers and shirts were sometimes stained with oil. "That kind of man never forgets the 'boy' in him," says the OilyBoy Declaration, which can be found in the magazine's first edition. "The boys became not adults, but 'elder boys.' And that is why we cry out loud: We are Oily Boys."

Given that I cannot read Japanese, my whole attention is focused on the imagery and there is more than enough subtle detailing and styling to keep me busy. One of my favourite features of the magazine sees the profiling of real Oily Boys.

Out of all of the Japanese chaps featured, Katsuyuki Yoshida is my favourite. Mr Yoshida is 71 years old, from the accompanying images I thought he was a musician but he is in fact founder of Yoshida & Co and Porter Classic (thanks Tommy). He is awesome. The youngest Oily Boy profiled is Satoshi Ishiguro who is a surf loving 48 year old and the oldest is Yoshihisa Kinameri, a 78 year old business man. All of these men are inspiring. "Unleash yourself. Be free. Do what you want to do." That, is the OilyBoy way.

Bold and Beautiful

You might have noticed that bright and bold colors are one of Spring's eye catching trends, and you might be wondering how on earth do I wear them without looking like I have a part-time job as a circus clown. When you spot the bright fuschias, oranges, greens, summer blues, and yellows making an appearance at a department store near you, don't run away, unless you accidentally stumbled onto the blinding Lilly Pullitzer section, in which case stop, drop, and roll immediately into the sweater department.

Two good rules to remember when buying bright colors and patterns is to keep fabrics light and airy, and accessories neutral. Diane von Furstenberg, Issa, Temperley London, and Sonia Rykiel's Spring collections perfectly capture our technicolor sentiments...Photos by Marcio Madeira, borrowed from style.com

DIANE von FURSTENBERG

ISSA

TEMPERLEY LONDON

SONIA RYKIEL

Weekend Thought: Your wardrobe is more than a piece of furniture

The art of wardrobe building is not fast or haphazard; instead it is developed and nurtured over time. A mans wardrobe may rather eloquently tell the story of his life less ordinary. E. Tautz

During an afternoon of procrastination last week TheSundayBest gave me a new blog to sink my teeth in to after I was moaning about the internet cycle I had got myself in. I needed something new to both pass the hours after lunch and inspire, Daring Fireball delivered with a post on Complex systems and the success of Apple. John Gruber begins the post with an extract from Gall's Law and applies it to my favourite technology brand.

“A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked. The inverse proposition also appears to be true: A complex system designed from scratch never works and cannot be made to work. You have to start over, beginning with a working simple system.” Gall's law.

If there is a formula to Apple’s success over the past ten years, it is to start with something simple and build it, grow it, improve it, steadily over time. Evolve it. As I find it quite difficult now to think of anything other than men's fashion and style (seriously, I need help...what happened to me?) I was reminded with the art of wardrobe building post. For me, the wardrobe is a complex system which requires a simple base which is then added to slowly over time. EJ will be the first to tell you that I am quite an impatient fellow but it is all about making measured, (mostly) calculated decisions.- of course from time to time we all need an impulse buy or two, some of which we might regret a few months down the line but mostly these buys fit quite nicely and add to the story of a wardrobe. When we met up with Patrick Grant he reminded us that there is something very charming about building a collection of clothes, every piece having a position in the wardrobe. When one of their longest clients at Nortons died last year (after being a customer since 1945!) an extraordinary wardrobe was left. The chap was far from an extravagant man but bought wisely and his wardrobe certainly told a story. It is something of a lost art that a lot of people just don't consider anymore. We think it is about time that people considered this art once more.

So, regardless of your brain's hemispheric dominance we think it is about time that you see your wardrobe as more than a piece of furniture. If your scientifically minded, just think of Gall's Law and see your wardrobe is a complex system and if you are a little more visual, your wardrobe is a story telling piece of art.