

Sir Francis Bacon once said, “Some books should be tasted, some devoured, but only a few should be chewed and digested thoroughly.” But what about books that should be smelled?

“I’ve read a lot of Haruki Murakami,” says Mr Timothy Han. “_Norwegian Wood_ would make a good fragrance.” The perfumer and candlemaker is discussing his favourite books and what he could extract for his next scent. Mr Han’s [fragrance](http://www.mrporter.com/mens/grooming/fragrance) brand, [TIMOTHY HAN / EDITION](http://www.mrporter.com/mens/designer/timothy-han-edition), is unusual. First, there are only five fragrances in the portfolio, and second, it doesn’t set out simply to make nice-smelling products. Instead, Mr Han interprets works of literature, extracts ideas, concepts or feelings from them and then distils them into fragrances that, he hopes, speak to the book in some way.

Sir Francis Bacon once said, “Some books should be tasted, some devoured, but only a few should be chewed and digested thoroughly.” But what about books that should be smelled?
“I’ve read a lot of Haruki Murakami,” says Mr Timothy Han. “Norwegian Wood would make a good fragrance.” The perfumer and candlemaker is discussing his favourite books and what he could extract for his next scent. Mr Han’s fragrance brand, TIMOTHY HAN / EDITION, is unusual. First, there are only five fragrances in the portfolio, and second, it doesn’t set out simply to make nice-smelling products. Instead, Mr Han interprets works of literature, extracts ideas, concepts or feelings from them and then distils them into fragrances that, he hopes, speak to the book in some way.


Read about the books that inspire perfumer Mr Timothy Han this World Book Day, plus shop fragrances and scented candles from TIMOTHY HAN/EDITION.

Fashion: Mr Timothy Han’s Bookshelf Of Fragrances

How To Smell Like Your Favourite Book



Anyone familiar with the wares of [Schaffhausen’s International Watch Company](http://www.mrporter.com/mens/designer/iwc-schaffhausen) will no doubt recognise the [Big Pilot’s watch](http://www.mrporter.com/mens/product/iwc-schaffhausen/luxury-watches/aviation-watches/limited-edition-big-pilot-s-heritage-46mm-bronze-and-leather-watch-ref-no-iw501005/336416600167551), a flagship model with a military heritage that stretches back to WWII. Fewer, however, will be intimately aware of the design’s subtle evolution over time or the way in which its original codes – the black dial, the minimal typography, the onion crown – changed the visual direction of watches for ever. To tell this story more fully, we decided to do a little archive digging and compare one of the 1,000 original ref IW431 pilot’s watches produced by IWC in 1940 with today’s Big Pilot’s watch, examining the lineage between the vintage model and the present-day bestseller.

Anyone familiar with the wares of Schaffhausen’s International Watch Company will no doubt recognise the Big Pilot’s watch, a flagship model with a military heritage that stretches back to WWII. Fewer, however, will be intimately aware of the design’s subtle evolution over time or the way in which its original codes – the black dial, the minimal typography, the onion crown – changed the visual direction of watches for ever. To tell this story more fully, we decided to do a little archive digging and compare one of the 1,000 original ref IW431 pilot’s watches produced by IWC in 1940 with today’s Big Pilot’s watch, examining the lineage between the vintage model and the present-day bestseller.


Watch our video to find out how the IWC Schaffhausen Big Pilot’s watch has changed from the 1940s to today’s modern version, plus shop our collection of luxury watches.

Watches: Before And After IWC Schaffhausen Big Pilot’s Watch

Video: The IWC Schaffhausen Big Pilot’s Watch, Then And  Now



Ever seen a man in heels? Well, you’re about to. Usually the preserve of the fairer sex, heels are having a moment in the menswear world. Thanks to a smattering of celebrities and a few progressive designers, Cuban heels look to be a trend that’s grown legs over the past few months and who am I to argue?

At 5ft 7in, I’m neither a towering hulk nor a beanpole waif. I would look more at home in Hobbiton than I would on a Mr Hedi Slimane runway, and you know what? Most of the time I like it that way. But it’s 2020, a new decade. Why not wear [Gucci](http://www.mrporter.com/mens/designer/gucci) heels for a week?

I’m following the example set by the fashion designer Mr Marc Jacobs who, in December, posted a characteristically outré photo of himself on Instagram sporting towering black [Rick Owens](http://www.mrporter.com/mens/designer/rick-owens) heels. Mr Jacobs and I are not alone in our heel curiosity. Messrs Justin Bieber, Jared Leto and Harry Styles have all worn heels over the past couple of years.

Mr Kanye West, a personal icon and fellow short king, was seen wearing them as far back as 2017. They’ve been on runways and the red carpet more and more in recent seasons (Hood by Air and Mr Xavier Dolan are a couple of examples) and MR PORTER now stocks plenty of pairs, including the love-them-or-hate them [Maison Margiela](http://www.mrporter.com/mens/designer/maison-margiela) Tabi split-toe heels and a striking pair of patent [TOM FORD](http://www.mrporter.com/mens/designer/tom-ford) [Chelsea boots](http://www.mrporter.com/mens/shoes/boots/chelsea-boots). Usually a Cuban heel, which basically means a solid heel of moderate height, is the leading style, but it’s by no means the only way to rock the trend. Just ask Mr Ezra Miller, who was wearing stiletto boots at this year’s Grammy awards.

Ever seen a man in heels? Well, you’re about to. Usually the preserve of the fairer sex, heels are having a moment in the menswear world. Thanks to a smattering of celebrities and a few progressive designers, Cuban heels look to be a trend that’s grown legs over the past few months and who am I to argue?
At 5ft 7in, I’m neither a towering hulk nor a beanpole waif. I would look more at home in Hobbiton than I would on a Mr Hedi Slimane runway, and you know what? Most of the time I like it that way. But it’s 2020, a new decade. Why not wear Gucci heels for a week?
I’m following the example set by the fashion designer Mr Marc Jacobs who, in December, posted a characteristically outré photo of himself on Instagram sporting towering black Rick Owens heels. Mr Jacobs and I are not alone in our heel curiosity. Messrs Justin Bieber, Jared Leto and Harry Styles have all worn heels over the past couple of years.
Mr Kanye West, a personal icon and fellow short king, was seen wearing them as far back as 2017. They’ve been on runways and the red carpet more and more in recent seasons (Hood by Air and Mr Xavier Dolan are a couple of examples) and MR PORTER now stocks plenty of pairs, including the love-them-or-hate them Maison Margiela Tabi split-toe heels and a striking pair of patent TOM FORD Chelsea boots. Usually a Cuban heel, which basically means a solid heel of moderate height, is the leading style, but it’s by no means the only way to rock the trend. Just ask Mr Ezra Miller, who was wearing stiletto boots at this year’s Grammy awards.


Read our Deputy Editor’s account of wearing men’s heeled boots for seven days and the effect on his wardrobe. Plus shop shoes by Gucci, Saint Laurent and more.

Fashion: A Man's Week In Cuban Heels

My Week In Men’s Heels



Here we are again: the fast-moving merry-go-round of fashion has swung round once more and its gaily-coloured horses – that is, this season’s new trends – are transfixing us with their mad, glassy eyes. Or something like that. But, how is it all looking? In truth, in this post-haute-streetwear, anything-goes era, it becomes increasingly difficult to provide pithy summaries of the comings and goings of men’s style. But if we were going to give a general indication of spring’s predilections, it would be: still rather loose and relaxed, somewhat bohemian, but undeniably a little more grown-up than last year (if you forgive the odd crochet cardigan or two). Of course, there are also plenty of options for the wild cards among us, primarily thanks to a growing sense of quirky homemade-ness that has been infusing collections as the fashion world gloms on to the idea that slick, mass-produced luxury is beginning to look less and less appealing at a time of [growing eco-consciousness](http://www.mrporter.com/journal/the-knowledge/how-to-care-for-your-clothing-sustainably/5114). Does it mean, by next year, we’ll all be storming around in hessian sacks? Well, no one saw the [Triple S](http://www.mrporter.com/mens/search/balenciaga%20triple%20s) coming, did they? In the meantime, if you’re interested in a slightly more granular (and less speculative) look at what you’re going to be wearing this spring, do scroll down.

Here we are again: the fast-moving merry-go-round of fashion has swung round once more and its gaily-coloured horses – that is, this season’s new trends – are transfixing us with their mad, glassy eyes. Or something like that. But, how is it all looking? In truth, in this post-haute-streetwear, anything-goes era, it becomes increasingly difficult to provide pithy summaries of the comings and goings of men’s style. But if we were going to give a general indication of spring’s predilections, it would be: still rather loose and relaxed, somewhat bohemian, but undeniably a little more grown-up than last year (if you forgive the odd crochet cardigan or two). Of course, there are also plenty of options for the wild cards among us, primarily thanks to a growing sense of quirky homemade-ness that has been infusing collections as the fashion world gloms on to the idea that slick, mass-produced luxury is beginning to look less and less appealing at a time of growing eco-consciousness. Does it mean, by next year, we’ll all be storming around in hessian sacks? Well, no one saw the Triple S coming, did they? In the meantime, if you’re interested in a slightly more granular (and less speculative) look at what you’re going to be wearing this spring, do scroll down.


The Men’s Trends To Know For Spring 2020



So, you’ve mastered the art of pulling on a crisp shirt and a pair tailored trousers. Perhaps you’re a workwear god, maybe even a streetwear king. But if you’re getting dressed in the morning and sleeping on accessories, you’re missing not one, but several tricks. A well-chosen accessory – or tie, scarf, hat, belt, etc – is the element that takes a dressed man to a best-dressed man. (Seriously, take a look through our street-style roundups from over the years and you’ll notice that often, the item that really takes a look over the edge isn’t trousers or a sweater, but a luxurious printed scarf, or a vibrant hat.)

Here, we’ve gathered some of our favourite examples of great outfits where accessories are doing much of the heavy lifting, elevating staid tailoring, lending a bit of high-fashion humour, or sending an _I-am-luxurious_ signal to the world. Learn from these men and, next time you get dressed, think about adding a little something extra to your look.

So, you’ve mastered the art of pulling on a crisp shirt and a pair tailored trousers. Perhaps you’re a workwear god, maybe even a streetwear king. But if you’re getting dressed in the morning and sleeping on accessories, you’re missing not one, but several tricks. A well-chosen accessory – or tie, scarf, hat, belt, etc – is the element that takes a dressed man to a best-dressed man. (Seriously, take a look through our street-style roundups from over the years and you’ll notice that often, the item that really takes a look over the edge isn’t trousers or a sweater, but a luxurious printed scarf, or a vibrant hat.)
Here, we’ve gathered some of our favourite examples of great outfits where accessories are doing much of the heavy lifting, elevating staid tailoring, lending a bit of high-fashion humour, or sending an I-am-luxurious signal to the world. Learn from these men and, next time you get dressed, think about adding a little something extra to your look.


Discover the finishing touches every look needs, from belts and scarfs to leather goods and watches. Plus shop Gucci, Cartier and more.

Fashion: Accessories That Complete Your Outfit

Why Accessories Maketh The Man 



In the space race of quality that is the world of luxury menswear, few brands can claim to soar quite as close to the sun as Neapolitan tailor [Kiton](http://www.mrporter.com/mens/designer/kiton). The brand has been known under this name, which refers to the ancient Greek word _khitōn_, a kind of tunic worn during prayer, since 1968, but its history stretches back to 1956, when textile merchant Mr Ciro Parone founded the first incarnation of the company under the name CIPA.

In the intervening years, though it seems somewhat counterintuitive to say so, the house’s key innovation has been its strict adherence to making clothing the traditional way in an industry that, even at the high end, is becoming more industrialised. If you visit Kiton’s impressive factory in Arzano, as MR PORTER did in late 2019 to produce the video above, you will see a surprising dearth of machines, automatons, computerised gadgets and other 21st-century trappings. In their place, a heroic army of more than 400 tailors, trained in every step of the production process, from cutting to ironing, labour by hand on the brand’s superlative products, in a production line like no other.

In the space race of quality that is the world of luxury menswear, few brands can claim to soar quite as close to the sun as Neapolitan tailor Kiton. The brand has been known under this name, which refers to the ancient Greek word khitōn, a kind of tunic worn during prayer, since 1968, but its history stretches back to 1956, when textile merchant Mr Ciro Parone founded the first incarnation of the company under the name CIPA.
In the intervening years, though it seems somewhat counterintuitive to say so, the house’s key innovation has been its strict adherence to making clothing the traditional way in an industry that, even at the high end, is becoming more industrialised. If you visit Kiton’s impressive factory in Arzano, as MR PORTER did in late 2019 to produce the video above, you will see a surprising dearth of machines, automatons, computerised gadgets and other 21st-century trappings. In their place, a heroic army of more than 400 tailors, trained in every step of the production process, from cutting to ironing, labour by hand on the brand’s superlative products, in a production line like no other.


Why Italian Tailoring Brand Kiton Has The Ultimate Bragging Rights

Highlights



As I walked through Hyde Park on a golden London evening last summer, I couldn’t remember ever feeling as good. Rather than enduring rush hour with my face pressed into the armpit of a stranger on the Central Line, I was 20 minutes into a six-mile hike home, listening to my favourite Spotify playlist, enjoying the sun on my face and the endorphins coursing round my body. I had recently given up smoking after 35 years, while the mosaic of wellness and fitness apps on my phone, one of which was tracking my walk, were symbols of a renewed determination to fashion a better version of myself.

Completing my calorie-burning target of 12,500 daily steps recommended by BetterMe: Walking &amp; Weightloss was only one part of my new app-based regime. The day now began with a tap of the Sleep Cycle icon to check how well I had slept. The soothing voice of Yoga Studio’s female instructor then talked me through low-intensity back-strengthening stretches, which then set me up for a 10-minute mediation session on Calm. At work, my phone bleeped, chirped and gurgled with notifications reminding me to drink more water, eat more healthily and project positivity. The messaging quickly became an onslaught, but the advice was sinking in, even if my weekly screen time was spiralling.

I had needed to hit the reset button. The combination of being trapped in a job that was wearing me down, the frenzy of home life with three small children and my residual angst about career, money and the future had left me feeling frayed and increasingly frustrated. The looming spectre of my 50th birthday didn’t help either, mocking me with every glance in the mirror, every twinge in my back and every flare of my bald patch on the CCTV screens of London buses.

As I walked through Hyde Park on a golden London evening last summer, I couldn’t remember ever feeling as good. Rather than enduring rush hour with my face pressed into the armpit of a stranger on the Central Line, I was 20 minutes into a six-mile hike home, listening to my favourite Spotify playlist, enjoying the sun on my face and the endorphins coursing round my body. I had recently given up smoking after 35 years, while the mosaic of wellness and fitness apps on my phone, one of which was tracking my walk, were symbols of a renewed determination to fashion a better version of myself.
Completing my calorie-burning target of 12,500 daily steps recommended by BetterMe: Walking & Weightloss was only one part of my new app-based regime. The day now began with a tap of the Sleep Cycle icon to check how well I had slept. The soothing voice of Yoga Studio’s female instructor then talked me through low-intensity back-strengthening stretches, which then set me up for a 10-minute mediation session on Calm. At work, my phone bleeped, chirped and gurgled with notifications reminding me to drink more water, eat more healthily and project positivity. The messaging quickly became an onslaught, but the advice was sinking in, even if my weekly screen time was spiralling.
I had needed to hit the reset button. The combination of being trapped in a job that was wearing me down, the frenzy of home life with three small children and my residual angst about career, money and the future had left me feeling frayed and increasingly frustrated. The looming spectre of my 50th birthday didn’t help either, mocking me with every glance in the mirror, every twinge in my back and every flare of my bald patch on the CCTV screens of London buses.


Health apps and fitness trackers are great, but there's more to health and mental wellbeing than relying on technology. 

Lifestyle: The Effectiveness Of Wellness Apps

Why Wellness Isn’t The Answer To Everything



The MR PORTER office has been alive with activity for the past weeks, even more than usual, while we relaunch _The Journal_ in its sleek new format – and this marks the end of the first week! So, what do you reckon? How have we done? Yeah, thanks, we’re pretty pleased with it, too. Tired though. But not tired enough to stop filling our Wish Lists with all that’s new and tempting. Here’s what our Deputy Editor, Mr Ashley Clarke, fancies this week.

The MR PORTER office has been alive with activity for the past weeks, even more than usual, while we relaunch The Journal in its sleek new format – and this marks the end of the first week! So, what do you reckon? How have we done? Yeah, thanks, we’re pretty pleased with it, too. Tired though. But not tired enough to stop filling our Wish Lists with all that’s new and tempting. Here’s what our Deputy Editor, Mr Ashley Clarke, fancies this week.


Discover the new-season items our Deputy Editor is adding to his spring wardrobe, plus shop Barena and The Row.

Staff Picks: Spring Looks 2020

Staff Picks: What Our Deputy Editor Wants This Week



When I was little, my mother brought one of Japanese artist Mr Yoshitomo Nara’s works home with her. An oversized ashtray, it’s delicately lacquered with a little girl wearing a yellow smock – her eyes fixed in a glare and nostrils flaring – despondently smoking a cigarette, with the words “Too Young To Die” painted in a Comic Sans-like scribble on the rim. I couldn’t stop staring at it. Did a precocious child make it? Why was its subject so angry? Was it a piece of anti-tobacco propaganda? And, if it was used for its intended function, as my mother did, why would she, a smoker, want a ceramic reminder of her vice’s lethality? I just didn’t get it.

Years later, now armed with a master’s degree in art history, I still don’t. Not fully, anyway. Mr Nara’s work is deliberately ambiguous, and all the better for it. Hidden under a veneer of cartoonish simplicity, his now-iconic big-headed “girls” (Mr Nara has said he doesn’t consciously prescribe a gender to his subjects) are fascinating in their complexity. But a new book by Ms Yeewan Koon, chair of the fine arts department at Hong Kong university, and published by Phaidon, is the first major attempt to unpack the artist’s world.

When I was little, my mother brought one of Japanese artist Mr Yoshitomo Nara’s works home with her. An oversized ashtray, it’s delicately lacquered with a little girl wearing a yellow smock – her eyes fixed in a glare and nostrils flaring – despondently smoking a cigarette, with the words “Too Young To Die” painted in a Comic Sans-like scribble on the rim. I couldn’t stop staring at it. Did a precocious child make it? Why was its subject so angry? Was it a piece of anti-tobacco propaganda? And, if it was used for its intended function, as my mother did, why would she, a smoker, want a ceramic reminder of her vice’s lethality? I just didn’t get it.
Years later, now armed with a master’s degree in art history, I still don’t. Not fully, anyway. Mr Nara’s work is deliberately ambiguous, and all the better for it. Hidden under a veneer of cartoonish simplicity, his now-iconic big-headed “girls” (Mr Nara has said he doesn’t consciously prescribe a gender to his subjects) are fascinating in their complexity. But a new book by Ms Yeewan Koon, chair of the fine arts department at Hong Kong university, and published by Phaidon, is the first major attempt to unpack the artist’s world.


Read all about the new book on Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara’s work by Yeewan Koon, who aims to unpack the artist’s world.

Lifestyle: Artist Mr Yoshitomo Nara

The Complicated World Of Mr Yoshitomo Nara



As London’s second-generation immigrant chefs start to come into their own, it’s only natural that they want to create food that is much a personal expression as it is the continuation of the story of a national cuisine. But how to satisfy the demands and expectations of an audience unfamiliar with the cuisine and the expectations of another whose perception of the “authentic” is frozen in time? Food writer Mr Jonathan Nunn sits down with the chefs behind three of London’s most exciting new restaurants to find out how they’re doing just that.

Discover new cuisines in London from Nigeria, Singapore and the Philippines and the chefs behind the restaurants.

Lifestyle: Three New Cuisines In London

Three New Cuisines To Try In London



Writers don’t care about such a shallow, inconsequential thing as fashion, do they? They spend all their time holed up in defiantly unglamorous dark rooms that are littered with notes and cuttings, stubbed-out cigarettes and empty wine bottles. It is such detritus, not designer knitwear and suede jackets, that constitutes the physical effluvia of their overflowing genius. To borrow a phrase from Mr Roald Dahl: they choose books, not looks.

Read how to channel the looks of some of history’s most stylish writers, from Oscar Wilde to Jack Kerouac. Plus shop pieces by visvim, Connolly and more.

Lifestyle: Dress Like A Literary Great

How To Dress Like A Literary Great On World Book Day



“I’ve just lost my job and I did nothing wrong.”

I could hear the outrage in Keith’s voice as he hovered beside the armchair he was too agitated to sit in.

“My boss is such a jerk,” he told me. “He just didn’t try to understand what an asset I am to the business. He even said I had an attitude problem. Me, of all people!”

Keith had been a senior asset manager at an international bank for nearly five years. His anger was so powerful it swamped his sadness, fear and shame. Losing our job is hard because it makes us face difficult questions. Will I get another job? Can I pay the bills? What will my friends think? How will I fill my time? Was it my fault?

In her book _Mindset: The New Psychology Of Success_, psychologist Dr Carol Dweck offers a helpful model to overcome setbacks such as losing our job, by showing us how we can grow through adversity. We do this, Dr Dweck says, by developing a flexible mindset. Instead of seeing problems as, well, problems, we should reframe them as chances. And, by acknowledging the part we played in them, we can then behave differently if or when a similar situation arises again.

“I’ve just lost my job and I did nothing wrong.”
I could hear the outrage in Keith’s voice as he hovered beside the armchair he was too agitated to sit in.
“My boss is such a jerk,” he told me. “He just didn’t try to understand what an asset I am to the business. He even said I had an attitude problem. Me, of all people!”
Keith had been a senior asset manager at an international bank for nearly five years. His anger was so powerful it swamped his sadness, fear and shame. Losing our job is hard because it makes us face difficult questions. Will I get another job? Can I pay the bills? What will my friends think? How will I fill my time? Was it my fault?
In her book Mindset: The New Psychology Of Success, psychologist Dr Carol Dweck offers a helpful model to overcome setbacks such as losing our job, by showing us how we can grow through adversity. We do this, Dr Dweck says, by developing a flexible mindset. Instead of seeing problems as, well, problems, we should reframe them as chances. And, by acknowledging the part we played in them, we can then behave differently if or when a similar situation arises again.


Read psychotherapist David Waters’ tips for overcoming losing a job, and how to turn work failure into success.

Lifestyle: Turn Failure Into Success

How To Turn Job Loss Into An Opportunity



The historic brand’s style and heritage director shows MR PORTER some of the house’s rarest pieces.

When Mr Christian Selmoni, style and heritage director for Vacheron Constantin, was just 12 years old he received his first watch. “I remember I spent quite a lot of hours at night looking at it,” he says from his office in Geneva. “It was sort of a sports watch and had luminescent hands. I would just look at the hands glowing in the night.”

Perhaps it was this pre-teen experience that led him eventually to the world of watchmaking, or perhaps it was the time spent watching his grandfather actually assembling watches at home. “My grandfather was an excellent watchmaker,” says Mr Selmoni. “I spent many hours watching him doing the assembly and this is how, I think, I got this interest, this passion for watchmaking.”




The historic brand’s style and heritage director shows MR PORTER some of the house’s rarest pieces.
When Mr Christian Selmoni, style and heritage director for Vacheron Constantin, was just 12 years old he received his first watch. “I remember I spent quite a lot of hours at night looking at it,” he says from his office in Geneva. “It was sort of a sports watch and had luminescent hands. I would just look at the hands glowing in the night.”
Perhaps it was this pre-teen experience that led him eventually to the world of watchmaking, or perhaps it was the time spent watching his grandfather actually assembling watches at home. “My grandfather was an excellent watchmaker,” says Mr Selmoni. “I spent many hours watching him doing the assembly and this is how, I think, I got this interest, this passion for watchmaking.”




The historic brand’s style and heritage director shows MR PORTER some of the house’s rarest pieces

MR PORTER

THE JOURNAL