THE JOURNAL
Perhaps by default, many of us have an item of clothing that we always fall back on. It becomes our trademark. An evergreen central point to assemble an outfit around, yes, but also a shorthand that reminds people of its wearer. And for the lucky ones, that piece is better nowhere else.
For Mr Pablo Picasso, it was the Breton tee. Sure, this wardrobe staple has been worn by everyone from Mr James Dean to Mr Andy Warhol. But, as photographer Mr Robert Doisneau noted when shooting Picasso, “It just looked so natural on him”. Warhol, meanwhile, also had his Berluti loafers. Mr Steve Jobs made the black turtleneck – not to mention dad jeans and sneakers – his own, while Mr Paul Newman gave his name to a watch (and a salad dressing, but that’s another story).
Below are five items that sum up the style of the MR PORTER team. From fragrances to footwear, these are the things that they always turn to, and, Mr Roland Barthes might argue, have turned themselves into. And now it’s your turn; find the item that looks just right on you.
01.
The glasses
I’ve been wearing glasses for almost 20 years and over that time, my eyewear collection has evolved with my personal style. From round frames to aviator shapes and Japanese to German-inspired designs, I’ve tried to build my collection with a little bit of everything. My day-to-day go-to glasses, however, come from brands such as MOSCOT and Mr Leight. They create well-made, classic frames that can easily be paired with any outfit. So, what am I currently looking to add to my collection? These Getty C Square-Frames from Mr Leight – an understated addition to compliment my wardrobe. With that sorted, the next step is to finally find a hack to prevent my glasses from fogging up with a mask on. Any suggestions are welcome.
02.
The hat
I wouldn’t say I’m known for wearing hats, although they have been a pretty constant presence on my head for the past year – partly to conceal bad hair, partly because having a hat on made me feel like there was a chance I’d go outside. Well, I plan to spend as much time as possible outside in the months ahead, and as an alternative to my trusty blue baseball cap this camouflage-print bucket hat from Beams Plus will do nicely. I might be a little on the old side for bucket hats, but they evoke warm, fuzzy memories of standing on football terraces in the 1980s, dancing until the sun came up at huge outdoor raves and lost weekends at Glastonbury. And we could all do with a little hedonism in our lives, right?
03.
The fragrance
My relationship with fragrance has changed somewhat over the past year. My desk in the beforetimes was like the ground floor of a department store, and I was perennially encased in a cloud of whatever fragrance took my fancy that day. Since working from home, though, I’ve developed perhaps a bit more shrewdness and restraint in my olfactory approach, and have found that the only thing I really want to wear anymore is TIMOTHY HAN / EDITION’s Decay Of The Angel. It’s a theatric fragrance, if a fragrance can be such a thing, and is named after Mr Yukio Mishima’s book of the same name. Moody and ever so slightly smoky, with dark floral notes, wearing it somehow makes me feel like the best version of myself. Which, for something you can spritz out of a bottle, is nothing to sniff at.
04.
The sneakers
In preparation for penning this paragraph, I decided it was about time I took stock of my ever-expanding shoe collection. The spoils (we’re talking upwards of 40 pairs here, the majority dusty and unworn) reveal a mind possessed: why did I imagine I would have any occasion to wear square-toed, strappy, crocodile leather mules during lockdown? Especially when, in my real, non-fantasy life, I exclusively don sneakers and only sneakers. Specifically three pairs: low-top Converse, slip-on checkerboard Vans and adidas Continentals (the latter of which are so knackered, you would have no suspicions they were originally bright white). Considering I would wear sneakers to a black-tie wedding given the opportunity, I won’t kid myself that I’ll suddenly have a change of heart and start trotting around town in heels any time soon. But I am hoping to expand my horizons somewhat: Gucci’s pre-distressed Virtus sneakers will do nicely.
05.
The watch
It has to be a watch, doesn’t it? Rather goes with the job title. I’d like to say I’m known for a well-chosen T-shirt or a standout pair of sneakers – and I do try – but when to friends, colleagues and family you are “the watch guy”, it feels churlish to deny it. So, my signature touch is to always give thought to what’s on my wrist. I’m a big believer in picking the right watch for the right time, but one I’d really love to have in rotation is this Chopard L.U.C Perpetual Twin. It’s visually interesting without being completely over the top and has enough going on mechanically that when someone asks about it, I can, if I want, give them a thorough run-down of the key points. A micro-rotor in-house perpetual calendar movement from one of Switzerland’s few fully independent companies, with a pretty compelling array of hand-finishing techniques at a relatively competitive price. Or I can just say, “Yes, the dial does look like Mickey Mouse.”