The 1960s and 1970s marked a kind of apogee for men’s accessories. At first purely functional, these everyday objects borrowed increasingly sophisticated know-how, creating an elaborate aesthetic which transformed them into “jewels” for men. THE BELT thin belt from Old England, Sulka or Lanvin with a gold buckle, exotic or patent leather. THE WALLET/CARD-HOLDER made […]
HUSBANDS JOURNAL
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IRISH LINEN
Linen was introduced into Europe 2000 years ago. Originally considered as bad weed, its cultivation developed very early on to be transformed into textiles. The manufacturing process has remained unchanged through the ages: the plucked flax stalks are first spread out in sheets on the ground and then treated to extract the fibres (this is […]
CASUAL FRIDAY
Casual day, casual Friday or dress-down Friday is a custom that allows employees of a company to dress down on Fridays. In France, the false anglicism of “Friday wear” is used. Employees are invited to leave their suits at home and loosen their ties. Instead, IT people, bankers, HR managers and accountants put on a […]
THE SHORT-SLEEVE SHIRT
The short-sleeve shirt was democratised in the 1920s by tennis players who wore it to play with more ease. A new smock for artists and painters Subsequently, short-sleeve shirts became very popular within artists, particularly painters, who thus avoided getting their sleeves dirty while painting: Picasso, Léger, Albers and Matisse all wore one in their […]
PLAYTIME
On the outskirts of Paris, an upright city, an airport concourse, American tourists, Monsieur Hulot, a missed appointment, endless back and forths, a lift, a Household Arts Show, misunderstandings, reflections, open-space offices, an American girl, preparations for the Royal Garden restaurant opening night, cocktail jackets and dinner jackets, dancing all night, mornings at the drugstore […]
EVENING WEAR
The dinner jacket first appeared following the Crimean War. British soldiers, stationed in Turkey from 1853 to 1856, began to smoke local tobacco, taking it back to England with them on their return. The idea of smoking in groups after dinner then spread in England among the aristocratic class. Before entering the smoking room, men […]
THE POCKETS
Pockets were not originally sewn-in pockets like the ones we know today, but rather separate bags attached to clothes. Used principally for the carrying of tools, it was from the 15th century that these bags were knotted around the waist or suspended from the belt. Coveted by pickpockets and purse cutters, slits were then cut […]
DIETER RAMS
Born on may 20th, 1932 in Wiesbaden, Dieter Rams is a German industrial designer considered as one of the founders of the functionalist school of industrial design. His work is closely linked to the Braun company, for which he designed radios, record players, scales and calculators from 1955 to 1995 A synthesis between Ivy League […]
SEERSUCKER
An old rule of masculine elegance states that it can be worn only between Memorial Day and Labor Day: from late May to early September. From British trading posts in India to the shoulders of the English bourgeoisie Seersucker is a fabric native to India. The word seersucker is taken from the Persian shir o […]
3-BUTTON SUITS
3-button jackets were created at the end of the 19th century. Of Edwardian inspiration, they were first omnipresent in England and worn in France by the dandies of the Third Republic. In the 1960s, 3-button jackets were abandoned in favour of 2-button ones, which had appeared in the 1920s: their look was considered more sporty. […]