Issue 29 (Winter 2023)
Dear Readers
In a three-page exclusive article at the back of this publication, stylist extraordinaire, Chris Sullivan, reminds us of a time when style was communicated in private places from which the public were excluded, or of which they knew little or nothing. The World’s End area on the King’s Road, clubs of Soho, directional shops (like Pinto, Robot or Johnson’s) on Saturdays, Kensington Market, Caister weekenders and the Chelsea Cruise. In sociological terms these were ‘events’, but not as we know them today. The modern-day jamboree, that celebrates a specialised area of interest in old cars, music, antique clothing or militaria, has become the medium through which we assess the current zeitgeist in terms of collecting, showing and wearing. For this reason, Men’s File spends most summers gathering words and pictures from the best anywhere in the world. Some of these get-togethers are closed to outsiders and some not, however, it would be a full-time job for any individual to get to all of those featured in this issue, from the beaches of Italy’s Costa Azzura, to the sands of South Wales.
Our Enduring Fascination with Leather
Leather never dies, it just gets better and thus we return to the big hitters, as well as some newcomers, in leather jacket design and production from London’s oldest maker to Scotland’s newest. Then we cross the pond and bring you leather news from SoCal and Uruguay.
However, it’s Italy’s millennia-old leather crafts which brings us to our Opening Shot, that comes from Shangri-La Heritage’s exploration of the High Salt Road, that took the commodity over the Alps, and allowed trade between France to Italy. Since the time that Roman Caligati wore the leather cuirass and hob-nail leather sandals – after which they were named – and protected that vital ingredient from bandits, this road continues to challenge man, horse and machine. Europe is still wide open for the adventurer and immersive events abound and can be found in the Seine-et-Marne (Automobile Enthusiast), French Alps (Alpine Classique), Danish and Normandy Beaches (Rømø and Normandy Beach Races) and on England’s picturesque South Downs (Goodwood Revival).
Our Journey Continues
Every journey starts with the first step and in this issue we take the road to Goodwood Revival and allow some of the judges at the Best Dressed at Goodwood Revival competition a chance to show how they prepare for the three-day weekend of fine threads, hot oil and rubber. It’s noisy, the sun always seems to shine and the spectacle is unequalled. Finally, we take our annual pilgrimage to Pendine Sands, where man first travelled at over 170mph on land. Normally the focus is on the cars at the totally horizontal beach, but Men’s File turns the lens towards the participants for a glimpse of style, as worn by the modern hot rodder. Run by the VHRA, this is a ticket-only event, and we suggest you get yours today!
Nick Clements (Editor-in-Chief)
Men’s File explores leather as a signifier of subcultural affiliations but also as a functional material that protects and serves the wearer, sometimes for decades. In this feature we present Lewis Leathers, The Real McCoy’s and the London Leather Man in an indulgent retro fantasy.
Riki’s brand is small, exclusive and doesn’t usually reflect what everyone else is doing. This genuine independence is apparent in everything the stylist wears and does.
This is the world of Fabian Jedlitschka and Pike Brothers. A realm in which post- war Americana and militaria are transposed, as they had been 75 years before, onto the picturesque German landscape and into the psyche of the nation’s fashionable youth.
There are certain street stylists, within the realm of male style, who ply their art on the same pavements on which George Brummel once trod. They are few, but their impact on the early moods that permeate menswear is immense.
Aboard this 1920s polished aluminium road rocket is Mr Derek Lee, a student of architecture and a young man of refined tastes. His suits are personally tailored in Hong Kong and his ability in finding original pre and directly post-war clothing is not in doubt.
Many years ago (Gary never says exactly when) Mr Eastman dismantled an ancient A2 flying jacket with the intention of finding out how it was made, with the idea of making a copy for himself. A few decades later and Eastman Leather Clothing is one of a select few of go-to brands for the serious connoisseur of replica militaria.
Painter, motorcyclist and collector of objects from the Old West, Nicholas Coleman lives on the edge of the old frontier town, although now very civilised, Provo, Utah.
A dedicated part-time Tiki-ist, hot-rodder and stalwart of the VHRA organisation, Jacqueline Davis is in fact a full-time professional graphic artist.
The innocence and elegance of pre-war Italy is encapsulated in this series of attractive vignettes featuring Alex Hills, Lucy Manley and an untouched 1935 Fiat 1500.
Just 5 years separate the four watches discussed on these pages, and each has their own unique personality and story to tell.
When Pomona resident Tim Scott told us ‘I wasn’t born into the hot-rodding world’ we imagined a newcomer who had recently stumbled on the scene and cynically recognised its visual potential.
Allow us to introduce you to a line of supercars (the 911 Targa to be precise), that started in 1967 and a far more contemporary ‘super-woman’, both with impeccable credentials.
Named after a province in the south east of Norway, Telemarking is a form of skiing that owes more to practicality than to sport.
The Talented and ultra-stylish New York artist (more recently of Stockbridge, Mass.) gives a masterclass in sketching in charcoal from his studio on the Lower Eastside.
The Corvair was packed with innovations, but nevertheless controversial.
Flaviano Bencivenga is a gentleman of taste and action. A dedicated motorcycle collector and rider the Zurich-based shoe designer spends much time developing both new styles.
Pierre Girard (pictured) is a classic example of a one-man subculture. He creates clothing that he would like to wear and use on his extensive collection of motorcycles...
Northern Soul is a dance and music based subculture that flourished in the northwest of England at the end of the 1960s and into the 1970s.
Somewhere in East London, lost among the crowded grid of Victorian terraced housing and forgotten warehouses, an earnest craftsman hunches over his workbench.