Hasta La Ideas

Non mi sono mai piaciuti gli occhiali pieghevoli, a parte questi Steve McQueen di Persol.
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La maglia dello scalatore del Tour de France finisce sul cappello della label giappo Mad Hectic.
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Raramente mi capita di scrivere post prettamente femminili ma per lei faccio sempre un’eccezione. Questa è la nuova collezione Whatsinsideyou SS12, il soggetto è molto carino, gli abiti anche, handmade in italy. In arrivo su thisisamaze.

The civilized guide to mid-century manliness

Compiled from the 22 issues and six years that constituted the life of “Gentry” magazine, “The Gentry Man” aims to highlight the best of the culturally impactful magazine’s lifespan. The collection is billed as “A Guide for the Civilized Male”, much of its content applicable to men then and now. Moreover, the book is a snapshot of mid-century manliness, showing the perceived ideals of a generation of post-war men searching for guidance in peacetime. Uniting the content is Gentry’s phenomenally creative layout, which changes vastly with from page to page.

The basis for Gentry’s invented persona can be attributed to William Segal, the self-made millionaire who started the publication in 1951. Building off of his success in industry publications “American Fabrics” and “Men’s Reporter”, Segal began Gentry for a very specific kind of man.

Editor Hal Rubenstein describes “The Gentry Man” in the book’s intro: “On the weekends, playing host at his spruced-up to the manor born country house, he’d sport tea dust-colored (that’s green, by the way) Japanese linen Bermuda shorts, mix a shakerful of cocktails with his secret ingredient (applejack), whip up a beef goulash, and regale guests about driving the family up for a stay at the stately and still-popular Otesaga Hotel in Cooperstown, New York, in his sleek new 1953 Ford Sunliner convertible. He openly lusted for a painting by Paul Klee, had unapologetic fantasies about bull-fighting, confessed to yearning to learn more about Eastern philosophy—especially after reading an excerpt of Hesse’s Siddhartha.”

The fashion advocated in the publication has everything to do with “intelligently executed affluence.” Bold sartorial choices are categorized under “new approaches”, which introduce changing tastes and looks for social circumstances from resort beaches to formal engagements. Advice focuses on cut and appearance as much as it does on patterns and textiles, which were enjoying a rare revolution at the time. Among the stranger spreads is one dedicated entirely to straw hats, which were popularized by beach-bound gents of the era.

Tidbits from the book range from instructions on cooking particular cuts of meat, a guide to spirits of the world and how to achieve checkmate in seven moves. Mixologists can appreciate some of the vintage drinks, from the aggressive “The Exterminator” to the daintier “Buckingham” and “Champagne Fraisette Savoy Plaza” cocktails. An “Alphabet of Uncommon Sense” doles out advice compiled from aphorisms by Oscar Wilde while a simple list of “Do’s and Dont’s” keeps you from committing social faux pas.

Seen as a historical document, the magazine lends insight into the aspirations of the age. One article asks six designers to envision their car of the future. Many of the proposals have been realized today—including combination and key-less locks, rubberized interiors for washing and adjustable seats—while others have not: the ambitious designer Howard Ketcham adamantly called for a nuclear sports car.

While aspects of “The Gentry Man” will come off as stodgy to a contemporary audience, the magazine was meant to be a “thoroughly subversive manifesto.” Men of adventure and self-improvement were the intended audience, and Gentry counted presidents and diplomats among its dedicated readers.

The Gentry Man is available from Harper Design through Amazon. Find more images of the book in our slideshow .

Two books explore the aesthetics of bike-riding

The North Atlantic Ocean may take hours to cross by plane but when it comes to the infiltration of bicycle culture—and specifically, the urban cycling aesthetic—the distance ceases to exist. Case in point: as we were busy attending the launch of the new book “Cycle Style” at London’s Look Mum, No Hands, a copy of “Cycle Chic” landed at CH HQ in New York. As we talked across the pond, we soon learned that the common celebration of riding style had been documented from two distinct vantage points.

The weightier hardcover “Cycle Chic” outnumbers the softcover “Cycle Style” by nearly 100 pages, and the narratives inside each continues to diverge. Shot by acclaimed photographer Horst Friedrichs, “Cycle Style” showcases the 15-year London resident’s love affair with his adopted city from the first page. He dedicates the book to the city and its stylishly eclectic cyclists who reside and ride around it, capturing the essence of their character—from the hip Shoreditch crowd to the perfectly manicured Saville Row riders and everyone in between.

Friedrichs forgoes action shots for the most part, presenting posed subjects, each of whom is in some way connected to the London cycle scene, from Quoc Pham, who designs cycle shoes, to Sir Paul Smith, who has made the bicycle an integral part of his eponymous fashion brand. The images are left to speak for themselves, some spanning two pages to highlight both the rider’s personal style and their bike’s outstanding details, like vintage leather seats and customized handlebars. Because Friedrichs has left text off the pages, the book includes a complete index listing the name of each individual along with the type of bike they ride, as well as a full directory of cycle-friendly clothing and accessory brands.

By contrast, “Cycle Chic” has been compiled by Mikael Colville-Andersen, filmmaker, street photographer, urban mobility expert and the man behind popular cycle blogs Copenhagen Cycle Chic and Slow Bicycle Movement. Rather than limiting himself to just one city, Colville-Andersen has created a showcase of snaps from across the globe including Tokyo, London, Copenhagen, Vancouver, Paris and New York.

While Colville-Andersen claims that the photographs are not meant to be viewed solely for the style of their subjects, he focuses primarily on subjects’ fashion in the text throughout the book and begins by say that “…at every opportunity, I will choose style over speed”. The style of his subjects seems less inspired than those captured in “Cycle Styles”, with more of a common, everyday look. As a text devoted to how people utilize their bicycles and the commonalities between cyclists in different nations, it really works, but as a study of aesthetics, “Cycle Chic” focuses more on the broader idea of bike style throughout the world than individual style mavens stopped on two wheels.

Subjects are mostly shot riding, grouped together by different themes from the color of their outfits and bikes, to the style of their front basket, to their choice of riding companion, whether it be baby or dog. Colville-Andersen takes a heavier-handed approach to introducing themes for each chapter, and keeps a running commentary alongside each photograph that might be better left for readers to deduce themselves. Some of the book’s groupings seem like a bit of a stretch, like winter riders in scarves and women wearing heels while on their bikes, but indicate a close study an impassioned observer.

Both texts will excite cycle enthusiasts, and both deliver insight into this ever-increasing pastime, but if you have to just buy one, we suggest learning a little more about our London neighbors with “Cycle Style”.

Both “Cycle Style” and “Cycle Chic” are available for purchase on Amazon.