Q&A - Simon Foxton - men's fashion stylist

Once in a while a stylist comes along who creates images of such arresting power that their input can no longer be overlooked, and their name becomes as important as the photographer's. Simon Foxton's catalogue of muscled, handsome, dynamic men - work he's been producing for over twenty years - is a case in point. 

Wardrobe Master: You have an exhibition coming up at London's Photographer's Gallery, that seems pretty unique for a stylist?

Simon Foxton: Yes, as far as I know, 'About A Boy', is the only exhibition of a stylist's work ever put on. I feel flattered and very honoured to have been asked.

WM: What will it be like?

SF: It's a survey of all my work based around three photographers who I've worked with the most-  Nick Knight, Jason Evans and Alasdair McLellan. There will be a wall at the back devoted to my portrait-based work and some of my scrap books, from which I generate my ideas, will be displayed too.

WM: You work exclusively in menswear, why is that?

SF:  I was at St Martins (art college) and my interest always lay in menswear. I don't have to think about what makes a man look good or interesting - it comes easily to me.

WM: Where did your work first appear?

SF: I started working with I-D Magazine in 1984 which has been my base and home ever since. They have always given me the freedom to express my ideas.

WM: You're a Fashion Director there, what does that involve?

SF: Well, I'm not really a Fashion Director, as such, I don't have the people skills! I think styling and being a Fashion Director are very different jobs. It's rare to find both in one person.

WM: And  you're involved with Fantastic Man magazine too...

SF: Yes, I came on board 2 or 3 years ago - it's a magazine with a very definite point of view.

WM: Tell me about your scrap books and how you  come up with your ideas.

SF: I don't hoard magazines in my home, but I do tear out images which I find interesting then I stash them in a box in my bedroom. Once or twice a year I go through the box and pull out all the pictures and start to make scrap books. It's so useful to me as they act as a reminder of what I like.

WM: Is there one particular story of image that stands out for you?

SF: The minotaur picture shot for the cover of Arena Homme Plus a few years ago by Nick Knight, which is also the image for my exhibition. We were playing around and I decided another guy should wrap his arms around our main model and the image took off from there. It was a very organic process, which is how I like to work. I don't like to have things too planned -it's good to be playful and to see what happens.

WM: How does someone working as creatively as you do feel about the recession?

SF:  In times like these, there are much more serious parameters. You have to keep track with the advertising, to be careful. But in more straightened times there tends to be more creative ideas pushing  up too. There is always a need to be entertained and delighted.

WM: What in your work entertains and delights?

SF: Most of my work is cartoon-ish. My general aesthetic is to use healthy looking men wearing bright colours. It's quite pop-like, really. When I work with Nick (Knight), he tends to push for the more violent side of things. And I use clothing or fashion to make a picture. I've always felt resistant to the idea of trends, and I'm not really into fashion or menswear for their sake only. After all, a thing of beauty is a joy forever. 

For further information about Simon's exhbition which opens on the 17th July, follow the link below:

Gems in the rough - why you need diamond prints in your wardrobe

I have two sleeveless sweaters - tank tops - which are fronted with diamond patterns. The first is bottle green, black and red with a nod to Jack Nicklaus in its colour and fitted shape. It would  look at home atop stout hiking boots or on Andre 2000's back. The other, a chunky muted tank, carries its diamonds in moss green, grey and cream. Various of my socks, often by Burlington, are starred with diamonds too - making the journey from trouser hem to shoe an eye-poppingly graphic one.

Dismiss your ideas of retired middle Englanders and subscribers to Golfer's World - diamond knits  add colour, bold shape and interest to knits. Sleeveless, they can be worn like a waistcoat under a jacket doing the work of a bold tie without the formality. Start sifting for your gems in the kinds of department store gent's sections that you'd normally avoid, for diamonds are found in the roughest of places. Base camp brands are Boss  Golf, Tommy Hilfiger, Burlington, and Pringle - for advanced searches sniff out your gems at Dolce & Gabbana, Burberry, Junya Watanabe, Comme des Garcons or Walter van Beirendonck.  

All buttoned up and somewhere to go - occasion dressing without a tie

A wedding invitation without dress requirements is a mixed blessing. The alternative - a request for lounge suits or morning attire - will always bring  a glum feeling of predictability - like having to wear your school uniform on the weekend.

With this laxity there is no less a need to be both smart and individual, respectful of the formality of the occasion, without insulting your hosts in a pair of battered Converse trainers. A neat solution - which somehow keeps a suit or tailored jacket looking smart, while avoiding business vernacular - is the buttoned up shirt. 

Traditionally a 'mummy's boy' staple, this idea has recently lost it's geeky aura, to become an eminently useful dressing solution. So, thanks then to Prada, Jil Sander, Raf Simons and Hermes (who featured this look in their A/W 09 collection, see picture) as well as other design minimalists, for giving us this idea. 

Style do's and don'ts for the modern wedding guest:

1. Do wear brogues, Oxfords, blunt-toe loafers - the style is less important than the fact you're wearing shoes. Boots, trainers or sandals (unless the wedding is on a beach) should be left at home.

2. Don't let your style pegging slip below a tailored jacket and trousers. At a push, slim cut darkest indigo jeans are acceptable.

3. Don't wear colourful braces, loud ties, bow-ties etc unless you're used to such things. You could end up looking wary and self conscious with such a bold step outside of your sartorial comfort zone.

4. Do add colour with a breast pocket silk square. An appropriately dandy-ish for wedding days (or, in my case, any days).

Legging it - why you should be wearing smart shorts

There is only one style of shorts to wear this summer - the tailored, or 'smart' short. Why? Because compared to the Bermuda, military baggy or three quarter lengths you may choose to stumble around in while cooking a barbeque - these shorts have 'suitable for work' stamped on them. And, if they're suitable for your office, they're also suitable for the bar, restaurant and even for meeting your in-laws. But make sure it's a warm day, or you'll be mistaken for a proto-naturist.

Usefully, tailored short have - slimming lack of flag-like fabric; a leg-enhancing crop above the knee, and the lure of smartening up your look even more with a casual tailored jacket. This, of course, should never 'match' the shorts in colour and fabric, as last summer's 'short suit' reminded us - a clown-like outfit masquerading as office-wear. 

The snug shorts featured in the picture are by Neil Barratt and come in at just over £200. For similar high street versions  try Topman, H&M and Gap. Now, of course, there's just the matter of how your legs look. I feel a blog coming on...

Turning Japanese: Lucien Pellat-Finet and the collectibility of cashmere art

Goyard's bags, Hermes' ties and Oliver Goldsmith's sunglasses, are products which defy conventional business logic. This gear is insanely expensive and knock-offs pour like a river from Eastern sweatshops. Yet, still these brands thrive like defiantly territorial endangered species, while original pieces hold their price if kept in a box-fresh state. To that list we can add Lucien Pellat-Finet's cashmere sweaters as interpreted by Japanese artist, Mr.

There's something heroic about all this. When you can pick up a half decent cashmere sweater for under £50, explain the logic to put down £500 on an entry-level LPF one, which may not look at any different? If you're able to buy into this end of the market (and, of course, the quality of cashmere here is about as good as it gets), it's  in the collaborations where the brand gets interesting. 

Acknowledging the importance of the Japanese market, Pellat-Finet has collaborated with Japanese artists including Murakami in past seassons, ensuring a market for his sweaters in Tokyo and the world beyond. The collaboration this year with  Mr., whose work has a retro kitsch manga appeal, makes your purchase not only wearable (in an ironic, kidult kind of way), but collectible too. This stuff will never be made again and these pieces will likely hold their value in years to come.  Which, of course, can never be said for that bobbled up piece of tat from the high street masquerading as the real thing.

Surprisingly long lasting gear - Prada's indestructable trainers

While tramping across my local shingle beach - feet firmly shod in an eight-year-old pair of battered Prada linea rosa trainers (linea rosa? aka Prada Sport) - I considered the following: what other trainer brand would still be holding up to weekend-wear on unforgiving flint rocks after that tsunami of years? You tell me. It's as if the dense rubber sole, leather upper and thick laces are made of some bullet-proof material that nobody else has stumbled upon apart from those clever folks at Prada. 

If Plato were around, these trainers (which, let's face it, are lifestyle shoes, rather than sports friendly) would be praised for being  perfect Forms, sent down to us from the Olympan gods. Which, come to think of it, these silvered leather toes would look quite cool poking out from under your toga. I'll keep you posted when these sturdy faithfuls do finally kick the bucket, as long as they don't outlast me.

Flat pack: 5 thoughts about cap wearing

1. The cap's peak gives useful shade for your eyes and protects your head from excessive sun exposure.

2. Lightweight styles from a brand like Kangol are made from an open mesh fabric - keeping hot heads cool.

3. The cap sets off jeans and trainers as much as a dressed-down suit (if you're wearing a tie, lose the cap - too many details dilute your image).

4. Match the colour of your cap with another thing you're wearing - a navy cap with indigo jeans is a good starting point. Remember, co-ordination = smart.

5.  Felted wool and cashmere mix versions in the winter - as Guy Ritchie can verify - keep that third of body heat you lose through your head under wraps.