Mens Leather Gloves - A Social Faux-Pas?

If your schooling was anything like mine, then you would have sat through countless videos featuring an overly intelligent dog called Pippin, and an endless horde of men in mirrored glasses and Vauxhall Astra trying to abduct Pippin's human friends. I believe the term coined by these videos was 'Stranger Danger'.

Pippin.

Teaching a generation of children not to go outside for fear of being murdered

One thing that struck me about all these men, apart from how delicious their sweets were, was the fact they all seemed to wear leather gloves, how could something as practical as a mesh back, leather driving glove prove to have such sinister undertones as child murderer?

Well together, lets explore this modern day social faux pas, the Men's Leather Glove, and see if we can't turn its image around.

Initial Sightings.

It was only last winter that I spied the return of the 'men's leather glove' to our streets, if they had been worn by a suspicious middle-age man sat on a playground bench then I might have not thought any more of it,

but this was a young 'fashionable' gentlemen making his way through town, with clearly no aspiration to kidnap or murder anyone. This got me thinking? Is the leather glove back? Could I finally don my brown Italian leather driving gloves and not live in fear of persecution?

Good or Bad?

It's in your hands.

Lets look at the contrasting imagery of the glove, we have the negative stereotypes, serial killer; Nazi officer; Death Star gun operator.

Dial M for Moustache...er I mean Murder.

She had it coming to her, phoning her mother in Arizona at peak-billing!

It was only a matter of time till he snapped.

Death Star Chic

"Left a bit, right a bit... which planet am I aiming for again?"

Richard who?

You must mean Her Otto Flick ( I like to think the lady from the above photo is phoning him, talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place).

and now lets look at the good guys,

elegant young chap; motoring enthusiast; gallant Spitfire pilot.

Hailing a cab,

No doubt rushing to secure a seat at the Ameberly Fortmason's Men's Club, he'll have his pipe packed and lit by the time the cricket scores are in.

The Sky's the Limit

If you're going to fly about shooting down Jerries all day, you've got to be dressed for the occasion.

If the Glove Fits...Wear it

The only conclusion I can reach is that the leather glove is more of a gateway into a man's soul than his eyes, they have the ability to show a man for his true worth, any crack in a man's decency or any un-toward agendas he may harbour only become high-lighted by the wearing of the glove, but if the man is true of heart and honourable then the gloves shine forth like a beacon of moral sanctity.

This then is the question, like with Excaliber, are you true enough of heart to wear them by your side?

The Peckham Rye Revivalist - Shopping List

So you want to be a Peckham Rye Revivalist....?

On the last post we looked at how Del-Boy pretty much was the fashion icon of most young reggae loving men living in South London in the early 80's.

Below we have a picture of legendary British MC, Smiley Culture, it looks like Smiley has fallen on hard times and has had to take a job at Motor-Plan to subsidise his career in music. £490 quid for that heap? Your 'avin a laff mate!

Here we find Smiley relaxing with friends, after a busy day at the car-lot. Observe the massive lump of gold hanging from his neck. Looks like he's gold plated the hubcap off an old Ford Sierra.

So lets have a look at the key items you will need, to become a Peckham Rye Revivalist.

Shirts

Well first, your going to need the white collar two-toned shirt. A classic item in any shifty East-End gangster's wardrobe.

This ones actually from Baracuta (makers of the world famous Harrington Jacket) and is in their sale at the moment.

There are other bargains to be had, there's a lot of men's shirt makers on the web all with sales, why the hell go to Next when you can get a £80 shirt for £23? Checkout T.M Lewin for some ridiculously marked down shirts, that wee over anything you'll get on the High Street.

Accessories

Ideally you want to go for any shirt that wouldn't look out of place paired with a massive leather bound Filofax.

Maybe you could rework your Dad's old Filofax into an I-Pod case, like the one below? Or maybe not.

Sheepskin Coat

Right so you've got your shirt, next your going to need a Sheep Skin Jacket to keep you warm whilst your trying to flog hooky Russian Military Camcorders on Brixton Market.

Be warned they are bloody expensive, and until you've sold a lot of camcorders your probably only going to get your hands one by going round the charity shops. If you are already quite a successful petty criminal then why not try UGG who do a hooded sheepskin duffle-coat. Weighs in at £335 quid, you could probably buy the sheep for that.

Crap Jewellery

Ok so what's next well, more important that anything really it's lots of shit, gold jewellery. The tackier the better, think sovereigns, massive chains with MUM on them, a ring with your favourite football team on, be creative. I recommend Argos for all tasteless gold needs. Here are a few beauties from their collection.

No one is going to mess with you when you have a f@*k off bloody eagle on your ring. They'll think your doing some falconry.

Saint Derek, the Patron Saint of dodgy merchandise.

My old dear got me this when i was a kid, shame she took the majority of the blast from that accident with the shot-gun.

The more you spend, and the more awful it is, the better you are getting to grips with the Peckham Revivalist look.

Head-wear

Ok well lastly there is the important question of head-wear, ideally what you need is a leather flat-cap but a material one will do. Flat caps like the sheepskin jacket are very good for protecting you from the elements and when a wind whips up down Peckham High Street, that cap is going to stick to your bonce like super-glue.

Here's my Top 3.

Number 3 - Archie Men's Black and White Houndstooth - Only £8

Has serious Two-Tone Ska look going on.

N0. 2 - Park Royal Ivy Flat Cap - From a US site, $29

The site is called www.dadshats.com bit of an unfortunate name. As for the hat I'm thinking more Jackie Stewart than Del-Boy

No. 1 - Higgs Leather Studded Flat Cap - £19.99 - Ok it looks like a Rhino's ball-sack but that is 100 percent pure leather my friend. Does seem to give you the instant look of someone living outside the law too. Check out this shady looking Polish gent.

There we have our Peckham Rye Revivalist run-down, I hope you take inspiration from what you have seen.

Cushty.

The Peckham Rye Revivalists.

The Year - 1981

The Place - Peckham, London

The Look - Cockney Wheeler Dealer

In the early 80's it wasn't all B-Boying and Electro, the UK still had a massive Reggae scene with sound systems playing all over the country, for some reason it seams that the biggest inspiration to some of these young lad's outfits was in-fact... Derek Trotter.



Take a look below to see how Derek seemed to influence a generation of young, black musicians.

Some priceless footage of Barrington Levy on the Old Grey Whistle Test, aired in 1984, check the gold chains and leather tams, a strong "Only Fools and Horses, Peckham Revivalist" look.




Next we have Clint Eastwood and General Saint performing their classic, Another One Bites the Dust, the two Jamaican lads have gone for a bit of a military inspired flared suit not too dissimilar to Bob Fossil from The Mighty Boosh, some furry red Kangol tams' and some rather classy Adidas trainers.

Here's Bobby hitting on the same look, but with the omission of trousers.

Last up, the classic 80's cult Reggae sound-clash film of films... Babylon, starring some well known faces like that guy who plays the cleaner on Hollyoaks and that mockney white bloke that used to do Bisto adverts....

This film is amazing, a lost classic, which was hidden by the government and censors at time of it's release due to the race riots in Brixton and round the country. The film raises questions about many of the problems this country has of dealing with multiculturalism that we have till this day... anyway that got a bit deep.

Enjoy the clip.

Brighton Peer

Top 5 Work Boots (for not going to work in)

Whether your avoiding losing toes to heavy machinery at work, or hiking up the Pyrenees to realise you've left your Mars Bars at home. Hiking boots and work boots are looking more and more like the choice of footwear for your winter wardrobe, now that the Ice Age has returned.

What follows is a choice of what's out there at the moment, with boots ranging from the classy looking but in budget Timbalands, up to the the pricey but unmatchable Paraboots.

No5

The Redwing 8138,

Yellow laces, contrast stitching... for just over £150 quid your on to a winner.

No.4

APC Workboot,

245 Euros, so about the same in £.

100% vegetable tanned leather, although they don't say what vegetable its from? Im guessing a Beetroot.

No.3

Band of Outsiders x Sperry - Leather Boat Chukka - £109 in sale

Ok so its a boot, but its got bloody eyelets down the side, fashion over function I guess, this is a reworking that Band of Outsiders did, seaming as its last seasons now you'll probably find it cheap some where.

No.2

Timberland Premium Six Inch Boot- £90 sale price

Since the 90's the Timberland boot has been the choice for many a Balitmore based crack salesman, now you can soak up some of that glamour and save some cash too, because they're on sale, I wear these to work and after a few days they fit like a glove. Maintain control of your corner and look good doing it.

No.1

Paraboot Avoriaz Mountaineering Boot- £315

Ok, so the price is steeper than any hill you'll probably walk up whilst wearing them, but these are the Rolls-Royce of hiking boots, these ones have an orange stitch, but come in a few different colour-ways, if you did get a Christmas bonus (or even just manage to remain employed), then spend your money on these.

Sun, Sea and Sperry's

With all this cold weather around at the moment, I'm turning my attention back to summer, just to stave of any feelings of Seasonal Affective Disorder that maybe lurking in my system.

Last year was a big year for the re-emergence of Dub influenced music, as well as the music being an influence, I think this year we need to be embrace the clothes too.

Maybe too scruffy for some, and also the idea of wearing heavy knit jumpers in the height of summer may seem strange, if not insane, but these guys knew what they were up to, and in a time when wearing an Argyle jumper was seen as a status symbol, I can only salute the musical men of Jamaica.

When we think of reggae or ska we probably think of the Two-Tone suit wearing 80's revivalists or the Trojan Skins of the late 60's, but during the time of the mid 70's - early 80's in Jamaica. People were clambering to get there hands on Clarks Booties, Pringle Sweaters and Kangol Tams, basically anything being imported from the UK or the USA to the island was a must have, and people showed of their affluence through these brands.

So what does it mean to us now, well deck shoes have done the rounds, but mainly by blokes trying to look like they're in a Duran Duran video, I reckon something like a Sperry Topsider is always going to be a classic,

Pair them with your Pringle Socks,

Levi 307 Sta-press trousers

a faded/worn polo shirt (Fred Perry do a few washed out ones),

or casual Bengal Stripe shirt, again Fred Perry do a few or go one better and dig out a vintage one on Ebay.

by the time you've acquired all that, you'll have the look of a man up to his eye-balls in THC and sunshine!

If you want to look deeper check out the Soul Jazz book and album, Dancehall - The Rise of Jamaican Dance Hall Culture by Beth Lesser, and the music of Mikey Dread, Yellowman, Eek-a-Mouse and The Scientist all played a crucial part in the forming of the Jamaican sound of that period.

Also checkout the 1978 film Rockers which runs like a film/docu featuring some of Jamaica's biggest artists of the time like Jacob Miller with his band Inner Circle.

Bargain Hunt!

It's that time of year when you can buy next winter's clothes now, at half the price!

If you've got a good eye for style, then you can be sure it's going to look just as good in 12 months time.

Some top sites here in the UK have got their sales on so grab it while you can.

First off, Clarks have a sale on their Originals range, which include some well sort after Desert Boots, the preferred footwear of Mod's back in the 60's, desert boots have found their way back on to the street and have been adopted into the Hip-Hop community, not for the first time Clarks have been a label associated with the genre, for a long while their Wallabee Boots did the rounds when the Wu-Tang boys used to rock them, all those years ago.

End Clothing - Great service, and clear sizing, which helps when your buying on the net.

Eleven of Sunderland - Good range of stock being marked down.

Stuarts of London - Checkout the Coats and Knitwear for some bargains.

last and probably least...

ASOS.com - Can't beat them for service, and they do hold good brands, always a bargain to be had, but sometimes their idea of men's styling scares the crap out of me.

Dover Street Market - Comme des Garcons- Twill belted Jacket.

Found this little beauty on the Eleven Shop site, inspired by the M-65 field jacket made famous by De Niro's Travis Bickle in the film Taxi Driver, this jacket has a belt added which doesn't make it look to dissimilar to the Barbour International Jacket that was doing the rounds last year. At £300 pounds its within reach and defiantly worth scraping together some hard earned notes.

Here's Travis in his, can't really recommend the haircut, or his state of mind, but the jacket like the film, is a classic.

Brighton Peer is Up and Running

Brighton Peer Men's Clothing

Taking cues from some of the great periods in fashion, over the last sixty years, from late 50's Jazz icons, early 60's Modernists, up to the work-wear and denim brands of today. Brighton Peer takes a look at men's fashion as it was and how it should be, keeping an eye out for quality over trend, bringing together all past influences to bring about something that has a good foot hold in the past but doesn't mind taking a brave step into the future.

To me there was never anybody cooler than the early RnB artists of the Sixties and the Modern Jazz movement of the late 50's, oozing style from underneath their clean, crisp cut suits it was a smart but gritty style that lifted them off the streets and on to the stage. Come forward 60's years and we are in a quagmire of cheap, nasty clothes and 1 minute fashion hits, people's imagination and creativity have had to battle with what they can scrape together from trips to the Mega-Mall or Shopping centre, but over these last ten years the internet has shown that sub-cultures and like minded people can work outside the realm of popular convention and with blogs and forums we can all lead a path out of the terror that is the mainstream, and look back to the times of quality, talent and charisma, and live our lives to those ethics..

Over the coming months I'll be looking at vintage brands, new and adventurous labels, and discussing where I think men's clothing should and could be going..... Hopefully you'll all join me and we'll all come out of it a lot better than when we started.

Feel free to contact me here with any news, ideas or photos.

Brighton Peer.